Smith Lake Agent Feature: Haley May

I must say the odds were stacked against us when we first met, starting with the fact she didn't like my name; which is actually a pretty funny story. PLUS I am a "Smith Lake west side Aub" while she is a "Smith Lake east side Bammer". However,  within days of meeting our love of Smith Lake brought us together.   I now call Haley May ... my "Cullman Connection" -- both town and lake.  

The two of us met a few years back through what we laughingly call "a bad dream" ... a bad dream we were lucky to wake up from. In May of 2019,  Haley shared Smith Lake on centerstage via HGTV's Lakefront Bargain Hunt and I must say I couldn't been prouder! It is always fabulous to see Smith Lake on the "big screen", but to see someone you know chasing their dreams and reeling them in is next level! 

....Meet Haley!

How did you find Smith?

I was born here! I am just about as local as you can find. I grew up going to the lake with my parents. I never imagined then it would grow to be what it is today. I left the area for college and swore I would never come back. But you know what they say, there is no place like home...especially when THIS is your home. I moved back when I got engaged to my now husband, who was also born and raised here. I love my community and I am so proud to be from such an amazing place. I can’t imagine raising my children anywhere else. 

Favorite spot on Smith?

Sounds silly, but my parents dock. We have built the most amazing lake family here on Smith Lake. We normally go out on the boat early morning or late afternoon so it’s not too hot for the kids so we spend most of the day floating around the dock. It’s always so fun to watch up with everyone as our floats are tied together in the water. 

Favorite spot other than there dock would be the little beaches by the dam. We love to pull up and let the kids play!

WHY Smith Lake vs. other lakes?

It’s all about family for me! My husband and I both are from this area so all of our family lives locally. We have also established our lake family-a group of friends who have become our family. Honestly, I rarely visit other lakes. When you have the BEST right in your backyard, it’s hard to veer away. 

Favorite meal & drink for a Smith Lake day?

Don’t knock it til’ you try it, but we love SMOKED BOLOGNA. We buy a chub of bologna from S&S, rub it down with your favorite bbq sauce and put it on the smoker. We then will slice it up and it is just the perfect little snack/meal on the dock. Another favorite is “Frank’s Guacamole”. The entire lake fam is excited when Frank comes over with a big bowl of guacamole and chips.

For a day on the dock, you have to try Summer Brew. It’s a mixture of lemonade concentrate, beer and vodka that we mix in a large water cooler. It is very refreshing and perfect for a day chilling. 

Describe your real estate style?

I’m a relationship builder. Although I’m a total marketing nerd and love cracking a good algorithm, my number one priority is MY PEOPLE. I want to really get to know each family so I can learn how I can best serve them. I love hearing all about their times on the lake and am always sharing about my husband and kids (and some even get to meet them). I will jokingly tell you I will be waiting on my dinner invitation….but I’m really not joking. It’s important to me to not only walk clients through the process, but also introducing them to the area. Throwing out suggestions for all my favorite local places is my jam. With a marketing background, I focus on targeting the perfect buyer for each of my properties. Altogether, I am committed to my people and constantly am looking for ways to serve them better. 

Tell us about YOU ~ who you are?

My family is my life! I’ve mentioned it before, but NO ONE knows me without also knowing all about Justin, Camber, Cash and Conlee. Justin and I dated a whopping 1 month before he decided he couldn’t live without me and we got engaged. Exactly one year and one day after our dating anniversary we got married (2014). Right after our one year anniversary we found out we were having a baby...which surprise was two babies! I was working in web development and was doing marketing for some local real estate agents when one of the owners of the real estate company I currently work for influenced me to get my license. After I passed my state test I was working full time at a new company, had newborn twin babies and just kind of sat my real estate license in the back seat. Later that year my twins started getting sick a lot. I found myself taking off work a ton and eventually the company I worked for decided to delete my position. So here we were, a family who depended on two incomes was suddenly a one income family. I didn’t know what to do. After a lot of prayer and diving into some self help books I went to my husband and told him I wanted to do real estate full time. He was hesitant because real estate had never produced a paycheck for me, but he also knew I was determined to succeed. I worked my tail off with two babies in tow and an amazing husband in my corner.  I will forever be thankful for those first clients who took a chance with me. It’s had it’s ups and downs and has brought me to my knees more than once, but with my family by my side we are still in the business going on 6 years later. In 2019 we welcomed baby number 3, Conlee James. She has been such a blessing and I have loved this new chapter of continuing to grow my business with her by my side. During the summer you will find us on the lake somewhere. When I finish my showings for the day, Justin will pick me up by boat. This year we dabbled in a little wake surfing. I am really bad, but it’s fun! Since both of our jobs are pretty demanding, we like to escape with our kids as much as we can. Justin and I both have rock crawlers so we enjoy taking the kids on rides as much as we can. I hope in 2021 we get to travel with them some more and explore some new parks. We love spontaneous, weekend trips so one of our 2020 goals was to get a RV. Just a month shy of the end of the year that goal became a reality. We have already had a blast traveling with our kids. Anywhere we can all be together (especially outside) is our happy place so we are really looking forward to this new experience. As for me individually, I really love cooking, planning/throwing the best birthday parties, reading, listening to podcasts, traveling and writing. 

*****

Haley has been an agent for almost 6 years years and will be rolling  out a new website in 2021 that will offer some easier navigation for people looking on the lake. Her website is also getting a facelift in 2021 ~ she'll be sharing on her instagram { @haleymay_sellshouses } as it revealed while continuing her regular routine of  documenting life as an agent with three small children!! Fun times!! 

Haley May

P: (256) 590-1467

E: hmay@arcrealtyco.com