Interview with Jim Smith, broker/owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I was a broker associate with RE/MAX Alliance in Lakewood when I saw a restaurant building for sale on South Golden Road that would make a perfect real estate office. I already owned a moving truck which I offer free to buyers and sellers, but it was hidden in the parking lot behind the RE/MAX office. With this building’s great frontage, I knew it would give added visibility for my truck, and the office would be near my home in Golden. When RE/MAX wouldn’t let me put a RE/MAX sign in front of the building, I knew I had to start a new brokerage, hence Golden Real Estate. Now I’m so glad RE/MAX wouldn’t let me make it a RE/MAX office!
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: We offer that moving truck, of course, but there are many other things that distinguish Golden Real Estate from other brokerages. For one, we create narrated YouTube videos of every listing, from condos to mansions to raw land. We also create HDR photographs of all listings, a new technology that highlights everything in any room plus the view out the window. Third, we are known for our sustainable practices — our solar-powered office, our electric cars, our Styrofoam recycling and more. Last, readers of this profile are probably aware that we have a full-page column in every issue of YourHub, which I write myself and in which we feature all our agents’ listings.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: I love writing my column in YourHub each Monday for that week’s paper. It’s always based on recent experiences buying or selling homes. Writing it satisfies my love of journalism which began when I was an intern on the city desk of The Washington Post in 1968.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: For our sellers, it’s finding that right price that will attract multiple offers and then playing those buyers off against each other to land the best contract from the best buyer. For our buyers, it’s jumping on new listings within 15 minutes of them being entered on the MLS and knowing how to beat out competing offers. Recently, a buyer of mine was one of 17 bidders on a home north of Golden, and we got the contract — very satisfying! A secret weapon is our moving truck. Often we’ll win that bidding war by presenting the only contract that offers free moving for the seller to their new home, even though we’re not their agent.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: Before moving to Denver in 1991 and then Golden in 1997, I lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., where I ran (unsuccessfully, of course) for mayor of New York against Ed Koch in 1981. It was a great experience I’ll always cherish — something most political losers probably don’t say!
Profile
Business: Golden Real Estate Inc.
Address: 17695 S. Golden Road, Golden
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Founded: 2007
Contact: 303-525-1851;
Employees: 10
