Monthly member profile: Ken Worley

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Realtor®: Ken Worley
Company: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Homesale Realty – York
Years in real estate: 18 years
Specialty: Residential real estate
Local association: Realtors® Association of York and Adams Counties

How did you get started in real estate?
I was reading the Sunday paper and there was always an ad in it about pre-licensing courses and I was always intrigued with real estate. I worked for my family business for 17 years and I thought there should be something more, something that I really liked. I love my family, but I didn’t necessarily want to work with them every day. So, I decided I was going to try the licensing courses. I passed, took my state exam, got my license and started working part-time. About seven months later, my family told me that they were selling the business, which was perfect timing.

What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the 17 years of customer service that I had in my family’s business, learning to work with different people, different personalities and using one course I took in college, Psychology 101.

What is your biggest challenge as a Realtor®?
I think the biggest challenge of being a Realtor® is keeping abreast of all the current issues, rules and regulations and changes in forms, because they’re being tweaked all the time. Then, of course, there’s financing and you have to know what might be best for your client. There are many, many things you have to keep abreast of.

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the start of your career?
If I were to give myself advice when I started in the business, I would have to say don’t be a taxi cab driver. Too many new agents are so hungry for business and they feel that they have to jump at every opportunity, without making sure that their client is pre-approved. It’s very important to have your clients pre-approved before you start showing them homes.

Why do you love being a Realtor®?
I love being a Realtor® because I love working with people. Every day is completely different.

What is your favorite work story?
My favorite work story is working with this younger couple. They had a toddler and the wife was about seven months pregnant. I had shown them about eight homes. We were at the ninth home and as we toured the home, they didn’t say a whole lot. However, when we got out to the backyard, the husband was walking around the perimeter. The wife is standing beside me and she starts to cry. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, here’s this woman pregnant, her hormones are all over the place, what am I supposed to do?” Then she starts jumping up and down and saying, “This is it, this is the house.” I knew at that time that yes, this is their house. I knew that I had to get that house for them. There were multiple contracts and we ended up getting the house and they’re still there today.

What are you most proud of in your career?
I’m most proud in my career of me being able to go out on my own. Everyone always used to say, “You know you’re riding on your family’s coattails. You know you’ve worked there for 17 years.” I thought you know what that’s the only thing that I know. I was able to go out of my own and end up doing something that I absolutely love doing every day. That’s what I’m most proud of.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?
I was born Jan. 11, 1963. That’s fun right? I then took my state exam and passed on Jan. 11, 2000. Then I was installed as president of my local association on Jan. 11, 2018.

What’s your favorite PAR memory?
That would be the 2018 Inaugural Ball. It’s the first one I’ve ever attended and I had met Todd Umbenhauer a couple of years prior to that and I knew he was a good guy. So, attending this ball and seeing how smoothly it ran and how wonderful it was that all these people were there for Todd, family members, friends who flew in from out of state and all the wonderful stories that they told. Then I realized he’s not a good guy, he’s a great guy, and he’s the one who should be leading our association.

What do you do when you’re not selling real estate?
When I’m not selling real estate, I like to just take time to myself to chill. I love going to the beach, doesn’t matter what beach, any beach. I like to play golf. I’m not good at golf, but I love playing it. I love experiencing new restaurants. but I really love just relaxing.