Really Excellent People: Scott Morris

REP-scott-morrisNorthwest Indiana is a growing area of the country that welcomes many families that make their way to us. And with the families come the homes in which they must reside. So who comes in to play when it’s time to buy or sell a home? There are multiple businesses in the area, but one stands out in particular. Realty Executives Premier, located in downtown Valparaiso, gives home buyers and sellers the people, experience and knowledge to get the job done right on the first try.

Scott Morris is lucky number seven in our REP series for Realty Executives Premier. His job as an associate broker for Realty Executives Premier has him assisting buyers and sellers in the marketing of their homes, lots, and buildings; finding renters and help them manage their properties; he helps investors make smart property purchases in order to get them ready for renting or resale; and he also works with other real estate professionals who have clients that are looking to find and buy a home. Morris conducts business all over Northwest Indiana, but he mostly works within Lake, Porter and La Porte Counties.

Morris grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania where he was brought up as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, but he has lived in Northwest Indiana for the past 14 years, and has become an avid fan of Da Bears. He has three kids who all reside in Tennessee and he tries to visit often, and he is active in his church.

Johnson University in Knoxville, TN is where he pursued his degree in ministry. After ministering in churches in Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana, Morris began selling real estate to generate an income and to save for his retirement. But things went in a different direction for Morris, and after two years he became a full-time sales person, and later an associate broker. Morris said that he has been interested in real estate since childhood. He watched his father as he worked at different occupations dealing with the ins and outs of homes.

“My father worked a couple of part-time jobs.  One was landscaping, the other was interior house painting.  At a young age I learned that there were many different types of homes, from small ranches and bungalows to sprawling estates,” Morris said. “A little over two decades ago I bought my first home—a 1890’s Midwestern cross plan with a wrap-around porch.  Updating that home helped me realize that houses have personalities and stories, just like people and families.” 

Morris came to Realty Executives Premier after checking out several other real estate agencies. He decided upon Realty Executives because of owner Mike Tezak and the professionalism and tools offered from the business.

“I believed that Broker/Owner Mike Tezak really wanted me to succeed as agent.  With a name that promotes it’s agents as 'Executives' and tools available locally and nationally, Realty Executives is geared toward allowing each agent to achieve all they want to achieve...From cutting edge smart phone and mobile technology to large electronic billboards located along major traffic routes, the company is all about the agents...I also wanted to be connected to people who had expertise in new home construction which is something that I had little experience with at the time,” Morris said.

Morris feels quite fortunate to work within the company because he believes that a good job is not only made by the work that you do, but also the people that you work with. Everyone at Realty Executives Premier is friendly, knowledgeable, and there is a high level of professionalism that can't be found at many other places.

“I have the wonderful opportunity to work with a great group of people. All are committed professionals, doing what they do best to make each of us the best we can be. I also appreciate broker accessibility. [Mike] gets back to me quickly when I have questions or concerns,” Morris said. “Without a doubt, my favorite thing about my job is working with people, and having the opportunity to work with family members and friends of satisfied clients. I have been in the business long enough now to have return clients, or to be working with the children of my earlier clients.” 

There is a lot of work that goes in to staying at the forefront of the real estate business. To be a top-notch broker associate and to give clients the time, attention, and guidance that they deserve, Morris said that one must be constantly learning and working at being better than the day before.

“In real estate, full-time means long hours of scheduling and showing properties, calling prospects, lenders, inspectors, and title personnel, preparing market analysis and listing presentations, writing and negotiating offers, preparing marketing materials, calling the health department or other agencies, etc,” Morris said. “Full-time agents learn new things daily that later apply to many other situations. You only really get the basics prior to getting the license. Like most careers, you learn the most through daily practice. Thus, the more experience you have, the more valuable you become to your clients. Quality service comes from the accumulation of knowledge that comes from experience.”

Morris has some advice that he wanted to pass along to those looking to buy or sell a home.

“Be realistic. On the buyer side, that means getting pre-approved before starting to shop through viewing homes, you will learn what your dollar will buy,” Morris advised. “On the selling side, that means, don’t overestimate the recent improvement in the market. A slight shift in the market will not make up for an overpriced home, or a home not in condition to be competitive with other similar properties.”