Broker Spotlight
Contracts, classes and coaching are his specialties

Stephany Dawson doesn't mince words when it comes to her broker, Jerry Gonsiewski. "He educates like crazy," she said. "Whether you have 28 years of experience or 28 days, everybody goes to his contracts class."

"Jerry G" as everyone calls him, has been selling and mentoring others for more than two decades. As Office Manager of Coldwell Banker Residential in Clearwater, he holds regular contract classes for his agents. "I go through every section of the FAR contract each week – the entire contract, line by line, and all the addenda. Same thing with the listing contracts. So when they get out there they do know what they're doing."

Gonsiewski has the experience to back up his coaching. He started in the business as an investor, buying real estate. "When I ran out of money," he said with a grin, "I realized that although I saw a lot of properties that didn’t suit my needs, they would certainly suit someone else's." He got his sales license in 1982 and his brokers' in 1984. "I was very successful in the 13 years that I sold for Coldwell Banker. They suggested that I go into training."

In Gonsiewski's experience, both selling and training have their own rewards. "The fulfillment is totally different. When I was doing sales, helping someone achieve their objectives, in as stress-free a circumstance as I could, was very satisfying. But I get great satisfaction coaching and mentoring people in their careers and watching them grow."

Gonsiewski credits his knowledge acumen to a combination of Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) training, and specialized programs instituted by Coldwell Banker. "I believe in learning as much as possible, I'm a sponge.

"And the more my agents know about contracts, and the ramifications of what the contract says, the better they can guide their clients." He says he is working with a dedicated group. "When issues come up with agents from other companies which revolve around conflicts about what the contract says, the people I work with know what needs to happen."

Stephany Dawson acknowledges the real world value of the training she gets from "Jerry G."

"It's a huge benefit," she says. "When I'm out there in the field, driving and negotiating at the same time, I know I can go over all the fine points and say, you did this and this and this, and they go, 'Really?' You come in with that much more respect."