By Paul Weideman

Keller Williams Realty Santa Fe is in new digs in the onetime Café Escalara space at 130 Lincoln. At press time, the company was awaiting completion of a significant landlord improvement: installation of a new, glass elevator at the Lincoln Avenue entrance.

The company, which established its Santa Fe market center in the fall of 2011, moved from its former location at 510 N. Guadalupe Street. The new space promises to be one of the city’s most modern real-estate offices once construction is over. The bright interior is well suited to the realty operation, and the Keller Williams brandings are well evident. On the walls are the the current month’s calendar showing various training sessions for the agents, and a gallery of photographs of the 11 Realtors who serve on the office’s agent leadership council.

Subscription Required An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.
Have an online subscription?
Login Now Need an online subscription?
Subscribe Already a Print Subscriber? .Login Screen Name or Email Password Forgot? Remember me on this computer Screen Name or Email Now I remember! .Or, use your linked account:
facebook google yahoo openID aol Need an account? Create one now. ..Choose an online service. 1 Online Subscription$9.95 for 30 days Unlimited access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.com. on your computer, smart phone and tablet.
2 Total Access A: Online PLUS 7-day Print$12.95 for 30 days Unlimted access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.com. on your computer, smart phone and tablet. PLUS 7-Day home delivery of The New Mexican.

*Must reside within SFNM home delivery area.

3 Total Access B: Online PLUS Weekend Print$12.95 for 30 days Unlimted access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.com. on your computer, smart phone and tablet. PLUS Weekend home delivery of The New Mexican.

*Must reside within SFNM home delivery area.
4 Total Access C: Online PLUS Sunday Print$12.95 for 30 days Unlimted access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.com. on your computer, smart phone and tablet. PLUS Sunday home delivery of The New Mexican.

*Must reside within SFNM home delivery area.

.Current print subscribers 1 FREE Access for 7-Day Print SubscribersNo additional cost. 7-Day Santa Fe New Mexican print subscribers: FREE or linked unlimited access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.com.
..Already a Print Subscriber? None of these apply to you? Back Need an account? Create one now.
.
You must login to view the full content on this page. Screen Name or Email Password Forgot? Remember me on this computer Screen Name or Email Now I remember! .Or, use your linked account:
facebook google yahoo openID aol Need an account? Create one now. .
We talked with Jama Fontaine, team leader at Keller Williams Realty Santa Fe.

Tell us about that agent leadership council.

One of the cool things about Keller Williams is that the company was designed by agents for agents. The ALC is the top 20 percent, by volunteer basis, of our agents and whenever we want to spend money, for example on advertising, the ALC has the vote. That’s how we make decisions here.

I was in Albuquerque for 17 years, including on the ALC for a few years. Keller Williams really believes in education. Training is the culture of the company. In fact, today we had our number-one listing agent, who is from the Angel Fire office, teach a class.

From Angel Fire?

Yes, I run the market centers in Angel Fire, Santa Fe, and Española.

What’s this big sign in the hallway (with “WI4C2TS” printed large)?

That’s the Keller Williams belief system. We talk about each of these things when we bring a new agent in. The “W” stands for win, win, or no deal. Then it’s Integrity, Customers, Commitment, Communication, Creativity, Teamwork, Trust, and Success, which I’m big on. I went from doing up to $35 million a year in real estate myself to this position where I have to succeed through everybody else. It’s a culture of sharing here, which is different from any other company I’ve been in.

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in the small town of Porterville, California, and I attended high school in the San Fernando Valley.

What did you want to do when you were in school?

I wanted to be a businesswoman, but I had no idea what that would be. Then in my teen years I got creative and I decided I wanted to be a photographer. In Dallas I worked for an international photographer. Our customers were like Ross Perot and Larry Hagman.

I didn’t find the technical stuff with all the Hasselblads and light scales very exciting and when I was 26 the company let me go into sales and learn more about marketing, networking and cold-calling.

Good skills for working in real estate.

That’s what we teach here. When you want something, you have to find the right person. Not everyone wants to sell a home, but some do and how do you find those people?

Around that time I met the biggest Realtors in the industry. One was Mary Harker, who was with ReMax and is now with Keller Williams, and she offered me a job. I thought I was an artist, but then when I was 33 I was ready to start making money.

You were in Texas?

Well, by then I was living in La Jolla, California, working for a sports marketing company, a fun job that involved going to car races, but one day they said they wanted to send me to Albuquerque. I thought, What? Albuquerque’s just a place you drive through. I was born and raised in Southern California and I thought I was a night person but in Albuquerque all of a sudden I’m getting up at 5 a.m. and climbing mountains by myself.

Where did you first work in real estate?

I started in 1991 with a local company, Hooten Stahl. I sold 44 houses in my first year and it took me a few years to get to the top of the city, always number two to Sandi Pressley. But I was the number-one luxury home specialist for a decade there. Hooten Stahl was bought by Prudential, then Coldwell Banker bought Prudential. I was tired of being with companies that kept getting bought. Keller Williams doesn’t sell its companies. In order to own a company, you have to come from the inside.

What does the team leader do?

My job here is to coach the top 25 percent of our agents in order to increase their business, and I run the company, and I grow the company by recruiting and making sure that the training calendar helps all of our agents succeed.

What Keller Williams has done in the years that I’ve known this company is mind-boggling, so I’m 100 percent Kellerized. We’re like 93 percent profitable and no other company I know of offers profit-sharing. We profit-shared over $55 million last year back to agents.

What about agent earnings?

At Keller Williams we’re partners with our agents. We have an annual cap and once you reach that, you start receiving 100 percent of your commissions. The Carsons [Roger and Melissa] did it in two months this year; they have the record right now. I had the record of doing it in one month in Albuquerque.

When did you move to Lincoln Avenue?

In March. It’s 5,500 square feet and we’re also looking to expand into one of the adjacent spaces, quickly. We have 78 agents and my goal is to hit 100 by the end of the year. Once there are 100 agents in an office, the company opens up more staff and services.

————————————————

Fontaine actually came to Santa Fe after a five-year break from her real-estate career. In 2007, after a divorce and the deaths of her mother and a beloved dog, she decided to get into her bucket list. She got certified in yoga, lived in Mexico for six months, and hooked up with her high-school sweetheart for a motorcycle trip across the country and to climb the Tetons and the Himalayas.

“I was really examining my life but what brought me back to New Mexico was the weather, this amazing place, and real estate, helping people,” she said.

For more information about Keller Williams Realty Santa Fe, call 983-5151 or see www.kwsantafenm.com. The website also has tips and articles of interest to home sellers and potential buyers — including “Deciding how much house you can afford” and “How to price to sell and still make a profit.”

http://alanball2.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/lets-get-ready-to-rumble/

From The Santa Fe New Mexican 6/11/2013

Bruce Krasnow’s Business Beat article made us chuckle….

And the Santa Fe real estate story this week goes to Brett Hultberg of Santa Fe Properties, who left a gift basket for his buyers on Thursday after they closed on a property off Gonzales Road.

From The Santa Fe New Mexican 6/11/13

Bruce Krasnow’s Business Beat article made us chuckle…

And the Santa Fe real estate story this week goes to Brett Hultberg of Santa Fe Properties, who left a gift basket for his buyers on Thursday after they closed on a property off Gonzales Road.

Buying a home is the largest single investment most people make, and we help our clients protect that investment for the life of ownership and beyond. We offer the products of major, national insurance companies, while providing value and a strong connection to the local economy. Southwestern Title offers title insurance from major underwriters and all of the title and escrow resources necessary to assist with your real estate needs. We offer the products of major, national insurance companies and a strong connection to the local economy.

Southwestern Title offers title insurance from major underwriters and all of the title and escrow resources necessary to assist with your real estate needs. We offer the products of major, national insurance companies and a strong connection to the local economy.

• About Us
• Our Staff
• Awards
• Testimonials