 |
Tom Grisak President/Realtor/Broker of Record/Listing Agent/Webmaster 972-359-1553 The top selling Lovejoy ISD Realtor For the Past Ten Consecutive years! |
Education
A native Texan, I was born in Ft. Worth and raised in Richardson, Texas. I graduated from Richardson High School in 1972 and attended to The University of Arkansas from 1972 to 1976. I earned a Bachelor's Degree then a Master of Education from North Texas State University (now UNT) in 1979.
The Oil Patch
My introduction into the real world was a brutal stint in the Oklahoma and Mississippi oil fields. That was the toughest, most physically demanding and exhausting job you can imagine. Fortunately for me, the oil business was going into the tank quickly, so my decision was easy to return to Dallas and civilization.
Commercial Real Estate Background
I began my real estate career on the commercial side in 1984. From 1984 to 1997, I negotiated $68 million in sales and leases of commercial transactions, including the sale of many of Aetna's office/showroom buildings. I also earned the most prestigious national commercial designation one can attain, the SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors). To earn this designation, the broker must show 5 straight years of $7 million plus in production (their side only) with no gaps, and then be voted in by your peers.
Residential Real Estate Background
In 1997, after two especially good years in commercial real estate, I decided the time was right to make a change. The money was certainly good, but the 45 minute drives to and from the office, the traffic congestion, endless concrete, and the fast lane of commercial real estate was taking its toll. Rhonda and I bought a home in the sleepy little town of Lucas, Texas and I took a year off to ponder my future.
I began my residential real estate career a year later in 1998. I had virtually no knowledge of how to market or sell a home, no coaching, and certainly no help from my competition :-) As we say in Texas, "I didn't know come here from sic 'em". As it turns out, this was the best thing that could have happened to me. I brought my own vision of marketing and a fresh approach from my commercial experiences. There was no-one to tell me how it should be done. To this day, this has set our company apart from our competition.
I was too stubborn (or ignorant) to realize you just don't start a company from scratch and compete with the "big boys". In fact, I sometimes look back and wonder how I could have been so foolish and naive to go it alone without a big company name behind me. But it worked out. I sold $5 million my first full year on the residential side as a one man shop.
Our production has steadily grown every year since. I have led the Lucas, Fairview and Parker area every year since 2000. Our company is built around smart, professional, ethical, highly trained, and committed individuals who share my vision of how residential real estate should be sold. Every Realtor in our company shares the same fierce loyalty for their clients as I do mine, buyers and sellers alike. And we like to think we are the company the "big boys" are chasing these days :-)
Family
My lovely wife Rhonda is also a Realtor and helps me immensely with our listings. We have a wonderful son, Jason, who is in Lovejoy ISD, five dogs (all strays) and two stray cats. We love Lucas and the lifestyle it affords us. We can be admiring this beautiful countryside one minute and 10 minutes later be sitting in a fine restaurant in Allen or Fairview. We enjoy and appreciate the best of both worlds! It's not hard to sell homes in an area you truly love!
Tennis Background
I played for the University of Arkansas from 1972 to 1976. I played in the number two singles and doubles position my senior year and finished at .500 in the Southwest Conference. I coached tennis in high school and college for a short while out of college, but soon realized as much as I loved the game, it was very difficult to make a living.
After a 25 year layoff from the game, I tried to remember how to play the game again in 2008. I earned a number 5 ranking in Texas in Men's 55 and over singles in 2009, my first year back, but an injury shortly thereafter forced me to stop playing again.
I'm a certified USPTA (United States Professional Tennis Association) tennis instructor. I hold a level P-1 designation, which is the highest teaching designation awarded by the USPTA. Some day I hope to have the time to start teaching tennis again. The game has been very good to me and I'd like to pass some of my knowledge on to others.
Tom Grisak Estate Homes Realtors, Inc - Texas License # 0329533 7-29-06
Your Realtors for Allentexas, Celinatexas, Fairviewtexas, Lucastexas, McKinneytexas, Murphytexas, Parkertexas, Prospertexas