Preview Properties the original desk fee office

Bill Young is probably the most important person in residential Real Estate that you never heard of. Bill has a desk fee office out in North Seattle. It’s cheap to hang your license there and you get to keep 100% of your commission. There have been very few frills in the process.

Over the course of time most Real Estate agents develop a customer base. It can be a few as three or four. There are agents who know hundreds of people who quietly go about managing Real Estate portfolios. Most of these people have properties of their own to manage and help others who want to learn the business.

Bill Young along with Dick Metzner, and Bob Wilson, recognized that people in the Real Estate business needed an office away from the sales aspect. It’s hard to explain the difference. Residential Real Estate of the past was mostly left to the neighborhood expert. Some time in the 1970s and 1980s residential Real Estate became a tool to build wealth. Some time we’ll talk about the transition from commercial, to residential for the small investor, but in our area North Seattle was at the fore front of a growing movement.

The way I see it Bill Young was the first to make a clean break from the Real Estate sales model and offered agents a place to hang a license to do business. This was an important step for many people. I’m sure Bill was just trying to get agents to pay the mortgage on a building he owned, just kidding, but the idea is kind of true. In a sales office some one has to do a deal in order for the office to get paid. A desk fee guarantees cash flow every month. For simple math, if you convince 100 people to give you $100 every month that’s $10,000 a month. Not a bad return on a secretary, some desks, chairs, telephones, and equipment. Most working agents never go to the office any way. 

It was a tough sell at the time, but the idea caught on. Now that the company of Preview Properties is expanding it’s worth a look at one of the most seasoned of business ideas. The people who are involved in Preview Properties are engaged in the Real Estate business. This sets them apart from some of the better known desk fee offices.

About David Losh

In 1984 I got my Real Estate license and worked in a small company called Advance Properties. The owner was extremely interested in Real Estate, building, and land development. Most of his work was concentrated North of Seattle. Since the 1970s I had worked for Real Estate agents in Seattle as a contractor, mostly preparing properties for rent, and sale. After a few years my skill level increased considerably concerning land use, building code, and development practices. Escrow, and lending offices were housed at the Advance Properties building so it was easy to get involved in all aspects of Real Estate. It was very much a family owned, and operated business. Over the years my Real Estate license has been at a variety of Real Estate companies, and offices. Nothing compares to those early years, or that sense of family. Real Estate has gotten to be corporate owned. My hope with this blog is to share with you some of the things I've learned. If you have Real Estate needs, or want contractor help, I refer freely to what best suits you. If you should choose to work with me you'll find a great resource. My Real Estate license is at Skyline Properties in Northgate. Skyline is a locally owned company that is a desk fee office. There is a wide variety of diverse agents. It helps me with some of the other projects that I have, and mentoring that I do, to be able to work with people from other cultures. Here in Seattle we are close to Vancouver BC and are the gateway to China. Boeing has a great trade relationship with China, as does Microsoft have with all of Asia. We are a culturally diverse community, and it helps me to be invlolved.
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6 Responses to Preview Properties the original desk fee office

  1. Pingback: What others have been saying about residential real estate « Curtain Down. Lets Begin.

  2. There are a few excellent issues raised here.
    Usually, I am not awfully keen on politics. but, occasionally all of us have to pause for thought. Interesting, thank you.

  3. On the whole, I’m not awfully keen on politics in general – however, every now and then all of us have to pay attention. There are some very good points made here, and I’m taking notice – thank you.

  4. Nice post….very useful information…..

  5. Pat Haldane says:

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  6. You have some really good posts on here, however it took me a while to find this blog, why dont you promote this blog more often?

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