Real estate agent supports Special Olympics

MOSES LAKE — Rhonda Chase calls out words of encouragement to her daughter, Amber, from the sidelines one Tuesday afternoon during practice.

Amber works to dribble a basketball up and down the Peninsula Elementary School gymnasium as her mother smiles and cheers her on.

Chase offers 20 percent of her commission as a real estate agent to the Moses Lake Special Olympics team.

"Because they need it and it's one of those great programs," she said. "(People) know it's around, but they don't know about it. It's all volunteer-based and all the money they get, they have to do fund-raising for it."

Amber has been involved with the program since she was 8.

"It's just been such a neat outlet," Chase said. "Kids like ours, they don't have friends and they don't get to go to their friends' houses after school. They don't get to do a lot of the dances and things like that the other kids get to do. It's like, how can you not do it? It just seemed like the right thing to do, definitely."

Amber started in Lewiston, Idaho, where Chase worked as program coordinator.

"That's kind of what sparked my enthusiasm with giving something to them," she explained. "The nice thing about the Olympics is it doesn't matter what your level is, they figure out somewhere for you to be able to compete and have a good time."

Chase moved to Moses Lake from Seattle in June with her husband of 15 years, Jim, and daughters Amber and Carly, 8.

"To get out of that traffic over there, and into a smaller area where we could enjoy a little bit more family time and community time," Chase said. "We do all of our playing over here, so it just kind of made sense anyway. We're small town people. Seattle just isn't for us."

Chase said she spent the majority of her life in Eastern Washington and the Lewiston-Clarkston area.

A hairdresser for 20 years, Chase always enjoyed architecture and scouring newspapers for real estate.

"I thought after 20 years of doing hair, I'd make the switch," she said.

Chase began her real estate career in 2003.

"Working with first-time buyers is my absolute favorite. Hunting and finding that one first home, that's the best."

Chase thinks Moses Lake is on the verge of some immense growth. She hopes to do a little bit of investing herself, she added.

"Seems like everybody's moving to Moses Lake from the Seattle area, from the coast," she said. "With what Moses Lake has to offer and then plus having that, it's kind of like a cherry on the top."

Chase aims to bring back the customer service she finds lacking in a lot of real estate. She works with a Tukwila-based company. While she plans to keep her license with that brokerage, she plans to operate in Moses Lake and work with some clientele in Seattle. Several projects are in the works at arm's length she said, but nothing major.

"What each real estate licensee must do is they must hang their license with a brokerage," Chase explained. "When you do that, you have to split your commissions with your brokerage until you reach a certain amount, then you get 100 percent of your commissions. Where I'm at, I don't have to do that, I just pay them a flat fee every month, so I get all of the commissions."

Which allows Chase to offer a 4 percent listing commission.

Chase offers a portion of her commission to the Special Olympics, where Amber is a competitor.

"I thought, they always need money and they always need volunteers, so why not give a little something back?" Chase said. "I don't think you're truly successful until you can do something like that, and it just makes your heart feel good."

For more information, contact Chase at 509-771-3883 or e-mail rhonda.chase@era.com.