Hi. I'm Roxanne.

I have been a Realtor for more than twenty-five years. Associate Broker. Founder of Art House. Mother. Marketing nerd. Reluctant authority on rooster removal during open houses. (Long story. It's filed in Funny Things I've Seen.)

I started this publication because the real estate internet is exhausting. It's all square footage and stainless steel and the same five stock photos of agents shaking hands in front of a generic stucco house. None of it tells the truth.

The truth is that real estate is messy. It's funny. It's emotional. It involves crying in cars, eating Chick-fil-a out of the passenger seat, and explaining to a buyer for the third time that "as-is" does, in fact, mean as-is. The truth is also that it's wonderful. People build whole lives inside these houses, and I get to stand in the doorway for a few months while they figure out which one.

Behind the Sign is where I write that down. Some of it is craft — marketing, photography, how a house actually gets sold in 2026. Some of it is Birmingham, which I love embarrassingly. A lot of it is stories. After twenty-five years, the stories pile up.

  • 1631 Manhattan Street: Storybook Charm in the Heart of Homewood,Roxanne Hale

    1631 Manhattan Street: Storybook Charm in the Heart of Homewood

    Some homes are memorable because of their architecture. Others because of their location. Every once in a while, you find one that gets both just right. There's something about Homewood that people fall in love with. Maybe it's the sidewalks, the mature trees, the beautiful older homes, or the feeli

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  • Yes, It Needs Some Work. That’s Kind of the Point.,Roxanne Hale

    Yes, It Needs Some Work. That’s Kind of the Point.

    Let’s get this out of the way first. Does 529 16th Ave NW need some work? Yep. But somewhere along the way, we started acting like every house for sale needs to be perfectly staged, freshly renovated and painted an agreeable shade of greige before anyone should consider buying it. That’s not necessa

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  • Inside Two Taylor Burton Custom Homes in Gramercy Parc,Roxanne Hale

    Inside Two Taylor Burton Custom Homes in Gramercy Parc

    There are houses that photograph beautifully. And then there are houses that make more sense once you slow down and start noticing what went into them. The two new Taylor Burton homes at 1719 and 1723 Collinwood Court in Gramercy Parc are very much both. Yes, the kitchens are beautiful. The ceilings

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