EAST TEXAS UNFILTERED w/J. Chad Parker: Featuring Taylor Fitzgerald

On this episode of East Texas UNFILTERED, host J. Chad Parker sits down with special guest Taylor Fitzgerald, REALTOR® for a wide-ranging conversation on the Tyler-area real estate market, local growth, and what it really takes to help buyers, sellers, and investors make smart moves in East Texas. Taylor was born and raised in Tyler, comes from a multi-generation real estate family, and shares how “relationships, relationships, relationships” still matter as much as location.

Taylor shares how he’s trying to be easier to reach in a world flooded with spam calls, plus how he helps clients across residential, commercial, and rentals (including property management). If you’re moving to East Texas, thinking about selling, or just want a real-world market pulse for January 2026, this episode is a must-watch or listen.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

What's the strangest thing you can think of that you've ever seen uh somebody disclose on the disclosure? Like I mean, like whether the house was haunted. I mean, have you ever seen something like that?

SPEAKER_00 0:09

You know, if I thought about it, I'd probably think it's time. I actually showed a house probably four months ago. We walked into a vacant house with some clients, and uh there was a five-foot snake laying there just alive, looking at us, you know. I know that's scary. So naturally I went and picked it up and threw it out in front of me hard. They did not buy the house.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

Welcome to another episode of East Texas Unfilter. I'm your host, J. Chad Parker. Today, we're gonna talk local real estate market. We're gonna do so uh with a man who's been here uh most of his life, if not all of his life. His family's been involved in the real estate industry, his grandfather, his father, his mother today. Uh today we're gonna give you the real estate report. Taylor Fitzgell, thanks for being here today. Thanks for having me. I'm excited about it. Um, you know, you bought you were born and raised in Tyler. Is that is that right? Right. Born and raised. Uh you went to high school at what was Robert E. Lee? Red Raiders. And then you went on to college where? Alabama, University of Alabama. When you went to Alabama, did you study uh anything related to real estate, or is that something that just came about later on?

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Not at all. I went there, um, did a general business degree, obviously had some fun, you know. We we we had a decent football team then, but nothing like they they've got now. Um but no, I didn't really didn't even think I was going to do real estate until year years later.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Well, you know, because uh my dad was a lawyer and I and my brother both became lawyers, your grandfather and your dad and your mom, as I understand it, were all are all in real estate. Correct. Um sometimes that causes people to not want to be in it, or some people simply follow the footsteps. I mean, at first were you of the mind that you didn't want to be in it?

SPEAKER_00 1:58

I mean, I guess in the back of my mind, I always knew eventually I would do real estate. Um when I first graduated, I was trying to get a job in real estate in Birmingham, Alabama. Of course, that was during the 08, 09 uh crash. So that there was not many paid opportunities. You know, there was a lot of you know, back then, before then, you'd go to a big company and you were able to get a draw, you know. So they'd give you, you know, 30 grand a year or something that every time you made a transaction you'd draw off of. But when I was looking, they weren't doing that at all. It was just eat what you kill. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

So um that means you'd have to get a listing or they would give you a listing.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

You have to go get it then. Right. I mean, for most most most companies, you know.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

All right. So it didn't work out. And how long after graduating did you decide to come back to Tyler?

SPEAKER_00 2:45

Aaron Ross Powell So I worked for Waukovia Bank in Irondale, Alabama for six months, and uh they gave me a huge rage of raise of like a hundred bucks a year after six months. So that combined with, you know, our store almost getting robbed was the end of my banking days. And I told my girlfriend at the time, let's move back to Texas, we'll go to Fort Worth or Austin or Dallas or wherever. So we we packed up and moved over here, and once I was back in Tyler, I realized uh that I probably wasn't ever gonna leave Tyler again, which you know she was not real excited about.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

Yeah, I mean Tyler is in the past it's been an acquired taste for some people, right? Um it's uh close knit. Um some people say clickish. Uh hard to break into sometimes. Hard to br and real and and relationships matter. 100%. Yeah. Um and uh as far as the real estate market in in uh Tyler and surrounding area, those real estate or those relationships, they're helpful, aren't they?

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Oh, you've got to have them. You know, you mean your relationship with other realtors, your relationship with with just people in the community, that that goes a long way.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

When you come back uh and you finally get back to Tyler, uh you don't start off in real estate though, do you?

SPEAKER_00 3:57

No. So I was getting my real estate license, and I I always say I got my my, you know, book training from the courses you take, but then I got Ben's training, because I was up there doing my classes in Ben's office every day. And so I'd spend a few hours, you know, doing my real estate courses and I'd spend the rest of the day listening to him talk and really learn a lot from him. And you know, you always hear location, location, location, and one of the things he said was relationships, relationships, relationships. So and Ben, for the audience who does not know, would be Ben Fitzgerald, and that would be your granddad. Aaron Ross Powell That's my granddad. Started in 1958. He was a uh a hat salesman at Bell's department store in Beaumont, Texas, and then his uncle uh was in real estate big down there, and he got Ben into real estate, so he finally moved back here and and the rest was history. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

What brought Ben back to Tyler? I mean, what's the other thing?

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Well he's from here. Yeah. And uh you know, other than just maybe wanting to raise his family here, I I think that was probably why he was in Beaumont for a while. But um I don't remember why exactly they moved back to Tyler besides just it was it was home. But I mean, where did where did Ben grow up? Did he grow up in Tyler? In Chandler. In Chandler, okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Uh which is uh right outside of Tyler.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

Yeah, it's a bedroom community of Tyler. It's a little old town, but it's it's starting to pop now. It's grown.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

I've got they've got a McDonald's now and a Starbucks and it's affordable in r in relation to some of the same-size houses in the city of Tyler. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

I mean, if you're if you're wanting to buy you know a house in the heart of Tyler, it's it's gonna be definitely more expensive than some of these bedroom communities uh and and plus you know the the the taxes out there sometimes aren't as bad either.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Well, you know, Ben Fitzgell Realty, I mean I remember as a kid there was a large building with a huge sign uh right there where uh the kind of the car wash exists uh that was next to the London shop back then.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

That's right. Um it was a unique building, and I'm gonna blank on the guy who designed it. He's a famous architect. Um I'll get there. But yeah, he had that big rotating sign.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Yeah, it was I mean, it was I mean, it it seemed like it was as big or bigger than the Bergfield Realty sign.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

It was very similar, yeah. Very similar.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

Right?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

And back then, as a kid, I don't remember there being, you know, a ton of realtors. I mean, I remember like Baker Lucas Realty, uh, Ben Fitzgerald Realty when I was a kid, you know, and Glover Tunnel. Yeah, that's their big name. Right. And uh lots changed over the year. I mean, you know, Baker Lucas, you know, he died in the circle over in Henderson, and I don't know after what happened to Steve and the trial, and I don't even know if that doesn't exist anymore, does it? I don't believe so. Because I mean that's old Tyler realty right there. Right. Right. Right.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Uh and Yeah, and Ben had trouble, I think, kind of breaking into the real estate. You know, they do they they used to have these bus tours that the agents would go every morning, not every morning, but once a month or something, they'd get on, they'd go look at different properties, and I think it took him a while to kind of break into the to the the the the the click, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

He was an outsider initially. Right. And he was from Chandler, not Tyler, to begin with. Right. Um But eventually he did break in and and it seems like he was successful for a long time. Uh I guess up and until maybe in the eighties.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

I'd say even longer than that. I mean he he he was working his last day on this on on on earth, even though he probably shouldn't have been at that point. He was 94.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

But no, he he uh I'm not sure he gave me the right info on the property, you know. The seller's disclosure is not you know not that little suspect.

SPEAKER_00 7:36

Yeah, you know, the the the rules changed a lot and he didn't necessarily change with the rules. He's same thing would happen with my dad and the law. Yeah. And Ben always said, you know, there's there's man-made laws and there's the Ten Commandments. I follow the Ten Commandments.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Yeah, but I mean the whole industry, you know, uh the forms involved nowadays versus when Ben was, you know, in the 80s as a you know big realtor, have I mean, they've been.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

And there's not much more than that, you know, and then all these attorneys getting involved.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah, I mean I mean, I acknowledge that, you know, the forms are an outsource of a case that happened become of a disagreement, and then them for the title company, each and every time adds another form to have you sign off that you understand in case this happens, that's not applicable.

SPEAKER_00 8:32

Right. Yeah, I mean it changes every year we get new forms.

SPEAKER_01 8:35

And back in the old days there weren't inspections. I mean I mean, that's probably correct. I don't even know. I mean, I don't remember there being a job of inspectors per se. You know, that would I mean I know some of the guys like Robin Rice, some of the old older guys who had passed on were some of the first inspectors, but um I don't know if that's because uh houses were just built and in better shape, people were more honest about what they were selling their neighbor.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

I mean probably yeah, probably some of both, you know. Uh and then probably eventually some lawsuits because you know somebody didn't didn't honestly disclose an issue they knew about.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Um disclosures though, I uh I mean that's most people know that form, right? When they want to buy or when you're uh representing them as the seller. Uh they have to fill one out. They have to. Right? I mean it's it's required by law. Right. Um what's the strangest thing you can think of uh that you've ever seen uh somebody disclose on a disclosure like I mean, like whether the house was haunted or there were snakes that came up from the I mean, have you ever seen something like that?

SPEAKER_00 9:41

You know, if I thought about it, I'd probably think of something. I actually showed a house probably four months ago. We walked into a vacant house with some clients and uh there was a five-foot snake laying there just s alive looking at us, you know. I know that's scary. So naturally I went and picked it up and threw it out in the front yard. But I mean, you know They did not buy the house.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Uh I remember one of the houses I had backed up to uh Big Creek, and every time it rained, I swear there'd be two or three snakes in the backyard, man. I mean, now I didn't include that on the disclosure when I sold the house, but I was thinking about it the whole time. Like, man, I can't wait to get out of here.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

No, generally sellers are pretty honest on their disclosures, you know. You're looking for the main things, foundation, water, flood, you know, any kind of HVAC. What kind of sh what kind of shape is your roof in? Right. Uh or the age of it is is you know the the common question.

SPEAKER_01 10:36

Well, and you bring up a good point. You know, what I've noticed, and you you probably know this better than anybody, the way that the insurance company is interacting with the homeowner today about their roof is much different than it used to be.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

No, big time.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Right? I mean, in the old days you're like, hey, they never said anything, your homeowner's insurance just kept kept renewing, right? Nowadays, they come to you and say what?

SPEAKER_00 11:01

I mean, we've seen all different kinds of stuff, but I mean, you know, if if a roof is over seven years old, they're gonna want to get an inspection. They, you know, even though it's currently insured by that homeowner, that same insurance company may not insure it for the new homeowner based on its age.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Just because they can, what, force them to get a new one? The homeowner The insurance company says, hey, we're not gonna take the new homeowner.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

We're not gonna insure this property unless you get a new roof on it.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Right. I mean, I guess that's their way to try to continually have the most updated roofs where they don't have to pay for it.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

But I can get it to some, you know, State Farm has insured this property for 25 years, and all states are about to come in here and insure it with an old roof. I mean, I get their standpoint, but it's it's definitely gotten more difficult with with roofs. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

But I mean, isn't there some built-in depreciation that they get for the age of the roof? It's not like they have to pay a brand new roof for it twenty-five years.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Well, I think it depends on your policy. Some of them you've got, you know, actual cash value or total replacement.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

Yeah. That's confusing. I mean, we should have a show with the insurance agent. Put them in the hot seat to supplement, you know, the insurance that you really want to have for your home. Right. I mean, um and and realtors don't they're not asked for that advice and they don't give that advice to Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

We can, you know, recommend different insurance companies, but Yeah, I mean it's just you know, you kind of got a working knowledge of just general concept that you can make sure people are aware of. Right. Um now as far as the the local real estate market here in Tyler and the surrounding area, uh are you involved in any organizations or groups or or or things that, you know, help promote that industry here in Tyler?

SPEAKER_00 12:39

Yeah, so we've got the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors. I'm actually on the board of directors. Uh this is my second year on it. And you know, they're just kind of a governing body for our local associate for the local association, which means we're involved with the Texas Realtors and the National Association of Realtors. So it I'm on the board, which means you know, we just kind of help govern the policy, bylaws, strategic planning, that kind of stuff. But it's a great organization. We've had a lot of great leadership uh there. And you know, really somebody was telling me the other day who who who used to be in it, they'd travel around to all these different uh conferences and you know there's our association is really tight-knit. We all get along. Goes back to relationships, you know. If you're working a deal with another agent that that y'all don't get along, I mean it's gonna be hard to get that deal done. You know, so it's it's I mean, that affects the people trying to get the home. Aaron Powell, yeah. So it's you know, we we're very unique in that we have a very tight-knit association and everybody gets along for the most part.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Aaron Ross Powell And you know, I could see where uh you know the more and more realtors that enter the marketplace, the more competitive it could get amongst realtors. Sure. Which would maybe strain those relationships, right? I mean, at some point. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

Yeah, and you know, you've got the people who and of course there's always gonna be new people getting in and we're all for that, you know, but the people who jump in and jump out, you know, that's you're not they're not in it for the long haul, you know. Anybody who's done it for a while knows that we're we're we're looking at the big picture. You know, we're we're not gonna ruin a deal over a relationship or vice versa, you know.

SPEAKER_01 14:09

So So what about uh the Tyler Historic Society? I know you have some connection with that organization.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Aaron Powell Yes, I'm on that board as well. I'm actually the president this year. They they couldn't find anybody better to ask.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

I bet that's a thankless job if I had to guess. You would think. Right. I mean, people um these are people that are dedicated to the preservation of some of the older homes. Is that what this organization is?

SPEAKER_00 14:33

Well, it's really it's really it's it that they're promoting the preservation of of not just homes, but any kind of structure or site. Um so it's a great uh organization. They've done a lot of great things. I think it was started maybe in 1970. Their their big deal they do every year is the home tour, where they'll they'll get four or five different homeowners of an historic home to allow the public to come view their home. And they stop by kind of like a parade of homes, except for these are older, usually in the Azalea district. Well, yeah, I mean, really, that's one of the things that uh Historic Tyler has done is they they've been the reason a lot of these historic areas in Tyler have gotten their historic designation. They they they have either helped them apply for grants or whatever it may be to get uh the Texas historical whatever it's called to Is that the plaque that you've got to do. Isaiah uh Pollard Pollard area just got its historic designation or it's almost there.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Aaron Ross Powell Well the plaque, uh we you say do you get money in the form of a grant in order to get that plaque and preserve the home, or is it just you're trying to different plaques.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

There's a national registration and there's a local one. And honestly, I I don't know a ton about that.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

What about the local one though? Does it does it I guess require you to do certain things or not do certain things with your home once you have it?

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Yeah. So like you you know, you you have to if you're gonna do a remodel, you can't just go, you know, it's and it's mostly on the outside, the exterior. You can't, you know, if they've got some kind of windows from the fifties, they don't want you to put in some newer, you know, modern look. You know, you you kind of have to keep it the the the outside looking the same.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Aaron Powell And that's if the home you're attempting to buy has that plaque? Right. I mean, let's say to someone who's listening and they're they don't live in Tyler, they're looking in, they think that the uh Azalea district reminds them of the M Streets in Dallas or a very charming period of time in their life somewhere else, and they want to come in there. Um if they buy a house, uh can they remodel it the way they want to?

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Yeah, sure. I mean, you know, again, the exterior is the main part. Inside, they can do whatever they want for the most part, but the exterior, they they would they wouldn't need to, you know, when you're going to get permits, you would ha you know, they'd that would have to have to get approved, you know, like if there is a even if there's no historical plaque connected. If there's no plaque, you don't you don't have to worry about it.

SPEAKER_01 16:56

Okay, that's what I'm saying. Yeah. For the person like me who wants something new. Wants something new, right. Or wants to make something newer looking and you know, more efficient, maybe, and that type of thing. And and maybe I just don't have the appreciation that some people do, and I understand that's a difference of opinion. But if I if someone's like me and they wanted to buy a house in the Azalea district, I mean they could pretty much uh put brand new windows in, they could do all those things unless it had a historical plaque of some kind. Right. And then you just have to get a blessing. Approval. Right. You've you've got to kind of go find windows that look like the old ones. Right. Because there are people do all the time. There's code, right? You have to have efficiency standards in order to remodel those homes, I would think. You can't put an old 1950 pane window back in there, can you?

SPEAKER_00 17:44

No. I mean, I wouldn't think so.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

I don't think you can do that. Well, the real okay, the real estate market in Tyler, um, it was hot, man, uh, at COVID and and thereafter, wasn't it? It was. I mean, you know, I think about properties that uh and full disclosure, I mean, you have uh you have helped me with rental in Tyler, you have helped me with residential, you have helped me with uh commercial, just so people know that you have represented me in those three capacities. Yeah. This is not a paid show or paid ad, but full disclosure. Um the rental market seems to be the most frustrating to people who aren't from here or are looking to rent something. Would you say that's true?

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Yeah, I mean it's you know, it's it's it's unique. I mean, there's there's there's not a ton of good rentals out there. I mean, you that's why you bought some. You you learned that, you know. You're like, hey, let's have some good rentals, you know. And people will pay for a good rental. And they have. And there seems to be, and I don't know, I don't have the data on it, but there seems to be a big gap between thirteen hundred and twenty two hundred. Yeah, yeah, or even twenty-four, twenty five hundred. I mean, you know, there's there's like there's there's nothing in between them, you know. You know, somebody wants to spend sixteen hundred bucks rent, like it's it you know, there's a big difference in that and the twenty four hundred dollar one as far as the quality of the house, you know?

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Aaron Ross Powell Yeah. I mean I guess and people are stuck if they can't get the uh down payment and the interest rates are high, and so they're forced into the rental. Right. Uh and there's really not much other than something pretty expensive if it's going to be nice.

SPEAKER_00 19:18

Aaron Powell And then you're like, man, I'm spending$2,500 a month renting when I could buy something. But you know, that's also the reason the market slowed down a little bit is, you know, for that same house to buy, their their payment is more than what the rent would be, you know, so that's why they're staying with the rent.

SPEAKER_01 19:34

Yeah. And and the rental market, it was I mean, it's I don't know where it goes in Tyler. You know, like where does the uh uh other rentals come from? Does someone build an apartment complex? Does someone build condominiums? I mean, you know, w what's left?

SPEAKER_00 19:53

Yeah, I mean, that's obviously happening, and people you know but you know, you you think about the people who are going for a house, they usually have kids, maybe some pets, they want a yard. Right. They don't want an apartment. They don't want to be an apartment. You know, I've I've lived in an apartment. It was great for that stage of my life, but there was another stage where I needed a yard, you know. So I don't know where the rental market's gonna go, honestly. I mean, we need more product for sure, and that comes from investors, which it's hard for investors to buy right now with interest rates unless they're doing cash only, you know, which th those are out there.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

But And I mean, w what about the land prices for the development, you know, anywhere inside the city limits? I mean, expensive, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

I mean, uh like you said, COVID, everything that's definitely the biggest boom I've seen during my career is 2020 to 2022, 2020. You know, that was just houses went from you know, they almost doubled in value. It was crazy. Um, you know, interest rates were so low it didn't matter. People kept buying them, you know. Aaron Ross Powell Because they could f find themselves into a payment that was affordable in their budget. Yeah, I mean somebody who could only afford two, three, four hundred might be able to afford five, six, seven hundred all of a sudden.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

Aaron Ross Powell And if they sold their house and cashed out in another state like a lot did that and came here, they could pay cash or pay most of it and uh and really upgrade the size of the house from maybe where they left.

SPEAKER_00 21:15

Yeah. Yeah, I mean we're really I mean, it's kind of bittersweet for me because it's good for my business when people move here, obviously. But you know, I also like our small town and you know, I don't want to look up and be a town of five hundred thousand one day, but obviously we we will be eventually, you know, be it be a big old town. But I mean you know that USA Today put that deal out a year ago, maybe number one town to live or move to in the country. And I'm just like Oh no. I'm sure that had an effect.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

Yeah, for sure. I mean, in my lifetime, you know, I can remember as a kid Tyler had sixty something thousand people, almost seventy or something. And then now I think Tyler's listed as a hundred and twelve, one hundred and thirteen thousand, with two hundred and fifty thousand in the county.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

Aaron Powell Well, and that's what you know is so unique about the country. Tyler, so yeah, 120,000 people, but daytime population much larger. 300, 350, maybe maybe even more than that, maybe 500, 600 million.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

Because of, you know, like you say, White House, Lyndale. All the bedroom communities. In the county, and some people commute in from outside Smith County.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

Yeah, so so you know, I've heard for years that over fifty percent of the receipts from the mall are from outside of Smith County. So we're we're you know, we're a mini regional hub. People come here for doctors, dentists, um, retail eating, lakes. I mean everything. They they come here just to to, you know, go eat at chili sometimes. I mean, golf, you know.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

I mean people do come in here to eat a lot.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

Yeah. And then go shopping or whatever. But I mean, yeah, we're we we we play a lot bigger than our our population. That's what you know I had to I've battled forever talking to big time retailers or you know, different national brands trying to get them to come to Tyler. They don't think we're can support it. They don't think we're they don't realize during the daylight hours we're a lot bigger than we seem. Right. Right. Um Bass Pro obviously just figured it out. You know, they they I'd called them several times and you know never never got any anybody to do it. Anybody, you know, but I probably wasn't a big enough player to to get them here at the time. But you know, now they're here because they they see it. They know.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

But I mean uh Did not the city incentivize them to some extent? I think so.

SPEAKER_00 23:25

I don't know the details on it, but I'm sure there were some some.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

I think there is something there where, you know, maybe a lot of them asked for that, you know. That's right. I mean uh you know obviously they know cities are looking for jobs, they're looking for uh sales tax receipts. And so I'm sure a lot of them ask, hey, we'll come in, but uh would you, you know, basically Well it's like the hotel deal downtown.

SPEAKER_00 23:51

That there were some tax incentives for that, you know. Which is good. I mean we need but we as a city I think we need to be competitive in that to bring people in.

SPEAKER_01 23:59

That's that's the Valencia group, and that's the that's what's going to be the Blackstone Hotel, kind of a tip of the hat to old Tyler, the old Blackstone, right? Yeah. Um probably would have been started. It kind of got started when they demolished uh the lobby of the Regent's Bank. Right. And then it seemed to stop. Right. Um I mean, rumor has it it's still on. I just, you know, I don't know if you know any more than I do.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

I I mean I last I heard, it's it's on. It's on it. They finalized their their financing and their, you know, the the city incentives, and that's last I've heard.

SPEAKER_01 24:33

But well, you know, the other one is the uh Carlton Hotel. I mean, what's the status of that?

SPEAKER_00 24:38

I mean I I don't know. You know, that that group who bottoms a they they know what they're doing. They're they're really good at it, but um that's a big project, obviously. I mean I was down there. There were bricks falling off on the street.

SPEAKER_01 24:52

I thought there was some order uh for them to demolish some part of it because of that. Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

They might have to. I mean, that's an old building, and that's I mean, that's just a massive project to take on. And and if anybody can do it, they can.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Well, you know, I had the mayor Don Warren on the podcast, and we talked about that project, and uh he said one of the sticking points was uh that they wanted either low-income housing, that is the group itself, or above fifty-five. And the city was saying no. We want people in the middle demographic that have money to spend to help support the businesses downtown. Which makes sense to me. So that may, I don't know, eventually that may be what we get. Um but the people who are working downtown, uh hopefully they're still alive by the time they finish the project. Uh it's been a while already. I mean, you know, I don't know. Is there much of a commercial market downtown really, or is it just Well, downtown's been revitalized a lot.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

I mean, you know, with with uh I know you had Steve on not long ago. I mean, the Prime 102, I mean that you know um Andy Bergfeld and and Garnet Brookshire did a great job, you know, revitalizing that.

SPEAKER_01 25:57

I mean, they supported that project, though. Without Bergfeld and Brookshire, Prime 102 would not be in that or existing today.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

Right. But you know, they they revitalize that whole building. You know, there's it's it's pretty much leased up as far as I know. Offices, yeah. Right. And then you know, we're getting some more local restaurants downtown. And I mean, I think downtown's making a big, big comeback right now. Well obviously the construction might slow that down and hurt them some, but it's gonna be nice. Big picture is gonna be nice.

SPEAKER_01 26:25

It's just, you know, thankfully, I mean, for us uh or me or you, you know, they have economic anxiety that is the business owners downtown that we're not having to deal with. And they're dealing with in the economic environment that we are in as well. Right. Right. I mean, it's not the greatest economy right now, and by the way, access to your business is impeded. Yeah. And so I feel for them there. And you know, I personally try to support them uh and did so last night. I went to Prime 102. Uh, you know, I'm making a point to maybe go to more of those to try to help them hang on because and in reality it's not that hard.

SPEAKER_00 27:05

Go park in that parking garage and walk up there or get an Uber.

SPEAKER_01 27:09

I mean, it's not that hard to get behind Prime and you can walk right through the lobby. Yeah. But, you know, it's sometimes you don't think about it, and sometimes you don't want to do it. And, you know, um, but it it it'd be terrible, you know, if we if we ended up with a nice courthouse and no restaurant, and and nobody around the square except for uh my buddies Martin Walker over there, the lawyers. Um you know, or the you know, uh I don't know if there's a hair salon or something over there. Yeah. I mean it's uh but I know you've you've been a part of some developments, and I want to ask you about you know, the West Loop seems like it was the last thing in Tyler on the loop to ever really get going. Did it seem that way, or was it?

SPEAKER_00 27:51

Yeah, no, it was interesting. I mean, basically, there was a 500-acre hole, not not an actual hole, but just nothing developed, undeveloped piece of land over there for forever.

SPEAKER_01 28:01

Next to Sam's in front of essentially All Saints Cascades and Yeah, I mean high traffic counts.

SPEAKER_00 28:08

I mean, but for for whatever reason, Tyler always developed south, south, south until they couldn't. You know, obviously things in the South are still going great, but you know, now we're starting to move to the West, which is part of the reason Chandler started to grow as as well. But no, that that that's a great development over there.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

The uh what we what were you a part of as far as that development? Was it the sale of the land itself? Is it something afterwards? Tell us about that.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

Yeah, so a little bit of both. We represented um the the buyer, guy out of Dallas Provident Realty Advisors. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Who bought how many acres? They bought all five hundred and forty three acres.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

That's a big project.

SPEAKER_00 28:42

Big project. And it's not in their backyard, too, you know. They just they they realized it was a pretty good opportunity, a good deal. They saw what was happening in Tyler. He had previously done a couple deals here. He he was involved with the carrier building. Uh he he was the money behind it, bought and sold it. And then I think he was also involved in the South Tyler Mall somewhere. The one out there at Cumberland. The one at Cumberland.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

All right. So I'm kind of wanting to know what you know about the development there in that 500 acres. What's happening on that acreage right now?

SPEAKER_00 29:15

So it's it you know, it took a while for it to get get going, but now now there's a lot of a lot of traction. You've got Brookshers going over there, which is a great anchor tenant. And I saw Chick-fil-A, which I mean I mean, they got that thing up fast.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

I mean, I drove by and I couldn't believe it. I mean, it was double lane, nice as it could be.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

Yeah. I mean, it's it's uh it's unbelievable. Yeah, but you know, Chick-fil-A, Brookshers, Freddie's, uh, a couple other you know, quick serve restaurants. Freddy Steak burgers. Freddy Steak Burger. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:42

There's a well that's good. I mean, because you know, people that lived over in that area, I mean, you can go to Walmart down the street, you know.

SPEAKER_00 29:48

But think about the people in the Cascades, they've got, you know, they've got money to spend. I mean, so like why not have stuff there for them instead of having to drive all the way over to Broadway, you know? So it also helps traffic if you know everybody's not going down South Broadway.

SPEAKER_01 30:01

Yeah, that's for sure. I mean, Broadway's, man, uh Christmas time. Try not to try not to get anywhere near there. All right. So uh are is there any planned housing development of any kind that's that's proposed or planned for the West Loop project?

SPEAKER_00 30:18

Yeah, so that'll be, you know, phase two or three. They're they're filling out the frontage right now. There might might be some apartments on the frontage, and then you know, obviously everybody w would love to have some some type of entertainment over there, whether it's a you know, top golf type deal or I mean heck, even a putt putt, we don't have a putt putt, you know, anymore.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

Did I see some somebody was uh either contemplating or planning to build some type of miniature golf course somewhere? Is that Oh, that's uh behind Wood Creek.

SPEAKER_00 30:51

I think that's an old building, you know.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

Yeah, I mean that's a lot of square footage to tear down, but it is kind of a metal building. Right.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

Two-story but a great location for putt putting. Yeah, I mean, because you have to I have four kids, I'd love to have a putt putt here, you know?

SPEAKER_01 31:04

And you know, and it it fits with you know kids and entertainment because that Andy's custard would be right in front of it. I mean, you could take your family over there, do that, do both those things. Uh huh, as long as you didn't do it during the Christmas holidays. The traffic. But yeah. Um You can't build, like you say, housing on frontage. It's too expensive. That's why it the businesses fill it out, right? Well, yeah, and and zoning. I mean, depending on what the zoning is. Because you got Earl Campbell Parkway, you know, property right across the street from that, that's you know, also there kind of sitting. I don't know if there's anything started up in there right now.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

Yeah, so the TDC owns all that property, and they you know, I've I've I've personally had some clients look at it um to do something that just hadn't happened yet, but the TDC has done an amazing job. Scott Martinez would be a good one to have on the show.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

Well, it's funny you say that. Uh we were talking about that, Chris and I, the uh you know, my uh producer, audio video man. Uh you know, we were talking about Tyler uh Economic Development Council, and someone else made mention of the job that uh Scott Martinez has done for Tyler in a short period of time.

SPEAKER_00 32:15

Well, and he had big shoes to fill too with Tom Mullins. Tom Mullins did a great, great job before him. I mean, you know, as you know, this was an oil and gas community way back when. And hospitals. Well, and he Tom kind of was the one behind it, as far as I know, getting this to be more of a medical, you know, not just relying on oil and gas, but you know, being more diversified and having us be a medical hub, which is basically what we are now.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

Yeah. We are. And uh I think on the show with Don Warren, we talked about a couple of projects that Scott Martinez was uh instrumental in.

SPEAKER_00 32:45

Yeah, he he came in, you know.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

And one of them was out there uh where Amazon there's an Amazon facility that we got in here that y nobody thinks about because it's out there a little further. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

You know where that is? Yeah. So it's off a just really off of I-20 and 155 kind of. But yes, Scott and the TDC bought some acreage out there, and then you know, he's got so many great relationships from past jobs, and you know, he's lived a bunch of different places, but you know, one of the big ones he he was able to do is get Yellowwood, which i uh that they're putting uh wood treatment facility in. It's already there. I mean it we went and drove and looked at it, and it's the largest wood treatment facility in North America, maybe the world. You know, and I it's it's it's a huge deal. Lots of employees, you know, so it was it was a good, and then plus the Amazon on top of that, you know, it's we're kind of on the map. Now, but Scott, you know, he headed all that up and you know we're we're lucky to have have him for sure.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

Well, okay, so you say the Tyler Economic Development Council, TED C, right? You said they own land as well, like they own the land at Earl Campbell Parkway and uh the loop.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

Mm-hmm. Well, I don't know if it doesn't go all the way to the loop. They own it.

SPEAKER_01 33:54

Yeah, I think Russian Jenicobe has the corner. Right. But behind them is that land that's, you know, we've looked at before. That's right. We did. The big drop-off.

SPEAKER_00 34:05

I mean, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

Uh I guess, you know, what do they own other land or you know?

SPEAKER_00 34:10

Well, that's you know, they they bought that land out by the interstate and then they basically sold all of it, made some money, went and bought some more land. Um I mean, they're they're moving and shaking for sure.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Aaron Powell You know, just as a non uh you know government employee or or really I've never been in government, um the Tyler Economic Development Council, is it I mean is it a private organization, is it a public organization?

SPEAKER_00 34:34

So that's what's interesting, and I and Scott or somebody else could talk a lot more to it, but most cities will fund some something for the TDC, give them some money. And that they've show I've seen graphs before where you know how much long view EDC gets compared to ours. So that's why Scott is doing what he's doing is to self self-fund stuff to bring in, you know, m more more employers.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

Yeah, I mean it it would seem to be a good idea to sometimes spend money as a city that you know you know would be a good return on your investment. I mean it's kind of like the water line that uh Don Warren talked about that was that Tyler paid for to run to John Sol's food, uh, but then we would have that and make money off that from people in between in the future.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

Now, one of the other big things that, you know, really uh it was exciting for Tyler was the medical school, wasn't it? Huge deal. I mean, uh have you been by there lately? It looks like it's almost finished.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

Yeah, it does. Yeah, that I mean that we haven't even begun to see the benefits of that. I mean, s slowly, but I mean that that's c that might be the biggest deal that's ever happened to Tyler when it's all said and done.

SPEAKER_01 35:42

I mean, uh I don't know how many employees, doctors, uh nurses, uh associated trades, you know.

SPEAKER_00 35:48

There'll be so many things just associated with it.

SPEAKER_01 35:50

And then businesses that they need things from, maybe. Right. Right. That should benefit Tyler. 100%. Um and I guess it's kind of good that they built it where they did on Beckham. Right. And it could kind of it develop backwards to a lot of the old doctor's offices where doctors no longer are employed in solo practices. Right. Right. You remember all those places and those houses where yeah. Because I mean a lot of them are rented or empty, I guess, back there. Uh but traffic, you know, I mean uh I mean when you think about medical school, I mean, do we think traffic I mean we think an increase in traffic?

SPEAKER_00 36:30

Uh I'm always thinking about traffic.

SPEAKER_01 36:33

I mean, yes.

SPEAKER_00 36:34

I mean, but we're still pretty darn lucky, you know. I mean, I we we've gotten spoiled if we have to drive down to the the Cumberland Mall, it's like, man, it's gonna take fifteen or twenty minutes. We have gotten it. That's only fifteen or twenty minutes.

SPEAKER_01 36:44

I mean But um you know the areas in which you look for residential housing, you know, might depend on what your preferences are about traffic, about where you live, where you go, things of that nature.

SPEAKER_00 36:59

Well I get I get clients coming in from out of town that know nothing about Tyler and we'll look at some different stuff. So there's some areas they like, and I'll kind of say, well, this is a great area, but here's you know, what this means if your kids go to school here or if you work here, I mean, this pocket might be better, or that pocket might be better. I mean, that that's a huge deal. You know, people from coming out of town, if they've lived in a big city, they'll think, Oh, that's only twenty minutes from my work, you know. And I'm like, that's a long way in Tyler. Yeah. When you can be five or ten minutes, you know.

SPEAKER_01 37:25

That's right. And you know, um I think this gets down to uh maybe some of the benefits that that you provide that maybe some might not uh be as helpful, and that is just having a a pretty deep local feel for the market and and how the city works and it runs. Would you say that uh that's the kind of advice that you give a lot of your clients?

SPEAKER_00 37:48

Yeah, I mean I think it makes a huge, huge difference to have obviously local knowledge, but I mean, you know, local knowledge of the market, local reputation, I mean um um relationships. Right. I mean all all that goes a long way. And there's we you know, Tyler's got a lot of good realtors here, so we're we're we're lucky. Most people are, you know, represented well, but um having local knowledge and somebody will answer the phone, you know, that's that's that that goes a long way. I mean I everybody I work with has my cell phone number, you know. They they call me, text me.

SPEAKER_01 38:18

Well, I mean, you know, I know you and I know uh I know the approach that you've you've put into place. And it to me it just kind of uh rings of accessibility. I mean, is that the reason um, you know, why you've come up with this thing that we're about to explain that uh that you've started to do?

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Yeah, so you know, realtors' numbers are published all over the internet, so we get inundated with spam calls. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:44

You never know who's calling.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

Yeah, I mean and sometimes it'll say spam and I'll answer it and it'll be you know a potential client. You know, so it gets it gets you basically just have to answer everything. But so yeah, I mean you answer nothing. Yeah, and a lot of them answer nothing.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Which is what some people do. And it's impossible to actually get in touch with a realtor and just ask a simple question about is this house still on the market or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 39:04

Right. Or I'd like me to know you know how much my house is worth.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Can you show me something, right? I mean, and do you also provide that service? Like if people say, Hey, would you come out, look at our house and tell us what you think um you know we should list it for, could list it for?

SPEAKER_00 39:19

Yep, 100%. Yeah, it's not an official appraisal, um, but it's what you know I I in my professional opinion, what we what we could sell it for. You know, and I usually say, you know, here's kind of your low end, here's your high end, usually falls in between somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 39:32

Aaron Powell And you know, in uh in real estate language they call that comps or comparables. You uh you I'm assuming you help people with everything from you know rental. If somebody called about a rental question or text you, I mean, would you deal in rental and you know, leases and you know six months, years, things like that?

SPEAKER_00 39:53

Aaron Powell Yeah, so we do we we have we do property management ourselves. I I personally own a couple rentals and yeah, I I'll help people, you know, including you all the time get get their house rented or I'll help somebody find a rental if they need to.

SPEAKER_01 40:06

If somebody you know has bought a house or two and uh they don't want to fool with it, um they need to hire a property manager, is that how it gets dealt with if they don't want to? 100 percent. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:17

And then generally, what's the financial arrangement between, say, the the the owner of the properties and you know you guys it it varies from brokerage to brokerage or property manager to property manager, but you know, typically I I think we we charge 10 percent of of the of the rent of the rent. Yeah. Uh-huh. We handle every everything at that point.

SPEAKER_01 40:38

Um And any of the complaints and people calling and the AC doesn't work, the commode stopped up, all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

Owner doesn't have to deal with it at all. That's right. I mean we'll and then we'll reach out to the owner if there's a big like the HVAC's out, we've got to, you know, we don't we don't just go fix it and throw a bill at the owner. We we we discuss it with them first. But all right.

SPEAKER_01 40:56

Well, you know, a lot of realtors are in residential. Uh-huh. Right? I mean, not everybody that sells residential housing is also in commercial. Is that right? Right. Or is it just automatically that all realtors everything.

SPEAKER_00 41:09

No, generally somebody has selects one, you know. I mean, there's most of the ones you see, I mean, that they're either residential or commercial. There's a few like me that do that do some of both. Um and you know, unfortunately with our company, I that's that's I've been able to do that. Um, you know, and and as long as you're not getting bogged down where you can you can't give a full service to to somebody, but you know, again, this this size market, I feel like I I can 100% do both. And I have I have uh a good amount of knowledge on both, too.

SPEAKER_01 41:38

So and that's what I was gonna get at. You know, the same knowledge that you may have acquired in the residential market, selling houses, uh the inspection process, disclosure, that's not identical in the commercial market, is it?

SPEAKER_00 41:50

It's I mean there's there's definitely some similarities. Uh the the the the main difference is is obviously pricing, you know. How do you because it it's a lot harder to find comps on commercial stuff than it is on sure because there's just not that many sales.

SPEAKER_01 42:02

Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 42:02

Well, and and a lot of them don't go through the MLS. A lot of them are, you know, advertised on LoopNet or Crexy and you know they're not put into our comp system that that is the MLS.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

A lot of things I say for sale commercially say no price. Like they don't I guess they want you to call. Right. Is that is that kind of how it works? Yeah. And then, you know, I guess you uh environmental contamination or something like that might be an issue in commercial that you wouldn't necessarily have in residential. Correct. Uh well, I mean, do you enjoy one over the other res I mean there's more volume in residential, I presume.

SPEAKER_00 42:37

Definitely more volume. They're usually quicker deals. I mean, a typical residential deal is thirty to forty-five days from contract. Um where a commercial deal could take three months, six months, a year or more, you know, just depending on how long the how much due diligence there is to do.

SPEAKER_01 42:52

Well, I'm gonna circle back now that we've kind of covered the the ground of of what you work with, but I'm gonna I want to go back to this uh concept uh and this uh avenue that you've come up with uh in order to make yourself accessible. Um you know, you told me about uh everybody's cell phones out there, including yours, right? But uh you have um proposed a way in which people can uh immediately have access to you. Is that right? That's right.

SPEAKER_00 43:22

Yeah, I mean you just t text my number, real estate queue, and you can put, you know, dash commercial, dash residential, dash rental, whatever, and then I I'll I I'll call you if you prefer text, we can just keep texting whatever it is, but that way I know it's not, you know, spam. Because a lot of times, like I said, your number when I when you're calling me, it'll say spam even though it's it's not.

SPEAKER_01 43:39

So Well, I mean, I think it's such a uh, you know, a smart idea because you know, people just go along, spam gets more and more people assume that if they're trying to get me, they're eventually going to get me. And sometimes in reality, people give up and and go to somebody who they can simply get to, right?

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Yeah, sure. I mean a lot of times when when when people move into Tyler or that already live here, they don't know anybody.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

Right.

SPEAKER_00 44:05

They'll they'll call an agent. If they don't answer, they'll call another one, yeah. Until somebody answers.

SPEAKER_01 44:10

Well, I mean and and basically the real estate queue text to your phone allows people to ask about rentals if they're looking for a rental. Yep. Uh you know, selling a house, a rental property, or even uh, you know, a commercial listing, right? And that would could include commercial rental, could it not? Anything. Anything. I mean, like uh, you know, when you say commercial, a lot of times people just um immediately go to, well, I'm gonna buy or sell that property, but sometimes a lot of leasing going on.

SPEAKER_00 44:40

A lot of leasing and in commercial.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

And uh I mean, as far as your day-to-day, do you you kind of keep up with the properties that are available, both rental and for sale? I mean, is that kind of for sure.

SPEAKER_00 44:51

For sure. More so in in commercial. I mean, in in the in the residential, I'm not actively looking at rentals until I have a client who's either wanting to uh rent one or 'cause that's a lot easier just to go and and people need to identify like where they want to live first for you to start looking at them.

SPEAKER_01 45:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:10

But but resident you know, but as far as buying uh you know, buyers I have, I mean I'm I've I've constantly got buyers, so I've I'm constantly having to look, you know, every every I mean multiple times a day to see if anything's popped up. Of course I get notifications, but also anything that might be off the market, you know, just from having those relationships with people, I'll I'll hear like, oh, this house might be for sale in a couple weeks, you know, and I can maybe tell my clients about it before the whole world sees it.

SPEAKER_01 45:34

Well, that's the one thing that, you know, no matter what business there is, there's always some inside ball, right? I mean, relationships allow some people um to know things before others know them. Right. Um and those relationships um based on trust and things allow people to get access to things before the general public does. And that's what you're saying about all market listings.

SPEAKER_00 45:58

Right. And we've got rules in place where, you know, I I can't I can't I'm not allowed to go look at a house before it's listed. Right. But I if I know about it, we're a lot more likely to get in there first when everybody can do it and be ready to make a decision because maybe we've driven by the property, maybe we've you know.

SPEAKER_01 46:13

Well maybe you just know it because you've lived here your whole life.

SPEAKER_00 46:16

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah, there's a lot, there's there's a lot of houses that you know you don't have to tell me about. I I know exactly what it looks like on the inside, outside.

SPEAKER_01 46:23

Right. I mean, I'm not a realtor. But if you told me there was a house for sale on Bellmead, or you know, I'd say, uh which one? Yeah, you know, and I'd say, okay, and it's about to be for sale. And I'm like, uh, you know, the one next to the McCain's, you know, I mean, it'd be like something like that, right? I mean in places that people want to live because it seems to me more and more people are really wanting to live inside the loop, which you know, there's a certain group of people that like everything being close and not dealing with the south, right? Yeah, sure. I mean, sure.

SPEAKER_00 46:59

Uh I think everybody likes different things. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 47:03

You know, the city really does have places for everybody. I mean because you could think about even the woods, even though it's in Chapel Hill School District, you know, depending on there's private schools, you know, there's about four or five of them you can send your kids to. Right. Uh neighborhoods nice. Yeah. Um Cascades, you know, golf community, real nice houses. Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful neighborhood. Um, you know, Holly Tree is kind of the old uh South Tyler mainstay.

SPEAKER_00 47:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

Right?

SPEAKER_00 47:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:31

Maybe the club's a little crowded. I don't know. But the members.

SPEAKER_00 47:35

I don't know if it's as crowded as it was.

SPEAKER_01 47:37

Well, I'm you know, word on the streets, you know, when you try to make too much money with a person's country club, uh, you know, people end up, you know, looking somewhere else. That's right. Um, you know, service and amenities matter, don't they? Uh but uh in the Azaia district, I mean, we do find people, don't we, that that really just want to live in the Azaia district. For sure.

SPEAKER_00 48:00

Yeah. And they and you know, it's you know, it we're we're nowhere near the size of Dallas, Houston, but you know, everybody always finds their little pockets, and Tyler, Tyler's no different. You kind of you you have your house and you have your little pockets and where you go, and you know, that's that's uh that's kind of where I can help people once I meet them, I can I can know what fits them best, what neighborhood fits them best.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

I mean, you know, being as accessible as you are is i is such a good idea because I mean you've always heard the phrase, you know, ninety percent of everything is just showing up, right? And yeah. And just being there to talk to people. That's what y'all tell realtors all the time, like just answer your phone. They don't care if you work for Remax or Calwell Banker or whatever. They just want to talk to somebody who locally knows what's going on in the market and knows generally what's available and what it costs, right? I mean, that's pretty much what people want. Yeah. Um now, from the highs of the COVID, we come to, you know, January of 2026. I mean, what's the forecast this year for our market here in the Tyler, East Texas area? Aaron Powell, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

You know, it seemed it seems everybody is optimistic about 26. 2025 was uh a little weird. I mean, it had uh ups and downs. I mean, I I've been fortunate, you know, even in bad years, I can, you know, survive and feed feed the four kids.

SPEAKER_01 49:16

But cobble together different, you know, things, right?

SPEAKER_00 49:20

Which also helps me, you know, doing residential and commercial when you know sometimes one is slow and the other one's not. So that you know that that helps for leases and things of that nature, I think. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But no, I mean I think twenty twenty-six everybody is optimistic. I don't know exactly why. You know, I think we're hearing interest rates might come down. Um Which would be helpful for I mean, and they don't need to be two and three again. I mean, that you know, we're not talking about that low, but you know, I think if if you could get somewhere in the fives, high fours, people would be would would be happy with that, you know, and start buying. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 49:53

Tyler's a little bit different market, isn't it? With um the fact that so many people retire and or move here that it it it provides, you know, buyers, even in a somewhat down market. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 50:06

Yeah. I mean, Tyler's always been a pretty steady market. I mean, outside of COVID, I think we've always been pretty, you know, uh a good tr trajectory. We never have too much highs, too much lows. And you know, like we've talked about with this medical school and and everything else, I mean it's just gonna bring more people. That's what my granddad always said uh all growing up. He said, You can bet on Tyler. You can bet on Tyler. And he you know, he's been right. So Yeah, I mean, because it constantly even though, you know, it took some hits and you know, when the oil and gas was down in the 80s, but you know, and we've had some great community leaders, like our our ma our mayors, almost all of them have been businessmen or women, entrepreneurs. So they're you know, that we're we're fortunate that we have business-minded leaders.

SPEAKER_01 50:49

Yeah, I mean, that's right. I mean, you know, everything from the initiation of the half cent sales tax to help pay for things, you know, that you didn't have to otherwise borrow for, and and and and promoting the city's businesses and entrepreneurs, like you say, has been evident the last twenty-five years. I mean, uh in ways that when you look around at other cities, I'm not sure uh that those politicians are operating the same way.

SPEAKER_00 51:12

No, I a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 51:13

We're very fortunate with that. Um You know, the housing market, um I just can't I can't think that prices aren't gonna go up or or remain level if you have all these people that that continue to come in here, right? Even if we're in a down market where prices would traditionally fall.

SPEAKER_00 51:37

I mean, there's this Well, I mean, like yeah, I mean, I was looking this morning, uh even in 2025, even though it was a slower year, I mean, November year to year, we were the median price was up a little bit. I mean it was only like point five, but still it was it didn't drop, you know.

SPEAKER_01 51:51

Right. And I think in other places in the country, I'm sure that that point five would be m maybe a much larger number.

SPEAKER_00 51:58

Right. And that, you know Or it'd be down. We were up.5 something. Yeah, I mean I mean down, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:03

Yeah. Uh but I just think that for people who uh want to sell their house, um, you know, I mean I think that should be some confidence for them that they're going to sell that house because, you know, at the right price, right?

SPEAKER_00 52:18

Well, that's yeah, that's the key. I mean, that you know, you've got to you've got to price it right. And especially in a in a slower market. You know, during COVID, it didn't matter what you priced it for almost, but but you know, in a in a normal, stabilized market, you've you've got to price them right.

SPEAKER_01 52:30

I mean, I've heard somebody say that before, like, look, there's nothing wrong with with this other than the price. Right. All houses will sell. That's right. Right? There's a house for everybody. Yeah. At a certain price, people say, I'll I'll pay for that, right? Right. Um The future of Tyler. I mean, what do you think, you know? Ben Fitzgerald, your granddad said, always bet on Tyler. Yeah. Uh and so, you know, you're a you're you're approaching 40, you know, you've got your family, your four kids. I mean, you're kind of in the in the prime of the child rearing, and the future is out there for you and them, hopefully me. For a little while longer. But uh I mean, what what do you think Tyler looks like, you know, ten years from now?

SPEAKER_00 53:15

I mean, it's hard to imagine, but just based on the last ten years and twenty years, I mean, you know, I remember in high school, you you get to Cumberland Mall and that's where the country started, you know. I had a friend that lived out there and we were we were going to the country. So just just what we've seen then, plus with Reek Road.

SPEAKER_01 53:30

Yeah. When I was in high school. Okay. It was woods you know, out from there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:37

Yeah. And it's wild. It's wild. But I mean, you know, even even if we didn't have uh the the medical school, I think we're still growing. But with that, plus with what TDC's doing, bringing in these big employers, I mean I d I think the growth is gonna be exponential. You know, I th I think we were really gonna I mean I remember Ben, my granddad, he was getting some award or something you know, when he was in his eighties and and he just gave a real small talk, but he he said, You wouldn't believe what I've seen the last fifty years and Tyler, how much the growth has happened. He said, But y'all are gonna be stunned what the next 50 are like. You know, and I and I I think about that all the time because I'm witnessing it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 54:15

Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's tough. Like I said, uh as a realtor uh in your market, you know, there's ups and downs as far as you getting paid and selling things right. I mean, that's sure. I mean, you gotta have the right mindset and personality. And I guess that's why some people, as you said earlier, uh come in and go out of the market. That's right. Yeah, it's it's not for the the the weak, that's for sure. Right. I mean, you know, for a guy like me, always like, ah, you know, uh I'm not sure I like the highs and the lows. You know, I mean, I like to have something consistent.

SPEAKER_00 54:42

Um uh and so you know, the longer you do it, the more consistent it gets. The the referrals start really building up, you know. So it's it's if you can get through those first few years, you know, and be committed to it, I mean, you you you can certainly st uh you know be a little more stable.

SPEAKER_01 54:56

Well, what about, you know, um you know, every real estate agent has to work for a broker, is that right? I mean, you can't just go out there and sell real estate.

SPEAKER_00 55:06

You gotta have a sponsored broker.

SPEAKER_01 55:07

And I guess that is for quality control, management, that's right. Stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 55:12

Ethics.

SPEAKER_01 55:13

I mean, what do you see uh as far as yourself, Taylor Fitzshell? Do you do you see yourself uh manning the brokerage, Ben Fitzgerald? Do you see yourself uh just staying with them, or do you see yourself doing something in that regard on your own at some point in the future? Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 55:27

Yeah, I mean I guess I've always seen myself uh kind of taking over the the company. I'm one of four kids and I'm the only one dumb enough to still be doing real estate.

SPEAKER_01 55:36

So I mean you're naturally it's you know uh it it seems to be there for you with no competition from any other brothers and sisters.

SPEAKER_00 55:42

Right. Yeah. So and and I enjoy doing it and uh you know I like the uh the the history of it, you know, they've been around since 1958. Yeah. I mean we might make some tweaks here and there, but that that's the plan is for me to to carry on the Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:54

I mean there's nothing like an updated logo to start you off. I mean uh I mean I looked at your website and thought, you know, is this 1958? Did was Ben a pioneer? We're old school.

SPEAKER_00 56:10

No, there's there's some things that need to be uh updated. You know, we've we still have a a copy machine in there that you know weighs about four thousand pounds.

SPEAKER_01 56:18

Well, everybody knows that realtors get paid a percentage, right? I mean remember in the old days it was, hey, generally three percent for the the buyer and three per for the seller. Right.

SPEAKER_00 56:33

I mean it's always been negotiable, but you know, a a lot of a lot of people would do a a total of six percent. Now, you know, some people would do eight, ten percent, some people would do four percent. I mean, it's it's always been negotiable, which is you know kind of what that lawsuit was was about.

SPEAKER_01 56:45

Yeah, and and in the past, I guess um you mentioned uh variations, you know, s eight, ten percent. People uh would offer those commissions, as I would understand it, to try and motivate the other realtor to find a buyer. Is that is that kind of how it works? I mean, like if you're offering more in the past that you mentioned eight, ten percent I mean, what's the point of Well, I mean, you know, it's it's it's really whatever It's a contract.

SPEAKER_00 57:14

You can't each agent can can can work it and negotiate with the seller. Right. You know, that that the if he tell them the seller, like, hey, if we pay more commission, we're more likely to get a buyer. You know, maybe, maybe not, you know.

SPEAKER_01 57:25

Um But that the reason I mentioned that is because that's relevant to the new law, right? I mean the new law passed and said three and three is not in stone. Aaron Powell Nothing's in stone.

SPEAKER_00 57:35

No, and and it never was in stone. It was just some people were pr portraying it like that.

SPEAKER_01 57:40

Aaron Ross Powell I mean it seems like a totally unnecessary lawsuit, a totally unnecessary discussion about real estate, and I don't even know how it really came about.

SPEAKER_00 57:48

Aaron Powell Yeah, yeah, I I can't remember where it started, Missouri or some somewhere, and you know, uh that's it all it takes is one person to to say the wrong thing and one seller to get to get mad about it.

SPEAKER_01 57:58

And say, look, you know, I was forced into paying three percent. Right. And I didn't have an opportunity to negotiate. Right. But you know, that's become the standard practice uh that people they understand and expect that to be, I think now.

SPEAKER_00 58:13

Yeah, but anytime I go on a listing appointment, that's you know, we we we talk about price and what commission they're willing to pay to to me and a buyer's agent. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 58:22

How are you seeing that working out nowadays?

SPEAKER_00 58:25

I haven't seen any change in Tyler Texas yet. I mean most most sellers are understand that they're paying for a service. And you know, the the thought has always been okay, the seller's getting money, the buyer's giving money, so you know it makes sense the seller has that cash influx that they can afford to pay a little commission.

SPEAKER_01 58:45

Because they can build that into the sales price. Sure. Right.

SPEAKER_00 58:50

I mean and and obviously if the sales price changes, the commission amount might change too. Right. That happens all the time.

SPEAKER_01 58:57

And and so, but it really hasn't had the negative effect in the market that people thought initially when they heard the change was coming. Right. Right. The other issue that's relevant today and a good one for us to end on uh is artificial intelligence. Have you seen AI, Chat GBT, in any way, you know, in the real estate market thus far? For sure. And I fought it. I fought it so hard. I didn't want I didn't want to get in with AI, but I think how is it used and how is it relevant to your day-to-day practice if it is?

SPEAKER_00 59:32

Aaron Powell And I could get a lot better with it, but you know, it is and there's and there's more and more products coming out, and you know, I mean, golly, all I know is ChatGBT and and Grok, you know, but my brother-in-law who's Perplexity. I mean, there's all kinds now, and and he was showing me one that's how do they help a realtor how do how does that Well there's there's a lot of ways. You know, I think there's a lot of ways we could integrate it with our MLS. Um I think there's a lot of ways um you know, like in in the past, I'd send a contract for X X amount, that'd counter, you know, so I have to go get my computer, totally read of the contract. Now I can just upload the thing to ChatGBT and say, hey, change the sales price to X. Well you better read it over to make sure it didn't make a sense.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:14

Of course you gotta do that too. You know, you still gotta look look through them. But Well, you mentioned MLS, and I think people that are listening to this uh generally know what it is, but probably don't have a good understanding of how it's compiled, who runs it, and what are the rules, right? Can you give us some indication of what is MLS?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:33

Aaron Powell So it's a multiple listing service. I mean that that's you know one of the benefits you get from joining the association, the Greater Tire Association. You have access to it. You have access to our local MLS. I don't, as a non-realtor, do I?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:46

You do not. But I mean what you can get on realtor.com and see everything that's put into it. That's what I thought. But you can't see the back end. You can't see what stuff actually sold for.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:54

Aaron Ross Powell Right. I mean I can go to realtor.com and I can see everything that's for sale, what realtor has got it listed and all price, reduced price, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:02

Trevor Burrus And so you know, Texas is a non-disclosure state. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:05

means you don't have to report the sale price. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:07

Right. But our MLS rule you do have to report it. So that's kind of a a a perk for joining our MLS.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:14

And our comps are better because of it.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:16

Yeah, like you know, you say Zillow, Zestaments. Right. You know, they they're guessing. Right, because they're going off a scad.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:23

I mean, that's some kind of computer line when you look at it.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:26

Yeah, but they they do not have soul data at all, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:29

So Well, I'm I I'm sure it'll it'll be more involved, but I don't think you should have any worry. I mean, um until the robots start showing the houses I mean you you're gonna have a job, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:42

I mean that's that's that's I was just you know, I was fighting it. I thought one person could make a difference. Yeah. I'm looking at the future of my kids, you know. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:50

That's all that's a that's a tsunami that you're standing out there with a you know bucket in a rain jacket. It's it's over, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:57

I'm stubborn like that sometimes. But no, I'm I'm I'm falling full full into the AI now. It's it's here to stay. And you know, really, it's a great tool. I mean, just from sending emails, you know. I mean, it's an upgrade from Google, really. Can you make this email sound nicer?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:10

Yeah. But I mean, when you look at Google versus, you know, AI, chat, GBT, it's really just a more sophisticated Google in a way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:20

But I'm really it's a thinking partner, you know. Right. You can you can really be a partner with it and collaborate.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:26

And I mean, it's really And just like other humans, you don't have to do or think what it says. Yeah. Right? It just provides a perspective. But anyway, man, it's been good uh to hear more about what you do and more about the city. And I just want to thank you for being on the show.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:42

It's been fun. I'm glad you had me. I mean, I'm I'm I'm at least an interesting guest, but you know, maybe this is my baby.