 Fortunately, almost everyone knew what Goodman was referring
to, because many of them had been waiting to hear if he would be in
the running for the "30 under 30" recognition from Realtor Magazine.
Realtor Magazine is a nationwide trade magazine published
specifically for those in the real estate profession. It is also
widely read by contractors and other housing-related businesses.
Each year the magazine recognizes young real estate agents who
are under the age of 30 and have achieved significant success in
their careers.
Goodman, at age 24, has applied for the recognition for the past
two years without making it in.
"I was told it is pretty hard to get this until you've had your
license for three years, which I now have had," Goodman said.
The process involved filling out a detailed application,
submitting a video and personal references, and going through the
magazine's own special kind of background and professional check.
The first cut knocks the total submissions for the year down to
about 100. Those left are scrutinized again, and the list is cut in
half, leaving only 50 contenders.
Goodman said that is where he is now, in the top 50 in the
nation, and waiting to hear if he made the top 30.
In the meantime, there is a second component to the magazine's
competition: the public component. As of Monday morning, voting was
opened up to the public on the magazine website. Anyone who wishes
can go to the website and vote for the "30 Under 30" Web Choice
Award. Web voting will continue through April 3.
Goodman said the winner of that competition will receive special
recognition as well at a national realty conference later this year.
He also noted this is a separate competition. The Web vote will not
be used in determining the magazine's top 30.
So, while he's waiting to hear if he made the top 30, he's also
hoping friends and associates from Logan County and beyond will log
on to the magazine website and, in his words, "vote, vote, vote,
vote, vote."
This is not the first time in recent months that Goodman has made
the news with his accomplishments.
He became interested in real estate at a young age, and it has
paid off for him, as in 2011 he chalked up over $12 million in home
sales: a Logan County record.
It comes from being totally devoted to his career and having
known since he was a kid what it was he wanted to do.
"When I was young, I spent my time drawing floor plans and
looking at houses. I thought at first I wanted to be an architect
and a realtor, but then decided I just wanted to be a realtor,"
Goodman said.
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He also believes that if he makes the final cut and becomes one
of the top 30, it will give him even more credibility as a real
estate agent. "I think this can show people that even though I am
young, I know what I'm doing, and that my age doesn't play into it,"
he said.
In addition to making a mark for himself, Goodman also sees this
as making a mark for small town business and Logan County. He said
that this year the only other Illinois real estate agent in the
running is from Chicago.
Goodman is a member of ME Realty in Lincoln, owned by Michael
Simonson.
Simonson said that before buying the agency, he had worked with
Goodman for about 10 months, but he first saw Seth's potential when
he was only about 18 years old and shadowing ME Realty's Glenda
Allison.
At that time, Simonson was "flipping a house," and Allison was
his real estate agent, with Goodman nearby. "I knew then he'd be
good at what he does," Simonson said.
As far as what this does for the agency on the whole, Simonson
said: "This is big for Seth, and it is major for this office and
this community as well. You have to realize, he's competing against
realtors from places like California, where homes sell for $400,000
and $500,000 every day of the week. He's competing against some
big-class realtors."
Goodman said he's really surprised already at the reaction to all
this. He said he posted the news on his Facebook page, and he
already has several responding posts. He said, "People are posting
things like, 'He helped us out, now let's help him.'"
In addition, Simonson is hosting a voting party at the ME office
Tuesday night. "We're telling everyone to come and eat pizza and
wings with us and bring your laptops so you can vote. Oh, and by the
way, you can vote more than once," Goodman said with a chuckle.
And finally, he said that win or not, he wanted to send a big
"thank you" to everyone who has already voted and anyone who may do
so yet.
To give your support to Goodman, follow the link below. Goodman
said there are no logins or passwords; it is open and free to the
public to go in and vote:
http://realtormag.realtor.org/30-under-30/
finalist/2012/03/seth-goodman
To learn more about the "30 Under 30" contest, read about it in
Realtor Magazine online:
http://realtormag.realtor.org/30-under-30/about/.
[By NILA SMITH]
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