Cindy Birge, a Florida Realtors Board Certified Professional, has built her career on the principles of family, service, and community. The Board Certified Professional endorsement is a new recognition for Realtors who have demonstrated leadership, education, and skill-based achievements throughout their careers.
At Elite Realty, Birge emphasizes a family-first culture. Her daughter serves as broker manager at the firm. “We’re very intentional about keeping it family oriented,” Birge said. “When you live in a small town of just 14,000 people, service and relationships are everything. You see your clients at church, at football games. You have to take care of them because they’re part of your life.”
Birge describes herself as a “non-competing broker,” but she continues to sell real estate through referrals rather than office leads. “They have to call and ask for me by name,” she explained.
Her main focus is on first-time homebuyers. “Helping people who never thought they’d own a home, especially when there’s down payment assistance or special financing involved, is incredibly rewarding,” she said.
During the 2007 housing crash, Birge adapted by moving into property management to sustain her business while raising two children as a single mother. She advises new agents: “You can’t focus on the dollar. Focus on service, and the business will come.”
Birge’s involvement extends beyond real estate sales. She has served as Chipley’s chamber past-president, sits on the Economic Development Board, is active with Habitat for Humanity’s board, chairs her church board, and leads the Affordable Housing Coalition where she has overseen funding for 17 years. She believes that real estate professionals should invest in their communities.
Within professional associations, Birge has held multiple roles including local board president twice, state RPAC trustee, public policy advocate, and National Association of Realtors board director. “I decided early on this was a profession, not just a job,” she said. “If you want a voice, you have to have a seat at the table.”
Birge is known for her problem-solving approach in real estate transactions. She stated: “I don’t take no for an answer.” This attitude has earned her respect among buyers, sellers and colleagues in Chipley.
Florida Realtors supports ethical standards in real estate and provides resources such as education and market research to more than 238,000 members statewide through its network of 51 local and regional associations (official website). The organization also advocates for homeownership and community building through policy work (official website).
Florida Realtors contributes to community involvement and upholds values like quality of life across Florida (official website). It offers educational courses and professional tools to its members at little or no cost (official website).
The association monitors legislation affecting property owners and promotes policies supporting the sector (official website). Founded in 1916 with headquarters in Orlando (official website), Florida Realtors remains focused on advancing industry standards.
