by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
The difference between a used-car salesman and a Realtor is their amounts of activism, according to Wayne Francis.
Francis, who has held numerous leadership positions in the Northeast Florida real estate market, says getting involved with state and local associations is the most important thing a Realtor can do.
“Real estate is an ever-changing, ever-evolving profession,” said Francis. “To be a good agent, you must keep up with it. You essentially have three options: lead, follow or get out of the way.”
Francis is currently on the Florida Association of Realtors Board of Directors and a member of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors Professional Standards committee.
Some of his goals with FAR include continuing to improve the public perception of Realtors.
“I am a strong believer in professionalism, quality control and customer service,” he said. “Each and every Realtor is an ambassador to the public.”
He’d like to increase the accountability of the individual Realtor and broker and bring FAR’s membership into a stronger, more united group.
“Real estate can be competitive without being adversarial,” he said.
Francis started his real estate career with Watson Realty in Orange Park in 1994. His experience began with assisting his father, who was a broker in Detroit in the 1960s.
Francis joined the Navy when he was 17, traveled around the world, served in Vietnam and retired from the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola after 20 years of service. He’s lived in Jacksonville for the past 16 years and has been a Realtor with Realty Executives, The Professionals, since June 2006.
“I’ve enjoyed being part of a growing and professional organization,” said Francis. “The company continues to grow with an ever-increasing market share. I attribute this to our management style, plus the cooperation, assistance and one-on-one training that is afforded to our agents.”
Francis is a former director for NEFAR’s Board of Directors and a five-year member of NEFAR’s Grievance Committee. He served as NEFAR Southwest Council chairman in 2002, and he has been with the council since its inception.
As for the current real estate market in general, Francis believes all the talk of a busting bubble or slow market is simply the result of a media-generated, self-fulfilling prophesy.
“The realty is, in Northeast Florida, we are in the right place at the right time,” he said. “And it’s a great time to be in real estate.”