Great Western Home Loans Featured Realtor: Meet Michael Tiller of Keller Williams, Tiller of Soil, Saver of Fish

Our Great Western Home Loans featured Realtor this week is Michael Tiller of Keller Williams, Team Tiller Realty in Denton. Mike is not only a seller of homes, driver of pick-ups, and tiller backyards, and saver of Koi ponds: he’s a selling machine with 94 homes sold last year. Turns out he was just getting warmed up for 2014 …

Michael makes sure his clients are well taken care of, not unlike our sponsor, Jeff Lindigrin of Great Western Home Loans. Jeff takes great care as a lender, as he should. Of course, every sale should have a lender that works just as hard to get a great deal as their Realtor. What has your lender done for you lately? Find out what you’re missing by contacting Jeff Lindigrin with Great Western Home Loans today.

To read more about Michael Tiller and his adventures in real estate, jump!

CandysDirt.com: So are you a native Dallasite or where were you born…

Michael Tiller: Raleigh, NC

CD: Where do you live? House or Condo? House style?

MT: Denton, we own a home, a traditional ranch

CD: And you drive a… let me guess, Range Rover?

MT: Ha! F150 King Ranch

CD: What’s you favorite ‘hood in Dallas and why?

MT: The M Streets – I love the architecture of the homes

CD: If you could move elsewhere in Dallas, or North Texas, where else might you live — what other neighborhood?

MT: Vaquero in Westlake

CD: We LOVE Vaquero! How the heck did you get started in Real Estate? Who’d you work for first?

MT: I was in college, broke and had a family friend that was doing very well in real estate, so I thought it may be a good fit. Started in the business as a buyer’s agent for The McKissack Group and I’ve just started my 14th year.

CD: Broke no more! What’s your worst sales nightmare? Just worst transaction ever?

MT: To have a deal fall apart after my sellers have packed and moved out. That stunk — literally!

I had a buyer’s loan get flagged for conducive conditions by the appraiser of a local bank the day before closing. I was knee-deep in the bushes wearing slacks and a button down cutting and tearing the greenery away from the house in the middle of August. After all of that effort and sweat, the house did not close on time and the seller had the utilities turned off late that day. Typically this would not have been a big deal but this particular house had 7 large Koi in a shallow pond in the backyard. On Sunday, I went to check on the house and found that two of the Koi had perished and the others were in bad shape. In order to keep the others alive, I fished the two deceased ones out. Bare hands. It was an unbelievably foul smell and three years later it is still with me.

CD: (holding nose) What’s your best/highest sale?

MT: $598,000

CD: How quickly have you ever turned a house?

MT: Three days from contract to close on a cash deal

CD: How much did you sell last year?

MT: $18.6 million on 94 homes

CD: Secret Sauce to marketing a house?

MT: We work with a lot of buyers and I will usually give them a day or two heads up prior to listing a home. Ideally we can double-side the home prior to it being listed on the MLS.

CD: If you ever change careers for an encore you’ll…

MT: Play on the senior PGA

CD: What is your favorite place for a second home? Do you have a second home?

MT: Currently own rental property, but would love to have a cabin in Vail or Beaver Creek.

CD: Fish?

MT: No fish!