Fast 15: Joseph Hayes
by January 1, 2013 12:00 am 135 views
After graduating from the University of Arkansas in 2007 with a political science degree, Joseph Hayes spent the next year working for his father’s lumber business in the rural, southwest Arkansas town of Delight.
One year was enough.
“I was broke,” Hayes said. “And I knew Delight wasn’t for me.”
Hayes, a Springdale native, soon returned to Northwest Arkansas and decided to become a licensed Realtor. The timing was good, he said, because most real estate professionals were reacting to the housing bust by getting out of the business.
“I saw an opportunity there,” he said.
Hayes went to work for Coldwell Banker in November 2009 and hasn’t looked back, riding the wave of the residential real estate rebound.
His sales have increased from $4.58 million in 2010 to $12.16 million in 2011 and $20.55 million in 2012. Last year’s total was the most of any Coldwell Banker agent in the state.
He credits his success to his parents for instilling a determined work ethic, his faith — citing Deuteronomy 18:8 as a favorite passage — and a genuine love for people.
“That one is a key,” he said. “That’s what fascinates me the most about what I do. Every day I get to use my strength and that is I love people.”
Putting in long hours also helps. Hayes arrives at his Rogers office by 6:30 a.m. every weekday and 7:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
Hayes originally set a sales goal of $30 million for 2013, but thinks $25 million might be more realistic as the year progresses. He would also like to dabble in development later in his career.
Away from work, Hayes stays
connected with three childhood friends — who live in Tampa Bay, Little Rock and St. Louis — by taking a weekend buddy trip every three months.
He also spends time at the Jamestown Nursing Home in Rogers every Saturday. He visits a 94-year-old woman there who was widowed after 77 years of marriage.
“My uncle is a pastor and heard about that and said, ‘You need to go and meet her,’” Hayes said. “I instantly connected with her and I have been doing that for about six months.
“I love to go there on Saturdays. You work so much during the week and then that trip always puts things back in perspective.”