Meet Becky Cota: Broker/Owner of CENTURY 21 Cota Realty in Lufkin, TX

If you had told me years ago that I would one day own a real estate company, lead a team of REALTORS®, serve in leadership positions throughout our community, and have the opportunity to help families across East Texas make some of the biggest decisions of their lives, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

Real estate wasn’t always the plan.

But sometimes the best opportunities are the ones that lead you somewhere you never expected to go.

From Education to East Texas Real Estate

Before real estate, my career was in education. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Stephen F. Austin State University, taught 2nd grade at Peavy Primary in Hudson and later had the opportunity to teach the real estate marketing class at Angelina College.

Education taught me lessons that I still carry with me every day — how to communicate, how to listen, how to lead, and most importantly, how to help people understand something that may initially feel overwhelming.

When the opportunity for a career change came along, I decided to take a chance on real estate.

I became a REALTOR® in 2013, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that I had found something I truly loved.

Real estate gave me the opportunity to combine so many things that mattered to me: working with people, solving problems, building relationships, serving my community, and creating something of my own.

In 2016, my husband, Kevin, and I took another big leap and purchased what is now CENTURY 21 Cota Realty.

Looking back, that decision changed the course of our lives.

Building More Than a Real Estate Company

From the beginning, we knew we didn’t simply want to own a real estate brokerage.

We wanted to build a company where agents could grow, clients could feel genuinely cared for, and our community could know they had a local real estate company they could trust.

Over the years, CENTURY 21 Cota Realty has grown into a team of REALTORS® serving buyers, sellers, investors, and property owners throughout Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Angelina County, Nacogdoches County, and communities across East Texas.

We’ve helped people buy their first homes, sell properties filled with decades of memories, relocate to East Texas, purchase land, build investment portfolios, and take steps toward goals they once weren’t sure were possible.

Those transactions matter.

But the relationships behind them matter even more.

One of the things I am most proud of is seeing clients return to us years later and seeing them send their children, parents, friends, and coworkers to our agents because they trust us to take care of the people they care about.

That’s the kind of company I want us to be.

Voted Best Real Estate Company in Lufkin Four Years in a Row

Our community has given us an incredible honor by voting CENTURY 21 Cota Realty Best Real Estate Company in Lufkin in 2023, 2024, 2025, and now 2026.

Four years in a row.

I’m incredibly proud of that recognition, but not simply because of the title.

It means something because it comes from the community we serve.

To me, those four years represent countless phone calls answered, contracts negotiated, problems solved, late nights, early mornings, closings celebrated, clients advocated for, and agents who continually show up and work hard for the people who trust us.

We don’t take that trust lightly.

Being voted the best doesn’t mean we’ve arrived. It gives us an even greater responsibility to keep getting better.

Leadership Has Always Meant Service to Me

As my real estate career grew, I also found myself drawn to leadership.

I’ve been fortunate to receive recognition throughout my career, including Rookie of the Year, REALTOR® of the Year, and multiple Spirit Awards. I’ve also had the privilege of serving as President of our local REALTOR® association and continuing to serve the organization as it has grown into the Pineywoods Association of REALTORS®.

But titles and awards have never been the goal.

I’ve always believed leadership should be about what you can contribute.

That belief is also a big part of why I became involved with Lufkin Creative and ultimately began serving as its President.

I love Lufkin.

I believe in this community, and I believe that those of us who live, work, own businesses, and raise our families here have a responsibility to help it thrive.

Whether that means supporting local businesses, bringing people downtown, championing arts and culture, creating community events, encouraging economic growth, or simply finding ways to make Lufkin a place people are proud to call home — I want to be part of it.

Local Isn’t Just Where We Work

You’ll hear us say Bold. Local. Trusted. at CENTURY 21 Cota Realty.

For me, “local” isn’t a marketing word.

It’s personal.

East Texas is where we’re raising our family. It’s where we’ve built our business. It’s where our children go to school, where we volunteer, where we worship, shop, celebrate, work, and build relationships.

When I help someone buy a home in Lufkin or one of our agents helps a family relocate to East Texas, we’re not just selling them a house.

We’re welcoming them into our community.

And when someone chooses us to sell their home, land, investment property, or commercial property, we understand that they’ve entrusted us with something important.

That’s why local knowledge matters so much in real estate — and why being genuinely invested in the community you serve matters even more.

The People Behind the Business

As proud as I am of my career, my most important roles aren’t printed on a business card.

I’m a wife and a mom.

Kevin and I have built CENTURY 21 Cota Realty together, and raising our family while building a business has been one of the greatest adventures of my life.

Like most working parents, our life is a constant mix of business meetings, real estate, school activities, community events, kids’ activities, family time, travel, and figuring out what we’re having for dinner somewhere in between.

It’s busy. Sometimes it’s chaotic. But I wouldn’t trade it.

My family is a huge part of why I work as hard as I do and why building something meaningful in our community matters so much to me.

Still Dreaming Bigger

When I look back at the career change I made in 2013, I realize how much can happen when you’re willing to take an opportunity and run with it.

I certainly didn’t have every step mapped out.

And I still don’t.

There are more ideas to pursue, more people to serve, more agents to help grow, more ways to contribute to our community, and plenty more that I want CENTURY 21 Cota Realty to accomplish.

What I do know is the standard I want to keep setting.

Show up. Serve well. Lead with purpose. Leave your community better than you found it.

That’s what I want my career to represent.

And it’s what I hope people experience when they work with me and with CENTURY 21 Cota Realty.

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Lufkin, selling property in East Texas, purchasing land or acreage, investing in real estate, relocating to the Lufkin area, or simply have questions about the local real estate market, I’d love the opportunity to help.

After all, this isn’t just where I sell real estate.

It’s home.