“TV Anchor to Realtor? How did that happen?”
I get asked that question all the time. Prior to 2019, I had never considered real estate as a career. I had been immersed in broadcasting—since I was a teenager. Nothing else mattered. I racked up a dozen internships and part-time jobs in TV and radio by the time I graduated from college.
I first got interested through a good friend of my father. Growing up in Buffalo, Van Miller was “it.” He was the ‘Voice’ of the Buffalo Bills, the Buffalo Braves and was on TV every night. Back then, local news and sports was a bigger deal.
Van let me hang around his TV station, sort of an informal internship with “Uncle Van.” I brought him wire copy, ran scripts and whatever else the producers needed. I loved being around it. It later became a paid-internship, and ten years later—after starting my career in radio and moving to Tampa and then Ft. Myers to break into TV–I moved back to Buffalo to anchor the news at that same station where my parents dropped me off to shadow my mentor. (Imagine the thrill I had when I first said on-air, “And now with sports, here’s Van!”)
Fast-forward 30 years and with the internet, streaming services, smart phones, video games, etc., local news simply isn’t as important as it used to be. It’s an afterthought. I saw more obvious signs of bias. I even detected a different caliber of personnel. (It used to be “I’m here to bring you the news.” And now in some cases it is, “The news is here to bring you me.”)
At the right moment, three years ago I was approached by a friend who already made a sharp turn—from law enforcement to financial services. Pete Abbott convinced me that my knowledge of the area, vast network of relationships and–what he called–my “credibility” would make me a successful financial advisor. I began to consider it when another friend, Richard Stern, said, “If you want to leverage your knowledge of the area and name recognition, real estate has a much shorter runway.”
I loved that expression. It made total sense. Sold!
I called the highest-producing Realtor in the area and invited him to lunch. Roger Pettingell was supportive. I stumbled and bumbled my way through the licensing process–and in early 2020 hung my shingle with Coldwell Banker.
A couple friends immediately called and asked me to help sell their homes. I was shocked, honored–and scared.
But I approached each listing with the same tenacity I used while producing the news. I worked hard, fast and wouldn’t quit until the job was done. I soon realized many of the skills as a reporter transferred to being a Realtor. I worked seven days a week, often early in the morning to late at night. It became a lifestyle, not a job—much like I treated my previous career in TV news. By the end of my first full year, I was again shocked and honored—but no longer scared when I finished 6th in my office of 150 Realtors. Now at the end of my 2nd full-year, I’ve helped 66 clients and accrued nearly $50 million dollars in transactions. Perhaps the ultimate compliment is being taken to lunch by other new Realtors wanting to know my secret sauce.
As for TV news, do I miss it? Not really. I love the autonomy of real estate. I no longer must request a day off months in advance. I no longer must take turns working holidays. And I no longer have to wince when I feel both sides of a story are not being told. Now I just turn the channel.
Photos from Ray Collins
Ray Collins is a Global Luxury Realtor affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty Downtown Sarasota, an elected official, media consultant and travel writer. Articles by Ray Collins