“Great mentors give wise guidance.” - Lailah Gifty Akita
Ruth Ann Robbins gives wise guidance to realtors in the Keller William North Country real estate office. With specialties in luxury listings and buyers, as well as new construction, Ruth Ann is positioned to service clients and mentor new agents.
Ruth Ann's professional journey is adorned with numerous industry accolades, each a testament to her exceptional skills. She was recognized by D Magazine in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and was honored with the Dallas Real Estate Top 3%, Multi-Million Dollar Producer, and Wealth Builder Award. However, the award that genuinely resonates with her is the Keller Williams Culture Icon Award, a symbol of her dedication to shaping and mentoring agents for success.
Ruth Ann started her career in education. She worked as an educator for many years before moving to the University of North Texas (UNT), where she remained for eight years. While at UNT, she started working in real estate part-time. She calls it her “cars and college money” helping to put her two kids through school. It is said that teachers and nurses make good realtors because they need to be intuitive listeners and communicate clearly. Her cup is filled when she teaches, leading her to the education leader opportunity with Keller Williams.
Each month, Ruth Ann will host a mentoring event where she invites her partners in business and agents from her office to meet and network. Her partners include lenders, insurance agents, home inspectors, title company representatives, a stager, and a handyman. Agents must have trusted partners ready to successfully meet their clients' needs. Ruth Ann also invites her transaction coordinator to help answer questions about the "contract to close" process and her marketing expert to help new agents learn how to market themselves on social media. Through these events, Ruth Ann has grown her mentee group from three agents to more than twenty.
Ruth Ann's connection to Texas runs deep. Her first move to Texas was twenty-five years ago, residing in Keller and Grapevine. The family moved back to Mississippi and returned back to Texas after 13 years. She shares how she followed the Dallas North Tollway as far as it would take her, eventually purchasing a lot in Mustang Lakes before its development. Her decision to build shows her foresight and understanding of the local market. This "Highway 380 leap" decision is a testament to her real estate knowledge, as she recognized early the trend of buyers moving north from Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Allen, and McKinney as well as the out-of-state migration of families to the area.
It is not hard to feel a solid connection to the Celina and Prosper area. Ruth Ann, like many people, shares how she loves that there are still fields with longhorn cattle grazing, farmers harvesting, and traffic jams caused by tractors moving from one field to another. Small, locally owned businesses are thriving; people know each other and encourage each other's success. Winding and wandering farm to market roads still make up many of the roadways in the area and make finding just the right locations a great adventure. It is always a selling feature to mention the thriving public schools to home buyers. In fact, both of her now adult children graduated from Prosper High School. Plus, the Celina Square is the ideal place to experience the small-town feel she moved north to capture.
Faith is a big part of Ruth Ann’s life. While sharing how God has carried her through tough times, she asks God to keep “top of mind, divine appointments.” As she journals daily in her 26th volume, she can see how her faith and God's presence in her life have changed her, molded her business, and defined her character. God has always provided clients when she needed them and worked continually in amazing ways.
Ruth Ann is high-energy and enjoys being outside and active. She plays tennis three to four times a week, plays pickleball, and walks with her two dogs, Callie and Jennie. But her passion remains mentoring and training people to succeed in their own businesses. In real estate, you are self-employed, and the time it takes to build a business that pays you regularly can be both scary and hard. Ruth Ann transitioned to real estate full-time when she became a single mom, working to provide for herself and her family. Her life experiences allow her to have a solid “I’ve been there” story to share with agents seeking to learn from her.
Good mentors have mentors themselves; Ruth Ann has a mentor relationship with fellow Keller Williams agent, Shelly Hermon. In the past twenty-five years, Shelly has relocated across the country seven times and has experienced the challenges of finding the right community and getting her family plugged in. She understands the relocation process, whether coming from out of state or moving across the metroplex. Her real estate career has been based on customer service and respect. She has shared that experience with Ruth Ann and encouraged her as she has grown her own business.
There is no silver bullet in the real estate business. Agents must learn to be their best advocates. Ruth Ann wants to mentor and train agents who are driven and willing to do hard work but also compassionate and caring.