Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Bonnie Hicks, a top-selling realtor in Trussville, poses in one of her recently sold homes on Jan. 30, 2025.
When Bonnie Hicks smells the scent of wood, she is transported to memories of her father’s carpentry work.
Those early memories helped serve as a catalyst for her to eventually become a real estate agent, a career she has held for the last 37 years.
“I have always loved the smell of wood and the thought of things being made, but never thought of being a Realtor,” Hicks said. “I was working for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama — a job that I loved where I worked in employment. But I had over a one-hour commute to work. My children were small at the time and it was too much for them having to go to daycare, to school and back to daycare. So I decided to leave Blue Cross Blue Shield and work on my degree.”
Hicks, a real estate agent with Keller Williams, serving the Trussville region, leads a sales volume of $9,008,544 with roughly 19.5 units sold in 2024 — making her one of the top agents in the area.
FROM BLUE CROSS TO REAL ESTATE
Originally from Oneonta, Hicks decided to pursue interior design school while working on a business degree with the thought she would eventually return to her job at Blue Cross.
“I started working with real estate because the thought was I would make a little extra money while I was working on my business degree, but I quickly realized that real estate was not a part-time job, and I also realized that I really liked it.”
Hicks describes the feeling of falling in love with real estate and eventually went on to get her homebuilder’s license to further her real estate career.
“This allowed me to fulfill that love for the smell of wood and building things that I have always had,” Hicks said. “I love watching something be built, and that love has never gone away.”
BUILDING HER CAREER IN ONEONTA
While in Oneonta, Hicks opened an office with First Real Estate and eventually, over time, started working in Trussville, where she lives. She now works in downtown Trussville with Keller Williams Trussville.
“My first year in real estate was very hard,” Hicks said. “I was in Oneonta with properties going on the market in the $50,000 range and no internet, no cell phone, no pager and no Association of Realtors. After five years, I decided to move to First Real Estate to open up more marketing options for my clients. I opened a local First Real Estate office and joined the Birmingham Association of Realtors. The office is now RealtySouth and is still in operation in Oneonta.”
Hicks currently enjoys her time with Keller Williams Trussville because she lives in Trussville and is involved in her community there.
“I needed to be in a little more local, active office, and I needed to be in an office with more agents, so this is a great fit for me,” Hicks said.
ADAPTING TO TECH, MARKET
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
A look through the keyhole at Bonnie Hicks, a top-selling realtor in Trussville, in one of her recently sold homes on Jan. 30, 2025.
When Hicks first started her real estate journey, technology was primitive compared to today’s standards — there weren’t even any pagers.
“I can now manage most of my paperwork from my cell phone,” Hicks said. “Things are so much faster and more efficient now.”
From the period of 1997 to 2007, Hicks said most of her clients were custom builders.
“At one time, I was working with 14 custom builders and exclusive agents for 5-plus subdivisions,” Hicks said. “The real estate bubble burst first with high-end new construction. It was horrible. The builders that live from one job to the next and didn’t plan for the future were in trouble. It took me several months to realize I could not break into the foreclosure market, so I moved my business to Mountain Brook to survive. When the market began to change, I came back to my hometown and I picked up where I left off.”
WHAT MAKES TRUSSVILLE SPECIAL
Hicks said Trussville is a community that continues to grow, and people want to live there.
“I have three different senior couples right now looking to move to Trussville because of the traffic in other areas,” Hicks said. “People moving in from out of town with children do their due diligence regarding school systems often find that Trussville is normally top of their list. Trussville has so much to offer.”
Hicks said those looking to move to Trussville often have to experience the city to fully understand the appeal.
“I think if an outsider simply drives through downtown Trussville they aren’t going to understand all that our city has to offer,” Hicks said. “We have an entertainment district and a Saturday morning farmer’s market. We have various events throughout the year including our Fourth of July celebration, which I think is probably one of the best. It is a big, major event for our city, and it is wonderful. We have a library with a new expansion, the parks and pathways in Trussville, the Sports Complex, the Senior Center, the school system. It is just a really great place to live.”
Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Bonnie Hicks, a top-selling realtor in Trussville, poses in one of her recently sold homes on Jan. 30, 2025.
ADVICE FOR NEW AGENTS
Hicks has always been a single agent throughout her career. When she entered the market, there were not as many real estate agents as there are today.
“It was hard to build my clientele then, so I’m not sure I could start out today as a single agent,” Hicks said. “If someone entering the market today could team up with like-minded people, it might be easier. Lots of real estate agents enter the market, sell homes to their family and friends, and then realize it is harder than they thought it would be.”
One trademark Hicks carries with her to each client she serves is that she always answers her phone — no matter what.
“If I am working with a client, they deserve an answer from me,” Hicks said. “They are paying me for a service and whatever their call might be about I need to respond to them as quickly as possible. I start my days at 7 in the morning and end my days at 10 at night. I make myself accessible always and if I ever go out of town, most of my clients never even know I am gone because I try to always be there for them.”
Hicks said her accessibility and desire to serve her clients stems from the fact she genuinely loves her job.
“My friends that I have, that have been retired, always ask me when I am going to retire,” Hicks said. “My comeback is always, ‘When it is not fun anymore.’ I have made some wonderful friends over the years and watched people find homes that they love to live in, and that is something I am really thankful for.”
