Those who earn the honor of becoming the Rookie of the Year at Better Homes and Gardens; real estate show highlight those who know their city.

Rachel Thompson, a recipient of this award, has proven her skills as a Houston realtor with her striving to make buying and selling homes an enjoyable and valuable experience.

“My clients are what drive my business and that is exactly why my clients are my priority,” Rachel said. “My goal as an agent is to leave every client feeling happy and satisfied at the end of the day.”

Moving to a large city such as Houston can be intimidating. Thompson recommended researching on it before moving to it.

“Make sure you catch a sporting game, grab a concert at Miller outdoor theatre, do not be afraid of that hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant, take a walk around the newly updated Memorial Park — and smile at that stranger,” she said. “You are in one of the best cities...get out there to explore it.”

Houston has been seeing population growth. Thompson said she’s noticed some of the growth comes from immigration.

The cost of living and lower taxes is the same-old same-old as the time before,” she said. “This year with the dust falling from COVID and flexibility to ‘work from home’ is opening those doors to more and more buyers.”

Thompson was awarded the Better Homes and Gardens’ National Rookie of the Year in 2019. The award is given to a recent licensee with the highest closed unit count for the current year.

“I was number one in my Inner Loop office for 2020,” she said. “I have been number one for working with the most buyers in 2019 and 2020. I was voted National Rookie of the Year for 2019. I am on track to sell over $13 million this year.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate's Gary Greene is one of the largest brokers in the greater Houston area.

Thompson is a mentor to her "little brother" of Houston’s Big Brother Big Sister program.