Monthly member profile: Kevin Orr

Editor’s note: The Monthly Member Profile is a feature that puts a spotlight on one of PAR’s 34,000 members. Do you have an interesting story to tell? We encourage you to submit your information online.

Name: Kevin Orr
Company: Coldwell Banker, Hawley
Years in real estate: 17 years
Specialty: Residential and relocation
Local association: Pike/Wayne Association of Realtors®
Title: Realtor®
Designation: e-Pro

How did you get started in the real estate business?
For years, I worked in the hospitality business and I got to point where I needed to change and I had some friends who were working in real estate and they said, “Go get your license give and it a shot.” I went and got my license and I’ve been doing ever since.

What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the start of your career?
If I could go back in time, the advice I would give myself would be, find a good mentor, stick with him and learn as much as you can. I would also say self-promotion in this field is a must and you have to constantly be prospecting. Those are the things if could go back and do, I’d find a really good mentor and follow him around.

Why do you love being a Realtor®?
I love to help people. Coming from the hospitality industry to the real estate industry gave me a chance to help people in a different way. I find the field is very challenging and every day, there is something different. When I get out and I’m able to get somebody a house or sell their listing and move them to the next phase of life, it is really very gratifying for me.

What do you attribute your success in the field to?
I attribute my success to is to customer service. I try to give the best customer service I can. What I also attribute my success to is the people who came before me and actually put down a road map of how to do this and the direction to go. Gary Keller, Tom Ferry and Kevin Ward – these guys have a whole road map that I can follow to make my business better.

What is the biggest challenge you face being a Realtor®?
Keeping up with technology. Today, technology moves so fast and it’s ever-changing. Keeping up with the technology and marketing and just staying afloat with that is the hardest thing that I’m seeing right now.

What made you become more involved in your local, state or national association?
What made me become more involved in my local and state association is at the Pike/Wayne Board, Joe Scarpaci is a very good friend of mine, he’s the president right now. He pushed for me to do it. He thought that I would be good at it and he really pushed and he said, “Just come to a meeting and see what it’s about.” And I think it’s amazing. I think what people are doing down here is amazing and I’m really very happy to be part of it now.

How has being involved helped your business?
It’s really opened up a sphere of influence. All of the people I’ve met in just a of couple meetings, my sphere has grown so much that you know the contacts, referrals. I think that what is really helping me right now is the people I’m meeting.

What’s a fun fact about yourself?
I play in a men’s hockey league and every year, we try to go to a different state and play in a different hockey tournament. I’m a center forward, moving the puck around.

What do you do when you’re not selling real estate?
I live at Lake Wallenpaupack, so when I’m not selling real estate, I’m on the lake doing whatever the lake has to offer or out biking and hiking on the local trails.