We started with seven agents and grew fairly quickly. Today, we have around 540 agents and seven offices (handling residential and commercial property sales). We don't do property management (as a company), though we have a few agents who do.
What's your job with the company?
Officially, I'm chief operating officer, but I usually use (the title) broker/manager. I'm really involved with everything - all offices, and anything that happens (where) there would be a company decision. I do have a broker's license, but I don't actually sell any real estate.
How did you arrive at Murney Associates?
I was working as an examiner at the Missouri Real Estate Commission, auditing Carol Jones, Realtors, when I met Patrick Murney. I went to work at Carol Jones first, and then joined Murney in his company (when it opened in 1997).
What are your perceptions of the current real estate market?
The markets are down. I think real estate (moves) in cycles. It always has, and it always will, just like the economy. This (time) is a little unique. Springfield's a little isolated, so it's not been as bad here. ... So yes, we're down, but we still have, I think, quite a bit of consumer confidence in the area. Actually, our market share has grown during this period, which is good for us. If you look at (Greater Springfield Board of Realtors) numbers, we've got about 42 percent of the market (based on sales volume).
How is Murney Associates helping its agents weather the recession?
Probably the main thing is that we have a lot of educational opportunities, classes on how to deal with the market. ... I think going back to basics is probably the best advice anyone could give a Realtor right now. We were used to the phones ringing constantly (before the recession) and we've had to market more.
How has the recession affected agent employment levels?
We have lost (about 43) agents ... in the last year. Most of those had the licensing and maybe did one or two deals a year. We are still seeing new agents come on board, and of course have new-agent classes and train them on everything from how to fill out the forms to marketing.
What makes now a good time to buy a home in southwest Missouri?
The interest rates are low, and home values are a great value right now. I think those two factors alone make it a very good time to buy a home. With some foreclosures and short sales, there are bargains to be had.
What's a current goal for the company?
In general, I think one of our goals is building consumer confidence in the economy. I stopped listening to the Bloomberg report because it depressed me every morning, but that's mainly (the kind of news) we're getting. But I think there are a lot of positive things (and) you have to be upbeat. We do have a budget, and we were a little looser with our budget in the past; when I'd get a lot of charity calls, we'd just go ahead and give. Now, we're staying with the ones we chose at the first of the year, and staying with our budget.
Tell us about the Missouri Real Estate Commission.
What we do mainly is look at complaints and look at the rules and formulate (real estate) rules from the statutes. We've (recently) had some public forums on finger-printing agents as part of their licensing.
Tell us about your community involvement and your family.
We're active in Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks as a company. I ride in the MS 150, and I belong to South Haven Baptist Church. I don't have any children. My husband, Dwayne, is a photographer and a Realtor at Murney. We go to the lake quite a bit. I read about anything I can get my hands on, bike ride, work in the yard and spend a lot of time with my great-niece.[[In-content Ad]]Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover.
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