He is described as principled, selfless, and incredibly hard-working.
This second generation Fraser Valley REALTOR® learned from one of the best and has now been crowned the best in 2022.
Randy Cooper of HomeLife Benchmark Realty, White Rock, is the 37th recipient of the highest honour the Board bestows. He received the award at the Board’s AGM on March 29.
Here is part one of our insightful conversation with Randy about what he learned from his mentors and what new licensees can take from him. Look for part two in our next issue of NewsReal.
Q: The Realtors who nominated you, repeatedly cited the level of appreciation and trust that your clients have for you. What is it that you do to establish that level of devotion?
A: You just always have to do the right thing. I had a client a number of years ago who unfortunately is no longer with us, but at the time he was committed to buying a very expensive 4.4 million dollar home in White Rock. He was running a successful business, but this was just before 2008 and I asked, “Are you comfortable going to this level?” And he said, “Well, this purchase would take every penny we have and if things went south…”
I talked him out of it.
Later that day, the other agent called me asking for my offer and I told him that I actually talked the buyer out of it. And he said, “Are you crazy?! You know what you would have made on the commission!” Ten years later, I bumped into that same client at the soccer field, and he wanted to introduce me to his friends telling them, “This is the guy that talked me out of getting in over my head and I would have lost everything.”
Q: Would that be your best advice to anyone just starting out in the profession, just do the right thing?
A: Yes. It will always pay off down the road and it will ensure you sleep better at night. 90% of our business comes through client referrals. When you deal with nice people and treat them nicely, they refer you to more nice people. It’s the best business model.
Also, my dad taught me something very important about complacency. One time years ago, we had a huge month. We had sold something like 21 homes and I’m a young Realtor and I’m saying to my dad, “This is unreal, I can’t believe this!” I was pretty excited, and he was actually quite upset with me. He said, “What’s wrong with you? We’ve gone a whole month and we don’t have any new listings.”
I see Realtors do this all the time. Things are going fantastic and then nothing. So, it’s always important to keep the hopper full.
Q: You mention your dad, Garry Cooper, a highly respected member of our Board who you have worked with your entire career, how important was his influence?
A: Dad taught me everything I know. I still learn from him. Besides always putting your clients first, he taught me to be informed.
Know your product. Go to your office sales meetings and learn about prices. If your office has MLS® tours, attend them. After 24 years, our team never misses a meeting or a tour, it’s how you stay current. As well, new rule changes or Board news happen all the time and the best place to learn about them is at your sales meetings.
Finally, know what you don’t know. I just referred someone to a Coquitlam Realtor. I am not knowledgeable about Vancouver, which is why we don’t go all over the place. It always comes back to doing the right thing for your client.
Q: Growing up, you would have seen both the pros and cons of the profession, what made you want to follow in your dad’s footsteps?
A: The nice thing is about real estate is that the sky’s the limit for people who work hard, and my dad’s always been a very hard worker, committed to putting clients first, which resulted in a lot of referrals. Unlike a regular job with a certain salary, there is a lot of opportunity in real estate.
Q: Watching is different from doing. Was there anything that surprised you about how challenging real estate is?
A: Lots. The first week I started I was in training and dad happened to have a trip planned for Palm Springs. We had about 20 listings in those days, and back then, when clients were trying to reach us, we were paged. I had never had a pager in my life and I’m in Safeway and the pager went off non-stop for about half an hour. Dozens of calls. I think Dad was in the top three in the Board, so it was really busy, and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. The real estate course doesn’t really prepare you for the actual practical day-to-day work of dealing with people who at times are very stressed, so it was a big adjustment for me.
Part two of our conversation with the Board’s 2022 John Armeneau Professional of the Year continues next issue. In it, Randy Cooper addresses the importance of mentorship and ethics.