THE CONFERENCE room filled with nervous energy as everyone waited for the resolution of a snag from the final walkthrough. Many other challenges on the road to closing left everyone unsure this day would come. Closing documents and conversation shuttled back and forth across the glass tabletop, everything contingent upon a compromise. The mood lightened with the ding of a text message signaling a green light. Like the sun’s rays splitting the fog, the energy shifted as the buyers and their agents posed with the “sold” sign, exchanging keys and hugs.
Dianne Arnold and her granddaughter, Madison Arnold, are more than real estate agents — they’re dream weavers. They understand the emotional rollercoaster of buying and selling property. For buyers, they unlock the doors to dream homes that once seemed out of reach. For sellers, they ensure a smooth transition, making the “impossible” possible and turning cherished memories into successful sales.
Dianne is at home among people. She understands the value of pursuing your dreams. Growing up, Dianne was a constant presence at her daddy’s side amidst the hustle and bustle of the auction barns. Manure and mooing mixed with the brays and nays. Cattle, mules, and horses ran through the sales while farmers in denim overalls and muck boots nodded and raised their hands. Dianne absorbed it all, following her father closely.
While other girls spent their childhood playing school with their dolls, imagining a future as a teacher, Dianne dreamed of being an auctioneer.
“We had a 100-acre farm. Daddy cropped it, and he was a horse and cattle trader. [With the three oldest boys in the service], he needed a boy at that time. So I went everywhere that he went, and I got to enjoy being with people,” she recalled.
Her people-person personality fit well in the sales jobs she took early in her married life. By mutual agreement, she put her real estate dream on hold while her husband, Steve, pursued training and an apprenticeship for a career as a pipe fitter — a five-year process. During that time, Dianne juggled their two children, provided day care for five other children, and worked three part-time jobs at night to help make ends meet.
Dianne said, “After he did what he wanted, he told me, ‘You go do what you want to do now. I’m making enough that we can get by.’ So I did. I went and got my real estate license. Auctioning was what I’d planned, and that’s what I loved and wanted to do the most.”
When circumstances don’t fit our dreams, it’s tempting to lose hope. But sometimes, the circumstances reshape our dreams. Dianne’s first affiliation was with Shelton Auction & Realty. The work allowed her to help care for her father-in-law, who had cancer, and shuttle her children to school and extra-curricular activities. Although she didn’t fulfill her auctioneer dream, she found helping others achieve their dreams very rewarding.
“I’ve always loved working with people, and I still do, especially the young people who think they could never afford a house,” Dianne enthused. “One of my major goals was to learn all the different types of loans so that I could help people achieve those dreams. Those loans change daily — we have to learn daily. But the first-time homebuyers who have never been able to have anything are just tickled to death, and they don’t have to throw that money away on rent every month.”
real estate with you.’ Any minute she’s not [in college], she’s working. I told her, ‘If we work as a team for a few years, when I retire, you’re going to have a good business.’ So that’s how we started. She got her license within weeks after she graduated from high school and passed it the first time she went. She’s been selling for three years this July.”
Madison expressed, “I chose this career to follow in my granny’s footsteps. Something as big as she has built shouldn’t just be thrown away.”
In 2023, the duo achieved Top Sales, Top Listings, Top Volume, and Top Buyers awards from among all Coldwell Banker Southern Realty’s Shelbyville agents, according to Dianne.
Dianne is the calm in the storm when last-minute closing delays threaten to kill her buyers’ dreams. She’s a source of wisdom built on decades of experience, and she leads by example, making Madison’s future brighter. Dianne makes a good living and makes living good for those around her.
“My dream was to make a good living and help others achieve their dreams.”
Who says dreams don’t come true? GN
