Finding a Home

When Lori Miller made the decision to make real estate her career, the Evansville Day School and DePauw University graduate couldn’t have imagined that three decades later, she would be working not only for herself, but Warren Buffet, the famous investor.

In 1986, Lori Miller started Prime Locations, Inc., a small independent real estate company and joined the Prudential Real Estate Network in 1989. In 2012, Miller joined her Evansville office with the Prudential Indiana group of companies throughout the state. This successful group of companies was founded by Kevin Kirkpatrick and John Dick 34 years ago. The strength, leadership, and resources from this group are second to none, says Miller.

“I was in my early 20s when I started in real estate,” says Miller, “and I decided if this was going to be my career, I wanted to have a certain professionalism and integrity about it. And, at the time, doing it under my own banner seemed like the best way to do it. It’s been a good move.”

Prudential, a part of the community since the 1980s, underwent changes that meant big opportunities for the future of real estate in Evansville. In October 2014, the company Prudential Indiana Realty announced its new affiliation with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty, the franchise owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Other companies under the Berkshire Hathaway umbrella include Geico Insurance, Dairy Queen, Benjamin Moore, and Shaw Carpet. Berkshire Hathaway is known for, among other things, being the highest-priced share on the New York Stock Exchange, trading at about $227,720. More affordable are the company’s Class B shares, at about $150; Miller’s team members each were presented with Berkshire Class B shares encased in acrylic at the announcement of the affiliation.

Located at 4111 Washington Ave., the Evansville team is excited to move forward with the powerful Berkshire Hathaway name. With a seamless and well-orchestrated transition behind them, says Miller, she and her staff are looking forward to the upcoming prospects for the company, and they intend to add to their staff of real estate agents. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty has 18 offices in Indiana, and Miller says that the partnership will be good for education, training, and name recognition.

“Nationally Berkshire Hathaway is an enormous name to carry,” says Miller. “It will open a lot of doors for us. We do a lot of relocation business with corporations moving people in and out of town. That Berkshire Hathaway name is well known, and people feel good about doing business with those that carry that name. It’s really great to be associated with that powerful name in Evansville. This company locally is on a definite growth path, and we will always have a group of professional, industrious people who work hard. People generally have a good feeling about Warren Buffett and the things he touches.”

Born and raised in Evansville, Miller involves herself in not only the real estate market but also the Evansville community. She is a part of several committees and boards associated with the Southern Indiana Association of Realtors.

“Realty is a great career, and it allows for a lot of flexibility,” says Miller. “It’s a lot of hard work. It was a great avenue for me while I was raising a family because you could schedule things around, which I needed to do with the kids. Real estate has its highs and lows, but in Indiana, it’s been a pretty fair and level market. So it’s just been a great career.”

People around the world associate Berkshire Hathaway with trust and personal relationships, and, with more than 30 years in Southern Indiana real estate, Miller says she’s pleased to carry the firm’s name.

“It is fun to hear the stories — the happy stories in the end when the family moves in or when they’re selling after they’ve been there a lot of years,” she says. “It’s a really fulfilling time to share with buyers and sellers. Our goal is not to be the biggest. We’re focused on our people.”

With any real estate business, there are peaks and dips in the market. It is important to keep up with education, training, and laws with title companies and lenders. Miller is not only an owner of her business but a leader and an educator. She wouldn’t be able to do it without a dedicated team of realtors behind her.

“We have staff here who are out every day working with buyers and sellers who need to know what’s going on and what the changes are, whether it be law or lending or title,” says Miller. “There have been a lot of changes throughout the years. If you don’t keep up, you can give someone information that isn’t accurate, and it’s very important when buying a house to have accurate information. So we’re challenged every day to keep our team of realtors totally informed, educated, and trained.”

When she isn’t busy working, Miller spends time with her husband of 29 years, Fred, and their two children Meredith and Michael.
“All of our friends and family are here and my husband is from here as well,” she says. “We’ve been really involved over the years with church and school activities when the kids were growing up. It’s been a good market. It’s a steady place to work, and people like to raise their families here. So Evansville is home.”

For more information about Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Indiana Realty, call 812-474-7000 or visit BHHSINEvansville.com.

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