• Allison Miles •
• Originally published September 3, 2009 at midnight, updated September 5, 2009 at 5:35 p.m.

• A DOG EAT DOG WORLD

  Realtors often find themselves up close and personal with pets, since many a dog or cat becomes a four-legged family member. Most of the times these run-ins go smoothly, but not always.

  A home John ...

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A DOG EAT DOG WORLD

Realtors often find themselves up close and personal with pets, since many a dog or cat becomes a four-legged family member. Most of the times these run-ins go smoothly, but not always.

A home John Quitta was showing had a sign on the door advising him not to let out the cat. As he wrapped up things and prepared to leave, he found a cat sitting outside and ushered it in.

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the neighbor's cat, he said, laughing.

Lu Ann O'Connor once walked in to show a home, only to find four dogs inside, ready to attack her and her client.

"They had a sign on the door saying, 'Do not enter because of dogs,'" she said. "But the owners let us in. I thought they had the dogs in the yard."

Realtor and potential homebuyer hid behind a table and chairs, O'Connor said, but one dog still drew blood when it bit her client. Things worked out, however, and she made the sale.

Judy VanZant's story is also of the canine sort. While showing a home one afternoon, she found a stray dog lurking outside. She already had three at home, but the friendly pup captured her heart.

She took it home and now Cissy is just another four-legged member of the family, she said.

"She's my baby," VanZant said.

Judy VanZant

Age: 53

Born: Kenedy

Company: Cornerstone Properties

Years in the industry: 21

2009 sales through Aug. 26: 41, total of $8,801,967*

Did you know: When she first got into the business, Cornerstone Properties listed VanZant's home. She thought they had seriously underpriced it and wasn't happy. She soon learned it was a mistake many a homeowner makes and, since then, has learned to price homes more accurately.

What people say:

"Judy's knowledge of the market sets her apart. She's really smart, has a good personality and never meets a stranger. She's good at knowing what people want before they know."

Louise Hull-Patillo, broker at Cornerstone PropertiesLuAnn O'Connor

Age: 53

Born: Victoria

Company: Coldwell Banker the Ron Brown Company

Years in the industry: 24

2009 sales through Aug. 26: 26, total of $6,437,600*

Did you know: O'Connor recently had surgery and had to stay away from her phone and business for a few days. While recovering, she received an important call. She asked her husband to drive her to do a showing and made the sale.

What people say:

"She is very hard-working and gets very personally involved in making sure clients' needs are met. She's very diligent in seeing to it that all details of the transactions are filled."

Lee Swearingen, president of Coldwell Banker the Ron Brown Company

John Quitta

Age: 55

Born: Hallettsville

Company: REMAX Land & Homes

Years in the industry: 30

2009 sales through Aug. 26: 29, total of $6,317,650*

Did you know: Quitta once learned of a family that had fallen on hard times one Christmas season and showed up at the door with a load of wrapped presents for the children. He told them he found them outside and Santa must have left them.

What people say:

"John is a great mentor. He will share any amount of information and is really a team player. He is Mr. Happy, Mr. Positive Attitude. He doesn't leave the office to show a house. He leaves the office to sell a house."

Sarah Korczynski, Realtor and owner of REMAX Land & Homes

*Sale statistics are based on numbers from the Victoria Board of Realtors. This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Victoria Board of Realtors, Inc. or its multiple listing service. Neither the board nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the board or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity within the market.

HOW DOES VICTORIA'S REAL ESTATE MARKET FARE?Things in Victoria have never been as bad as they are in some areas, but Victoria has seen a slump, local Realtor LuAnn O'Connor said.

Victoria's market is about 30 percent off from where it typically is, she said.

During the first quarter of 2009, 185 homes sold in Victoria, according to data from the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center. During the same time frame in 2008, however, 185 homes sold.

The main reason Victoria never dropped down to where other markets sat is because local prices weren't inflated in the first place, O'Connor said.

There's a phrase that says "first ones in, first ones out and it applies to slumps in the housing market," said Sarah Korczynski, Realtor and owner at REMAX Land & Homes. Victoria was slow to feel the effects of a down economy, so it could be a while before it recovers itself.

"Even in the worst places, it's getting better," she said.

Ask many Realtors to describe what they do, and it's likely their lists will be long ones. Between the crazy hours, schedule changes and constant phone calls, a lot goes into the job.

For some people, however, the position as Realtor is a perfect fit.

Such is the case for Judy VanZant, LuAnn O'Connor and John Quitta, three Victoria Realtors who top the list when it comes to sales.

2008 brought 854 home sales in Victoria, according to data from the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center. Of those, VanZant sold 72, Quitta came in at 57 and O'Connor sold 47.

Those numbers might not reflect all sale activity in the Victoria market.

Getting their start

Every story starts somewhere, and VanZant's began with a newspaper ad. After finding an ad for Cornerstone Properties that featured the company's agents around a Christmas tree, the soon-to-be agent was hooked.

"I was doing an open house at Colony Creek and she walked in," said Louise Hull Patillo, Cornerstone's broker. "She said she was about to get her license and wanted to work in our office."

The company's family atmosphere is what VanZant said attracted her, and she stuck around. She's now been with the company for 21 years.

For Quitta, the draw came early on. He graduated college with a degree in accounting but soon realized there was already an abundance of accountants out there.

"I'd always been interested in real estate," he said. "A hobby. My parents suggested getting a license."

After becoming an agent, a few in the business bet he wouldn't make it six months. That was 30 years ago.

O'Connor said she gets along well with people and asks a lot of questions, so she felt drawn to real estate.

"I feel I'm very personable," she said. "I don't meet a stranger. In this business you've got to be able to talk to people, not feel shy about it."

After 24 years, O'Connor said she doesn't foresee a career change any time soon.

"It gets in your blood," she said. "It's part of you. And ... it's very gratifying to put someone in a home."

Tricks of the trade

There is no one tip to make a person a successful Realtor, but Victoria's heads of the class offered hints.

Building relationships is important, they said, and going the extra mile makes a difference.

Quitta once found a job for a client at a tortilla factory so she could obtain a home loan.

A Realtor should find a niche market and work at it, O'Connor said, explaining it could be a church crowd, women's group or any number of things.

Be available to the clients, they advised.

O'Connor, Quitta and VanZant said they keep their phones on at all times. They often work strange hours and seven days a week, they said, because they must work around clients' schedules.

"I sleep with my phone next to me," VanZant said after quickly silencing her cell.

Get an idea of what the client is thinking, Quitta said. He said he makes mental notes while showing people homes, remembering features they liked and others they didn't.

Know the market. The three said they often remember what the inside of a property looks like, who lives there and who lived there years ago.

Pay attention to what a potential buyer is looking for, they said.

Listen to the client, O'Connor advised. Don't tell them what they should have.

"If they way they want to pay $200,000, I don't show them $300,000 homes," she said. "People get mad. You have to listen, get a feel for them."

The times they are a-changin'

Like most industries, technology means updates to the real estate industry.

More clients prefer to communicate via text message, Quitta said, so Realtors must do the same. Quitta only recently jumped on the texting bandwagon and said he still has some to learn.

He signed his first text to broker Veronica McCants "Yours truly, John Quitta," McCants said.

Over at REMAX Land & Homes, Realtors recently underwent training on Facebook and O'Connor said she recently joined the social networking site herself.

"Social networking is important in this business," she said, explaining she still isn't completely sold on the site, since she often doesn't care to know details like what her friends had for lunch.

VanZant, too, is going more digital. People recently talked her into getting an iPhone, which allows Internet access and will keep her more connected.

"I don't want to miss a call," she said.

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