If you’ve ever called Riverside Homebuilders to learn about the communities and homes for sale  in the DFW metro area, you’ve probably had a conversation with Rachel Morton. While helping our homebuyers find their own slice of heaven, she’s loving the farm life in Loving, TX, where her own life is under construction. 

As our Online Sales Counselor, she’s the friendly voice (and creative resource) that guides you smoothly through the early stages of our buying or building process. Rachel is a sweet- fun-loving, and extremely active member of the Riverside family, so we wanted to let everyone get to know her better. 

A Loving life

Rachel is the mother of 2 girls—Malorie, 10, and Skyler, 9—who keep her busy enough. In addition, she and her husband, Justin, have a bigger “family”: 4 dogs, 6 cats, 8 rabbits, and lots of chickens. They live in the very rural town of Loving (population: 134), where the Morton family has a new home currently under construction on their 136-acre lot. 

Meanwhile, they’ve been living in a trailer on the property, watching the home’s progress as they navigate close quarters. She’s excited about finally moving into her new, 2,800-square-foot home, which is currently on track for late November or early December. 

Several of Riverside Homebuilders’ team members have bought or built a home with us, but Rachel’s property is a bit too far out of reach of our crews. She’s using her experience in the homebuilding industry to make a lot of decisions about the home. 

“I’ve seen so many different floor plans and options that I know what I like,” she said, adding that she never would have appreciated the value of a pot-filler faucet if she hadn’t known how much homeowners like it.

Rachel is also discovering the fun of being a homebuyer who gets to choose the details that will make this home uniquely their own—like a wood-burning, pot-bellied stove that she can cook on, if she wants, something she has always wanted. Rachel has also dreamed of having a kitchen that’s big enough to entertain the whole family at the holidays. She beams when talking about the massive center island in her new kitchen.

There’s another reason that this home means so much to Rachel and Justin. In their 18-year marriage, they’ve moved 27 times, because of Justin’s career as a pilot. FIrst, he was a charter pilot, then did contract flying for the Armed Forces, followed my medevac and flight instructor. He’s now a chief pilot for a family, so they are staying put. They both agree that “this house is IT! This is, I hope, our forever home.”

The typical atypical day

Next to the family’s trailer, Rachel has a she-shed that currently functions as her home office. Since her Loving home is almost 2 hours from our home office in Fort Worth, Rachel spends a lot of time in her cozy office space.

While there is no “typical day” when you’re fielding questions, calls, and requests from so many homebuyers, Rachel relies on her detail-oriented, multi-tasking superpower. She starts her morning with a long run with her dogs. She says it invigorates her and wears them out so they take a long nap. Then, with the canines resting quietly, she follows up with customers, does updates to the Riverside Homebuilders website, updates their MLS listings, and makes sure community maps are revised to show currently available homesites. Rachel filters through about 30 to 40 phone calls a day, taking the time to give each person her full attention. 

“‘You have to have a big heart and care,” says Rachel. “We often have first-time homebuyers who are totally new to the process. You have to take the time to walk them through the steps. SometimesI have to be a counselor, too.”

Home is where her heart is

Most of Rachel’s career has centered around homes and homebuilding. She started in apartment leasing and then became a licensed Realtor. Her brother worked for a homebuilder and suggested she might like a career in new home sales. In 2005, that’s what she did. Her resume ended up on the desk of Todd Greenfield and she soon became his sales assistant, working for a national builder. Three months later, she was promoted to sales professional.

A few years later, Rachel and her family moved to Colorado. When they returned to the Fort Worth area, Todd had moved on from the previous builder and was Vice President of Marketing for Riverside Homebuilders. In March 2015, he offered her a job there as Online Sales Counselor. She not only rejoined Todd, but several other coworkers who had also come to Riverside from the previous building company.

Rachel Morton feels very much at home now—at home and work, because they overlap. When she’s not helping Riverside Homebuilders’ customers, Rachel relaxes on her farm, enjoys hikes with her family, and takes out her bow and arrow to go hunting or fishing (yes, bow fishing). She and Justin once landed a 189-pound alligator gar. At 7 feet, 8 inches, the fearsome fish was more than 2 feet bigger than Rachel herself!

And then there’s her work family, where she says, “Everyone treats each other like family. We all know that the others have your back. I feel very connected even though I work remotely. Every time I come into the office, I feel like I belong here.”