From early widowhood to luxury success in Atlanta real estate
Brandi Lewis, a veteran agent with a star-studded client list, grew her business through authentic marketing and old-school relationship-building.
Key points:
- Equipped with experience in sales, luxury agent Brandi Lewis transitioned to real estate following her husband’s death, seeking flexibility to raise her three young sons.
- A year before the financial and housing crash of 2007, she moved to Atlanta to build her business — and “had to learn a lot in quick order to remain in that market.”
- To be successful in luxury, she said, agents need to learn how to be “in a room with wealth” — and bring their authentic selves.
What does it take to become the go-to real estate professional for some of Atlanta's hottest celebrities? Ask Brandi Lewis, a luxury agent who's been serving the metro's elite clientele for nearly 20 years.
The short answer: Grit, perseverance — and a "gift" for attracting high-end buyers and sellers. But her journey wasn't exactly a straight path to success.
Pushing through a 'whirlwind' of change
A Chicago native, Lewis got a taste of the Atlanta scene while attending college at the University of Georgia and playing on its championship basketball team. After moving back to her hometown, she started working in sales — but then life took a turn.
The unexpected death of her husband left her looking for new opportunities with enough flexibility to provide and care for her three young sons, and real estate seemed like a good option. After obtaining her license, "I would work around their schedules, picking them up from school and practice," Lewis told Real Estate News. "It was a whirlwind, but I was equipped."
After moving back to Atlanta, Lewis' professional drive and personal motivation were soon tested as she emerged as a new face in the city's residential real estate market — just one year before the onset of the 2007-2008 financial crisis. "There was a lot I had to learn in quick order to remain in that market," she said, pointing to the exodus of many agents following the crash.
Cultivating a presence that belongs 'in a room with wealth'
During her first 13 years at Keller Williams in Atlanta, Lewis focused on creating connections and bolstering her professional toolkit, obtaining a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist certification to complement her natural talents. "I felt that I really had a gift to attract the type of people I wanted to do business with," Lewis said.
But it takes more than a gift to get noticed, and Lewis continuously worked on marketing, building relationships and learning how to thrive in the luxury space. "You can't put yourself in a room with wealth if you don't know how to conduct yourself in that manner," she said.
Lewis' efforts paid off: Her client list includes celebrities like Cardi B and Kandi Burruss, and professional athletes with the NFL and NBA.
After a stint with Compass, Lewis decided to bring her high-profile luxury business back to the brokerage where it all began. In early July, she returned to Keller Williams, taking on the role of director of luxury at KW Realty West ATL.
"I started off with KW, and that ultimately molded me into the agent I am today," she said. "So naturally, it made sense for me to come home when the opportunity presented itself."
Since the beginning of 2022, Lewis sold more than $56 million in high-end homes in the Atlanta market as a Compass agent. She acknowledged that "the last five or six years have been incredible," but added, "it was a no-brainer to be back in the company of the people I did business with when I first got into real estate."
An influencer striving for authenticity
Lewis has a significant social media presence — 117,000 followers on Instagram and counting — but when it comes to winning over clients, she prefers the tried-and-true method of building rapport. Many of the buyers and sellers she's worked with learned of her high-end service by word-of-mouth, she noted. "I post very little about the business side of my life," she said. "I'm mainly focused on my family and being authentic."
That authenticity also came through on "Mamas on the Move," a podcast Lewis co-hosted with fellow Atlanta agent Keshia Johnson. By sharing deeply personal stories, the duo hoped to reach aspiring women who may have faced challenging life circumstances similar to those confronted by Lewis herself — early widowhood, raising young children while building a new career, and a breast cancer diagnosis (she has been cancer-free for more than a year).
While the podcast is currently paused, Lewis continues to cultivate her social presence, which "has really served as outreach allowing me to communicate with women trying to grow and expand their business," she said.
And although she isn't using her social channels to solicit business, Lewis believes her social media aesthetic appeals to the types of clients she wants to attract — and helps her build relationships. "I want people to know that their business is appreciated when they reach out, and I think that makes a great impression," she said.