Ben Parham is the treasurer of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and president and managing broker of River Oak Realty in Orange Park. As treasurer, he is in line to move up to president. “That does seem to be the trend, but it’s not a guarantee. I hope that if the members appreciate what I am doing, they will pick me to be president-elect.”
How did you get involved?
“I asked Glenn East of NEFAR what I needed to do to get on the Forms Task Force and he said I just did it. When I try to get people involved in NEFAR, I tell them, there are a bunch of committees to choose from, so just pick something you like. I started out on the Forms Task Force because I’ve always like the business side of real estate. I think the law and how contracts are written is just cool.”
Parham is the vice chair of the Forms Task Force, is on the Budget and Finance Committee and chaired the Grievance Committee in 2010.
“Outside of the first committee I asked to be on, I’ve been asked to be on all the rest and I’ve never said no. I guess if you don’t say no, they keep asking.”
His company
Parham has been the president and managing broker of River Oak Realty since 2007. The company is owned by his father, Al Parham, and was opened in 1986. “My dad was getting to the age where he knew he didn’t want to continue to work, but didn’t know what he wanted to do with the business. I had my broker’s license and my own company in Colorado and I was getting ready to get married and start a new chapter. I figured if I was going to make a big change, now was the time to do it.”
What he does
As the broker, he oversees all brokerage activities, conducts business development and sets the strategic direction of the corporation. “We have a large property management division and manage about 500 rentals. We have a sales division as well, so I oversee the training of new agents and help them overcome problems. Our company has 12 agents right now.”
His history
Prior to joining River Oak Realty, Parham worked as a senior systems engineer for KDM Systems in Denver. While at KDM, Parham provided national security consulting services to the U.S. Government and its foreign government partners. At the same time, he was also the president and managing broker of his own company Metro Denver Realty, that specialized in residential sales and property management.
After graduating from college, Parham served in the U.S. Navy as a Cryptologic Technician for four years where he was awarded the Joint Service Achievement Medal, two Navy Achievement Medals and a Good Conduct Medal.
Real estate in his blood?
“I was a real estate brat. I was raised in the company. There were so many days I sat on the couch in my dad’s office while he was writing a contract or we’d be on our way home and he’d see a For Sale by Owner sign and he’d pull in. I’d wait in the car while he tried to list the house.”
College
He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Colombia College.
Best professional advice?
“No commission check is worth your license. I think that is good advice to live by.”
Advice for new Realtors
“The business won’t come to them. A certain percentage of it will, but if you really want to make it in this business you have to go out and find the business. Going back to the basics is important. You have to go knock on doors, talk to people and make a point to ask every person you come in contact with if they have a real estate need or if they know someone who does.”
Lessons learned?
“You have to have patience and persistence. I’ve learned that short sales are not short, they are long. The people that really make it are the ones who work really hard and live and breathe it from the time they wake up until they go to sleep.”
Family
Parham is married to Nicole, a stay-at-home mom. They have two young children.
— by Michele Gillis