Brenda Ervin applies the principles of faith and goodwill to her work as a Realtor.

It is what she learned from her father while growing up. It is what she puts into practice as a very active member of Morning Star Baptist Church, Kankakee.

Ervin has 25 years of experience in real estate and has been working since 2015 with Coldwell Banker, 501 N. Kinzie, Bradley. She can be reached at 815-933-9700 at the office or by email at Brenda.Ervin@cbexchange.com.

She always had an interest in real estate.

“My dad taught us the value of owning our own home,” she said.

Her father, the late John H. Yates, was a sharecropper. Wanting to get ahead in life, he told the owner of the property that he would continue to bring in the crop, but that he also wanted to get ahead by working another job. John Yates was also a pastor and a gifted mechanic.

The owner bluntly, cruelly, told Yates to “get off his land.”

From that point, Ervin said, her father was determined to live so independently that no one could tell him to leave. He did so, as he and his wife, Lovell, raised seven children. Brenda was the sixth of the seven.

“He shaped me a lot,” she said of her father.

Her father, she said, was the type of person who never met a stranger.

“He would give you the coat off his back,” she said. “He would pull over and give you a ride.”

At the Yates home, she said, a person in need would always have a place to stay.

Brenda went on to get a degree in accounting and business from the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a Historically Black College and University.

She became a tax accountant, working for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Okla. She relocated to Kankakee County when her husband changed careers. They live Bourbonnais, have been married 33 years and have three adult children.

KEEPING BUSY

Service is a top priority in her life, she says. She is very involved in both church and community. At Morning Star, where she has been a member since coming to the area, she is a commitment coach, helping to bring the plan of salvation to people. He shares Christ through prayer.

Ervin sees people as individuals, a factor in both her faith and in her work in real estate. She says she identifies needs and learns what people really want to achieve.

She works to cultivate relationships. She is not driven by the dollar, but works to figure out what clients want and what will work for them.

“I make sure you are happy,” she said.

Her parents, she said, taught her how to serve, and she tries to do the same thing.

At Morning Star, she has been involved with a variety of ministries over the years. She is a Sunday school teacher and taught right through COVID.

She was part of an evangelism effort, which was a ministry for the homeless in cooperation with the Salvation Army. The ministry provided breakfast and soup and sandwiches at the church.

From 1997 to 2010, Ervin organized volunteers to care for infants in the church nursery. For more than 10 years, she helped with Heaven and Hell Outreach, a safe Halloween alternative that provided food, games, movies and prizes.

For seven years, she was part of the Bible Bowl Ministry, a competitive game that had third through 12th graders demonstrate their knowledge of scripture. The Morning Star team would face off against other churches.

For at least seven years, too, she worked with Choices Youth Outreach as the recording secretary. That effort included a coat and toy drive, tutoring and a community food pantry.

She is also co-chair of the Women’s Ministry at the church. In an effort that is really close to her heart, she helped start a blood drive, which is held annually in June. June is particularly relevant because June is Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Two of her children were born with Sickle Cell, a genetic disorder that causes red blood cells, which are usually round and flexible to become hard and misshapen, often like a sickle. Numerous blood transfusions are needed. One of her children is now cured and studying to become a nurse.

Another effort was a 2021 Faith, Love and Hope campaign. Using donated funds, she assisted in a drive to prepare 1,000 goody bags that were distributed in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, police and fire departments.

There is also a good work in setting up a Community Garden across the street from Morning Star. The garden is in its third year. She volunteers, along with seven other adults and four youth gardeners, who are supported by a grant. Together they grow tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, Swiss chard, potatoes, herbs and watermelon.

The produce, in turn, is given away to church members, shelters, shut-ins and to Kankakee County Community Services.

Ervin is also part of the Families in Focus Christian Network, which has a voter registration drive.

If it seems like a lot to do, Ervin responds that when it is a passion of yours, it doesn’t seem like work. She also blends work and volunteering. She also, she explains, is not doing this solo. There are many other dedicated individuals who are good workers.

She praises both current Morning Star pastor Dr. Montele Crawford and former pastor, the late Rev. William H. Copeland Jr., for their inspiration and leadership.

SELLER’S MARKET

In the field of real estate, she advises that this is still a seller’s market. Since 2020, home values have increased greatly, she said. Inventory is challenged.

But if you want to sell promptly and get a good price, she advises updating your property. Buyers, she said, do not have a problem with the higher prices if the home has been improved. She encourages people to look at their light fixtures, flooring and appliances and to see what needs painted.

Buyers, she said, need to be patient and persistent. Buyers, and particularly first-time buyers, need to get pre-approved so they know what they can afford.

And, she said, use a Realtor.

She loves working with all types of clients. She tells renters that they can afford to buy a home.

“When you are renting, you are paying the landlord’s mortgage,” she said.

She tells those persons starting out to stop in at the bank: “You can become an owner. Do not disqualify yourself.”

She tells prospective buyers to call her. She will walk you through the process, she says.

She is enthusiastic about working at Coldwell Banker, where, she said, Managing Broker Tammy Mitchell has made it a great place to work. Any Realtor has to be self-motivated, but she appreciates Mitchell’s leadership.