North Pulaski Board of Realtors’ Mike Dietz ready to serve
December 17-23, 2018
by Amber Quaid
Creating a legacy, Michael Dietz has been working in real estate since 1987. Following in the footsteps of his father-in-law, he’s managed to make a new path all his own. A path that has led him to be the CARMLS president twice and now president of the North Pulaski Board of Realtors for the second time; first in 2008 and now again, 11 years later, in 2019.
“I just thought that with the change of everything that has happened since I was originally on it, 10 years is not that long of a time,” said Dietz smiling.
Growing up in Jacksonville, after moving from Zaragoza, Spain in junior high, he found the woman of his dreams and married her. Her father, Doug Wilkinson, had started his own realty company in 1973 and made a path for Dietz to join the world of real estate. This is their company’s 45th year in business in Jacksonville.
Alongside his company’s history, Dietz adds his 35 years of experience to the North Pulaski Board of Realtors (NPBOR), in addition to the 608 active agents that are members. Agents are from Maumelle, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Cabot, Austin and Beebe, and they all bring their own ideas to the table.
“We have a big area of people that come in,” he said. “In rural areas you have a lot of ideas that are a little different than the city. We try to make sure that they can have their input too.”
These ideas include a safety network. For instance, if an agent feels uncomfortable or has an issue with a prospect they can notify the proper people and a notice will be sent out to all the other Realtors to be cautious and aware. The board also gets ideas to stay on top of technology through the National Board of Realtors which shares insights on trends.
Technology trends change quickly and Dietz reflects how different the industry is than when he began. Though he admits change can be a little tough, he enjoys many of the benefits that have come about from it – including lock boxes. He remembers when he used to have to go to each agency, pick up the keys for the house he was showing that day, show the houses, and then return each key back to the individual companies.
“I put a lot more miles on my car from ’87 to 2000 than I do now,” he said. Now, the lock boxes make it simpler and have the added safety feature of sending a notification whenever an agent accesses it.
Though the business is changing, being a part of the community has not. The NPBOR “does a lot of things behind the scenes that people just don’t know,” Dietz said. These include things like fundraisers for Special Olympics Arkansas (SOAR), or community projects such as offering dog washes, building park benches, and donating to food banks.
“This year, just in Arkansas, I think we raised over $200,000 for the Special Olympics,” Dietz said of the board’s successes. For the last five years Dietz has also hosted a golf tournament to raise money for the Jacksonville community as well as SOAR.
He says his success is due to a love of his job, because in this industry “you either love it or you don’t stay very long.” He also attributes his success to starting the day off by reading the newspaper, watching the news, drinking coffee and listening to music. Currently he is listening to Reba McEntire’s album of Christian songs.
Though he does not recommend this routine for everyone, he does recommend that if you are just starting off in the business to “get with a company and get behind a broker that is willing to do individual training with that new agent.” He advises to also be “willing to learn as much as you can and implement the ways that person has done their business but then adapt it to the way you’re going to do business.”
When he isn’t on the job you can find him at the golf course, as he has been an avid golfer for 31 years, or enjoying time with his four grandchildren, ages six and under.
“Being president of the North Pulaski Board of Realtors and being able to serve our great members is an honor and I am just looking forward to a great year.”
PHOTO CAPTION:
A Realtor since 1987, Mike Dietz has found his niche. Ready to serve all members of the NPBOR in 2019, he looks forward to a great year. (Photo by Sara Edwards Neal)
