Tag: YourHub

Getting Personal: Reflections on My Two Decades as a Colorado Realtor

I’m writing this from a hotel room in Athens, following an 11-day cruise of the Aegean Sea, so real estate isn’t top of mind for me right now. I needed something that would be easy to write, and it occurred to me to share my path from newly licensed agent over 20 years ago to where I am today. Maybe it will interest a few readers.

I was originally licensed as a Colorado real estate agent in April 2002, so I’m well into my third decade as a real estate broker.

Real estate is a tough field to break into. Back in 2002, new brokers received a one-year initial license. More than half of new licensees would not renew their license at the end of their first year because they had completed few or no transactions, burned through savings, and thought it futile to continue.

As I recall it, my gross commission income that first year was about $7,000. In my second year, it was about $75,000, and in my third year it was $150,000. These are gross figures, because back then we were all “independent contractors” and we had to cover all the costs of being in business — computers, software, MLS dues, Realtor dues, E&O insurance, cell phones, car expenses, and self-employment tax. And most of those expenses came upfront, so waiting six months or longer for a first commission check was hard for anyone who wasn’t prepared to go thousands of dollars in the hole before earning a reliable income.

Fortunately, I did have the financial reserves to outlast that “newbie drought,” and I did go at least $30,000 negative before going positive, ultimately becoming quite successful.

When a real estate license is first issued, you have to hang your license with a brokerage. You may be an independent contractor, but you can’t be an independent broker until you have two years’ experience as a broker associate and pass a 24-hour employing broker’s class.

I was drawn into getting a real estate license by attending a career night at Coldwell Banker, so hanging my license with them was an easy decision, and they had a two-week “Fast Start” class for new agents taught by Rich Sands which gave me the tools and understanding I needed to put my financial reserves to work. “You have to spend money to make money,” I reminded myself as I invested heavily in a full-time career as a real estate broker.

I’ll never forget what Rich said in the very first session of that 2-week intensive class. “Congratulations,” he told my classmates and me, “you are now licensed to sell real estate, and there are 20,000 agents out there with more experience than you. How are you going to make yourself stand out from them?”

At the time I was chair of the speakers bureau for Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, so my first thought was to stand out by pledging 10% of every earned commission to Habitat.  I recall getting one listing from that offer, but Habitat wouldn’t promote it, so I dropped that pledge after sending several large checks.  (I’m still active with Habitat and still donate, but not a percentage of each closing.)

The other thing I did — a common strategy recommended by Rich Sands — was to specialize in a particular subdivision and “farm” it for listings. The subdivision I chose was the Village at Mountain Ridge, which had just been developed on the west side of Hwy 93 in Golden.

At the time I had a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, Flower, who I referred to as my “unlicensed personal assistant” and even printed up business cards for her with that title. Countless residents or former residents of Mountain Ridge have pictures of Flower on their children’s shoulders and received her business card which Flower “autographed” by puncturing it with her beak. I served free ice cream at the neighborhood picnic (with Flower, of course), and I sponsored a yearly garage sale. I also published a newsletter with useful information including but not limited to the real estate market for the subdivision.

I did all those things Realtors do to get known and trusted by homeowners — plus some things unique to me.  It worked well.

However, you’re looking at my most successful investment. Using my training as a journalist, which included a summer internship at The Washington Post, I chose from the very beginning to write a real estate column. At first it appeared in The Voice of Golden, then the Golden Transcript, and ultimately other Jeffco weekly newspapers and the Jeffco editions of YourHub. It has been so successful in generating business that for several years now I have paid for it to appear in every edition of YourHub.

At first I wrote this column only once a month, but soon I was writing it weekly, spending $30-50,000 per year to have it published in those newspapers. Almost two decades later, I estimate that I get about 90% of my buyers and sellers from long-time (and newer) readers of this “advertorial.” It has also benefited our broker associates (listed below), since I can’t service all the leads that come to me. As a result, the per-agent business done by Golden Real Estate is much higher than that of other brokerages in this market.

Of course, I didn’t know much about real estate when I started writing this column in 2003, but I would research a topic in order to write about it, and I would ask  my managing broker to review and correct what I wrote before sending it to be published. The process taught me a lot about real estate. It’s my personal continuing education program. You’ve probably heard the expression that “you teach what you need to learn.” I needed to learn all aspects of real estate, and writing this column was how I did that.

Most brokers with my number of years in the business have numerous initials after their name representing the certifications they have earned by taking special classes. These include Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), GREEN, e-Pro, Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES),  and others. I have none of those certifications, but my writings have given me a broad understanding in all those fields.

I’m not downplaying those classes and certifications — they have helped many of my fellow agents gain knowledge in each field, which is why I look for those initials myself when making referrals.  Those initials evidence real knowledge.

I like to tell a story from my childhood which rings true in this context. One of my 9th grade teachers said in an end-of-term report, “Jim shows dangerous signs of becoming a dilettante.”  I asked Dad what a dilettante was. “It’s a person who knows a little about everything but not a lot about one thing,” he said. “Sounds good to me!” I replied.

As I have written in the past, the biggest contributor to an agent’s expertise — in most but not all cases — besides those certifications is the number of transactions he or she has completed, more so than the number of years in the business. We learn from every transaction, and I have been blessed to have completed hundreds of transactions. The average agent completes only two or three transactions per year, and a high percentage of agents go an entire year without a paycheck. That was true in 2002 and it’s still true today.

Thanksgiving 2022 – In Spite of Everything, Much to Be Thankful for

First of all let me thank The Denver Post for making it possible for me to reach its many readers for well over a decade in this YourHub ad. I estimate that we get 90% of our real estate business from people who read this column and are inspired to contact us when they have a real estate need. Although we pay for this ad and for its placement on page 3 — the best ad location in any newspaper — they don’t need to sell it to us, and I thank them for letting me advertise here.

The feedback I get from many readers is that this is the first place they turn to when they receive this newspaper. What a great compliment that is, so my second “thanksgiving” is to you, my readers for following this column each week and thinking to call us when you have a real estate need. You can count on me to continue writing this column week after week and year after year so long as The Denver Post keeps it affordable!

By the way, should you move or stop subscribing to this newspaper, remember that I send it by email to over 1,400 subscribers (free, of course), and I would be happy to add you to that list.

Next, I am thankful to Golden Real Estate’s broker associates who continue to excel in serving our clients year-round. They share their commission earnings with the brokerage, of course, but are compensated for that    in various ways, including having their listings featured in this ad and being themselves promoted at the bottom of each week’s ad. They are all excellent Realtors who share our company’s values, an example of which is that the majority of them drive Tesla cars! I am blessed that they choose to be associated with Golden Real Estate and am happy to share with them many of the leads which come to me from readers of this column.

(By the way, we welcome applications from other licensed agents, as long as they share our values and are Realtor members.)

One of the unexpected secrets to Golden Real Estate’s success has been my personal outspokenness politically, which has meant disparaging former President Trump and his MAGA allies in my Talking Turkey column. There was initially some concern that we would lose business, but the opposite has been true. Readers who have appreciated my political stand have chosen Golden Real Estate as their brokerage because of my writings. The gained business has far outweighed the lost business, which I hope inspires other Realtors and brokerages to be less shy about sharing their patriotic beliefs, whether left or right. As citizens, let’s put country before self, however that looks.

In that regard, I am especially thankful for the results of the midterm elections.  And I’m guessing that next year I’ll be thankful that Donald Trump has entered the 2024 presidential race. May he do even more damage to the MAGA cause that he has already done!  More importantly, however, may his candidacy contribute to the revival of the mainstream Republican Party,  re-earning its designation as the “Grand Old Party.” That was the party of my father, and I miss it!

As always, I continue to be thankful for the contribution made by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to protecting and promoting home ownership and the real estate industry. Only half of licensed real estate agents pay dues to NAR through their local Realtor association, but NAR continues to serve the entire industry as well as the general public by lobbying against negative legislation and government regulation on both the national and state level. Thank you, NAR!

I am grateful, too, to the Golden Chamber of Commerce and all metro area chambers of commerce for all they do to serve the business community, and I’m proud that Golden Real Estate pays dues to our own Chamber, regardless of the direct benefit we may gain from membership. It’s our way of giving back to the community by providing sustenance to an organization that serves the community.

We are also grateful to have made the move to downtown Golden, now occupying a storefront next to Ace Hi Tavern. Come by and say hello, perhaps during December 2nd’s candlelight walk!

I also thank Wendy Renee of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation for choosing to office inside Golden Real Estate’s storefront. She adds important expertise to our office and helps us to serve the many walk-ins we are welcoming in our new location.

Last but not least, Rita and I are thankful for our relationship with each other and our extended family. Happy Thanksgiving to all!