Cynthia Paine-Drennan has practically been staking Open House signs into the ground since she was a little girl. The Dave Perry-Miller agent is a third-generation Realtor, following in the footsteps of her mother Nancy Paine and grandmother Ruth Newman, who was the first female real estate broker in Dallas.
Cynthia, with her husband of 19 years Mark, lead the Paine-Drennan Group, known for their native Dallas knowledge and in-depth neighborhood expertise. She’s a trusted real estate professional whom Lisa Peters of Caliber Home Loans has nominated as this week’s “High Caliber Agent.”
Daltxrealestate.com: When did you begin selling real estate?
Cynthia: 1997
What was the market like then?
The interest rates had just dropped to 7.25 percent! My very first deal was a home that sold for $84,000 near Lakeland in Oak Cliff, which now would sell in the $400k range.
What was the most important lesson your mother and grandmother taught you?
Treat people the way you want to be treated. A handshake means – if I say it, you can take it to the bank. Do the right thing.
What advice do you have for agents just starting off?
Hone in on an area, probably best where you live. Go to the MLS meetings, the home tours, and engulf yourself in the area.
What part of town do you live in?
Kessler Park
What’s the best part of living there, or the hidden gem that people overlook about your neighborhood?
Mark: We’ve got our own world class brewery with Oak Cliff Brewery, one of the oldest active Masonic lodges in Texas, one of the top 10 municipal golf courses in the state, and the only steakhouse in the country with a cow on the roof with Charcoal Broiler.
Cynthia: All of that, plus I’d really say the people are the best part. We have neighborhood happy hours that one of us hosts every Friday and a breakfast club every Saturday morning. It’s a community like no other.
Describe the architectural style of your home and how you’ve done the interior.
It’s a 1950s Ranch-style on three quarter acres. We’ve got an original Oklahoma sandstone fireplace that covers the whole wall that’s very unique to the house. We remodeled about 4 years ago, where we took out some walls to open things up and make it one space.
Your favorite restaurant and happy hour spot?
Nova for the bone-in rib-eye. Happy hour at Tiny Big Trees and The Network Bar.
What should newcomers to Dallas know about living here?
Dallas is one of a kind and the people that are from here are so welcoming and nice.
Finish this sentence. I’ve lived in Dallas so long that I remember when …
Prestonwood Mall was being built and then when it was torn down.
