Real Estate Agent Magazine sat down with Corey Barton of CBH Homes to discuss his career as a builder and the real estate industry as a whole.
REAM: What first drew you to the construction industry?
Barton: I was first attracted when I was in high school and my mom decided to build a house. From there in the late ’80s, I spent some time in Southern California where they were building mass amounts of homes. I was drawn to the work – it fit me; being outside, the physical aspect, starting with one piece and putting it together to create something bigger and better.
REAM: What do you enjoy most about working with real estate agents?
Barton: Let’s just say I enjoy them so much, I married one! But really, we share a common goal. We both have the desire to find our buyer a home and work the deal toward a win-win. They’re a valuable asset to CBH Homes and a huge part of our success. They sell over 75 percent of our homes and we’re constantly looking for ways to become more successful together – real estate agents are an important part of the CBH team and I love them for that.
REAM: What do you believe most differentiates you from other builders?
Barton: Of course, I’m biased – there’s not one thing, there’s many. Most important is the team. These aren’t just people that fill positions; they’re special, well educated, personable professionals. We’ve been in the business for more than 20 years and some of our strongest members have been with us for many of those years. These strong members attract similar teammates who thrive with our culture and perform. We’re also constantly trying to improve every day. Not just one day, week or month but every day. We track numbers, attend classes and work to be better.
REAM: What is your vision for your company?
Barton: A vision always starts with what’s possible and what we are capable of. I’m one of the believers that anything’s possible if you put your mind to it. Add a few more people focusing on the same thing and you can accomplish amazing results. CBH continues to attract solid, winning people to our team. Growth is huge for us. We desire growth in the number of homes we build as well as the cities we cover. These visions start with one thing – our people.
REAM: How are you involved in the local real estate community?
Barton: We have several programs currently. With our Outstanding Partner Program, we branch outside our in-house sales team and work with local agents on listings in a few of our communities. With our Most Valuable REALTOR Program, we highlight an agent each month and even rewarded our top selling 2014 real estate agent with a $2,000 travel voucher. I teach a continuing education class, New Home University, where we help educate agents on the processes of new home construction. You can also occasionally catch me speaking at different events like the Women’s Council of REALTORS or at our REALTOR appreciation event, a Taste of CBH. Our main goal is really to just keep in contact with them and find out how to make them successful partners.
REAM: What are some of your hobbies outside of the office?
Barton: Outside of the office, I enjoy time with my wife and kids. As a family we see health as a hobby and discipline. We realize that we need to have health to be together for a long time and to make that time fun. Outside of that, I do occasionally jump out of planes! I enjoy sky surfing and flying aerobatic aircrafts. It may seem crazy or careless, but I like finding that fear and working through it. I like being scared and pressing the limits past where I feel comfortable, and then going onto another level. Maybe that’s what’s so attractive to me about home building.
