Scheduled for success

COEUR d'ALENE - Pehr Black rises by 5 each morning.

He's at the gym by 5:30 or 6, in the office by 8. After a half-hour or so of role playing with other top Realtors in the U.S., Black spends the next 3-4 hours standing, not sitting, at a work station in his office.

Next, he fills his afternoons with appointments.

Oh, and somewhere in there he does an awful lot of selling and listing homes - between $11 and $14 million for seven years running now, since he got into this business.

But even with his experience and his success, Black calls on a real estate coach, Gaylee Weinberg with the Mike Ferry Organization, to keep him on track.

"It's very common for people who are on the top of their game and the top of the market," he said.

Black plans to stay there - so he's not standing still.

He recently changed real estate companies, and is with Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty. He wants to grow, professionally and personally, and felt it was time to shake things up a bit, test new waters, create challenges.

"I think change in itself is going to give me the energy to get my career up to the next level," the Coeur d'Alene man said.

"I feel really good. I think this year coming up is probably going to be my best year of all time."

Don't credit luck, karma or fate. Black got there the only way he knows how: Work hard. Plan. Stick to a schedule.

"I wake up ready to do my job every day," he said. "To do a good job for people, you have to have a schedule. Everybody that is in my life has a copy of my schedule. When I meet somebody I go, 'Here's my schedule.'"

"That's the name of the game, I think. To be of any value to anybody is to put in long hours and be committed to your clients' needs," he said.

The 48-year-old is known for a bit of over-the-top self-promotion. His advertisements have pictured him as Superman, riding a bull and skiing.

His business card refers to him as "The Hardest Working Man in Real Estate." It also has a big number 1 in red, white and blue, with the phase, "Good Choice."

He hands out cardboard sticks of dynamite, wick included, containing fliers and brochures about his business.

"It's just another thing to make you stand out differently than the rest of the people," he says as he sits down for an interview in his new office at 2000 Northwest Blvd.

"I'm going to continue to do marketing that's unique and different than anybody else."

But bottom line, for Black, is "service, service, service and more service.

"I don't think you can ever give enough good service to people." he said.

To prove it, one need only look at his office wall.

There's a lengthy list of listings and pending sales. Names, numbers, addresses. He tracks everything meticulously.

"I've learned to become real organized in this business," he said.

Even someone as optimistic as Pehr Black frets occasionally. When the market seemed particularly slow early last year, he worried a little. Then did what he does best.

"I just got on the phone. I made a commitment to myself and my clients I was going to call them every week and just be there for them," he said.

"I think that's one of the keys to this year, making the clients feel important."

The market will always have ups and downs. Regardless, there's a certain amount of homes that will be sold every year, no matter what. Black plans on selling a fair share of those.

He credits his versatility for his success.

"Everybody's pretty different. If you can only relate to a certain kind of person, you're going to sell a certain amount of houses."

Listening helps, too.

"People will tell you what's on their mind," Black said. "If you ask the right questions and learn how to ask the right questions, people will tell you.

"It's that information I use to help them get what they want, whether it's sell a house or buy a house."

It works.

Last year, Black produced nearly $12 million in real estate volume.

"This last year was one of my best years I ever had in the business," he said.

Black, who worked in the rock and roll business before real estate, pauses when asked what he does to relax.

He loves to be with his wife, Lisa, and their two dogs, Honeybee and Little Dude. Other than that ...

"That's a good question, because I don't really relax. I ski once in a while. And I like to read books," particularly those on history.

He believes the market will be strong this year because of low interest rates, good value and a tightening number of available homes.

There are signs it's picking up.

The residential market under $150,000 is tight due to competition between investors and first-time homebuyer. Black had 20 sales above $300,000. One of his million dollar listings is getting more looks.

"We feel that's a good sign. As one part of the market is going up a little bit, it will push the rest of it up," he said.

Whatever happens, Pehr Black will be ready.

Whatever a person is or does for a living, whether an athlete, an accountant or a store manager, Black said they must work hard to succeed. They must.

"It's all about what value you bring to the table and to the customers," he said.