By Christopher Manson
Bekah Manley is a holistic realtor, meaning that she looks well beyond the structure of a house. “I take the physical, spiritual and emotional into consideration,” she explains. “I go a little deeper than most realtors when it comes to finding an environment in which a person will best thrive. To me, a house is more than a structure. It’s a sanctuary for your soul.”
Bekah has called the Emerald Coast her home since 2017. After graduating from Auburn University (Manley majored in psychology, which she says she uses every day in her work), she visited her mother who had recently moved to the area. “And me being a broke, confused college student, it was either go back to my hometown or go to the beach,” she says. “I decided to go to the beach.”
The Northwest Alabama native has been engaged to Destin Mayor Bobby Wagner for more than a year now, and I jokingly ask if she has any influence over the city government. “No,” she laughs. “But we have been able to use both our jobs to create a positive impact on the community.”
Bekah and Mayor Wagner worked together shooting videos in Gulf County after Hurricane Michael, letting the rest of the world know that the area was rebuilding. She obtained her real estate license in 2021, and one of the first things Bekah did was ask her brokers:
“Why do we keep building the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?”
Bekah sought out contractors and architects with a passion for revolutionizing the building environment “from the ground up” as well as utilizing political connections to “challenge and change the building standards for the state of Florida.”
For the past three years, Bekah and business partner Joseph Beeman have been building THEIA Development to create sustainable, resilient and affordable houses using advanced technology like 3D printing. “Due to recent hurricanes, people’s eyes have been opened” to new things, she says. “You don’t have to be an expert to know if something isn’t working. I believe we can change the standards. The ‘Oh, we’ve always done it this way’ isn’t working anymore.”
Bekah says traditional building methods are outdated. “Insurance rates are not going to budge until we have better products for them to cover.”
She is also working to connect with industry people interested in green initiatives. “I know they exist,” says Bekah. “I’m just trying to bring different experts – appraisers, lenders, builders, engineers – out of the woodwork who care about sustainable futuristic building practices.”
Bekah and her team are looking to launch the new housing initiatives here in the Panhandle, with a focus on areas affected by hurricanes. And then, spreading throughout the state and beyond.
“The next step for me is to build a physical product for people to touch and feel,” she says, “so they can see the whole process and open their minds about how to build in the future.
“It’s not that scary. The big obstacle is that a lot of people fear change and things they don’t understand. Sometimes people tend to be a little closed-minded when it comes to (housing).” Bekah is working to create a dialogue and educate the community.
“It should be clear, in light of recent events, why I’m looking to change things. And have been.”
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