Northwest Indiana is a growing area of the country that welcomes many families that make their way to us. And with the families come the homes in which they must reside. So who comes in to play when it’s time to buy or sell a home? There are multiple businesses in the area, but one stands out in particular. Realty Executives Premier, located in downtown Valparaiso, gives home buyers and sellers the people, experience and knowledge to get the job done right on the first try.
Here we go with the 6th installment of our REP series for Realty Executives Premier.John Barlow is our subject, and you will be pleased to meet him. Barlow is a broker associate with Realty Executives Premier. He has lived in Valpo since 1992 and before that he lived in a suburb of Chicago. He is a St. Louis Cardinals fan who enjoys golf, running and keeping as active as possible.
At Realty Executives Premier, Barlow handles all aspects of purchases and sales for the buyers and sellers in Northwest Indiana which includes ordering title work, writing purchase agreements, following up with the lenders, and negotiating home inspection repairs to ensure that the end result is smoothly reached.
Barlow became interested in real estate when he dealt with different situations involving it as an attorney. Barlow is a licensed attorney in Illinois, and he practices in the area of Securities Law. He has represented investors for over two decades in actions against stockbrokers.
“Some of the matters I dealt with in that regard involved mortgage backed securities products and I was always interested in real estate investing. In addition, my children’s maternal grandfather, James Dickey, was a long-term realtor in Valparaiso. So, I decided to get my real estate license,” Barlow explained.
So when Barlow got into the real estate industry, he chose Realty Executives Premier as his springboard. He was impressed by the professionalism and humility of the agents that work there as well as the quality of the resources that are available to the agents.
“I knew some agents at Realty Executives Premier and had a deal with one of them when I was with another company,” Barlow said. “Realty Executives Premier has the collegial and very professional atmosphere that I was looking for. The agents are all friendly and willing to assist one another if someone might be out of town. The broker owner wants everyone to excel in this business. The company has excellent back office support and training. It also has some of the best on line marketing tools available to its agents. All of these tools not only benefit the agents, but they also benefit the buyers and sellers we work with.”
Barlow stated that he does not consider his position at Realty Executives to be a job. He liked the positive outcomes and fast turnover of transactions in real estate. When practicing law, the situations take much longer to process and they don't always produce a good end result.
“It is a business that allows me to build relationships with people and that gives me satisfaction more quickly than practicing law where it can take many months or even years to get a result that is not always a happy one,” Barlow said. “It doesn't matter whether I am working for a buyer or seller. My interest is to get the best possible outcome for my client. I enjoy seeing both sides in a transaction very happy after the successful closing of the transaction.”
With the enjoyment that Barlow gets from his job comes challenges. He voiced that there is quite a bit that goes into the transaction process and there is a lot of training that is required in order to keep real estate agents at the top of their game.
“My first broker told me when I began my real estate sales career that real estate sales is the most difficult business you will ever enter. He was right,” Barlow said. “It is a state licensed business and not all agents are full time real estate professionals. It takes time and dedication to your clients to do the absolute best for them. There is continuing education required just like in the law. The Realty Executives Premier agents are full time professionals with a high degree of integrity and are dedicated to providing the best possible outcome for their clients.”
Finally, Barlow wanted to let prospective home buyers and sellers know that it is important to have the right people there to help you get the best outcome.
“Buying a home is one of the largest financial transactions one will ever make. Decisions on who assist you in that endeavor are crucial.” Barlow said in closing. “I listen to my clients and work very diligently to find them what they are looking for.”