Keith R. Manzer hasn’t let more than 30 years of real estate success make him complacent. He’s currently in the running for 2013 top agent in McCarthy’s Clayton office. He lives in a downtown loft, but spends holidays and his rare free time at his Illinois farm. “I love going out, but the truth is, I’m a homebody,” he says. “Maybe that’s why I’m good at helping other people find their sanctuaries.”
[focus]
My specialty is the central corridor, but I can sell anywhere. Recently I sold a condo downtown that was the highest sale in the last five years.
[lifetime sales]
I’ve pulled in more than $275 million during my nearly 32-year career, the last five years of which I’ve spent at Laura McCarthy.
[biggest sale ever]
It was in excess of $4 million. But that doesn’t mean it’s the one I’m most proud of. Sometimes it’s the smaller, first-time buyers who remind you why what you do is so special. It’s about helping people connect with that perfect place.
[secret of my success]
I’ve always valued and respected the people I’ve met over the years. My father used to tell me, “Be nice to people on the way up; they’ll be the same people you meet on the way down.”
[why real estate?]
I like the idea that I depend on myself to make my living, and that my successes are mine as well as my failures. It keeps me accountable.
[life before real estate]
What did I do before becoming an agent? What didn’t I do! I’ve been everything from a waiter at Pasta House on Delmar back in the early ’80s, to being director of communications for Franciscan Charities. I started working at the age of 12, pulling a paper cart on Saturday nights. I never daydreamed about what I wanted to be when I grew up. I just knew I had to work hard to get what I wanted. I worked two jobs until I was 30 or so.
[when bad things happen to good sales associates]
I’d like to say nothing ever goes wrong with a deal—but it has. You just have to keep moving forward and get the deal closed. That’s what you’re paid to do. And I’m a big believer in humor—it takes the edge off.
[the right stuff]
I’m tenacious, and I answer my own phone 24/7. I always give realistic advice, whether the goal is buying or selling a property.
[philosophy]
I’ve been in this business long enough to know that nothing lasts, good times or bad. I try to take the highs and lows in equal stride. Properties are flying right now, and it’s definitely a seller’s market. But one thing I know for sure: this, too, shall pass!
Photo by Bill Barrett
Pictured: Keith R. Manzer
