Real Estate Agent Magazine Phoenix sat down with Tony Champy to discuss his career in real estate and the origins and his plans for the future.
REAM: What first drew you to the real estate industry?
CHAMPY: My grandfather, who, with only an eighth-grade education, saw the importance of owning property and ultimately gave me the vision. He started out as a mason and then started his own construction company. Upon selling the construction business for great profit he then purchased Champy’s auto service and supply station. It was during the 1960s and after work he and my grandmother spent all of their spare time building their own home. In addition, he then built a lake house for his family to gather and he enjoyed them both with all of us in retirement. These homes are still in the family to this day!
REAM: Did you have a career in another industry before embarking in real estate?
CHAMPY: I knew I wanted to be in the real estate industry when I started college at ASU, where I obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance. My primary goal has always been to help my clients and my investors to make the best decision to maximize their return on investment.
I worked my way through college bartending which allowed me to finish school with no debt and keep my days open, so I could pursue a career in real estate sales. To this day, clients appreciate my strong work ethic and have shown their loyalty by sending me referrals. I appreciate their trust and believe that is part of my success.
REAM: What is your biggest challenge as a real estate agent?
CHAMPY: I want every client’s experience to be fun and positive. There are so many moving parts to a transaction that the public doesn’t know about and is not found on Google. I want them to know I’m comparable to a strong insurance policy. I have experience as an owner and builder, so I understand the construction process which helps me direct my clients to negate any potential problems throughout the entire home search or sale preparation. When issues arise, they are in good hands. I do everything possible to make the transaction go smoothly from the start. I’m there for my clients before, during and aft er the process. The complexities of buying and selling are the areas of the business I enjoy. You have to enjoy it and stay centered to be an effective agent.
REAM: What do you enjoy most about your day-today job?
CHAMPY: Meeting new people makes the job fun. I like hearing about where they are from, their current and past careers and their family experiences. You can learn a lot about life by listening to other people talk about their lives. Some of my life lessons have been learned by listening to my clients. This also helps me best serve their individual needs during the real estate transaction.
REAM: Tell us about your first sale.
CHAMPY: My first sale was to myself. I bought a home in old town Scottsdale. The listing agent was the niece of the seller who was very kind to me through the process. She was near retirement and passed on some great advice. One in particular has stuck with me: “If you plan on selling some day don’t buy a house on a street with a center turn lane.”
REAM: What are some of your hobbies outside of the office?
CHAMPY: I love to hike! We have access to so many hiking trails throughout the Valley. Meeting the Arizona sunrise while hiking Echo Canyon trail on Camelback Mountain is by far my favorite activity.
If I could do anything else on a full-time basis it would be rescuing animals. Since my time is limited due to our busy market, I donate to Boxer Luv Rescue located in Phoenix. I am known as a “Foster Failure” because over the years I was supposed to foster different dogs, but I ended up keeping them! Pets and real estate, they go together well!
