MY REAL ESTATE CAREER

I joined my Family’s real estate business in 1974 with no intension of working full time, or making real estate a life long career. I had graduated from Yucaipa High School in 1968, and Azusa Pacific University in 1972, and even though I had worked several odd jobs, and many construction jobs during my school years, I had successfully avoided all sales jobs. I had some doubts about entering into the real estate business as a sales person. However, it only took me a few weeks to realize that the real estate business is really all about service, where sales result from the service. It is this service job that I have enjoyed all these years.

In 1975, my parents bought another real estate company in Yucaipa to obtain the Century 21 Franchise that the company owned. At that time the franchise companies were the cutting edge of marketing, and our business did increase. By 1976 I completed a Degree Certificate in real estate from Crafton Hills College, along with obtaining my Brokers License. Through honest, hard work, I became a top producer, and by 1982 I sold in the top 100 agents for Century 21 Region 6, which included all of San Bernardino County, Riverside County, and the San Gabriel Valley. Shortly after this, I became the sales manager, attended the Century 21 Management Academy, and bought the business from my parents in 1985. After 5 years, I sold the business to move to Oregon. While in California, I served on the Board of Directors for The Yucaipa Board of Realtors for 10 years, President for 1 year, Vice-President for 1 year, and a State Director for the California Association of Realtors for 3 years. I also served as the chairperson for the MLS, Equal Housing, and the Joint Venture Regionalization committees, and served on the Board Properties & Insurance, Personnel, and Political Action committees.

When I moved to North Bend, on the Oregon Coast, I joined a Realty World office, and after a short time began taking management responsibility, and ended up buying the company. My wife, Julie worked as she does now, as the office manager, and was the top producer in sales. We expanded the business by opening 2 Branch Offices in Bandon and Coos bay. I attended the Realty World Management Academy, and joined the Broker Council for Realty World North West Region, and from there was appointed to an executive committee for Realty World Corporate to oversee the business of the organization. I was also offered a job as a Regional Manager for Realty World North West Region, but I declined. I served 1 year as the President of the Coos County Board of Realtors, 1 year as the Vice-President, 3 years on the Board of Directors, Chairperson of the Professional Standards Committee, served on the MLS committee, 1 year as a State Director for the Oregon Association of Realtors, and was appointed to an executive committee to oversee all the business of the Oregon Association of Realtors, including agent training programs for 2 years. I also served for 3 years on the Board of Directors for the North Bend Kiwanis Club, and Habitat for Humanity.

After 10 years in Oregon, we sold our Realty World business, and moved back to Yucaipa, and reopened Trayer Realty, Inc. Believing that the Internet is the new cutting edge of marketing, and has changed the nature of the real estate business in general, we departed from the franchise concept, and traditional real estate, to a more consumer friendly business model, and opened our new office as an independent “Fee For Service” office. This has been a rewarding experience, and as our concepts, and business has grown, we have added agents, and opened a Branch Office in Running Springs. However, I have found that because of the Internet, cell phones, call forwarding, faxes, laptops, E-mail, etc., I can work from anywhere, and I have marketed properties all around Southern California. I still enjoy my service job, and being a top producer, with no plans to retire.