I graduated in 1973 with a Psychology degree and worked for 8 years in the mental health field before beginning a real estate career. This background gave me a profound service orientation. I started selling Austin area homes in 1981, became a Broker is 1983 and started Barbara Hilliard Realtors, Inc. in 1995.

I have obtained the CRS designation which requires completion of advanced courses and demonstration of professional expertise in residential real estate. This designation is held by only 4% of Realtors nationwide.

I also have the Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation which gives me ongoing access to specialized education and resources pertaining to seniors. I am technically a senior citizen although I don’t feel like one.

I obtained the E Pro designation to give me cutting edge technology skills.

A recent achievement has been the EcoBroker designation which is an intensive training course on the energy and environmental issues that affect real estate transactions. There are tremendous green resources available in the market and a big part of my service commitment to my clients is helping them to identify and make sense of these invaluable green opportunities.

I have been a member of the Green Building Program since they opened the membership to all building professionals in 1996. This membership combined with Sustainable Building Coalition and Sierra Club programs keeps me current with developing green practices and innovations. My contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases has been to eschew the usual gas guzzling real estate vehicles for a Prius.

Membership in the Square Trade association provides independent professional information verification. In other words, you can click on a link to Square Trade from my website to see that my record is clean with no complaints ever.

My support team consists of a virtual tour photographer, a Feng Shui practitioner, a graphics designer, a computer expert, Green Building consultant, home service policy representative and a host of contractors.