4696 AL-25

Lou Hill

EPI Real Estate

The key to success for Lou Hill, broker and owner of EPI Real Estate LLC, in Hoover is simple: “We want to treat every client like they are the only client,” said Hill, pointing out that EPI in the business name stands for “Every Person is Important.” That philosophy stands no matter the market conditions or the opinions of others, he said. And key is his passion about succeeding in a field that has seen many agents come and go over his 20 years in the business. “I’m certainly not perfect, but I do have a heart to help those I work with,” said Hill, qualifying broker and owner of EPI. Hill said he encourages buyers to look at their long-term goals versus temporary real estate market changes because it is always a good time to invest in real estate. “I do not mention the interest rates (to buyers), he said Hill, as interest have climbed steadily since record lows two years ago. “What I do, is show them the product within their means that they can purchase and I let them know there is no perfect home. You get in that house, personalize it and make it your own.” And once a home interests a buyer, Hill tells them to take it a step further – take time and visualize themselves in that home and neighborhood. “I am letting them know – you are going to be living in that house,” said Hill. “Come out in the evening and during the day and ask, can you see yourself living in that house? Cosmetic things can change, but can you see yourself living here? If you can, then let’s go. Let’s write an offer.” He began his career in real estate more than 20 years ago as an eager and inquisitive agent with Century 21 in Hoover. Today he oversees 37 agents in his Hoover office and continues to buy and sell homes in addition to assisting the agents who work with him. Hill, 47, a self-described “country boy” who likes hunting, is a Tuscaloosa native. He attended and graduated from Livingston University, now known as the University of West Alabama and began charting a career as a chemist. Lou graduated in 1999. That career path took him to Nashville, Tennessee. But shortly after he arrived, two phone calls would change his life. He had been in The Music City for three years – 2000 to 2003 working at TestAmerica Laboratories, a national environmental testing lab, which has since closed. He and his girlfriend (now his wife of 20 years), Christie, had a young baby boy, Caleb, and she needed help. Dating since college, she called Hill and asked him to help her with their son. She was in Birmingham. Shortly before her call, he’d talked to his dad who was also battling illness. His mother needed help in caring for him as well. His parents lived in his hometown of Tuscaloosa. “I sat down in front of my refrigerator, and I prayed, and I asked God to show me if he wanted me to come back to Alabama,” said Hill. “And He answered. The next morning, I got a call from a company saying they had a job for me – as a chemist – in Midfiel Hill and his wife, Dr. Christie Hill, now have three sons. Caleb, 21; Joshua, 18; and Jordon, 16. Dr. Hill earned her Doctorate in Public Health and is currently working at the University of Alabama in the Division of Preventive Medicine. For aspiring realtors, he encourages them with this simple line of thought. “Do what you love and love what you do. Then, it’s not work.” And to remain planted in the real estate business, Hill encourages his colleagues with one simple thought that has helped him generate consistent income over two decades. “As far as market conditions, don’t be moved by them. People are always buying and selling houses.”