Perfect fit
LeRae Redal shows her Achievement Award from the Moses Lake-Othello Realtors Association. She’s won the award a couple of times before, she said, but this year came as a surprise to her.
Joel Martin/Columbia Basin Herald
LeRae Redal poses with Moses Lake Realty Group brokers Anna Van Diest, left, and Heidi Van Diest at the MLRG office on Broadway Avenue.
MOSES LAKE — Sometimes, the profession and the person just match up neatly.
LeRae Redal has a story like that. The owner of Moses Lake Real Estate Group, who received the Achievement Award at the Moses Lake-Othello Realtors Association in January, sort of fell into real estate 25 years ago and has been thriving there ever since.
“I had a store downtown, (called) The Perfect Ac’Scent,” Redal said. “I decided that it was time to sell that and move on, and I got an offer on it. Then I was taking care of my dad's RV park – he was sick and going for treatment.”
Things took a turn when Redal got a call from then-Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce Manager Karen Wagner, asking if Redal would tend bar for Business After Hours, which was hosted by Windermere Real Estate.
“So I said, sure, and I went down there,” Redal said. “And then Lois Kincaid, who was the owner then, tried to recruit me. I was like, ‘Well, I don't know.’ And then I got a call from two other managing brokers in town, who said, ‘I hear you're getting your real estate license. Talk to us before you sign a contract.’ So I decided maybe I'll just get my license and see about it. And I did. And within my first full year, 1999, I was in the top 10 in sales, and I've been there all the time since then.”
Redal went out on her own in 2007, she said, opening Moses Lake Realty Group at its current location on Broadway Avenue.
Moses Lake Realty Group started out as Redal, her sister and her niece plus a secretary, she said. Then slowly, agents began finding their way to Redal’s doorstep.
“The John L. Scott office closed and a few of those brokers came over. Axon closed, and few of those came over,” Redal said.
Currently, Moses Lake Realty Group has 10 agents including Redal. The office deals mostly in residential properties, although they handle some commercial, and one broker also specializes in agricultural land sales.
“She's been a great mentor,” said Heidi Van Diest, one of the brokers at MLRG. “I really think LeRae is one of the best, if not the best, in the business. So I don't think I would learn (as much) from anyone else. And I think my success really comes from her and everything she's taught me, truly.”
“You’ve got to always put the people ahead of your own needs, you know? You just feel connected and responsible and obligated to them; once you make a promise or a commitment, you're gonna fulfill it,” Redal said. “And so the more you work, the more people call you to work.”
Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
