Jim Hutcheson returns to Real Estate Commission

Springfieldian Jim Hutcheson, of Jim Hutcheson Realtors Inc., is once again serving on the Missouri Real Estate Commission. Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed Hutcheson to the seven-member board, but the job is nothing new for Hutcheson. He was on the commission from 1991 through 1996 when then-governor John Ashcroft made him a member.

The members six with at least 10 years of experience as real estate brokers and one public member perform key tasks. The commission regulates licensing of real estate brokers and salespersons. It also is responsible for investigating consumer complaints about real estate licensees and for auditing real estate escrow accounts to ensure that buyers' money is handled properly. All real estate prelicensing and continuing education courses must be approved by the commission.

According to Hutcheson, the commission oversees about 43,000 licensees and 3,300 brokerages in the state of Missouri.

"We are responsible for issuing licenses and overseeing the conduct of those licensees," Hutcheson said. When asked if the commission had ever revoked licenses, he said, "It has happened, but not a lot."

"For the most part the Real Estate Commission keeps a good tab on what is going on in the real estate industry and (keeps) tabs on the members through periodic audits and continuing education requirements," he said.

Being a member of the commission is only part of Hutcheson's professional life. He went into real estate in 1977 almost straight out of college. He had graduated with a degree in economics from Drury College not long before, in 1976, but he said, "I didn't know what I wanted to do. My dad said, Get your real estate license.' The rest is history."

Circumstances arose in 1984 moved him to buy his own agency.

"Bob Wright, a fellow I had been working for, passed away, and I was kind of forced into making a move. I bought the agency from another company which had purchased it between the time Bob died and I decided to buy. I then changed the name, and here we are," Hutcheson said.

Today, Jim Hutcheson Realtors Inc. is involved in residential, commercial and industrial properties in both brokerage and development. The company developed Cooper Estates and Chestnut Plaza among a number of other properties. Cherry Hills just opened, and Hutcheson will be opening Lake Ridge in August of this year.

Serving on the commission and accomplishing all his other ventures keeps Hutcheson on the go.

"I don't feel like it's work. Anything that you like and do is just not work to me. I eat it, breathe it and sleep it," he said.

Hutcheson also stressed that attitude is key to having success. "It is infectious, and it can help everybody around you."

He added, "Real estate is a great field. It has a lot of opportunities. It's a great business. To get started you have to spend the time and effort. If you don't, it's like everything else: your degree of success is commensurate with the time and effort you put forth."

Facts on the

Missouri Real Estate Commission

The Missouri Real Estate Commission was formed by an act of the 61st General Assembly and approved by the governor July 31, 1941. Meetings are held in various locations around the state and are normally open to the public except when in a closed session. Aug. 2 of this year is the tentative date for a meeting of the commission in Springfield. To learn more about meeting dates and locations, call 573-751-2628. To learn more about the Missouri Real Estate Commission visit the Web page at www.ecodev.state.mo.us/pr/restate/.