What did you do before you became a real estate agent?
I held a few different jobs after high school while I attended Rogue Community College – I grew up as landlords’ kids so I was exposed to many things throughout my upbringing; I always wanted to hone my trade skills and put them to work but graduating high school in 2008 didn’t leave a lot of construction work for me to go try my hand at, so my first job was at a grocery store where I began at the bottom of the food chain and worked my way through some departments and for a brief period was the dairy manager, I then moved to a new job selling cell phones at a local retailer… that was my least favorite job and it was at this time that the owner of Blackbird Real Estate, Richard Bagdonas, told me I should entertain becoming a real estate broker, the rest as they say, is history.
I was blessed to be saturated in real estate from a young age whether it be watching my parents interview potential tenants and manage those relationships, or learning how to fix plumbing, electrical and other systems that needed maintenance along the way.
What are some of the challenges you faced when you first started out?
I started my real estate career in late 2013 when the market was continuing to recover from the downturn of 2008 and I began part-time. I worked at a shipping company as a dispatcher and then for a gun parts manufacturer (that was fun!), each of these jobs allowed me to go to work between 4:30 – 5 AM so I could be off by noon and get to work making phone calls and showing properties to buyers.
Like anyone starting out, my two main challenges were consistency in transactions and being considered young, however, through intentionally connecting with my personal network and constantly studying the real estate market I was able to establish myself as a knowledgeable broker and I began working with more and more people within my sphere to transition to referral clientele and moving further on to listing properties.
How did you become part of the team at Martin Outdoor Property Group?
I met Chris Martin when we both attended Rogue Community College in Grants Pass; he had become a broker a few years before myself and we crossed paths here and there, although never got to do a transaction together. It all came to fruition in early 2020 when I had a question about a ranch listing I was acquiring in the Illinois Valley and I called Chris to pick his brain – he had made a significant name for himself in the farm and ranch space so he was a fantastic resource to learn from. The conversation ended up being so natural that we decided to see if we could assist each other; I wanted to learn more and grow, and Chris’ team was in need of growth so he needed an experienced member passionate about land and rural living. I had competed with Chris in the past over a beautiful listing in Merlin and Chris came out on top… I figured if you can’t beat em, join em! Soon, I met the rest of the team and we all worked together so smoothly, it’s been an outstanding experience ever since!
What has the proudest moment of your career been so far?
I have had numerous achievements or milestones as I close in on a decade of being a licensed real estate broker. I am most proud of acquiring my principal broker’s license early in my career and getting exposed to complicated transactions that truly helped hone my tool bag.
Since joining Martin Outdoor Property Group my most notable achievements have been adapting to and learning the team’s marketing style and additionally using that to be able to bring some notable listings to the table; I also had terrific back-to-back years and achieved $10M in volume my first year with MOPG and LandLeader..
What are the advantages of working with you over one of your competitors?
The Rogue Valley provides a diverse and unique market when it comes to real estate sales, both in property type and in clientele; and we provide clients with a range of skills, expertise, and personality across the listing team. Our target audience is the ranch, farm, rural residence, and waterfront market and we strive to provide a level of marketing both high in quality and wide in net casting, yet specific to this target audience. We specialize in getting our listings in front of buyers most interested in purchasing rural property, whether that be a lifestyle type purchase that is a place to call home and enjoy the country life or it be an investment purchase of vineyard or productive ranching property – our exclusive partnership with LandLeader provides our clients with the tools to get their listings in front of the most likely candidates to purchase.
What do you feel makes you more effective at getting things done when buying and selling property compared to other realtors?
We by no means know “everything” – we love when we learn something new and can sharpen our tool bag, however, one of the major things we bring to the table is a grounded understanding of how our unique listings operate and function as well as what their highest and best uses are so we can understand the utmost value proposition. This knowledge also transfers to our representation of buyers and allows us to efficiently learn all we can about a subject property and educate our clients about both the positive and negative features of any particular property.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I have a fantastic family and I love getting to watch my two young boys grow and develop into young men. My wife, Amy, and I enjoy keeping our kids busy with different sports and activities and finding out what they love to do – our youngest, Colton, has really come to like soccer after being introduced to it through Oregon Futbol Academy in Grants Pass, and our oldest, Corbin, has a love for all things science and also wants to give guitar a try as well!
We enjoy camping, getting out to the local lakes, rivers, and seeing the Oregon Coast as well. We purchased a travel trailer in 2021 and have enjoyed exposing our kids to all the beauty our vast area has to offer. I personally find serenity in getting out on my property and leaving the phone behind; I enjoy doing projects outside including cutting firewood, creating firebreaks and doing preventative maintenance, planting new fruit trees, manicuring the driveway, and so much more…Honestly, it’s all just excuses to take out the chainsaw, blower, and excavator to have some fun!
Did you grow up in the area?
My family moved to the area in 2001 from a small town called Angwin which is just NE of St. Helena in the heart of the Napa Valley, CA. I spent most of my formative years in the Grants Pass area and I went to Fleming Middle and North Valley High School. I have really enjoyed remaining in the area and watching the town and people I know in it grow.
What kinds of outdoor recreation do you participate in?
When it comes to recreation I am a hard person to nail down. I enjoy a number of things including hiking, rafting, hunting, and swimming with the family at lakes and rivers alike. I also really enjoy basketball, it has been my passion for as long as I can remember! I have played in a couple different leagues including the infamous Lawnridge Park outdoor summer league and I have been assisting in organizing a new city wide indoor league for Grants Pass that we hope to grow this year.