Treating clients like family is something that comes naturally to the owners of Chattanooga 's Help-U-Sell Today Realty office, for the reason that they're family themselves.

"We try to create relationships with people, and I think being a small family-owned, family-oriented business makes that easy," said Brent Severs, who co-owns the loca l agency with his sister, Sabrena Turner, and their mother, Brenda Turner. Located at 6102 Shallowford Road, they've operated the office since last August.

"We bought it to stand behind the name," Sabrena said. Each office of the reduced-fee real estate company is independently owned, with the majority located in the western United States . "It dominates out West. We've heard some people who've moved here say they're shocked not to see more Help-U-Sell offices in this area."

Growth in this part of the country is expected, according to Severs, "because we're consumer-driven. You get full service, but you don't pay as much. It's that simple. Every one of the options we offer" (such as one that includes the listing, marketing, showing, and selling of a home for a total fee of $2,995) "saves thousands of dollars. People ask us what's the catch, where are the hidden fees, but there are none. Knowing that options like this are available makes for wise consumers. It's good for people to know what their choices are."

"I really believe in this concept," said Sabrena, a mother of three who is described by her brother as "the hardest-working real estate agent you'll ever see." "We work hard for you, from giving you a free market analysis to having open houses to handling the paperwork to following through all the way to closing. I don't know of an agent we have who wouldn't be willing to go out at 10 or 11 o'clock at night to put a deal together for you. We'll do all of that, and save you thousands of dollars."

Of the three owners, only Sabrena had real estate experience before they opened the Help-U-Sell office, earning her real estate license at night while working in the medical field. Brenda Turner, who handles bookkeeping responsibilities, had retired from a career with TVA and "thrown herself into her garden," according to Sabrena, and Severs relocated to Chattanooga after a nine-year stint in Texas working for the U.S. Border Patrol.

"Once I got here, though, it was easy to hit the ground running. I was very comfortable with the Help-U-Sell concept, and I just submerged myself into learning from the best agents we have here." Besides Sabrena and Severs, the office employs 14 agents, all veterans in the field who share the belief that forging relationships with their clients is as paramount as saving money for them.

"Selling a house and moving are so stressful," said Sabrena. "For older people who've lived in a house for 30 or 40 years, that's especially true. They're not just leaving a house, they're leaving memories. It's an emotional time, and we can't help but sympathize with them and relate to what they're going through."

It's a philosophy she believes helps them work well with their clients and with each other as business partners and family members. "No business issue is going to rip us apart. Working together like this has helped bring us closer than we ever were."

For more information about Help-U-Sell services, call 499-2995 or visit www.helpuselltoday.net .