Howdy,

I have been in real estate for about 15 years now.  Before real estate I was in the US Army.  I started out as a combat engineer, and then I went on to become an intelligence analyst.  I have a BS in Business Communication, an MBA in International Studies, and am about halfway to a PhD in Marketing.

My father was one of the original founding member brokers of ERA back in 1972.  I have grown up around real estate and some of its more robust personalities.  My favorite real estate speaker is probably Bill Barrett (a true librarian).  In 1991, I began working for ERA on technology issues, and through 1995, I traveled around the US meeting all manner of ERA brokers.   During that time my father impressed on me the importance of every decision we make, and how living a principle centered life causes us to be more effective.  In 1996, ERA was purchased by HFS, and my father retired from being the President of the ERA Servicenter.  Shortly afterwards my father approached me about starting a real estate brokerage with him.  We focused heavily on niche marketing, and by 2001 we had a great presence reestablished in Jacksonville.

In 2001, 9-11 interrupted my real estate career and I was activated as an Intelligence Analyst for the Army.  I was sent to Charlottesville, Virginia and worked at the National Ground Intelligence Center.  During that time my father came out of retirement a second time and ran my company.  I remember him sending me a P&L and he had beaten all my numbers.  So, I guess he still has it.  At any rate, I returned to real estate in 2003.

In 2003, I became very involved with a local Homevestor Franchisee and that greatly influenced my real estate career.  I became very interested in the litigious aspects of real estate and how you can make money off nuances such as trusts, assignments, and the like.  When the market went south I went back to basics, and now I am just enjoying the challenges of a rough spot in the market.

In addition to the business stuff, I have a beautiful wife and three boys (5, 10, 13).  I am very active in my church.  I love martial arts, SCUBA diving, Golf, weightlifting, and collecting rare books (especial Arkham House).

If I had to define my real estate purpose, it would be "helping others".  What a great business to be in!

Thanks for reading,

Matt