D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
November 2010
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Grant County's top-selling real-estate broker is a self-described "good-at-math and numbers person" for whom selling property involves both passion and skill.
"I love real estate," Patrick Conlin declares. "I still get a rush every time I list a place and every time I sell a place."
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Conlin with his beloved canines. (Photo by Lisa D. Fryxell) |
Seated in the tastefully appointed office of his Prudential Silver City Properties, Conlin says after 10-plus years studying the market he "can walk into a house and tell you what it is worth. I don't have to look at a computer and see what the place next door sold for. I don't need to go back to the office and crunch the numbers. I just know all that in my head."
But life is not simply a numbers game for the 39-year-old Chicago native. And over the past two years, the going has not been easy.
"After Tad died, my dogs basically saved my life," confides Conlin, referring to the November 2008 death from cancer of his long-time partner, acclaimed artist Tad van der Weele. "I have three Airedales currently and they give me a lot of joy. I have a special place in my heart for that breed."
If not for Tad, there probably would be no "fun-loving, funny-looking" Airedale terriers in Conlin's life — and perhaps no rocket-to-the-top career as a Realtor. Maybe Conlin would not live in New Mexico at all, but still be a health-care professional in a faraway big city.
In 1996 the couple was ensconced in the rainy Pacific Northwest, when the sunshine and "mystique" of New Mexico beckoned. The men first visited a friend of Tad's in Silver City, taking time out for horseback riding and an excursion to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The landscape and lifestyle were like nothing Conlin had experienced in Illinois or Indiana — where he earned a BS degree in public health — or Seattle, where he was working at the University of Washington. Silver City's historic downtown was a draw, along with the town's affordable housing, proximity to the great outdoors, and friendliness. "In this town," he observes, "people will drop by your house unannounced and you'll say, 'Oh, that's so sweet that you came by.' In a bigger city that would be considered rude. In Silver City, it's nice."
By 1999, the pair was ready for a change.
"Tad," Conlin recalls, "liked the lack of distraction here, the [quality of] light, and the supportive art community. He wanted to move down and I was game for that."
Conlin helped sell van der Weele's house in Seattle — at $22,000 above the asking price — with the help of a Realtor friend. The profits helped purchase a home in Silver City's University District, where the couple proceeded to live for eight years. Tad's beloved Airedale, which Conlin had fallen in love with, relocated as well.
"After six months I was kind of going crazy and feeling bored," explains Conlin. "I had enjoyed selling and buying our houses and thought I'd try it [professionally]. I told myself, 'I'm going to do it my way and if it works it works. If it doesn't, I'll do something else.'"
It worked.
Conlin sold a house the first day after receiving his real-estate license. During the next eight months he closed a dozen deals. The following year, as an associate at the Silver City real-estate firm where he'd started as a receptionist, the newly minted agent completed 34 transactions. It wasn't long before Conlin oversaw more than 100 sales annually, making him the biggest producing Realtor in town. He's maintained that status since starting his own firm, a Prudential franchise, in 2005.
As of Oct. 15, Conlin had closed 43 deals this year, valued at over $6 million, with 11 others pending. This despite the challenges of what he admits is a "terrible" market. "I sold a $9,000 house this year and a $1-million-plus property," he points out. "I'm still able to sell homes because it is all about price. If the house is priced aggressively enough, you can sell it. What I say to people about the market being down is that the things that make Silver City special have not changed. We still have those assets. The market is down because we have fewer buyers."
Realty Reality Check
Realtor Patrick Conlin offers these insights into the local real-estate market: Last year was "the pits" for Grant County real-estate sales. In some respects 2010 is better: During the third quarter of this year, 60 residential properties sold, valued at $10.2 million. In the same quarter of 2009, 52 homes sold valued at $7.8 million. Comparing the same period, the median price rose from $136,450 to $155,700. In contrast, 101 residential properties sold in the third quarter of 2006 and 102 sold in the same period of 2007. During the first and second quarters of this year, 61 and 72 homes sold locally at collective values of $9.5 million and $10.6 million, respectively. But median prices fell from $150,000 to $133,500, quarter to quarter. In 2010, through the third quarter, no farms or ranches sold in this market and only a single multi-family unit. A mere five commercial properties changed hands along with 47 parcels of land. Downtown has been a particularly tough sell, with economic conditions keeping rents low and some absentee landlords electing to keep their storefronts empty while waiting for conditions to improve. Silver City tends to lag about a year behind what's happening nationally in real estate. The market peaked here from 2005 through early 2007. Overall activity has declined since then. "Is it going to take us awhile to rebound?" Conlin asks rhetorically. "Yes. Will our prices remain flat for a while? I think so, but if you are in it for the long haul — five years or more — you're going to be fine." Local buyers are picking up the slack as prices come down and out-of-towners have difficulty selling their homes and raising cash. Homes once valued here at or near $400,000, for example, are typically priced around $300,000. Prices are down across the board, making room for more first-time buyers. Foreclosures are not a big part of the Grant County real-estate scene, since the area has never been overbuilt. There are no big tract-home subdivisions, for instance, and few houses are built on speculation. Therefore, foreclosures are up here only slightly. Condominiums and townhouses are almost non-existent in this market, to the chagrin of many would-be buyers who would prefer such options as they downsize in retirement or establish part-time residences. The same holds true for downtown Silver City live-work spaces. Builders and lenders, Conlin speculates, may be afraid to attempt such ventures due to a lack of a local track record regarding such investments. Any home priced above $200,000 is currently considered "high-end" for the market. Houses that sell most easily tend to fall into the $100,000-$200,000 range. Popular neighborhoods with quick turnovers include the University and Historic Districts as well as Chihuahua Hill. In mid-October only about one in 10 houses for sale was under contract. This means about 360 homes in the market were competing for buyers — a sobering statistic. The boom-and-bust cycle at local mines plays only a small role in the real-estate market. Few employees come to the region with a relocation package. Those who already live here and are laid off usually try to ride out the situation without changing their housing, although some may leave temporarily to take jobs elsewhere. |
These days, Conlin represents about two-thirds sellers and one-third buyers.
Virtually every workday Conlin says he meets or speaks with individuals who appreciate Grant County as much for what it isn't as what it is. He says, "The majority of people moving here are coming for lifestyle changes. They move here because of the weather, the outdoors, the funkiness of the downtown, the national forest, the emptiness of the landscape, the cultural components, the friendliness, the historic buildings, and so on." Many newcomers are fully or semi-retired, while others are "location neutrals" who can work almost anywhere but prefer a small town that boasts modest amenities along with a relaxed ambiance.
The laidback lifestyle appeals to Conlin, dressed casually this day in a short-sleeved, open-neck shirt; his short haircut and slender frame accent still-boyish looks. "Even though I'm very busy and have a lot on my plate, I'm not stressed out," he says. "It's a different kind of busy here. For instance, I spend no time commuting in traffic. I get to work within seven minutes. I hate to shop, so I don't care that there is no Gap, no Macy's, or whatever. As far as it relates to my personal life, I don't care if I don't have the latest fashion or technology. Those things are a distraction — they're unimportant. There is no 'keeping up with the Joneses' mentality here, which I feel eliminates so much bullshit."
By the same token, Conlin acknowledges that in order for the region to obtain more services, stores and businesses, population will need to grow. Perhaps because of this, he does not sense any significant "anti-growth" attitude coming from the general population. Downtown, Conlin points out, is gradually improving, and more houses are sprouting in rural areas. While future development here is anybody's guess, Conlin expects to be part of it.
"[This career] just happened for me very easily," he says, shrugging modestly, robin's-egg blue eyes flashing. "I never sold real estate anywhere else. I work hard. I do a good job and I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. There's no secret. I'm comfortable with who I am and I know myself. I believe that when you have a level of expertise and confidence about yourself, people will gravitate toward you."
If there is a secret to Conlin's success, it may have to do with his understanding and appreciation of what is, admittedly, a quirky and "still off the radar" piece of American geography. (For the present, he notes, the national press — and all but a relatively small number of tourists — are ignoring Silver City.)
"When we moved here 11 years ago I just felt we had found a secret place," stresses Conlin, who now shares his life with three Airedales — Maggie, Max, and Boomer — on a compound at the outskirts of town once owned by former Apollo astronaut and US Senator Harrison "Jack" Schmitt. "Tad and I enjoyed walking the dogs to the coffee shop, to art openings and to restaurants. I really liked that 'neighborhoody' feeling" of the University District.
"We had a honeymoon experience with Silver City," he reflects wistfully. "Not to sound hokey, but it turned into a love affair. It's the best place I've ever lived. And the very rewarding and validating thing about it for me is that I have been successful simply by being myself."