A large crowd was on hand to wish Chris Tanner of Salem well as his 30-year real estate career at Somer Real Estate came to an end on Wednesday.
Tanner, who earlier retired as a Salem Police Sergeant, is still working with law enforcement agencies through the Illinois Enforcement Alarm System.
Tanner said computer were just coming into use in real estate when he entered the business.
“In ’95 we actually handed out three-ring binders of current listings, of which Nancy Broom was the office coordinator, and she updated those books once a week. People would come in and take books out, but the bad thing was that it wasn’t really up to date because the houses had sold.”
Now with computerization, Tanner says it is possible to see up to date listings across a wide region.
Tanner says he always like the ‘people’ part of the business.
“Meeting people for the first time, showing them houses and getting to know their needs, wants, wishes, and what they didn’t want, and then getting a contract established. Then next comes the home inspection, again, it’s a whole new negotiation process.”
And Tanner says challenges remain through the closing process that can also derail a sale. But when a sale finally makes it through the process, he loves the handshakes and hugs as a family is able to move into a new house to meet their needs.
Tanner looks at the huge jump in home sales during COVID_19 as one of the most unusual parts of his career that he still doesn’t totally understand.
With retirement from real estate, Tanner says he’ll have more time travel with his wife.
The owner of Somer Real Estate, Stacey Russell, says Chris has been a valuable person in our office and community over the years.
