Ozarks Profile: Jeff Parker

Tell us about your company.

Coldwell Banker Vanguard, Realtors was started in 1984 by a group of 34 very experienced associates and has grown over the past 19 years to more than 70 associates. We are now the No. 1 independently owned and operated Coldwell Banker office in Missouri and in the Top 100 offices of Coldwell Banker nationwide. Our office is a little different in that we only accept full-time real estate professionals to join our team. We are not the biggest company and we will never strive to be. We focus on quality and we believe that a full-time commitment is required to provide our clients with the assistance and representation they demand and deserve. This office is large, but we are still like a family of associates. More than 80 percent of our business is referral business and many of our top associates are now dealing with the second and third generations of clients.

What is your job?

My responsibilities include the general day-to-day management of the office, staff and associates. I also have the assistance of our broker/owner, Judy Huntsman. I review our contract files for compliance with applicable federal, state and local regulations, and assist the associates in contract language and questions. I also recruit, hire and participate in training new associates. I assist in resolving matters that arise in occasional transactions. I negotiate contracts with our marketing partners and publications.

What qualities make a good agent?

An associate must be highly ethical and possess a sincere desire not only to market or locate their clients' property but assist them through what has become an ever more complicated process. The best associates have one thing in common, a great deal of market knowledge. An associate with knowledge of the area, financing options, environmental issues, market trends and future use is worth his or her weight in gold. The real estate professional must also be adept at negotiating and problem solving.

Today's buyers and sellers have access to more and more information, and demand that we add true "value" to the real estate transaction. The best associates can utilize technology to make the marketing, locating and closing process streamlined and more efficient for their clients without losing sight of the fact that this is still a face-to-face relationship business. The goal is to be a client's partner in real estate whether they are first-time home buyers or experienced commercial investors.

How have lawsuits and other legal issues affected the real estate profession?

When I started I was an auditor for the Missouri Real Estate Commission and we had a one-page, front and back, legal-size contract. The real estate broker also always represented the seller. Our current real estate sale contract is six to 10 pages and sellers and buyers have the option of obtaining representation or assistance on both sides. There certainly is a lot more paperwork, but the provisions of the contract are designed to protect a buyer and seller when something goes wrong. The great majority of the time a contract closes smoothly with no disputes and everything goes right. The legal provisions of the contract are for that small percentage of the time when a transaction goes awry and when that happens, all parties are grateful to have a contract that spells out all of the terms and conditions. The volume of paperwork is a necessary evil and it is not exclusive to the real estate industry. The legal environment has caused us to raise our standards of practice as an industry.

Tell us about your family.

I live here in Springfield with my wife of 10 years, Vicki; my 9-year old daughter Cassidy, and my two stepsons, Zach and Jake, who are currently in college and working.