Great Western Featured Realtor: Ski Bum Jake Kammerer Came to Dallas Real Estate Via Aspen

Jake Kammerer had always dreamed of playing professional golf, but he’s settled for a successful career in Dallas real estate. It just turns out that his patience, perspective, and persistence is paying off as an agent with Rogers Healy and Associates instead of on the links. Likewise, Kammerer, a self-admitted ski bum, is having the time of his life helping his clients find their dream homes in this fast-paced market.

He might be the only Realtor we’ve heard of that is willing to trade in his tony digs in Victory Park for living in the back of an SUV, but he finds that he spends most of his time working anyway, so it’s not a big leap for the Seattle native. Kammerer’s drive and flexibility reminds us a lot of Jeff Lindigrin of Great Western Home Loans. What has your lender done for you lately? Find out what you’re missing with Great Western Home Loans today.

Jump to find out more about this dashing Realtor after the jump!

CandysDirt.com: So, where are you from?

Jake Kammerer: I grew up in Seattle. After attending The Franklin L. Burns School for Real Estate and Construction Management at The University of Denver, took a year to be a ski bum in Aspen before winding up in Dallas.

CD: So, how did you get into real estate? What’s your specialty?

JK: I’ve always been interested in real estate. I don’t know why, I don’t necessarily come from an overwhelmingly real estate oriented family. I’ve always been fascinated by different architecture and how homes and cities are built. I specialize in real estate; I don’t limit myself to one area or property type. From rentals in Uptown, new construction in Knox/Henderson, off-market deals, land listings, even out-of-state listings, I really do it all and keep myself as busy as possible.

CD: How do you stay sharp in a challenging market?

JK:  Constant research. I am always learning, always asking questions, and always reading. I do my utmost to stay current in both the Dallas market, and markets elsewhere. Having moved around, I have friends and family everywhere and I always ask them what the market is like where they are. Also, Lumosity, because according to their commercials it’s like a personal trainer for your brain.

CD: Where is home for you in Dallas?

JK:  I pay rent and enjoy the views at Glasshouse on the edge of Uptown and Victory Park, but it’s really much more of a place to sleep and keep my things, I don’t spend much time there. My home is really the office, and my car. Also, EatZi’s.

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

JK:  I have a BMW. Maybe I should get a Range Rover or an Escalade so I can just sleep in it like a well-dressed vagabond with expensive taste. It would definitely be much cheaper than my rent.

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

JK:  There are so many great neighborhoods and little pockets all over Dallas that I love for a lot of reasons, but I come from a family of foodies so I’m definitely partial to Bishop Arts. I love the whole feel of the neighborhood and the area. Oak Cliff is really making a big push in the luxury market these days too. There are a bunch of new modern homes popping up all over, and there’s also Kessler Park right there, which has great older homes with a ton of character. I would be hard pressed to pick between a house over there.

CD: What was your best/highest sale?

JK: After joining Rogers Healy and Associates/Healy Relocation, I’ve been super blessed to be able to brand myself as a luxury realtor who can help my clients all over the world. That being said, my best deal is one that I’ve got right now that’s really near and dear to my heart. It’s a new development in Keystone, Colo., called Dercum’s Dash. Limited to 24 luxury homes, starting at $3,500,000. These gorgeous estates really exemplify what mountain living is all about, and the attention to detail and quality of craftsmanship are second to none. I have a deep love for the state of Colorado, and the mountains are my happy place, so I’m ecstatic to be helping sell them and can’t wait to bring buyers back out there.

CD: Likewise, what was your most challenging or memorable transaction?

JK: The sale I’m most proud that was both challenging and memorable because of how happy my clients are in their new home.  Last summer, some of my favorite clients wanted a place in the M Streets along with 6 billion other people, and it was a real struggle. Inventory was super low and competition was really fierce. We finally ended up finding them an off-market deal. The seller took a different offer first, but I called him every single day to say hello and ask how his deal was going. When it fell through, I was his first call and we closed three weeks later.

CD: Tell us: What was the most interesting thing to happen to you while working with a client?

JK: Early on in my career, I would hold open houses for other agents at my office, it was a good way for me to get in front of buyers, and they get free publicity for their listings, win-win. One time, I went to hold an open house for another agent, and they failed to mention there was an alarm at the property, so when it went off, I had no time to call and find out the code before it just kind of stopped on it own. Thinking nothing of it, I ran up 3 flights of stairs and all over this massive house to turn on all the lights and get everything ready. When I came back downstairs at a pretty good pace, the Highland Park Police were standing just outside the open door … in force. And here I am, all sweaty (it was in the middle of the summer so it was like 750 degrees, and a new build so the AC wasn’t on yet) and flustered. They must’ve thought I was not the typical candidate for burglary, as I think only Danny Ocean and his impossibly handsome crew actually pulls off overly complicated heists in well tailored suits, but the police most definitely didn’t believe me right away. People started showing up while I was still talking to the police … very embarrassing.

CD: How quickly have you ever turned a house?

JK: Last year around Christmas, which is usually not the busiest week of the year, I sold a condo near West Village for a client in less than a week. He had it listed with another agent for months with no luck before hiring me. I quickly did a few key things that really made the difference. I was actually in Playa Del Carmen with my family for the holidays so I had to negotiate and coordinate the whole thing from the beach, which I was perfectly happy doing.

CD: How much did you sell last year?

JL: We sold about $25,000,000 last month alone, and I don’t see any signs of things slowing down.

CD: What words of wisdom do you often share with clients?

JK: Be flexible. In this super competitive market, especially for buyers, being flexible about when you want to look at homes is crucial. If your dream home comes on the market at 5:30 pm on a Friday, we better be at the door at 5:31, because chances are good that it’s also someone else’s dream home too. Also for sellers, it’s really important to be accommodating to some inconveniences, namely showings, photographers, and keeping your home clean. If you want to sell quickly for top dollar, it would behoove you to play ball.

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

JK: I’ve often said, and I really truly do believe that I was put on this earth to play golf on the PGA Tour, but I’m definitely not good enough, so it’s somewhat soul crushing. If I had a do-over, I would eat all my veggies, study real hard, devote my life to golf and make it happen though a little can do attitude and a bunch of hard work.

CD: Do you have a second home? If so, where?

JK: I don’t own a second home, but the place I go to decompress, regardless of the time of year, is Aspen. I have great friends out there so I always have a place to stay and something about the mountain air really puts me at ease instantly, even when I’m working on vacation, which seems to always be the case.