Vail real estate ‘legends’ share stories and insights – Vail Daily

People in the Vail Valley often come and go. The Vail Board of Realtors hosted a recent panel discussion with four people who came and stayed.

The event, held at Vail’s Donovan Pavilion, was called “Legends of Vail Valley Real Estate,” and featured longtime local brokers Bev Trout, Carroll Tyler, Jim Flaum, Larry Agneberg and Sue Rychel. The four talked about the way the business has changed over the decades and shared some stories from their past experience.

Moderator Alex Griffin of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, decked out in a tuxedo with tails, began by asking the quartet about the way business used to be conducted.

Trout, who brought a typewriter she still uses, recalled that she used to have legal-sized paper with multiple carbon sheets.

“We should have bought stock in White Out and correction tape,” Rychel said.

Flaum, who’s worked in a number of real estate markets over the decades, recalled that his firm in 1970 bought four of the typewriters Trout still uses. The machines in those days were $2,000. Henoted that in the days before even fax machines, brokers in San Diego would often drive paperwork to Los Angeles because the trip was faster than Federal Express.

How did they do it?

Agneberg added that even sending letters could be a convoluted process in the days before cell phones, email and other technology.

“When I had a letter written to a client, I’d write it, a secretary would type it up, I’d correct it and she’d retype it,” Agneberg said.

Even showing property could be complicated, he added.

“We had to run around to different offices just to get keys,” Agneberg said. “It’s amazing we got anything done … We used the tools we had to do what we could.”

Given the youth of the valley, there was also a good bit of seat-of-the pants work.

Rychel recalled that one day she and a few other brokers went on a ski day together and fellow broker Alida Zwaan asked her companions to help put a price on a home in Vail. The group talked it out, and the home was soon on the market for that price.

There were hijinks, too, of course.

Agneberg recalled going with fellow broker Bob Finlay to several industry conferences in Colorado Springs. Finlay would often put “Rod Slifer” on his name tag.

Since Slifer never went to those conferences, no one was the wiser.

The brokers on the Donovan Pavilion stage were also open about some of their biggest mistakes.

Rychel recalled a time she was showing a home to a couple who had asked about storage space. Rychel knew the home she was showing had what she believed to be an easily-accessible attic. She gave a tug on the rope attached to a pull-down ladder and the whole thing came down.

The couple bought the home anyway.

Flaum recalled a time when one of his partners in Southern California had told a client “you’re in good hands with me,” just before walking into a hall closet instead of out the front door.

Griffen added to the faux pas stories with his tale of the time a magpie flew into a home that was being photographed. The bird was removed after about 20 minutes and many droppings, he said, adding that the secret to removing a bird seems to be throwing a blanket over the thing.

Good stuff doesn’t change

While much about the local real estate business has changed, a lot hasn’t.

Rychel noted that over the years the local industry has had “very few” arbitrations, complaints or ethics violations.

There’s also a lot of cooperation within the industry, the brokers said.

Tyler more than once praised her counterparts and coworkers for all their help over the years.

Tyler and the other brokers had advice those who attended the session.

“Listen, don’t try to teach, and don’t talk too much,” Tyler said. “And learn how to talk on the phone — slowly and clearly.”

Trout noted that a new broker needs to start on the right footing.

“The way you start is the way you’re going to end up,” she said, adding that means not making unrealistic promises or over-pricing a unit just to the listing on the property.

Griffin had some advice from Slifer, with whom he’d spoken on a recent plane ride.

Griffin said Slifer’s advice is to stay in the office on powder days. Guests who don’t know how to ski powder may want to look at a property, and whoever’s in the office will get the first shot at that business.

Rychel’s advice was simple: “Live your life by the Golden Rule, learn from your mistakes and be on time.”