by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
When you meet Millie Kanyar, the first thing you will notice is her jovial spirit. Her hearty laugh rings loud, but when it comes to business, she has a no nonsense attitude and ability to see the glass half full.
“There’s one thing about real estate,” said Kanyar, manager of Watson’s Fort Caroline office and the incoming president of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors. “If you want to make money, you can. Yes, the market has created a situation where we may need to work a little harder. You have to find the cheese because it’s moved a bit.
“But, I think there is plenty of it out there. When you look at the number of new agents coming into the business that are doing well because they don’t know any better, it makes you ask the question, ‘Why are the seasoned agents complaining and buying into the thought that it is a tough market?’”
She said if you are not doing what is new or finding the cheese where it’s moved to, it might be tough for you.
“If you do the same thing over and over again, you get the same results,” she said. “So you have to get out of that and try something different. If you knock on enough doors you are going to step into business. It may take a few more calls than in past years, but that’s ok.”
Kanyar said everyone keeps saying to get back to basics, but she said the basics have changed a little bit. Consumers are more technological and savvy, and even though the market has changed a bit, there are still people out there making money.
“They’ve learned to adapt and have modified their approach,” she said. “Obviously, short sales have caused a lot of headaches for people, but people get smarter in doing these things. They find a way.
“Some people have bought into the ‘Oh, the market is bad’ idea, but it isn’t. I can go out today if I choose to and find a buyer and get a sale done. Can anyone else do that? Do they want to do that? They say they do. What will it take? Maybe you give a presentation to a group instead of a one-on-one. It may take stepping out of your comfort zone and knocking on doors.”
Kanyar was a stay-at-home mom until a postcard in 1995 changed her life.
“I got a card from the manager at this office who was recruiting agents in the area,” she said. “I thought, ‘Hey, there’s an idea.’ About the same time, the law school was coming to town.”
So, she did both. She got her real estate license and started on her law degree, which she got from the Florida Coastal School of Law in 2000.
She’s always been a worker.
Kanyar has a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Penn State University then worked at Oscar Mayer in sales for five years.
She came here when her husband was transferred with Vistakon.
Kanyar has an entrepreneurial spirit and has owned several businesses over the years including a swim and tennis club, a mini-mart and a truck stop in Louisiana.
She has two partners who work with her at her firm, Affinity Law Firm, so she can focus on her management duties, real estate and now holding the office of president of NEFAR. She has been the manager of her real estate office for two years.
“It’s been interesting,” she said. “When I took on the manager position, I already had my law office, so I do the real estate and they do the law. I have listings, but I do not compete with my agents. I don’t approve of that. I do service my past customers because they are my past customers. I’ve even given some of them away, if I wasn’t able to do it.”
She has plans to do something that NEFAR hasn’t done since 2001.
“We are going to do a visioning for the board,” she said. “Presidents before wanted to do it, but we just didn’t get to it. The last visioning in 2001 was called ‘Mission Possible.’ Many of the objectives have been met. Many pertained to the operations of NEFAR internally and others pertained to the board itself.
“But, it’s been a while. We are overdue for one. I want to see one done this year. We are going to do it. We will do it and it will then need to be reviewed on a yearly basis.”
She also wants to create a Leadership Academy.
“We need to promote folks to move up the ranks as far as leadership in NEFAR, then to the state and possibly national,” she said. “Wendell Davis (a Watson executive who is president-elect of the Florida Association of Realtors) is the last one we have coming out of here. So how do we get representation for Northeast Florida? Basically, we have to foster it.”
Kanyar said that there are some great folks out there who would like to lead, they just don’t know how or where to start.
“You start by serving on a committee and get your feet wet,” she said. “Then you chair a committee or two and you might get elected to the board.
“You have to let people know that you are even thinking about a leadership position. You have to be versed in the bylaws and what’s going to happen once you get into office. It’s a long commitment.”
There are many things she wants to do and she hopes she can find the time.
“I spoken to many past presidents who had a lot of things they wanted to accomplish and if they could just get one done, they’re happy,” she said. “Time gets away from you and things get in the way. It’s very hard to get everything done. Let’s face it, we are volunteers.
“In order to get things accomplished, you have to take time away from your business. I’ve always felt that volunteering is phenomenal and whatever you give comes back tenfold. All who volunteer get something out of it. Their business reflects it and they are better equipped to handle whatever.”
Some years, there is no trouble identifying NEFAR’s president and board members. Other years, they have been less than visible.
Kanyar recognizes this and wants to change things.
“I’d like to see the directors get involved and actually attend the councils and committees and be more engaged,” she said. “I’d like to see them reach out to the membership. We have many getting into the business, some seasoned and some not. We need to get new blood going. I think as a board we need to do a better job of selling the benefits of our board.”
Getting Realtors involved in the board from their first year of real estate will greatly benefit them in the long run.
“They need to understand the importance of being part of and contributing to the Realtors Political Action Committee,” she said. “They need to be part of the community programs that we do whether it’s Ramp It Up! or Paint the Town because they give back to the community.”
Other ideas she has are making better use of NEFAR’s Web site, having Webinars and video streaming available to the members.
Since she has been heavily involved in the board, she doesn’t see being the president as all that different. Actually, it may even give her a break.
“I have been on the board long enough, have attended enough of the meetings and functions and have sat on enough of the committees that if anything I might be off a little more because I may not be on some of the committees. Amazingly enough, I might get a break being president.”