Carol & Dennis Smith
COVER STORY
PHOTOS BY VAST MEDIA | STORY BY ZACH COHEN
The Heart of Service
“We served our country. Now, we serve our community.”
The military has always been a big part of Carol Smith’s life. Her father was in the Air Force, and she spent much of her youth in Japan, where her dad completed three tours. After graduating from high school overseas, Carol returned to the U.S. and married her husband, Dennis, a Navy sailor. She later spent 22 years as a Navy nurse.
Although she’s no longer in the Navy, the values and skills Carol learned during her time in the military continue to drive her. As a real estate agent, she is keenly focused on service, integrity, and commitment.
Coming to Oklahoma
Carol got her first taste of the real estate business in the early ‘80s while working for a title company in California. After three years, her husband was transferred to Hawaii, so, as she had done so many times as a kid, Carol picked up her life to begin anew.
Carol would eventually join the Navy herself, and all told, she spent 22 years as a military nurse. After her retirement in 2014, the couple relocated to Oklahoma, where their family lived.
“Our family is here, and we would come every summer to visit. We finally fulfilled our promise to our parents and made the move to Oklahoma,” Carol reflects.
Real Estate Calls
Since her stint in real estate decades ago, Carol had desired a return to the business. She continued working as a nurse through 2017, when she decided to get her real estate license.
“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Carol smiles. “Now I get that opportunity.”
Over the past six years, Carol has built a real estate business rooted in service. Her husband, Dennis, joined her in real estate in 2018, forming Blue Ribbon Home Team. Dennis focuses on inspections and the operational side of the business, while Carol drives sales activities and customer relations.
“My tag line recently changed to, ‘We served our country. Now, we serve our community.’ So it’s all about service to others. That’s what nurses do, and that’s what REALTORS® do. I just love to serve my community.”
Carol has steadily increased her production year after year, with her career taking off after joining RE/MAX Results in 2019. She had her best year to date in 2021, when she closed 60 transactions for over $14 million. She followed that up with 37 transactions for over $8.5 million in 2022.
“Real estate is a little like a puzzle — finding out what someone's wish list is and then finding the right house. I love that challenge,” Carol says.
Dealing from Experience
Carol has moved over twenty times since she was a little girl, so she understands the challenges of buying and selling homes. Both she and Dennis had parents in the military, and both served for over 20 years.
“We have moved a lot,” Carol says. “So we can empathize with how stressful that is, especially moving with children. We understand the buying and building process. We've only purchased one resale house, so we understand the challenges of building, and we understand the challenges of selling houses. So we can bring a lot of empathy, suggestions, and ideas to the table.”
Carol’s goal as a REALTOR® is to make the moving process as stress-free as possible. She’ll do whatever it takes to create ease in what can often be a stressful time.
“Dennis and I have dedicated our lives to serving others. Learning teamwork, attention to detail, persistence, and an unrelenting drive to do the right thing in the Navy, we carry those same traits into our real estate business.”
Learning to Relax
Carol has put tremendous effort into growing her business over the last six years. Now, she’s focused on another task — slowing down.
“I’m learning how to relax,” she says proudly. “What I’m learning is how to turn it off and enjoy quiet time. Relaxing is hard. It's important to learn how to recharge your battery. As a Navy nurse, you have a mission. I had a staff of 300 and multiple clinics to run. It was go-go-go all the time. Nursing is that way, and real estate can be that way. But now, I can work as much or little as I want, and I love that. It’s just about learning how to do it.”
Carol and Dennis enjoy working with their hands in their free time; Carol is a potter, and Dennis is a woodworker. But most of their time outside work is spent with their family. They have a blended family of five children — Christina (47), Calen (44), Aaron (39), Courtney (26), and Kathryn (23) — who live throughout the country.
As Carol looks ahead, she has an eye on her eventual retirement. But for now, she’s focused on serving her community through real estate, being there for her family, and finding a little extra time for herself.
“I’m almost 61. I’m starting to think about retirement. At what point do I want to do that, and how am I going to do that? But I am really enjoying what I’m doing right now. I just want to keep going and help as many families as we can.”
