This middletown Real Estate Agent survives a lunatic marketplace with a little humor and a lot of honesty

by JENNIFER VIKSE • Photos By Tina Collela

Gary Thomson tells it like it is.

“My assistant tells me all the time that I’m too blunt,” the career realtor admitted during a cell phone call, made while canvassing the area in his car, checking on listings—both current and potential. “I’m very candid with people. I don’t tell them what they want to hear. I tell people I am doing this for their own good. Sometimes I lose listings because the next agent tells them their house is worth more than it really is. Part of my philosophy for seller is to price [correctly] from the beginning and you will net more in the end.”

Today’s reality is that it’s a seller’s market. “But it’s all price driven. The one thing I can’t do is make people pay too much for a house,” he quipped.

Thomson, who has been in real estate for 12 years, focuses on Monmouth County, paying special attention to his home community of Middletown. He sells everything from bungalows to multimillion dollar estates.

Being from the area (both he and his parents grew up in Middletown), things got off to a good start once he decided that real estate was a passion. “My parents grew up here, too. That helped me get going. Nowadays, it’s mostly reputation I guess,” he said of the success he’s enjoying.

While the real estate bug bit him during the process of buying a first home, Thomson said it wasn’t part of the original plan.

“The first transaction that I did, I was just drawn to it—like a fish to water—and that was it,” he explained. Prior to that, he owned and operated a successful driving school with his father. “But then I did this full time right away. I like houses, I like people. I am a people person. I don’t like the idea of being at a desk all day long.”

And while he’s not chained to a desk, Thomson noted the common misconception that realtors make their own schedules. “You don’t,” he explained, noting that they go where the client is…at their convenience. “But you don’t have to wake up at dawn and commute to the city either.”

While there’s really no such thing as a typical day in the business, there are some consistencies in the schedule.

“I sit at my kitchen counter with coffee and laptop for a good one to two hours every morning before I get ready for work. I check the hot sheet for new listings and changes as well as send e-mails. It’s my couple of hours of solitude,” said the husband and father of two daughters.

And while it might make sense to work from home, Thomson doesn’t. “My office is about a mile from my house. If I’m not at an appointment, I’m in the office.”

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Thomson had two appointments and spent the rest of the day checking on listings. He also keeps track of vacant properties, as well as foreclosures sent from Hudson City Savings Bank. “I arrange everything—anything that needs to be fixed or done. I do a little background, know many different contractors and professionals in the area,” he said—in a way becoming a one-man Angie’s List for Monmouth County.

While he started his real estate career with Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate and enjoyed working there for eight years, he decided to move to RE/MAX because he thought it would be a good fit.

“RE/MAX is a more career driven office, where most agents in my office are full time,” noted Thomson, who is somewhat of a hound when it comes to new business. “I love being on the street, doing drive-bys. I’ve got kind of a sixth sense for homes getting ready to go on the market.”

“I’m very comfortable with my workload. Last year was the best year I’ve had in this business. I want to continue at that pace, but I want to have a life, too,” he said. “Before my kids were born, when I was newly married, I worked my ass off—wasn’t afraid of working a lot and hard, but now there’s a certain time of night where my phone actually turns off.”

The work/family balance now allows for time to play softball, a passion of Thomson. “I play in a few softball leagues…played growing up,” he said, adding with a wince that neither of his daughters (ages 10 and 8) want anything to do with the game, though they both enjoy playing soccer.

In addition, Thomson has a passion for cars. He has restored a 1971 Ford Pickup truck and enjoys cruising around in it in good weather. “My wife and older daughter are so embarrassed of this thing. They hate to be seen in it, but my younger daughter, she loves it,” he laughed. “I have to like what I drive. It’s something that I care about.”

Thomson and his family include one dog and five cats in their household. He also hosts animal drives for the ASPCA, providing pick-up of items needed by the shelters, and administers a sizeable mailer to get the word out to the community about the now-149-year-old animal protection organization. Four out of the family’s five cats are rescues.

“Just yesterday, a dog ran out in front of my car and I put her in to drive and find the owner. I just have a soft spot for animals,” he said.

He also has a tender spot for good clients. The client/realtor relationship is pivotal for success, of course, and Thomson knows it—sells 35 to 45 houses a year.

“It’s nice when we get good clients. Sometimes there are difficult ones—we have hard deals and easy deals. I don’t necessarily become friends, but I like to be friendly. I like to earn people’s trust. I care for my clients, I really do. That’s why I’m able to be so honest. It took me awhile to get comfortable enough. I don’t have much of a filter.”

Gary Thomson
RE/MAX The Real Estate LEADERS
113 Tindall Road, Middletown / 732.933.0200