How Ray Gernhart Continues to Turn the Industry Upside Down
When you’re looking to buy or to sell a home, the whole process can feel overwhelming. This is especially true for those who have never purchased or sold a home before. From navigating price negotiations to making sense of home inspection reports to knowing what to expect at the closing table, you need an experienced real estate agent to confidently and knowledgeably walk you through every step of the process.
A good Realtor, however, is so much more than how many years of experience that person has or even how many houses he or she sold last year. Sure, those are both great metrics, and they can tell you a lot about that person’s experience and success, but in many ways, finding the right Realtor for you actually comes down to two important factors: trust and likability. When it comes to one of the most important financial decisions of your life, do you trust that person’s advice and guidance, and, given how much you’ll be interacting with this person during the process, do you enjoy his or her company?
Over three decades ago, Ray Gernhart, of Ray Gernhart and Associates, built his brand and his business by cultivating this unique blend of business savvy and sheer joie de vivre.
Less Blue Hair, More Blue Eyeshadow
When Gernhart first broke onto the real estate scene, he was only twenty-three years old. At the time, not many younger people were working in this industry. Rather than trying to conform to what made the prototypical Realtor of that time, though, Gernhart decided to highlight everything that made him unique. He took his differences and proudly made them the centerpiece of his Realtor persona.
“I had leather pants and Adam Lambert eyeshadow. I thought, ‘I can stand out from the blue-haired women in this business by driving a Jeep Cherokee, wearing wife-beater T-shirts, hanging out at clubs, and handing out matchbooks reading, For a good time and a great deal, talk to Ray,’” says Gernhart.
Who Says Contracts, Deeds, and Other Legally Binding Documents Can’t Be Fun?
In the world of real estate, there are undoubtedly lots of complicated legal documents and complex financial considerations, but Gernhart likes to approach these sometimes intimidating documents with a lighthearted touch. His philosophy seems to be that real estate can be both an educational process and an entertaining one.
Gernhart, who earned a degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts, brings a quick wit, humor, his signature dramatic flair, and a larger-than-life persona to the proceedings, taking the solemnity out of his real estate transactions.
The key here, though, is that Gernhart never loses sight of those two crucial factors: affability and trust. He puts a unique and fun spin on real estate, but he has the savvy, know-how, and experience to back everything up. His clients have fun during the home-buying or home-selling process, but they also have complete trust he knows how to get them the best possible financial and personal outcome.
Turning the Industry on Its Head
In nearly every way, Ray bucked trends with his real estate outreach and thought outside the box to make a name for himself. This even included his marketing efforts.
“Years ago, when I first got into the business, I had to make a name for myself. I needed to stand out in some way. Back then, there wasn’t all this computer stuff. Businesses actually did print advertising, and people actually read newspapers,” says Gernhart. “If you looked in those newspapers, there were pictures of Realtors, one after another after another after another. So, I told the Washington Post I wanted my picture printed upside down, and then I came up with a saying: For a unique perspective on real estate, talk to Ray. That caught people’s eye and got the phone ringing.”
Experience Isn’t Everything…but It Is a Lot!
The response to Gernhart’s picture in the Washington Post helped earn him a lot of business, and he became his office’s top producer in his very first year. After more than thirty years on the job, Gernhart now operates his own company and enjoys his status as the number one RE/MAX agent in Virginia, number three in the Mid-Atlantic region, and in the top twenty-five throughout the country.
“Very few agents have the experience I have,” Gernhart says. “I sell about one hundred fifty homes a year. That’s two or three a week. At this point, there’s no problem that can come down in a deal that I have not experienced and taken care of many times over in the past.”
If you want to find out why Ray Gernhart and Associates is so highly rated, feel free to contact us today. Remember, for a good time and a great deal, you can always talk to Ray.
