Tim Hur, CRS, Point Honors & Assocs., Atlanta, GA

What prompted you to pursue a CRS Designation?

In my role as the NAR liaison for South Korea, I appeared on a CRS panel discussion and a radio show about how to do business with the international Asian market.

I subsequently found out that all my mentors had the CRS Designation. I consider them the “best of the best in real estate.” I was so impressed with their successes as CRS Designees, I decided I had to pursue that, too.

What goals for your firm take the highest priority?

I own a boutique firm with seven full-time agents, including myself. At any given time, we are working with a limited book of clients, most of whom are referrals. I do not see a small client base as a problem, because for us, customer service and satisfaction are our top priorities. Being a smaller firm, we can shift quickly to meet challenges or changes in the market that we know are coming. We are small and nimble, and that actually helps us serve our clients. It wasn’t designed this way, but all the agents in our office speak more than one language — we speak five languages in total — so we are able to assist a healthy number of international clients. A language barrier should never be a barrier to home ownership or real property ownership — something that is part of the American Dream.

Your website features some multimillion-dollar estates. Are those the kinds of properties your international clients are particularly interested in?

Many of our international clients are first-time buyers or first-time buyers in the U.S., and home ownership is something new for them. And because of the specialized help we can give them, they’re even more grateful at the conclusion of a transaction.

What special help do you offer?

Because our firm happens to be multilingual, we can help international clients with the unique challenges of finding lenders willing to work with them (for instance, they might not have social security numbers or need a foreign loan program) and other professionals who speak their language.

However, setting aside the international part of our business, several of us are millennials, including myself, and thus have insights into that group of buyers. They are looking for someone who is willing to provide explanations about the home-buying process, etc. Luckily, average prices in the Atlanta area are within reach and we can show fellow millennial buyers that since homes are relatively affordable, it’s a good time to get started. You open the door, explain the benefits of home ownership and point out that they probably do not want to live in their parents’ basement forever. As a group, millennials are more concerned about whether or not they are going to stay in a particular city. We show them that if they’re staying for a while, it makes sense to buy versus rent.

What kinds of things do you do to let people know about your firm?

Community service is very important to us and each one of us serves on several different boards. I was the Immediate Past President of the Atlanta Metro Chapter of the Asian Real Estate Association of America, and another agent in the office is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. We are involved in our community, getting our hands dirty. I am also the President of the Mosaic Rotary Club this year. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun to give back to the community — we have to pay it forward. When you are more involved in the community, that brings more people to you and everyone begins to understand what motivates you.

How do you see your role in your firm besides being the owner?

From day one in my real estate career, I’ve always been blessed to be surrounded by my mentors, so I always take the time to mentor as well — in real estate and in my personal life.

I believe, like my mentors, if you build the right culture and the right community within the firm, people will stay with you — we’re all like a family. If you are doing it right, it’s definitely an intimate relationship— you’re opening yourself up and sharing yourself.

What about CRS involvement?

Everyone really needs to be involved with CRS on the local and state level, as well as the national level. Hands down, it’s simply the most prestigious designation in our business — I am always encouraging all my agents to pursue their CRS once they accrue enough experience.

That being said, I’ve said it before, but some of our clients don’t care what our designations are — we need to be THE experts in our constantly changing field so we can serve our clients to the best of our ability. I’m also a firm believer in being professional and nice, not only to our clients but to one another as well. Experience is what really matters.

Tim Hur achieved his CRS designation in 2014. He can be reached at 404.512.2322 or at www.pointhonors.com.