You rejoined Carol Jones, Realtors in mid-November after a brief absence. What brought you back?
I missed being in this part of the real estate business. I had worked here for about 10 years and enjoyed it. I kind of retired to take care of some family health issues with my dad and my brother, and after taking care of those ... I realized I wanted to work. I had an opportunity to work at Tri-Lakes Metro Title Co., so I decided to take that opportunity. When an opportunity arose to work at Carol Jones, Realtors, again, I took it. I never completely severed my relationship with (the company).
Was your return facilitated by Carol Jones' Nov. 7 retirement?
It kind of coincided with that, but I wouldn't say that they were directly related.
What are your duties?
I was broker and chief financial officer before. The title (chief administrative officer) hasn't been used here before, but my responsibilities probably haven't changed a whole lot - day-to-day operations, accounting, corporate services, just basic, local operations. I've really never actively sold (real estate), but before, I was kind of a managing broker, and that's what I still do here ... supervision over all the licensees and their operations in the company. We have about 410 (licensed agents) at last count. ... I have a very active interaction with the managing brokers at all the offices.
How will you transition the company into 2009 without Jones on board?
I think the advantage I have is that I've got a pretty long history of knowing where the company has been, and also, I'm very familiar with the vast majority of agents that are affiliated with us. So it's going to be a pretty smooth transition in that respect. I don't have to learn the business. ... I'm hoping that the economy recovers and that real estate specifically recovers ... and I'll do whatever I can to help the company reach its previous production highs again.
How does your company equip its agents to handle economic uncertainty?
We try to make sure that from a technology standpoint that they have all the tools that will help them in their prospecting, marketing and day-to-day operations. We offer new agent training, continuing education. We have networking meetings and give them every opportunity to build their business and to maintain it.
What goals do you have as president of Greater Springfield Board of Realtors?
To do as good a job as all my predecessors have. It's a great list of people who ... have been president. I'm honored to be added to that list. The obvious thing right now is the housing market and stimulating the economy. As Realtors, we're involved in a very important aspect of the economy, but we don't have a whole lot of influence over it. We're kind of at the mercy of buyers and sellers, but we play an important role in bringing buyers and sellers together and managing the transaction.
So is it a buyer's market right now?
I think that's probably a common perception. As a board and trade association, (GSBOR) has tried to encourage buyers and increase their confidence that there are a lot of reasons why it's a good time to buy, and that it's OK to buy. Don't be scared off because of things you hear, because there are a lot of positive influences right now (for) buyers. Sellers may have to understand that the market value of their property is what today's market value is, and there are some economic forces at play that determine what that value is.
Tell us about your family and hobbies.
My wife, Jody, is a Realtor with Carol Jones, Realtors. Her son, Wiley, is an aspiring musician in Austin, Texas. I've been a lifelong sports enthusiast and enjoy working in the yard to relieve stress. When I was younger, I played sports all the time, but I reached the point where I had to retire from being a participant. Born and raised in St. Louis, I'm still a St. Louis sports teams fan. I'm as big a Rams fan as you can be right now. And the Cardinals and the Blues.
