It’s Friday and we are asking five questions of Don Erler, CAI, AARE of Sperry Van Ness/Ward Commercial Group in Louisville, Kentucky.
1. What is your geographic market and product specialty?
My partner Bill Menish and I work primarily in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee, but have often conducted auctions throughout the country. Erler Menish Auctions as part of SVN Ward Commercial Group conducts real estate auctions only, with primary emphasis in recent years on bank owned and troubled properties. In the more than 25 years that I have been in practice, I have been able to establish great relationships with banks and bankers, which in today’s market have accelerated (no pun intended) my practice to new levels of production.
2. What’s your latest best practice tip that you can share?
If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. If you love people, you will love what we are doing: STP, see the property; see the people. Get out of the office and enjoy where you live, who you can work with and how you can solve their real estate problems and goals. When I got into the real estate auction business in 1987, my mentor told me to spend time with creative people and I would never be bored.
What’s been the biggest changeover on how you run your business in the past decade?
Wow. Years ago I hoped I could retire before I had to learn how to use a PC. Little did I know how modern technology was going to change my life and my business. The ability to reach out and communicate with anyone, anywhere, anytime makes this an incredible world. It’s still a bit scary to think what it will look like in 10 or 20 more years. It’s hard to imagine where this is all going, but the ride is incredible!
4. What business book do you like to recommend to your colleagues?
My daily focus is my health and fitness, both physical and mental. You are only as old as you think and feel, but if your health fails, you have nothing left. It’s not a business book, but Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy – Until You’re 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D., is a great read and offers great advice. Also, if you need to continue to be motivated, the Canfield books and classes are fabulous.
5. What’s a fun fact that not everyone knows about you?
I have two children (33 and 20), both out of the house, so our “children” are and have always been our four-legged friends. Right now we have two large dogs and seven cats of all flavors. I can’t image what life on our farm would be like without animals in our life. When I met my wife in the late 1970s I had 27 animals: six dogs, four cats, six chickens, and 11 horses. She only objected to the large number of horses. But when you live on a farm in Kentucky, horses are almost a necessity to fill in the area behind the black board fences.
*All Sperry Van Ness® offices are independently owned and operated.