Up Close | Profiles of people to watch

 

Keller Williams Realty, Galveston, Texas

 

REALTOR® since: 2003

Designee since: 2004

 

Contact: 409.256.1274;

James.Selig@GalvestonTexasRealEstate.com

 

 

How did you get started in real estate?

 

I was a commercial banker for 22 years, but I’ve actually been a licensed salesperson since I was 18 and a broker since about age 20. The market was not good when I graduated from college, so I veered into my other career interest, banking.

 

What made you decide to make the switch?

 

Corporate life changed over the years, and I changed over the years. So it was really time for me to step out of my comfort zone and be entrepreneurial — to see if I would sink or swim. The market was starting to boom here when I made the switch, but that really had nothing to do with it. It was more about being self-employed and about trying my hand at real estate, the other career interest I had always had.

 

So you’ve witnessed the highs and lows. What’s your market like now?

 

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall and damaged a good percentage of our housing stock. The worst part is that Lehman Brothers collapsed two days later, and the economy really more than anything has suppressed our market. Galveston seems to be recovering from the storm much faster than the national economy is recovering, and I am seeing some positive signs. There is starting to be more interest in the second-home market, and some locals are acting on a desire to do something different, be it upsizing, downsizing, or moving into condos or townhouses.

 

And sellers, in my experience, are much more cognizant of the market, especially if their agents are doing what I do and communicating with their sellers, and they are listening more to pricing and staging advice. Sellers understand that it may take longer now for their homes to sell.

 

Has the market had any positive effect on agents?

 

One positive that has come out of this market is that the agents have come to understand that they need to work well together and work toward a win-win. Our Keller Williams franchise has been putting together mastermind sessions that are open to any real estate agent on the island who wants to come, and there’s been a lot of sharing of information that you never would have seen before. The knowledge and skill level of the participating agents is being enhanced. That helps all of us.

 

 

Obviously, the knowledge of financing — not just about conventional mortgages but also what institutions in town are willing to finance and how — is very helpful. But I should note that my loyal banking referral sources also turned out to be excellent real estate referral sources, and a lot of my banking clients early on decided they could trust me with their real estate needs as well. I was born and raised in Galveston and, except for my time at college, I’ve always been here. The only really hard part was just getting people to understand that I was not a banker anymore and really was selling real estate as a profession.

 

How do you deal with finding balance in your life amid expectations of being accessible all the time?

 

I am lucky in that I deal with people who respect the fact that I am a professional who also has a life, and they are always respectful of me and my time. Because of that, I always try to go the extra mile for them. Those who feel that they have the right to be overly demanding, difficult and disrespectful, bless their hearts, are just not going to be my clients. They won’t be happy. I won’t be happy.

 

 

I’ve been blogging about Galveston real estate and events for about a year and a half, and it’s a good way of getting information out to people who don’t know Galveston and are thinking about taking a job or looking for a second home here. Facebook is still a work in progress for me in terms of how best to use it. I’ve reconnected with a lot of old friends and am “friends” with a lot of local residents. I use Facebook to pass on information about real estate-related topics such as the tax credits, and I post links to articles or blog posts that I think folks will find interesting. I also share some personal things as well. I am still trying to determine the best way to use it and not abuse it.

 

What I love about real estate is that it’s never boring. Every deal is different, every client is different and there is always something new to learn. I don’t see how I could ever be bored in this business.