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By Sheila Corson Chronicle staff With the face of real estate changing across the nation, Lonnie J. Good says he wants to change with it. In Okanogan County, Good said that "Okanogan has been discovered." .jpg) He said his first responsibility as a real estate broker is to look out for the well being of his clients. In order to do that, Good said he has opened his own real estate office in Okanogan, L.J. Good Real Estate. And he's doing things much differently than others, he said. Good said Okanogan County assessor Scott Furman gave a presentation at Good's former office, John L. Scott - Methow Valley, and indicated that in four years, real estate value has soared 50 percent. And it's not stopping. Good said after moving to the area three years ago, he entered the real estate business. For two years, he worked with John L. Scott, first at the Omak office and then at the Methow Valley office, to get his required experience for being a broker. While at his brokerage class in Bellevue preparing for his state broker's exam in September, Good said a fellow realtor said he couldn't "in good conscience" charge clients the current going rate for real estate transactions. Good said he knew commission rates ran at 5-6 percent throughout the nation. Most of the time, any lower commission meant limited services, such as some that were only online or that didn't offer all the help of a regular real estate office, he said. But, he added, times are changing and commission rates are coming down. They've dropped from a 6.1 percent average to a 5.1 percent average in the last 15 years, he said. More realtors are offering services as "discount brokerages," at rates as low as 3 percent or for flat fees. Through online discussion with realty professionals, and through information gleaned from Furman and fellow realtors, Good said he heard much about the benefits of changing the way real estate agents and brokers work. Good said he decided to embrace the trend of dropping rates at a much faster pace. He said he will run a full-service brokerage at a 3 percent commission. For Good, his decision also comes from personal experience. He said he has purchased homes and had to hand his agent between $15,000 and $20,000 for the sales. As a single father for many years, the extra cash he could have saved with a lower commission rate could have gone toward school tuition, a more reliable car and other items. The average home seller would save $7,000 in Okanogan County if sold at a 3 percent commission instead of 6 percent, according to Good. Lately, Good said he's been working out of his home office, but he now has a building at 308 N. Second Ave., Okanogan. Already, Good said he has called people with "For Sale by Owner" signs out front and offered them his 3 percent rate. He said one couple immediately made him their agent; they said they'd gone on their own because they wouldn't pay a higher rate. Good said that if people's response to his agency is good enough, the new rates might spread. He said he hopes to see lower rates go nationwide. "Starting a business in real estate right now should feel like a real risk and yet with my philosophy and determination to make this work, I couldn't be more excited," Good said. Good's also lists property online in a manner different from most. He said he has created movies in Windows Movie Maker, which he posts on his Web site and on YouTube for easy access. Good also plans to recruit a few agents for his Okanogan office, he said. When he's not in the office, Good said his passion is music. He and fiancee Teresa Sawyer are in a group together and perform, and have a CD. He has two children at home, ages 11 and 13, one in Omak School District and the other in Okanogan. Good also is a licensed pilot and pioneered the Washington chapter of non-profit Wings For Christ, which focuses on getting mission trips into Mexico, he said. After being in the aviation industry for 20 years, including a while with Boeing, Good said he hopes to get the organization re-established in the area. Good is a member of the National Realtors Association and uses the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. He can be contacted at 422-1400 or e-mailed at lonnie@ljgood.com. His Web site has more information at www.ljgood.com. |