Qualifications

Here are my qualifications to blog about Point Pleasant Real Estate and Real Estate in general. Not that this blog will be all about R.E., when a thought pops into my head that makes me want to open a window and scream it out loud for all my neighbors to hear, I'll just post it instead. These thoughts generally occur after reading my bible, The Ocean Star, and marvelling at the coverage of our local town councils, planning boards and the lack of coherent, knowlegeable sports coverage since Keith Grace left to pursue another career. Letters to the editor are another favorite of mine and if you continue to gander at my posts, you'll soon see why I feel that way.
I moved to PPB at the tender age of 9, graduated PPB in '83, rec'd an AA from Raritan Valley CC in '86 and passed the real estate exam in '87. The training I rec'd from my first RE Broker was listen to Tom Hopkins tapes and earn your GRI designation. Aiming to please, I did both and never looked back. My first sale was a $100,000 listing in TR that I got from a wrong number, my second sale was a whopper, a $400,000 home in PPB from a walk-in family of 7 brothers, sisters and cousins. Confusion reigned but the deal got done. Soon after that sale I joined The Atlantic Club, got engaged, and invested my first $2,000 in the stock market. Times were good. Then 1989 rolled in and the real estate market crashed, I lost $1600 in the stock market and marriage was looming in October, I did what any inexperienced REALTOR would do, I got a full time job with benefits in the insurance industry.
In 1995 I had a chance to fufill a dream and coach High School Basketball, I turned down a promotion at work so I could keep suitable hours and when the company decided to relocate to Cranford, a buyout and unemployment reignited my real estate career. For the next 5 years I worked an assortment of jobs, substitute teaching, construction, door man, and real estate agent just so I would be able to keep the dream alive. In 2000 I concentrated on real estate full time and haven't looked back since.
In 2002 I was cajoled into switching companies and joining a start up in Point Pleasant. I wasn't unhappy at my old company but the thought of growing with this new venture and working with a good friend peaked my interest. The bloated owner said all the right things and gave me a 10% increase in my commission rate so I signed on the dotted line. In hindsight, I was making a deal with the devil but gained all so much experience and knowledge.
In early 2003 I earned my Brokers License and in 07/2003 I had my own office to manage. I started out with 6 agents, fired 1 and began to recruit and build the business. The pay was horrible but I knew the experience I would gain would be invaluable.
To make a long story short, in the 4.5 yrs I managed this office it grew from 6 agents to over 40 agents and we were competing and beating the smaller established agencies in town. No way were we competing with the DT's or the Coldwell Bankers, but the Mary Holders, Perko Agency and many others we were right there with in sales and market share. We were doing this with a majority of part time agents and barely a Million Dollar Club member. I always wondered why we couldn't get any "heavy hitters" to sign on with us and I wouldn't know until I parted ways with the company in late December of 2007.
During my tenure there I earned my Accredited Buyers Representative designation, the Seniors Real Estate Specialist designation, testified before the Pt Pleasant Board of Adjustment and was deamed an Expert Witness, testified and won a procurring cause case before the Monmouth County Assn of Realtors in the amount of $!8,000 , and oversaw the files and supervised the agents actions in almost 400 closings.
My time with that company gave me more experience and knowledge of the Real Estate industry than I could ever imagine. There are enough stories to fill a book but a blog will have to do. Look for some scandolous stuff in the posts to come...