Realtors under 30 turn challenges into opportunities

WASHINGTON – June 2, 2009 – More than four of every 10 recent home sales were to first-time buyers, and this year’s Realtor® Magazine “30 Under 30” winners demonstrate the same spirit, transforming challenges into advantages. One of the “30 under 30” for 2009 hails from Florida: Eric Leightman, 26, a sales associate with Campus Realty in Gainesville.

Realtor Magazine’s profile of the Gainesville Realtor offers the following:

If specialization is the key to success in real estate, Eric Leightman has unlocked a lucrative niche: student condos. Since 2005, he has sold more than $50 million worth of real estate, almost all of it to students at the University of Florida at Gainesville. His busy season is somewhat atypical for real estate. Almost 90 percent of the business happens between January and August.

Leightman, who grew up in Gainesville and has a degree in finance from the university, knows the students’ priorities well. During the off months, he is active in a number of social causes. For the last two years, Leightman has spent a month every fall living and working in Malawi, an impoverished African country, as the president of Gleanings of the Harvest, a nonprofit aid organization that works to alleviate hunger.

Says National Association of Realtors President Charles McMillan of the 30 under 30 winners: “Many of our younger members have little experience with market downturns, but they have confidence in the long-term value of homeownership and real estate investment. Whether they’re exploring new industry innovations, making significant contributions to their communities, or simply providing tremendous value to their clients, this new generation of Realtors represents the future of the real estate industry.”

Six of the 30 Realtors recognized this year do much of their business in foreclosures and short sales, which account for 45 percent of recent sales, according to NAR’s latest existing-home sales report. NAR selected the young professionals for their passion about making a positive difference in people’s lives.

Jared James, a salesperson with RE/MAX Right Choice in Milford, Conn., says that he shares his positive market insights with clients. “I refuse to participate in this recession,” James says. “While others focus on negative data, I find the positive in every bit of news.”

© 2009 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Questions, comments or suggestions on this article? Have a news tip? Send a letter to the editor to: Newseditor@floridarealtors.org.