I’ve never been one to usually follow the masses, but rather the road less traveled. With those who adhere to the same principles, values and morals I was taught to believe in growing up. I started with a small real estate brokerage firm three years ago, where I still hang my license today. Why? Because its a great family owned company which gives back to the community and the money also stays in the community and not shipped to some corporate office somewhere out of state. We are a small firm, client focused. We treat everyone as an individual and pay attention to each client’s needs. We believe in quality over quantity. A business model built on a solid foundation of customer service. It reflects in the feedback we receive.

Early on in this venture, my wife encouraged me to interview with a couple of “Big Box” firms just to see what they were all about. I did. I received identical “sales pitch’s” of their business model, identical! Both stated their goal was to reach 135 agents in their offices. That’s a lot of warm bodies all in the same place competing for the same thing. One broker presented it in a mellower fashion, using subliminal tactics.  The other, more boisterous exclaiming, “we have this, we have that, you haven’t seen anything yet” speech. Most likely the tactics used on potential clients, which turned me off as soon as he started to talk. In my opinion, it is why the majority of public does not look favorably of those in the Real Estate Industry. It still boiled down to how much market share and volume they could do. I understand their point. It is business after all, right? Which to me translates into, lets see how many we can hook and run through our office. Each of their presentations were more on the profitability of the company and far less emphasis on the client, in my opinion. Building a business on trust and referrals will always perform better than one looking to just do volume. Whether the agency is big or small, always remember, you are hiring an independent agent who will reperesent you in your sale or purchase of the property in question.

Real Estate, I’ve been told is a Love/Hate relationship. Something I’ve experienced. Especailly in the crazy market conditions we are experiencing in Colorado. It’s not so much the world of real estate itself. It’s how people are taught/trained to work in the real estate industry. The guru’s, coaches, workshops, webinars, “secrets of the industry revealed”, etc. It’s mind numbing! The tactics usually presented and taught are cold calling, door knocking, mailers, flyers, emails, etc. Hounding people to no end and running through lists until someone says yes. It gives the public the perception that real estate agents are more like telemarketers than professionals. I read about one agent’s experience in an email, of a training method he was exposed to. He’d attended a corporate real estate convention. They called it a “family reunion”. While at this convention, for a training exercise, he watched in disbelief when they instructed “one of their own” to lay down on the floor while the other agents threw money at him all doing some ra ra thing. Seriously? He opted to find a different place to work from after that. With all these methods/models of training, it’s no wonder the publics perception of real estate professionals, is not so professional. When the Realtor (TM) organization polled former clients, I believe in 2014, 78% stated they would not work with the same agent twice! That is a staggering number! It reflects what the industry has done this to itself.

I have an extensive background and knowledge in the building trades. Combined, around 28 years worth of experience in all the aspects of construction. Those years in the building trades gave me the ability to make finer distinctions. I see what most don’t see when looking at properties. I can give clients sound, solid feedback for them to make positive choices in their home sale or purchase. I also incorporate years of experience of negotiating contracts for businesses and jobs I owned. From contracts to secure a construction projects, commercial photography projects to negotiating for retail space when I owned retail ventures. Though currently, I only work in residential real estate as a broker. When I came to what I call “the other side” i.e. real estate a few years ago, I wanted to make a positive difference in the real estate industry. Based on my past experiences working with agents when I was a builder were not all bad, a few were great, but most were not what I would call all that good. Based on my client’s experience and feedback, I’m changing how real estate brokers are viewed, one client at a time. My clients view me as a professional and not just another salesperson. Last week I received a wonderful compliment from a new client. He said: “I’ve worked with many real estate agents. It’s refreshing to work with you because you’re not like the other agents I’ve worked with.”