other realtors weren’t able to. He closed the deal when
others couldn’t manage to get a bite.”
The deal closed shortly after the untimely death of
Tom Riddle, Bill Riddle’s father, a man who had been
a strong community leader and a driving force in The
Parker County Sheriff’s Posse.
Although seeing the building sell and razed was difficult emotionally, working with Link, made it less painful
for Bill Riddle and his family.
“It was hard on all of us,” Bill Riddle said. “My cousin
[William Parks] and I grew up in that building. There was
writing on the wall where my dad and my uncle had written down notes and where our dads had marked in the
doorways to show how much we’d grown. It was a place
where we grew up. My cousin and I each got a piece of
that wall.”
Working with Link made the whole experience easier
for everybody involved, Riddle said.
“I’d recommend him,” Riddle said. “I do recommend
Jake every day. He’s a guy that gets out and hustles and
he helps you get the most for your property.”
“My favorite line is commercial,” Link said. “And,
I like to drive and walk ranches and look at different
places. It’s like exploring when you look at a ranch for
the first time. I actually like doing the research on a property.”
SEPTEMBER 2015
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
The Great Negotiator
Stephen Reich came from a long-established ranching family in Cisco. As a result he’s never been afraid of
work, of rejection, of difficult-to-close deals or of nosey
reporters. As a matter of fact, he’s not really afraid of
much of anything — certainly not long work hours.
When asked what his favorite kind of real estate
deal, without missing a beat, his answer was, “One that
closes.”
“[We] enjoy talking to people,” Reich said. “To get to
meet new people every day and talk about the real estate
business is just fun. Doing a land deal is like putting a
puzzle together. You take pieces here and there, put it
all together, and at the very end you get the big picture.
That’s rewarding.”
After obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree and MBA, from
Tarleton State University, Reich ventured eastward to
establish his career. He landed on a pretty plot of land
near Peaster.
Reich started out in the corporate world, working for
Tractor Supply. It didn’t take long for him to realize that
retail was not where he wanted to spend the rest of his
life, but it was a great experience for a future commercial realtor. Combined with his background in ranching,
Reich has an ideal foundation for his focus on commercial, farm and ranch real estate.
“Especially on the farm and ranch side, because that’s
where all three of our loves are,” Reich said. “When the
work stops, Jake’s going to be on horseback and he’s
going to be riding. Greg’s gonna be sitting in the cab of
10
a tractor. That’s just the way that the three of us are. The
country is what keeps us sane and feeds our souls. That’s
where our love is, so were gonna keep doing farm and
ranch.”
While he enjoys dealing in farm and ranch real estate,
he’s equally at home with upscale residential properties.
“Stephen’s great attribute is that once a customer deals
with him, they keep dealing with him,” Clark said.
Reich’s knowledge is extensive and it’s apparent that he
genuinely cares about his customers.
“There’s a misconception about the real estate business, that it’s a walk in the park, that it’s easy and it’s just
not,” Reich said. “It requires patience, it requires determination and perseverance,”
These days, success in real estate also takes a creative
mind that thinks of taking avenues that others would pass
by.
Example: Clark Real Estate group hits trade shows that
have little to do with real estate and they get results.
“We set up a trade show at the National Finals Rodeo,”
Reich said. “All of our farm and ranch properties are
marketed there. Both horse people and cattle people alike
go to the NFR and it doesn’t matter what your discipline
is – f horses or cattle, people go to watch and enjoy. Then,
we took our trade show to Scottsdale, Arizona to the
Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction.”
What does a classic auto auction have to do with selling real estate?
“Well, 300,000 o f the wealthiest people in the world
come through Barrett-Jackson,” Reich said. “We market all
of our farm and ranch and commercial properties there.
Because Texas is intriguing to people and this is the area
of Texas that is on fire.”
The Clark team also makes it to all NCHA events with
their booth.
“It comes down to this,” Reich said. “We don’t just
put signs in yards or on properties. We find buyers and
we want to be known as Parker County Commercial Real
Estate Group.”
In a business that’s much tougher than any outsider
realizes, what keeps them going?
Reich summed it up best.
“What gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling is this,”
Reich said. “It’s when you’ve worked with a family that’s
lived on a property for a long time and they’ve come to
the point in their lives where they’re ready to see the fruits
of the property. When you get that deal done, and when
you see them walking out of the title company with those
happy faces, and you’ve helped them realize their dreams
and their goals, it’s those times when they’ve fought tooth
and nail to get to the finish line and you’ve fought right
along with them, helping them get there, when they’re
finally there, when you get to see the happy faces, that’s
when you get that warm and fuzzy feeling. That’s when
it’s all worth it.”
Continued on page 20