JIM CONLON

EXECUTIVE AGENT MAGAZINE

Jim Conlon Executive Agent of the Month

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Jim Conlon “Your Guide to the Perfect Home”

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Written by Haley Wilson Freeman - Ian Wiant Photographer

ealtor® Jim Conlon doesn’t just sell his clients a home, he helps them find the house they want to buy. After 16 years as owner of a successful furniture store, Jim was recruited by a leading furniture manufacturer to serve as a regional sales representative.

But when the housing market crashed in 2007, furniture sales plummeted. “I knew I needed a career change,” he says. Ironically, he decided to try real estate. “My wife and I had always bought and sold real estate for investment, so I thought it would be a good fit for me.”

Jim excelled in a market where many agents were giving up. With no preconceptions that real estate should be easy, Jim applied his strong work ethic and no-pressure, common sense sales approach, and achieved Rookie of the Year with 19 closed transactions. During his second year in real estate, Jim became the top producer in his office. “I guess real estate took a liking to me,” he says.

“I’ve always felt comfortable creating transactions for people. When you have a product and you have a consumer, the challenge is matching the two, not selling. It’s about matching needs and abilities, and putting them in a transaction that everyone is comfortable with.”

At the close of 2018, Jim joined RE/MAX Freedom in Victorville, bringing his 10 years of industry success to an already dynamic office. Jim describes Broker Kim Jarrard, number one agent in the local market, as “current, with a lot of energy. She is innovative and embraces technology, and I really like her attitude toward clients and marketing.

There is a lot of camaraderie among agents in our office, and we have the resources and support behind the scenes that make my engagement with clients more enhanced.

Everything is fresh, and I feel like I jumped off a cruise ship and into a speedboat!”

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With his renewed enthusiasm for a business he has long loved, Jim feels he is positioned to bring greater vibrance to his real estate practice. “From the start of my career, I’ve made a habit of constantly reevaluating myself. I like to do a mental exit interview with every client I engage with to think about what worked and what I could do better the next time. I’m always looking for a new way to make myself more valuable to whoever I’m talking to. I’m excited about being at RE/MAX and learning new ways to better serve my clients, whether it’s being more precise on valuation or quicker on communication. I have the resources here to expose my client to more opportunities.”

One of the greatest rewards for Jim’s outstanding service is his robust repeat and referral business. “When I look back over 10 years, I think about how many additional clients I’ve received as referrals from people I helped initially.

They’re better than any review I could get. When someone tells their family, friends or coworkers they think they should work with me, I treat those like gold.”

Often, Jim’s referring clients like to make introductions personally. “One past client told me, ‘I want to take you to dinner so you can meet my daughter. She wants to buy a house.’ It’s a great feeling inside to love what you do and have other people tell you they like how you treated them.”

Many past clients have taken the time to post comments about their real estate experience with Jim. Here is what a few of them had to say: “I would recommend Jim to friends because he jumped right in and started working on selling my house.”

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“Jim was amazing, patient and a great guide for me during the purchase of my first home. Coming in with very little knowledge on what would go into the purchasing process of a home, I was so happy to have someone who walked me through every step of it. Jim understood exactly what I was looking for and worked with me within my budget.

He lined up a great day of tours of homes that fit my exact needs and wants. He communicated with me effectively and efficiently, going above and beyond to make sure that I was informed every step of the way.”

“Jim was always there, ready and willing to help with anything we needed. This is our second time working with Jim, and we look forward to working with him again.”

Jim finds new clients among his neighbors in Del Webb Sun City Apple Valley. This 55-plus golf resort community

houses 1,800 residents, and as a local homeowner, Jim is intimately familiar with the area’s lifestyles, floor plans and HOA concerns. “This is a unique community, and since I live here, I understand the challenges that have come up with the association and what the community has planned for the future. I’m in a good position to advise people about their choices and guide their expectations.”

With his genuine, down-to-earth approach, Jim honors the uniqueness of each client and strives to serve them according to their individual needs. “I’ve learned throughout my years in sales that if you have 1,000 people, you also have that many perspectives. You can’t treat people with a cookie cutter approach. When they come to you, they feel their needs and situation are unique, and they want to feel you’re not putting them in a pigeon hole. It’s my job to bring them the best choices that will fulfill their needs.”

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Trust is the cornerstone of Jim’s representation, a value predicated on transparency, communication and consistency. “Always being available is paramount in any transaction. Clients are thinking about their home most when they’re not working. That creates an alternative work schedule for me in order to accommodate them. From the beginning, I assure them of my interest in their transaction by being available.” Jim says the one exception is Friday night, a time he holds sacred as date night with his wife.

to clients so they understand what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Another thing I like to do is introduce them to my team. I let them know that they’re not just working with me; there will be over 30 people who will help them buy or sell a house, including title reps, loan officers, home inspectors, appraisers, escrow officers and assistants. I like to build an image for the client that I am not alone. There is a whole team of people behind me who are committed to helping them get what they want.”

He continues, “I spend a lot of time listening to figure out where they want to be, and I walk them through the scenarios from where we are to how we will get to the finish line. It helps calm them when they can see the path and where they’re going.”

Jim begins each day with an early morning trip to the gym, where he takes time to mentally prioritize his day and think about the things he can do to better serve the people who rely on him to help them with one of the biggest decisions of their lives. “I want to meet 100 percent of their expectations. It’s what I would want from somebody representing me.”

Jim never pressures clients into making decisions, but when they make one, he is ready to act. “I have a whole strategy around how to go from the mental commitment of a buyer or seller to what I need to do. I explain my process

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JIM CONLON

RE/MAX Freedom 12530 Hesperia Rd. Ste. 215 Victorville, CA 92395 Tel: 760.964.8881 RainmakerConlon@gmail.com Web: www.jimconlonrealtor.com DRE # 00906916 ExecutiveAgent Magazine