RE/MAX owner focuses on client satisfaction

By Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Leslie Beard has been a selfemployed entrepreneur her whole life.

She’s the owner at RE/MAX Out West Realty Sisters, dividing her time between Sisters and her other RE/MAX Out West Realty endeavor in Prineville, which she has owned and operated since 2011. Last year she opened an office in Redmond.

“We have three offices to better serve our clients,” she said.

Beard got into real estate somewhat reluctantly, she recalled.

”I had a son to put through college and a husband who wanted to retire, so I was dragged kicking and screaming into real estate,” she said.

But the field turned out to be a perfect fit for her temperament and her ethic.

”I like to work with people,” she said. “I like to help people.”

Working in Prineville, she decided to open her own brokerage, and “RE/MAX was a no-brainer for me,” she said. “It’s unbelievable what they offer — plus the brand recognition.”

Beard sees her brokers as her clients, and she is committed to supporting them in every way possible, from providing them with the best technological tools, to providing office assistance to free them up to spend more time working face-to-face with clients.

”My job is to serve their needs, to be a good steward for them,” she said.

She notes that her team is committed to the highest degree of client satisfaction.

“We really, really focus on the quality of service we provide to our clientele, not the quantity,” she said.

She wants her clients to come to RE/MAX as their “Realtor for life.”

“That’s just always our primary focus,” she says.

Beard’s ethic and approach to her work has a strong foundation.

“My business and my personal life are based on faith and prayer,” she says.

It has been three years this month since Beard took ownership of RE/MAX Out West Realty here in Sisters, and she continues to believe strongly in the community. She notes that prices have gone up, and there is a chronic issue with low inventory.

Many people are retiring here or seeking second homes, which means they have specific needs to meet. Realtors, Beard believes, “must continually adapt to change.

One thing that does not change is Sisters’ desirability.

“It’s never lost its draw,” Beard says. “Sisters has a tremendous amount of charm.”

Beard continues to live near Prineville, where she lives “off the grid.”

“I love it,” she says. “It’s a great lifestyle.”

And, while the real estate market may change, requiring brokers to understand current market trends, changes in law and finance and new technologies; values and ethics don’t change. Whatever the ups and downs and ins and outs of the real estate market, taking care of people will always pay off, in a variety of ways.

Beard continues to believe that with commitment to good stewardship, brokers and their clients will thrive — and so will the business.

”If you do it right,” she says, “the bottom line’s going to be just fine.”

Contact Beard at 541-771-0829 or email lesliebeard@remax.net.