In the following article, John Turpin, Broker/Owner of Turpin Real Estate, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® in Far Hills, N.J., talks tech, flexibility, and building the family business.
Region served: North Central New Jersey
Years in real estate: 15
Number of offices: 5
Number of agents: 110
Motto/work philosophy that you live by: Do the right thing and work hard to deliver great value to clients and colleagues and good things will follow.
What do you like most about the region in which you work? This part of New Jersey completely defies the perception most people have of our state. Rolling hills, farms, quaint villages and some very cosmopolitan small cities like Morristown all make our area special. The fact that you can be in Manhattan within an hour is icing on the cake.
As the third generation broker/owner of Turpin Real Estate, how are you carrying on the legacy of those who’ve come before you? Carrying the torch of the family business that my grandmother started in 1960 brings tremendous satisfaction and meaning to my job. I honor the legacy my grandmother and father built by remaining true to the standards of ethics and service that have defined the company from the start. Providing the kind of patient and thorough service that my grandparents’ generation would expect is refreshing to our clientele.
How does your company stay flexible and current? By focusing on the essentials and maintaining a smaller, more professional and dedicated sales staff, we’re able to react to and adjust for changing trends and new opportunities.
What is the most significant trend currently affecting your business? Throughout the past few years, there’s been an overall refocusing on quality over quantity in our country. For example, we see increasing interest in smaller homes with higher quality amenities. Our clients desire to spend more time with friends and family, and they select service providers such as REALTORS® who have a relationship mindset, rather than a transaction-based orientation. Our firm stands out as one built from the ground up, having always been dedicated to these ideals.
How do you use technology to better serve your clients? Buyers and sellers have a tremendous amount of data available to them, and it’s our job to help them understand how that data applies to their situation. Not only do we provide agents with a suite of best-of-breed tools for market analysis, transaction management, listings promotion and day-to-day workflow, but also, we couple these offerings with a very low manager-to-agent ratio, which ensures our agents are able to fully leverage technology in ways that are relevant and meaningful to their individual clients. Our approach to technology is based on listening to our clients’ preferences and understanding their needs.
How are you preparing your agents for the future? Residential real estate has gone through more changes in the past few years than it did over many generations prior. However, by focusing too much on tools and systems, we risk losing sight of the basics. Therefore, we strive to remain on the cutting-edge of technology while staying cognizant of the reason we all got into real estate to begin with: relationships, or as Larry Kendall says, people want to do business with those they know, like and trust.
For more information, visit www.turpinrealtors.com.
