By Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
As a retired member of the armed forces, André Boutté has a main ideal that he will follow as president of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
That is, “Lead, follow and get out of the way.”
“It’s a Navy term. You are serving the people in a leadership capacity,” said Boutté, the vice president and director of training for Watson Realty Corp. “You are not just leading the people and they are just doing everything else. You yourself are working too. A lot of people don’t want to take on leadership responsibilities because of the time. I’m in a position where Mr. [Bill] Watson grants me the time to serve on the board. Since he too has been a past president of the board and the state, he knows what it entails. I’m just thankful to have the time and I enjoy it.”
As the new president, Boutté’s goals are to continue to build on those things that the past presidents did.
“Selby [2003 President Selby Kaiser of Prudential) Kaiser worked on providing affordable housing,” he said. “We built a HabiJax house last year and I want go ahead and continue that. We are going to build another HabiJax house this year. (2002 President) Charlene [Perez-Ferren]’s goal was to have unity and the power of one. With that I would like to see more people participating in our various association functions. One person can make a difference. I’d like to see more involvement of the members in volunteer groups and committees.”
Boutté would also like to follow the lead of Cathy Whatley, the immediate past president of the National Association of Realtors, in providing affordable housing for everyone.
“We have programs that we offer like the Homebuyer Seminar night to get people out to let them know there are programs out there to help them get into housing,” he said.
This past year, he was preparing to take on the role of president by attending various state and national conventions with Kaiser.
He has also been on the NEFAR board of directors and the Multiple Listing Services for a couple of years each.
“Attending those leadership meetings are the big things that get you prepared to know what’s going on,” said Boutté. “There’s more to the leadership than just buying and selling houses. You need to know what the legislative issues are and participate in those legislative days each year by talking to and meeting the legislative representatives. That’s important.”
Boutté said Kaiser helped him by being there for him and letting him participate on equal footing with her in a lot of the functions.
“She would run the board meetings,” he said. “But, otherwise she was there to help me and she would refer a lot of things to me. I hope to have the same thing with (President-Elect) Linda [Sherrer].”
Boutté moved up to president in January.
“Being in the Navy for 21 years, when you are called to be a leader, then I’ve always been taught that you say yes and accept the responsibility and do it,” said Boutté. “That’s one of the great things about it, I think. You serve the members and you lead them through serving. So, I am serving in this capacity as president, previously as president-elect and previously as a board member to go ahead and represent them.
“They may not have the time, but yet if I can give up my time to serve and attend these meetings then that’s the way I feel I can help lead the association.”
Boutté retired from the Navy in 1992 where he was an aviator.
“I was a manager in the Navy and that has helped me tremendously with this,” he said. “I was a department head over different departments within the squadrons. In addition to being a flight instructor, I was a trainer. So, that is why I am interested in training.”
His last duty station was in Mayport so, when he retired, he and his family stayed in Jacksonville.
Boutté started his real estate career as a general real estate agent with Intracoastal West office of Prudential Network Realty in 1993.
He was then offered an management position at the at the Watson Realty Jacksonville Beach office in 1996. After nine months he was given the opportunity to take over his own office, so he took over the Watson Realty Westside office on 103rd Street. He then moved back to manage the Watson office on Beach Boulevard.
Boutté was then brought to the corporate office to get involved in computer and technical training and, a year ago, he was made director of training at Watson Realty.
“I was the director of technical training, but then they were combined, so I was made director of training,” he said.
As the director of training, he runs the Success School.
“It’s a two-week training program,” said Boutté. “I’m responsible for coordinating the various instructors that we have, the different courses that they take and what they hear and learn.
“After you take your state exam, you don’t know everything about real estate. You know enough to pass the state exam. We come back and we give them an initial smattering of all kinds of information.”
He only teaches a few courses, including expired listings, Florida Living Network and Planet Realtor.
“We expose them to a lot of things in this training and then they still pick up further training once they go back to the office,” said Boutté.
His position with Watson gives him insight into what new agents are facing and what they will need as they enter the world of real estate. He also learned a lot by managing several offices in different areas and realizes the problems different offices in different areas face.
Boutté said he would continue to hold four NEFAR meetings a year in different areas around Jacksonville to appeal to the entire membership.
He would really like to increase participation at the meetings.
“I’ve asked that for every one person that who came to the awards banquet, if they just brought one more person, we could double the number who attend,” said Boutté. “Often times we seem to have more affiliates come to the general sales meeting than Realtor members.”
Out of the 4,200 members, only a small percentage shows up at general membership meetings.
“You have to do something interesting to get them to want to come,” he said. “That is what we are going to work on. We’d love to get some speakers who would come into talk to us that would bring in the crowds. I’d like for them to speak about things related to our real estate industry or be people who are related to the real estate industry.”
Usually, the annual awards and installation banquet is held in the evening. The attendees would have to get dressed up and spend an evening attending the event. But Boutté felt he wanted to do something different and hold it as a luncheon with a football theme.
“That way people could come,” he said. “They were already at work, so they just had to take a little time off and they could come in what they were wearing and not have to get all dressed up.”
Boutté is excited to be the president in the upcoming year.
“I’m just looking forward to a good year,” he said. “I will rely heavily on my fellow associates, fellow managers and fellow board of directors,” he said. “Believe me, I’m not the king of the hill. I have been in real estate for 11 years, but I still don’t know everything. I’m constantly learning new things everyday.”
Boutté has been married to Barbara for 21 years. They have one daughter, Danielle, 18. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.