“We weren’t born on The Island,
but we got here as soon as we could,” say Mike and Joyce Stemmer,
husband and wife Realtor® team specializing in Galveston’s West End
properties. Along the way, they each gathered over 25 years of
experience in real estate sales, marketing and customer satisfaction, in
good markets and not-so-good. Together they’ve helped nearly 1,000
families achieve the American dream of home ownership. It all started in
1966 in the cafeteria at Wharton County Junior College in Wharton,
Texas. “Our eyes met across the room over bowls of beef stew,”
recalls Joyce Stemmer. “Little did we know that this dish would become
the staple of our early married life just a few years later.” Married
in 1969, Mike and Joyce attended the University of Houston their senior
year, working various part-time positions for tuition and living
expenses. One of Mike’s jobs was stock boy in a bakery thrift store.
“One of the perks was getting all the old bread and pastries that were
about ready for the dumpster. To this day, we cannot look at honey buns
without grimacing,” he laughs.
STARTING OUT:
TIRES GAUGES AND THE SMELL OF RUBBER
Mike
earned a BBA in marketing and Joyce a BA in journalism. “I started out
as assistant store manager and then manager of a Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co. store in Houston,” said Mike. “After all these years, I
still catch myself looking at tire treads on cars in parking lots,
checking wear patterns and such. The hours were long there, but from
working retail I learned how critical treating the customer right is to
the survival of a business.” Talking to a friend one day, Mike learned
of a high school buddy who was doing very well in new home sales. “Back
in the early ‘70’s, making $50,000 a year was unheard
of for a guy
in his 20’s. I immediately updated my resume and started making calls,”
he said. Mike joined Fox & Jacobs and was the first person they
hired for their Houston operations. He went on to become Rookie of the
Year and Salesperson of the Year with them. Mike also worked with U.S.
Home, Nash Phillips-Copus, Weekly and Superior Homes. His
accomplishments include Salesperson of the Year 1975, 1976, 1980 and
1981 and he was consistently in the top 10% of the companies’ sales
forces. “Of course, there were sales contests. The best one by far was
F & J’s trip to the Hawaiian Islands. I can still remember the
dinner when the contest was announced. Joyce looked at me with a look
that meant ‘We ARE GOING, MISTER.’ We had a wonderful time and,
having been bitten by the travel bug, vowed to see more of the world
whenever possible.
LIGHTS! CAMERAS! LAYOFFS!
Joyce’s
journalism degree took her into the field of advertising and public
relations. Her first job was writer/secretary for the advertising
manager for Westchester Corporation, developer of many upscale
neighborhoods in west and northwest Houston. “I wrote what’s called
advertorial for the Sunday Houston Chronicle and Post real estate
sections. I interviewed new homeowners, builders and described to
readers the details of some of the most beautiful homes I had ever seen.
It was a dream job,” Joyce remembers fondly. But when the housing
market weakened, staff cuts were made and the ad/pr department was the
first to go. She next joined a small property management company as
advertising coordinator creating newsletters, brochures and marketing
tools. An opening at Houston Lighting & Power led to a position as
advertising production coordinator. “At HL&P I was liaison with
the advertising agency, always on the set for television commercials,
casting sessions, assisting with Energy Checked builder ad and in house
publications. You know those annoying bill stuffers that come with your
electric bill? Well, that was my handiwork for a while,” she recalls.
But their work was taking them in different directions and conflicting
schedules were causing some difficulties. “Mike worked weekends and I
didn’t. If he had a day off at all it was mid week. We hardly saw one
another; in fact, one year we spent exactly two days together—Christmas
and New Year’s!” So they made a decision. Joyce gave notice at
HL&P and took some time away from work. Mike’s income in new home
sales had surprised them both. (But no one was more surprised than his
mother-in-law.) Long-time goals of a first home and new Corvette, not
necessarily in that order, became realities.
18 % INTEREST RATES AND A FAULT LINE
Encouraged
by Mike, Joyce decided to get her real estate license. Next came work in
leasing, apartment locating and property management. And then the
question came up, “Why not new home sales?” The answer came when
Superior Homes hired her as new home sales counselor. “Those were the
days of double-digit interest rates on home loans. I remember one FHA
step-rate program offering 14%-16%-18% so buyers could qualify more
easily,” she said. Next , Arbor Homes offered Joyce a new home sales
position in a brand new subdivision near Dairy Ashford and Westheimer.
“Actually, no one in sales wanted this subdivision because a fault
line ran diagonally through it. Engineering studies determined where
homes could be built and added wide green belts where they could not.
Not only did we sell houses, we also had to explain the fault line to
every buyer and have signed documentation as well. It was challenging,
but the neighborhood became the company’s most successful project.”
Awards garnered while with Arbor Homes include: Salesperson of the Year
1982, GHBA Sales and Marketing Council Million Dollar Award 1982, NAHB
Gold Million Dollar Circle 1982 for $6,000,000 in sales and Prism Award
Finalist 1983 for 1-200 Units Category.
ON THEIR OWN
Realizing
how they could each bring their skills together to form a unique team,
Mike and Joyce decided go into business for themselves. In 1982 they
formed Equity and Property Investments Co., a Texas corporation, and
began building, selling and managing fourplexes for investors. “Our
personal philosophy was simple: ‘Treat others as we would like to be
treated.’ Applying this to our business in terms of respect, attention
and exemplary service for our clients made for a very successful
enterprise,” Joyce said.. The economic downturn in 1986 brought this
venture to a halt. As more and more single family homes hit the
foreclosure market, they soon realized that someone had to sell them,
and sell them they did. “Thank goodness we are adaptable and not
afraid of change. In real estate, there are windows of opportunity and
you’ve got to react pretty quickly before they slam shut,” Mike
likes to say. In the summer of 1999, Mike developed a lower back problem
that brought an end to their highly successful foreclosure sales career.
Forced into “early semi-retirement,” the Stemmers sold their home in
one day and followed the moving van to Galveston where they kept a
getaway apartment on the seawall. Now, three years later, thanks to some
helpful procedures, physical therapy, medication, prayers and an
excellent care-giver, Mike is doing much better. Gone for good, though,
are those days of driving from county to county showing property. “My
back problem has pretty much forced me to slow down, to take things
easier and to appreciate the importance of family and good friends,”
Mike says. “We are very glad we made time for ourselves over the
years. We worked hard but took the time to relax which helped us become
better professionals and partners. We fell in love with cruising in the
early ‘80’s and our trips made us realize how blessed we are to be
living in America. We took St. Augustine’s words to heart: ‘The
world is a great book and those who do not travel read but a page.’ It
has most definitely affected our weltanschauung,” Joyce says.
THE RIGHT MOVE: COMING TO GALVESTON
The
Stemmers now reside on Galveston’s West End in the home they built.
They enjoy the simple pleasures of island living: Savoring a beautiful
sunset and a glass of wine on the back porch, watching the abundant
variety of bird life in and near the Laffite’s Cove Nature Preserve,
grilling the fresh catch of the day or walking on the beach at sunrise.
But they are still real estate people at heart and they love what they
do. Still applying their simple ‘Treat others as we would like to be
treated’ ideal, they are dedicated to helping others achieve their
dream of having their own little piece of paradise right here on
Galveston Island.
“We weren’t born on The Island,
but we got here as soon as we could,” say Mike and Joyce Stemmer,
husband and wife Realtor® team specializing in Galveston’s West End
properties. Along the way, they each gathered over 25 years of
experience in real estate sales, marketing and customer satisfaction, in
good markets and not-so-good. Together they’ve helped nearly 1,000
families achieve the American dream of home ownership. It all started in
1966 in the cafeteria at Wharton County Junior College in Wharton,
Texas. “Our eyes met across the room over bowls of beef stew,”
recalls Joyce Stemmer. “Little did we know that this dish would become
the staple of our early married life just a few years later.” Married
in 1969, Mike and Joyce attended the University of Houston their senior
year, working various part-time positions for tuition and living
expenses. One of Mike’s jobs was stock boy in a bakery thrift store.
“One of the perks was getting all the old bread and pastries that were
about ready for the dumpster. To this day, we cannot look at honey buns
without grimacing,” he laughs.
Mike
earned a BBA in marketing and Joyce a BA in journalism. “I started out
as assistant store manager and then manager of a Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co. store in Houston,” said Mike. “After all these years, I
still catch myself looking at tire treads on cars in parking lots,
checking wear patterns and such. The hours were long there, but from
working retail I learned how critical treating the customer right is to
the survival of a business.” Talking to a friend one day, Mike learned
of a high school buddy who was doing very well in new home sales. “Back
in the early ‘70’s, making $50,000 a year was unheard
of for a guy
in his 20’s. I immediately updated my resume and started making calls,”
he said. Mike joined Fox & Jacobs and was the first person they
hired for their Houston operations. He went on to become Rookie of the
Year and Salesperson of the Year with them. Mike also worked with U.S.
Home, Nash Phillips-Copus, Weekly and Superior Homes. His
accomplishments include Salesperson of the Year 1975, 1976, 1980 and
1981 and he was consistently in the top 10% of the companies’ sales
forces. “Of course, there were sales contests. The best one by far was
F & J’s trip to the Hawaiian Islands. I can still remember the
dinner when the contest was announced. Joyce looked at me with a look
that meant ‘We ARE GOING, MISTER.’ We had a wonderful time and,
having been bitten by the travel bug, vowed to see more of the world
whenever possible.
Joyce’s
journalism degree took her into the field of advertising and public
relations. Her first job was writer/secretary for the advertising
manager for Westchester Corporation, developer of many upscale
neighborhoods in west and northwest Houston. “I wrote what’s called
advertorial for the Sunday Houston Chronicle and Post real estate
sections. I interviewed new homeowners, builders and described to
readers the details of some of the most beautiful homes I had ever seen.
It was a dream job,” Joyce remembers fondly. But when the housing
market weakened, staff cuts were made and the ad/pr department was the
first to go. She next joined a small property management company as
advertising coordinator creating newsletters, brochures and marketing
tools. An opening at Houston Lighting & Power led to a position as
advertising production coordinator. “At HL&P I was liaison with
the advertising agency, always on the set for television commercials,
casting sessions, assisting with Energy Checked builder ad and in house
publications. You know those annoying bill stuffers that come with your
electric bill? Well, that was my handiwork for a while,” she recalls.
But their work was taking them in different directions and conflicting
schedules were causing some difficulties. “Mike worked weekends and I
didn’t. If he had a day off at all it was mid week. We hardly saw one
another; in fact, one year we spent exactly two days together—Christmas
and New Year’s!” So they made a decision. Joyce gave notice at
HL&P and took some time away from work. Mike’s income in new home
sales had surprised them both. (But no one was more surprised than his
mother-in-law.) Long-time goals of a first home and new Corvette, not
necessarily in that order, became realities.
Encouraged
by Mike, Joyce decided to get her real estate license. Next came work in
leasing, apartment locating and property management. And then the
question came up, “Why not new home sales?” The answer came when
Superior Homes hired her as new home sales counselor. “Those were the
days of double-digit interest rates on home loans. I remember one FHA
step-rate program offering 14%-16%-18% so buyers could qualify more
easily,” she said. Next , Arbor Homes offered Joyce a new home sales
position in a brand new subdivision near Dairy Ashford and Westheimer.
“Actually, no one in sales wanted this subdivision because a fault
line ran diagonally through it. Engineering studies determined where
homes could be built and added wide green belts where they could not.
Not only did we sell houses, we also had to explain the fault line to
every buyer and have signed documentation as well. It was challenging,
but the neighborhood became the company’s most successful project.”
Awards garnered while with Arbor Homes include: Salesperson of the Year
1982, GHBA Sales and Marketing Council Million Dollar Award 1982, NAHB
Gold Million Dollar Circle 1982 for $6,000,000 in sales and Prism Award
Finalist 1983 for 1-200 Units Category.
Realizing
how they could each bring their skills together to form a unique team,
Mike and Joyce decided go into business for themselves. In 1982 they
formed Equity and Property Investments Co., a Texas corporation, and
began building, selling and managing fourplexes for investors. “Our
personal philosophy was simple: ‘Treat others as we would like to be
treated.’ Applying this to our business in terms of respect, attention
and exemplary service for our clients made for a very successful
enterprise,” Joyce said.. The economic downturn in 1986 brought this
venture to a halt. As more and more single family homes hit the
foreclosure market, they soon realized that someone had to sell them,
and sell them they did. “Thank goodness we are adaptable and not
afraid of change. In real estate, there are windows of opportunity and
you’ve got to react pretty quickly before they slam shut,” Mike
likes to say. In the summer of 1999, Mike developed a lower back problem
that brought an end to their highly successful foreclosure sales career.
Forced into “early semi-retirement,” the Stemmers sold their home in
one day and followed the moving van to Galveston where they kept a
getaway apartment on the seawall. Now, three years later, thanks to some
helpful procedures, physical therapy, medication, prayers and an
excellent care-giver, Mike is doing much better. Gone for good, though,
are those days of driving from county to county showing property. “My
back problem has pretty much forced me to slow down, to take things
easier and to appreciate the importance of family and good friends,”
Mike says. “We are very glad we made time for ourselves over the
years. We worked hard but took the time to relax which helped us become
better professionals and partners. We fell in love with cruising in the
early ‘80’s and our trips made us realize how blessed we are to be
living in America. We took St. Augustine’s words to heart: ‘The
world is a great book and those who do not travel read but a page.’ It
has most definitely affected our weltanschauung,” Joyce says.
The
Stemmers now reside on Galveston’s West End in the home they built.
They enjoy the simple pleasures of island living: Savoring a beautiful
sunset and a glass of wine on the back porch, watching the abundant
variety of bird life in and near the Laffite’s Cove Nature Preserve,
grilling the fresh catch of the day or walking on the beach at sunrise.
But they are still real estate people at heart and they love what they
do. Still applying their simple ‘Treat others as we would like to be
treated’ ideal, they are dedicated to helping others achieve their
dream of having their own little piece of paradise right here on
Galveston Island.