REAM: Why did you decide to follow a career in real estate?
Mathues: I spent a number of years in the broadcasting industry. First at NBC in NYC and later at ESPN in Bristol, CT. After several years in that industry, I felt burned out and I wanted to do something completely different without the constraints of a corporation and a nine to five job. So, I decided that real estate was the perfect answer for me. I would be able to use my time as I wanted and I wouldn’t be paid less than a man, the commissions would not be discriminatory.
REAM: Tell us a little bit about your career.
Mathues: I first worked for a smaller independent real estate agency and they were very good to me, but I had to re-learn everything I knew from corporate life. My first couple years were rough, but I am not a quitter and never gave up. It is hard work to be a real estate agent and a new agent must rely on friends and relatives to drum up business. I was new to the area and my family didn’t live in Connecticut. And, I hadn’t made too many friends at that point. The agency I was working for went out of business after the founder died. So, I moved to Coldwell Banker in Avon and really enjoyed the camaraderie with the agents and learned a lot and did more business.
After a few years with Coldwell Banker, I moved to RE/MAX Hometown in Simsbury. That was a very good move for me. My business just bloomed, and I did lots of business with RE/MAX and enjoyed every minute of it. At the 10-year mark with RE/MAX, two other agents and myself decided to buy and open our own franchise so we bought a Realty World franchise. We were very excited to own our own business, but after a few years each one of the partners decided it wasn’t the right fit for them, so they left and I continued the franchise. I owned Realty World Hometown for 15 years. And closed it in 2019 and joined Century 21 AllPoints in Avon. They have treated me very well and I am happy there.
REAM: Tell us about one of the biggest challenges in this industry.
Mathues: Lead Generation! How do you overcome it? Tell everyone you know and even people you don’t know, that you are a real estate professional. When I was brand new I even ran TV commercials.
REAM: Who are your real estate mentors?
Mathues: Craig Proctor is a RE/MAX agent who is very successful and taught a real estate program which I followed for years. And Jay Kinder and Michael Reese formed a company called Kinder Reese which also did real estate programs and conventions. I followed their training for quite a few years as well.
REAM: What career goals do you have for the next five years?
Mathues: I want to continue to be a very active agent working with lots of buyers and sellers and turning them into my trusted friends and advisors, and enjoying their company.
REAM: Tell us about your first sale.
Mathues: One of my first closings was with a buyer who bought a house in Bloomfield and came to the closing with a bag full of cash. Of course, the attorney couldn’t accept cash, so I had to take the buyer to the bank to get a bank check. That is how green I was, I didn’t know you couldn’t pay in actual cash!
REAM: How are you involved in the local real estate community?
Mathues: I continue to be on committees at the Greater Hartford Association of REALTORS®. And, I have served on the board of directors at both GHAR and the CT Association of REALTORS®, as a director.
REAM: What are your hobbies?
Mathues: I LOVE spending time at the beach, and I love to travel.