Ozarks Profile: Gary Oyler

Murney Associates was founded in 1997 by Patrick Murney. In 2004, the company reported 500 active licensed residential agents and 2004 gross sales of $733 million. Murney has five area locations and also offers commercial real estate and auction services. I’m just really proud to be a part of Murney Associates.

What is your job as a managing broker?

I review contracts. I teach training classes, assist agents with questions or problems that they encounter, interview potential agents (and) talk to clients if I need to.

Are you involved in actual property listings and sales?

No. The two Springfield Murney offices are too large for the brokers to compete with their agents. Sherre Lane is also in this office, and she’s the main broker, but I’m also a managing broker. Actually, I haven’t ever sold real estate.

How did you end up in your current position?

I graduated in 1995 from Missouri State University with a degree in economics. I worked for a state agency, and from that state agency, I ended up going into Missouri Real Estate Commission as an auditor. I worked for a year and a half with the commission. I audited another company in town, and in so doing that, they hired me as a broker. Once I got hired on with that company, I took my brokers’ test, passed it and was primarily there to read and review contracts. I kind of grew into a managing broker position, and in May, I came on board with Murney as an additional broker in the Republic Road office, when production and volume in this office got big enough that it needed another broker.

How would you characterize the Springfield real estate market?

The Springfield market has grown considerably over the past few years, and this year is not an exception to that. The Springfield market generally stays pretty stable. I would expect probably a little bit of leveling off in the next year. We’ll still see growth, but probably not at the rate that we’ve become accustomed to in the past few years. We’ll see interest rates climb a little higher, but all in all the Springfield market is very healthy. The agents who want to do well are going to do well.

If you could have any other job you wanted, what would it be and why?

I’d have to say that I’m pretty blessed in the fact that I really don’t spend any time pondering what I would rather do. I’m really happy with my life as it is. I did study for a while for actuary – insurance, the numbers, developing the models and determining what they price things at – and I enjoy the numbers aspect of things, so that is a pursuit that I left when I came into real estate.

Tell us about your family and spare-time interests.

My wife is Whitney, and we have a son, Mitchell, who’s 12, and a daughter, Lily, who’s 7. They’re great. My son’s a challenge with homework, but I have a great family. We’re members at Cherry Street Baptist Church, and between my family and my church … that keeps me pretty busy.