Rosemarie “Ro” Andrade, Watson Realty, Fleming Island
Branch of service: Navy.
Years: 22.
Rank: Commander.
Why real estate: “Having moved every three years or so, I purchased six or seven different homes at different locations. I just thought it was a very fascinating industry and I thought it would be interesting to be on the other side of the transaction.”
Why her background helps: “I think part of what I bring to the business is attention to detail, which is something that is very highly stressed in the military. There are no set hours, you work until the job is done.”
Selling to the military: “In general, when military people come into town, they are only there for a short time. I had good communication with agents. They were ready for me when I came to town, which was usually for 4-5 days.”
On communications: “I was an instructor in the Navy. Part of my job as a Realtor is to educate people and give them good information so they can make good decisions.”
One way to help: “This area is so spread out, that the (newcomer military) don’t know where anything is, except their base. Part of what I do is to educate them as to what the whole community of Jacksonville is about instead of just saying, ‘Oh, you are stationed at NAS, so let’s find you a house in Orange Park.’ That may not meet their family needs, so I try to do a broader educational process with military customers because many of them do not have any familiarity with Jacksonville.”
Why it’s a good business: “The bases have been here forever and they are not going anywhere.”
Susan Fuller Touhy, Norville Realty, Ortega
Branch: Wife of a retired Navy captain, daughter of a retired Navy admiral.
Years husband served: 26.
Why real estate: “I got interested because we moved so many times that I had to deal with it. It appealed to me. When my daughter went to college, I decided to try the business.”
Why her background helps: “My experiences gave me a good picture of both sides. I bought and I sold.”
Selling to the military: “You really have to be ready to move quickly. Many times, a sale has to be done fast because the family may be in town for just a day. I had a client recently who had one day: we started at 9 on Sunday morning and somehow found a home and got the deal done by 8 that evening.
“Often, you’re dealing with a spouse who is under pressure. They need to know about schools and the like. And, even if they don’t need immediate housing, they don’t want to take a lot of time. They don’t want to spend nine months looking for a home that they’ll use for only three years.”
Why Norville?: “I sold a home through Norville when we were being deployed to Philadelphia and got to know Lee (Norville) and the staff. When I decided to go into real estate, it was a natural to talk with him.”
Empathy toward families: “My father was shot down over Viet Nam and was missing for two years. We found out he was alive, but he was a POW for five and a half years. I lived through that; I saw what my mother went through. It really make you want to help the military in every way.”
Roger Perkins, Perkins Realty, Fleming Island
Branch: Navy.
Years: 22.
Rank: Commander.
Why real estate: “I was finishing a shore command at NAS and was buying investment single family homes. After my first sale, I realized I should get a license and get the buyer commission myself.”
Why his background helps: “When you think about it, knowing all there is about real estate does not guarantee you success. Many of the skills that make Realtors successful are the same skills that would make them successful in other industries. The skills I learned in the Navy contributed directly to our success. I learned people skills and how to size up different personality types. I learned how to manage people, delegate and follow up. Budget control is critical. I handled hundreds of people and budgets in the several millions of dollars. Problem solving is also important. In the Navy the problems could be huge, so the ones in real estate are minor in comparison. Finally, there are a couple of skills that just come naturally: personality and attitude. The bottom line you need to care about other people and take care of them.”
Owning his business: “I was with Keller Williams and saw the potential for a real estate team. My wife, son and I started ‘Pick the Perkins’ team in 2004. We sold a couple hundred houses at Keller Williams before starting our own company, Perkins Realty, in 2006.”
Selling the area: “Jacksonville is the top sought after duty station in the Navy because of climate, lifestyle and economy. This is a military-friendly city.”
His business: “We are a full service real estate team. We manage over 200 properties and we service buyers and sellers in short sales, forecloses, and what I call straight sales.”
Selling to the military: “Military members look for real estate and real estate agents on the Internet like the civilian population, but once we talk, being retired Navy helps a lot with military members, just because we know what they go through.’
Problem area: “Today very few in the military are buying because of market uncertainty and the certainty that in a couple of years they will be moving.”
Jon Singleton, Watson Realty, Ortega
Branch: Navy, Navy Reserves.
Years: 20 (still active in Reserves)
Rank: Commander.
Why real estate: He chose real estate when he went into the Navy Reserves. “I knew that I wouldn’t have to relocate and I had learned a lot about the area and real estate seemed like a good career move.”
Why the Jacksonville area: “Jacksonville is the number one requested station in the Navy. People love living here. The cost of living is better here so a lot of military get out and retire here.”
Why his background helps: “The attention that you have to pay to everything in real estate, whether it is the paperwork, your demeanor with customers or your attitude when people call is very similar to what I learned in the military. The military certainly teaches those skills, but you also learn how to process a lot of different pieces of information in the military, which is very helpful in real estate. Another thing the military taught me is how to deal, relate and communicate with people in different ways.”
Selling to the military: “One of the things it is important for me to understand is if their stay here will be short-term or long-term. If it is a long-term, even though they have been through the process several times before, there may be new factors such as schools, churches and work. There are particular things we need to take into account and work it all in.
“There is a whole separate language when you are talking about PCS moves, someone being on TAD orders or the difference between shore duty and sea duty which is foreign to civilians.”
Advice to others: “A military person is like any other customer. It’s a matter of listening to what their needs are.”