Hi, I’m Roxanne Hale — real estate agent by trade, writer by compulsion, and chaos coordinator by motherhood.

For 25 years, I’ve been helping people buy, sell, and build homes all over the country. I’ve trained agents, built a team, and coached clients through bidding wars, unexpected plumbing discoveries, and the emotional rollercoaster of moving. (Somewhere in there, I also became really good at smiling while my eye twitched.) I currently lead the Art House team at RealtySouth in Birmingham, Alabama — and yes, that’s me you’ve seen wielding a laser measure in rain boots.

But Behind the Sign isn’t a real estate blog — at least, not exactly.

It’s where I write about the real stuff: the story behind the sold sign, the family fights over paint colors, the sweet victories and utter ridiculousness of being a working mom, and someone who occasionally writes emails from the Taco Bell drive-thru. Think real estate meets real life — with a splash of David Sedaris, a hint of Erma Bombeck, and the energy of someone who’s probably forgotten to defrost dinner.

You’ll find essays here on everything from home inspections that feel like therapy sessions to the mysterious etiquette of PTO group texts. Sometimes it’s funny. Sometimes it’s deep. Sometimes it’s both before lunch.

You might’ve read my work in:

• RealtySouth (where I write a twice-weekly column also called Behind the Sign)

• News Break

• About Town Magazine

• Birmingham Home & Garden

• Or maybe that Slackjaw piece about leaving my husband for ChatGPT.

Whether you’re a fellow agent, a buyer, a seller, a mom trying to remember where she put her chapstick, or just someone nosy about other people’s drama (no judgment), Behind the Sign is here for you.

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