I met Jim Stacey at an over priced listing he had on 65th, and about 14th NW on a sunny afternoon. The house is a victorian style that had been completely renovated by the seller. It was all ginger bread, and front porch. The interior was cute, but functional. Everything had been done.
Jim is an easy going guy who was not at all apologetic about the price of the property. He held his Open Houses, and the property eventually sold, for about asking price.
For me as a new agent Jim became a topic of conversation. I was told that he was that guy who was OK, but not universally accepted in the Real Estate community. Jim Stacey was a Buyer’s Agent before any one knew what that was, so if it’s not normal it must be bad.
He plowed ahead and started giving classes in Real Estate at the North Seattle Community College. He must have published his book by then because my fiancee at that time had a copy of it. She took his class so she could relate to me better about Real Estate.
He took them on a field trip to show them what was a bad Real Estate purchase. It was a marblecrete exterior house on the corner of 92nd, and Wallingford. It still has the white picket fence, but is still ugly. It’s extremely functional, but ugly.
After what is now 25 years, the over priced listing I met Jim at, and the ugly marblecrete house, still look the same. Jim’s over priced listing is still a sought after property, while the marblecrete is still ugly. For me it’s an indication of the value of a good eye for property.
We need more savvy Buyer’s Agents in todays quirky Real Estate market place.
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.
