Bob was successful in business in his own right . He helped build one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country out of his home market in Silicon Valley .
In June the world lost a pioneer , an icon , a gentleman , and a scholar . Bob Helms , a . k . a . “ The Godfather of Real Estate ”. He was 85 years old . He had been investing in real estate for over seven decades . Even in his 80 ’ s Bob was active , planning , learning , growing , contributing and creating . He authored his book “ Be In The Top 1 %: A Real Estate Agent ’ s Guide To Getting Rich In The Investment Property Niche ” when he was in his 80 ’ s .
His book isn ’ t an advertisement , not a business card . It ’ s not an ego memoir . It ’ s a contribution , born out of a genuine desire to teach , to share , to pay it forward . We spend so much of our lives deep in the content of living . What was striking about Bob was the context . Bob ’ s context was contribution . You never got the impression that he was acting out of selfinterest .
Bob and I had many deep conversations over the years . But the conversation that stuck foremost in my mind was the very first conversation . He wanted to get to know me . He was genuinely interested in learning about me . He was the quintessential ambassador and made me instantly feel welcome . But I ’ m not an isolated case . Everyone I speak with who knew Bob had virtually the same first meeting experience . He left that same lasting first impression with everyone he engaged with . Bob was a people ’ s person . He loved people . It wasn ’ t an act , or a realtor ’ s gimmick . His genuine love for people burst through in every interaction . He carried an abundance mindset in an industry that is synonymous with turf wars . He was never insecure about sharing . There would always be enough to go around .
Bob was successful in business in his own right . He helped build one of the largest real estate brokerages in the country out of his home market in Silicon Valley . The wave of growth in Silicon Valley no doubt played a role in his success . There ’ s nothing like being in the right place at the right time . But Silicon Valley is an incredibly competitive environment and only the best rise to the top .
Bob distinguished himself as an expert in investment properties . He learned early on that a residential home buyer doesn ’ t generate a lot of repeat business . Active investors on the other hand , are deal junkies . They cultivate a deal flow . A single investor client with repeat business could bring the same level of business as twenty or thirty individual clients . Focus and attention on serving his target clients catapulted his business . These are concepts that are central to marketing in our current time . But think back thirty or forty years and Bob ’ s work was pioneering .
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