Bill Savage has been a real estate agent with Realty Executives The Professionals for four years.
SPECIALTY
He lists and sells residential real estate.
BEFORE REALTY EXECUTIVES?
He was with ERA River Oak Realty for three years. It’s now River Oak Realty.
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
He was in was in the Navy for 22 years.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I had sold my home through a real estate agent and I told him I would be retiring in a few years. He said when you get ready to retire, call me. So, I did and he gave me a job at ERA River Oak Realty.”
WHY DID HE SWITCH TO REALTY EXECUTIVES?
When he was with ERA, it was a national company. “When River Oak Realty decided to drop the ERA affiliation, I wanted a national company to go with. I liked Realty Executives because they were new and moving up.”
WHAT AREA DO
YOU WORK?
Orange Park, Westside and Fleming Island.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN ORANGE PARK?
“Lots of sales, I can tell you that. The place is booming. Fleming Island and OakLeaf Plantation are both booming. I’m doing a lot of listings and sales. Interest rates are so low that people are jumping through the roofs trying to buy houses.” He said he is also seeing a lot of relocation business from the Internet and military movements.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“The freedom, the flexibility, working for myself and not having employees or a boss.”
INVESTING IN
REAL ESTATE?
“There is about 50 percent of the population out there who can’t buy a house through a Realtor because their credit is no good. They may have money, but they have no credit, so they can’t get a loan through a regular lender. So, I buy houses and then rent the house out to these people who can’t buy homes with a large security deposit to protect me. They rent the house from me for a year or two which gives them time to get their credit straightened out and then they can buy the house from me when their credit is straightened out.”
WEBSITE
Savage has a new website: www.billsavage.com.
TALKING HOUSE?
Savage makes use of a Talking House unit. It is a radio transmitter that he puts inside a house for sale and there is a sign in the yard telling people to tune into a particular station to hear about the house. “It’s about the size of VCR and it broadcaststs me talking about the house. While you are in your car sitting in front of the house, you hear me on the radio talking about the house. Only you hear it in the car, you don’t hear it in the house and it doesn’t interfere with anything like televisions or another radio.” Savage is one of few agents in Jacksonville using this technology. He has invested in 10 units.
“The whole idea is to get you to remember that house. When people get home from driving around looking at houses, they have a whole list of addresses, but they don’t remember each one. But, they will remember the one that talked to them. I do it to separate myself, because doing it.”
ADVICE TO
NEW AGENTS?
“Go with a major company first with a good training program. Once you learn how to do it and realize that no one else is going to do it for you that’s the time to move to a place where you get 100 percent of your listing.”
BIRTHPLACE
Framingham, Mass.
FAMILY
He has been married to Adela for 30 years. They have two children and one grandchild.
HOBBIES
Golf, scuba diving and motorcycle riding.
FAVORITES
He cites his favorite movie as “Dancing with Wolves” and the “White Indian Boy,” series by Duane Lund. When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into “60 Minutes.” His favorite place to visit is Savannah and his favorite restaurant is The Hilltop.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis