By Carrie Resch, Contributing Writer
Seasoned real estate professionals gathered at last month’s Northeast Florida Association of Realtors “Oldies But Goodies” party to catch up with friends and associates.
Held at NEFAR headquarters, the gathering was open to current or former NEFAR members who have been, or were, in business for at least 20 years.
The party served as a reunion, as members hugged and kissed one another and formed groups to find out what each has been up to.
A slideshow of photographs from bygone days looped on two large projector screens in the background.
Groups would point to the photos, identifying themselves or others. There were some laughs at the fashion choices in a few of the photographs, and remarks on how young so-and-so looked.
But there also was a note of sorrow when a photograph would come up of a deceased member. It served as a reminder to stay in touch with one another.
“We enjoy seeing each other,” event organizer Delilah “Dee” Bumbarger said.
This is the third “Oldies But Goodies” party she has planned, along with a group of volunteers.
Bumbarger inherited the responsibility from event founder Barbara Lester, who died in 2015. Lester passed the torch to Bumbarger before her passing.
The first “Oldies But Goodies” took place in 1994 and was held sporadically after that. Now, event organizers will try and hold the event every two years, according to Bumbarger.
“We just enjoy each other and that’s what it’s all about,” Bumbarger said. “There’s no agenda, there are no games, there’s no dancing — there’s nothing. It’s just people coming together and talking.”
Bumbarger, who is an “oldie but goodie” herself, having been in the real estate business since 1985, remarked that many years ago, people had more interaction.
Before there were computers in every office where documents can simply be emailed to one another, contracts had to be hand-delivered, so people would see each other much more frequently, she said.
Decades-old contract forms were on display at the event, showing how much contracts have changed over the years.
A Jacksonville Association of Realtors contract from 1984, it was noted, was just two pages long. Contracts now span 10 pages.
For some, real estate was — or still is — their main profession. But for others, like Margie Walker, real estate became a passion after a career in education for 39 years.
Walker was a student counselor at Ed White High School for the majority of her career.
She enjoyed working with people, and was looking for something to keep her busy after she retired.
Walker has been in real estate for 21 years, working for Watson Realty Corp.
“I couldn’t stand sitting around and doing nothing,” she said.
Walker now sells a lot of real estate to her former students.
NEFAR members Henry “Hank” Oltmanns and Janet Byers are retired from the real estate industry, but both choose to keep their real estate licenses active, just in case.
Oltmanns was in the business for 30 years and has been retired for the past six years.
Byers, who acquired her real estate license in 1979, still enjoys attending NEFAR classes.
“I try to keep involved,” she said.
As for the “Oldies But Goodies” gatherings, it takes a lot of planning to make them happen, but it’s worth every minute, in Bumbarger’s opinion.
“I hope the tradition will carry on forever more,” she said.
We asked five Northeast Florida Association of Realtors for their best piece of advice for strategy in the real estate profession:
“Set it up so that you can still have a few years of good retirement, but maintain your license – you never know when you might want it.” - Henry “Hank” Oltmanns, retired
“Treat everyone like you would want to be treated yourself. I think you never go wrong if you keep that in mind.” - Janet Byers, retired
“Connections. In real estate, in my opinion, that’s always been the key factor.” - Scott Nyman, Summit Realty Partners
“Love people and try to help people. I made my living years ago, so I don’t worry whether they want a million-dollar house or whether they want a $75,000 house – whatever they need, and whatever will meet their need, is the thing that matters.” - Margie Walker, Watson Realty Corp.
“I’m in business with my sister and we always have felt that you need to get up, dress up, and show up – that’s the secret of being successful at anything, but especially in real estate.” - Selby Kaiser, The Legends of Real Estate