Southern Indiana Business September-October 2020 | Page 40

FAMILY OWNED
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teamwork
Family owned Howard Team Real
Estate treats people like family
By Daniel Suddeath
They are a team in every sense
of the word, as they share
bonds that span from their
professional careers to their
love of Southern Indiana.
Howard Team Real Estate is truly a
family venture. Launched by Patti Howard
and her son, Zach Howard, in 2018,
the Realtors were joined by partner John
Harris in 2019. He may not be a direct
relative, but Harris is basically a family
member. He’s been friends with Zach
since they were children, and they were
both taught physical education by Patti in
middle school.
The trio has been making its mark
on local real estate, and not even a pandemic
has slowed their progress. They
credit that success in part to their ability
for making homebuyers feel like they are
also connected to the team.
“We operate on I’d say 98 percent
referral. I think that tells something just
about our presence in the community,”
Patti said. “They trust us. We’re honest.
We feel like we’re a team with integrity.
We treat people like family.”
The commonalities among the three
stretch beyond their longstanding relationships.
They are all either current or
former full-time educators.
Patti retired after teaching physical
education at Jeffersonville High School
and Charlestown Middle School. She
coached girls’ basketball, golf and track
at Jeffersonville High.
Zach and John are also teachers.
Zach is a physical education teacher at
Highland Hills Middle School, while
John teaches science at Henryville High
School.
“I do think that our skills in teaching
carries right over into real estate,” Patti
said.
Zach joked that he’s “essentially
turned into my mother” based on his
career choices, but their successes in the
classroom and in real estate prove that
Patti’s path is a good one to follow.
She got her real estate license about 15
years ago, and was a partner at Schuler
Bauer for about seven years. Patti then
partnered with David Bauer in 2014
where she worked until the summer of
2017.
Late that year, she began discussing a
potential partnership with her son, who
was already dabbling in real estate.
They launched their own team in 2018,
and they sold about $8.5 million during
their first year. Harris joined the team the
following year, and Patti said the partnership
has been a blessing.
“We have a good time, but we’re also
hard workers,” she said.
Realizing dreams
Zach said Realtors deal with people
while they’re making some of the biggest
decisions of their lives, whether that’s
buying a home or selling their house.
One of the primary responsibilities of a
good Realtor is to ensure the customer
feels comfortable and that their needs and
concerns are addressed, he said.
“You want to give them as much information
as possible, make them feel at
ease,” he said.
The familiarity customers have with
Howard Team Real Estate helps customers
while they’re wading through the process,
Harris said.
“Everyone comes to our team feeling
comfortable,” he said.
And whether someone is buying a
starter home, a small piece of property
or a large house, they are treated the same
and get the same level of commitment
from the team, Harris added.
Patti said that dedication helps Howard
40 September / October 2020