 Goodman said the Logan County Board of Realtors keeps records on the
annual turnaround of homes for sale, and in 2011 Goodman broke the
record, with the closest competitor being Sonnie Alexander with a
total of $3 million.Goodman explained the figure comes from
considering homes sold, and both the listing and the sale agent. For
example, if Goodman had the listing and sold it, the sale was
counted twice. If someone else had the listing and Goodman sold it,
then the sale was counted only once for him, but also once for the
listing agent.
In all, it took 118 "sides" and a total of between 60 and 70
actual properties to reach the $12 million figure.
Goodman said in general, this type of sales record tells him the
market for homes in Lincoln is still good. He noted many of the
sales are folks who are actually trading up or down, but there have
also been a few who are new folks coming into the community.
He explained that interest rates are down, and also the mild
winter has kept real estate agents busy even in the winter months.
When asked if he had any big secrets to this type of year, he
laughingly said, "very little sleep."
On a more serious note, though, he said having online exposure
has helped, but much of it comes from loving what he does.
Goodman is one of those young people who figured out early in
life what interested him, and he pursued that interest until it
became a career.
He began dealing with real estate at the age of 14, when he went
to work at Doris & Associates in Lincoln. Obviously too young to
sell, he worked in that office, helping with whatever the real
estate agent needed, from working on listings to putting out fliers.
He said he spent a lot of time "following" Doris and just learning
what the business was all about.
His freshman year at Millikin University, he got a call from
Carolyn McMath of ME Realty, asking if he'd be interested in coming
to work for her. He was. Again, he was still too young to sell, so
most of what he did for ME was the legwork.
However, when he turned 21 and became eligible for his license,
Goodman was well prepared to take his realtor's exam and get into a
job he'd known for several years he wanted.
"On my 21st birthday, I had three exams at Millikin, then went
and took my realtor's exam," he said. "So my 21st birthday was all
about taking tests."
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Now at 24 years of age, Goodman is well known in the real estate
community. He said Monday evening that what makes it special for him
is that he is doing a job he loves to do.
"I'm at it every day, all day, but it isn't a burden. It is
something I want to do," he said.
Goodman said another important part for him is that he is doing
it at home.
"I was born and raised here and I intend to stay here," he said.
He also noted one of the things he enjoys about the job is
showing people homes they don't expect to like and end up loving.
"I listen to what they have to say about what they want and take
them to those houses," he explained. "But then, I'll say, ‘I want
you to look at this one.' They walk in and they have this feeling
for the home. Several have told me, ‘I never expected to like this,
but I really do.'"
Goodman said he also feels it is important to let folks take
their time.
"If we don't find it, we keep looking," he said. "I don't want to
push anyone into buying when they aren't ready."
So, what lies ahead for Goodman? For the recent new owner of ME,
Mike Simonson, and for Goodman himself, the hope is that this will
be the first of a long string of record-breaking years.
[By NILA SMITH]
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