The Town Broker

About Me

This is not your traditional “about” page. I want to tell you a little about myself, and what I aspire to in my business. Please spend a moment or so reading it so you know where I’m coming from. (Feel free to visit this link if you want to see my resume )

The simple fact is that in today’s market environment, the role of the agent has changed dramatically. What was important even 5 short years ago, is less important today. Like any trusted adviser, our primary added value is to help cut through all the information out there, and to interpret the market for our clients. The secondary value we bring is the ability to facilitate the transaction in the most efficient way possible…generating the best terms of sale, at the lowest cost for our clients. The primary question that I think people need to ask when selecting a Realtor is this: what can you do better than anyone else to achieve these two goals?

My Background: Like many (most?) in this profession, real estate was not my first career. I’m trained as a clinical social worker, and spent many years counseling individuals and families facing the crisis of life-threatening illness. I went on to earn post-graduate certifications in both family therapy and non-profit organization management, and was fortunate enough to spend many years enjoying a successful career in health care. But as time went on, I found myself drifting deeper into the business side of healthcare administration and farther away from what drew me into the helping profession in the first place…the people. Health care operations is about creating effective systems and facilitating desired outcomes. Don’t get me wrong…I believe that this is critically important work, (and skills I have brought into my real estate practice) but somehow the decreased “people contact” left me feeling unfulfilled.

After brainstorming with my wonderful and supportive wife, we decided that real estate might be a place where I could merge my business skills with my desire to help people change their lives. And it’s here in real estate, that I have found my professional passion!

What I Believe: It took a while for me to adjust to the fact that most people don’t trust real estate agents very much. I didn’t like it …I still don’t. But I understand where the sentiment comes from. Perhaps it’s the way that compensation is structured; perhaps it’s because most agents don’t do very much business each year.  But as a result, it often seems that the agent is pushing too hard to close the deal and isn’t listening to the wants and needs of their clients. That stinks. I don’t believe in pushy closing scripts and I don’t like high pressure sales tactics. What I do believe in is partnership. I’ll do everything I can to help you create the outcomes you want with the terms you desire. I’ll do everything I can to maintain regular communication in the method and frequency of your choice. Can I guarantee that things will always go smoothly? Unfortunately, no. Real estate sales can be an emotionally charged process, and I’m not infallible. I work very hard to not disappoint, and have a strong track record (check out the testimonials tab at the top of the site). What I can promise you is this: if I don’t think I can meet your needs, I’ll tell you so…up front. I’d rather turn down a business opportunity then commit to something I know I can’t do. That would only disappoint you and damage my reputation.

I believe that most agents aren’t nearly as efficient as they could be, and this costs their clients hard earned money. Technology has made marketing less expensive over time, not more so. I believe that by properly leveraging the available technology, and by implementing exceptional systems, real estate marketing can be more affordable for the consumer today than at any other time in recent history.  Ask me how.

Oh…One Last Thing. If there’s anything I know for fact, it’s that I don’t spend nearly enough time being grateful (I’m working on this). I have my health, the love and support of my family, and the opportunity to do what I love every day…helping people use real estate to change their lives for the better. Life is very good indeed…