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Bill Bacque' (Van Eaton & Romero, Inc) Services for Real Estate Pros

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Bill Bacque'
location_on Lafayette, LA — Van Eaton & Romero, Inc
Get to Know Bill Bacque'

I began my real estate career in 1973 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I had just graduated from college, married my high school sweetheart and needed a job. One of my mentors suggested I interview with a local real estate company. It sounded interesting. I did. I was told I was welcomed to join the firm once I passed the liscensing exam.

In those days there were no pre-licensing hours mandated by law. You studied for the exam on your own and upon passage you were granted a temporary license. You then had to complete 30 hours of education within one year of the issuance of your temporary license in order to get a permanent one. I was gung-ho. In my first year I completed my GRI and four CCIM courses. I did everything except make money.

Thank God my wife was a school teacher making about $400 per month or we would have starved to death. After theat first year my sales began to take off. I gravitated to the commercial side of the business and cultivated several very successful relationships with national and regional tenants seeking site in Louisiana. We began to get our heads above the financial waters, bought a home and several investment properties.

In 1977 I was asked to manage a Century 21 residential real estate firm and entered that phase of our industry. In 1980 I was recruited by another firm in my hometown, Lafayette, to manage their company. My wife, who was also from Lafayette, was thrillled and we moved back home.

Within one year of our return, the oil industry cratered our local economy entered severe depression mode and the company that recruited me went busted and closed its doors. To survive, I started my own real estate company. I landed a contract from the Veterans Administration managing their lender-owned properties and simultaeously started a pre-licensing real estate school. Although these were tough economic times, we did pretty well.

In 1990 I was once again recruited to manage a real estate firm. This time it was the largest firm in our market, Van Eaton & Romero, Inc. At that time it consisted of one office and about 45 agents and staff. Today we number over 200 and have five offices. I am now CEO and part owner of the firm.

In my 35 years in real estate, I can't say difinitively that I've seen it all - but I've seen a lot!  

   

Certifications

My job as CEO is to multi-faceted. I need to be a visionary and chart a course for our company; coach and advise our agents and handle problems that arise from both agents and clients. It's always challenging, very stimulating, infinitely rewarding and NEVER boring. 

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Van Eaton & Romero, Inc. is an independent real estate firm that for 16 years has been named to the REALtrends top 500 real estate firms. We have over 200 agents and 5 offices.