By: Kate Merrihew – Director of Education and Marketing
When asked to tell me the story of his life, this month’s highlighted team member started our interview by saying, “on January 22, 1986 a beautiful baby boy was born in Georgia.” Marked by a jovial sense of humor and an insatiable desire to support the team at D.S. Murphy while remaining a down-to-earth family man, Hudson Holder is the spotlight for December.
Hudson grew up in Duluth and is a proud 5th generation Georgian. His father is a grocery manager who is retiring next year after many years in the business. His mother worked in different schools in administration for 30+ years. Hudson’s sister is 4 years older and currently lives in Knoxville and is much smarter. When asked about a story from growing up, Hudson recalled a time in middle school. He rode his bike to school as it was across the street from his neighborhood. One day he fell hard on his way home and when he arrived, only his sister was there and already situated comfortably on the couch. He told her about the injury and she, in true older sister form, did not turn around to assess the damage. He had a baseball game that night and wanted to play so when his parents returned that night, they bandaged him up and headed to the game. Upon reflection, stitches would have been appropriate as the scar is still gracing his leg to this day. This story highlighted a few things. One, that he is a tough cookie and can work through anything. Two, that baseball was the most important thing in his life growing up. As a kid, Hudson wanted to be a professional baseball player but then he realized the difference between MLB and Division Three. He turned his energies towards real estate because they had family friends in the business and the industry had caught his eye.
His parents instilled a strong sense of family values from a young age and he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps by attending the University of Georgia. UGA had a great real estate program. He attended college in the 2000s and he was right in the middle of the last crash, so there is no doubt that he had an interest in many facets of the changing industry. After college, he took a job in Buckhead doing mortgage work. He fondly remembers wearing a tie and sitting at a desk for 8 hours per day as the impetus for his move to the appraisal world. He did commercial appraisals for a small firm before finding D.S. Murphy to be the right fit.
Hudson met his wife Kelly through a mutual friend. She lived in Buford and worked for Gwinnett schools so a move to the Suwanee based D.S. Murphy was the right move to make. That was more than 10 years ago and they now live on a farm with their 2 kids, Macey (6) and Wells (3). Hudson has worked tirelessly with D.S. Murphy to grow the company, support and teach its team members and re-imagine the industry as the company attempts to “move with the times.” He is currently the Chief Development Officer and a Team Lead in Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee.
In addition to hard work, this chapter of Hudson’s life is marked by commitment to family. He and Kelly are building a “compound” of sorts on their farm with multiple family houses in the works. Macey is now in kindergarten and they are adjusting to the new normal. He mentioned that having kids has completely changed his perspective for the better. If he had 3 more hours in each day, he would spend more quality time with his kids (likely outdoors) and exercise more often. He and Kelly are excited about the life that farmland and animals affords their family as they are appropriately worried with regards to technology devices and losing touch with what is important. Though their adventure has more recently begun at the farm, they are ready for the challenge. He noted that “we are beginning farmers, learning our way through. I have learned that everything is a chicken predator.” Within a couple years, the grandparents will also live on the adjoining land with Kelly, Hudson, their kids, goats, cats, dogs and a partridge in a pear tree.
When asked about the future of the appraisal industry, he had the following comment, “I think that appraisers are going to be a necessity as an analyst forever. There will always be a need for someone to look at and confirm the reliability of data. There will always be an opportunity for appraiser who can communicate verbally (and effectively) what they do for a variety of client types. A lot of “easy” appraisals will likely go away – it will be more need based. There will always be opportunity out there. The future is bright – you better wear shades.”
I asked Hudson the following questions…
Q: What made you want to be an appraiser?
A: I took a really good class from Dr. M at UGA and ultimately, I wanted to be an appraiser but I graduated in 2008 and it wasn’t the right time to find a job in valuation right away. I like solving for a solution – getting down and having a finish. Maybe it’s the mathematics of it but I like doing the work and getting to a completion point.
Q: What would you like to do when you are no longer appraising?
A: I want to be a subsistence farmer and grow food, raise cows and not have a computer.
Q: What the weirdest thing you have come across when inspecting/appraising?
A: I have been in a couple “grow” houses. I went to one with a lady who was in a room over the garage. Always an interesting situation. Grow house cap rates are hard to track down. I think generally our job is weird because you interact with people in their own space where they can make their own weird choices. I have also had police escorts on several occasions for appraisals.
Q: Something no one knows about you?
A: Kelly says to mention that I play guitar – but only in the comfort of my own home.
Q: What words of wisdom can you share with the team?
A: There are highs and lows in every business but believe there will always be more highs than lows. The main thing is to take care of yourself and your family along the way.