I lost a dear friend, and the world of real estate an incomparable Realtor/Broker when the inimitable Barry Colyer, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Traditions, in Oakland, NJ, passed away last week. Barry entered the world of real estate in the mid-80's, and it was soon clear that he was a natural. People gravitated to Barry because he didn't want anything from them, but rather wanted to help them. He was the kind of guy who could sense if you were having problems, and he'd take the time to as what he could do. The first person I literally ran into when I came to the Franklin Lakes RE/MAX office, in 1991, knees knocking as I climbed the staircase, was Barry bounding down the stairs right at me. He stopped, smiled, took the books I was carrying, and walked back up the stairs with me. "In case no one else remembers to tell you this, you've made one of the best decisions of your career (joing RE/MAX)," he said. "Everyone's scared _ _ _ _less when they get here. You're going to do fine; I can tell," he continued.
In less than a week, I saw a note on my desk from Barry. "Hey, Connoyer (clearly, he decided to re-name me), I don't have time to find a rental for these people. Can you do it? No referral fee." And that was my first transaction at my new home. Although Barry wasn't the manager of the office, he often got stuck helping the agents with tech questions, looking up real estate statutes, and refereeing internal disputes., There was never a question that if you needed anything, Barry was the first person you went to.
In addition to being one of the top agents in our business, Barry was also a single dad. It was like watching a whirling dervish when Barry was juggling clients, kids' appointments, his love of car racing, and the occasional date. But because Barry was first a dad, then a Realtor, there wasn't much time for dating. And then he met Karen. It didn't take long to figure out that the smile he couldn't wipe off his face was put there by the person he always referred to as "the love of my life."
Barry decided to stretch his wings and start a RE/MAX office of his own, along with his partner in all things --- Karen. He bought a beat-up old building, in Oakland, and transformed it, as he did all things. into a beautiful treasure. In stead of concentrating on filling the office as so many other companies do, Barry decided to pick agents he knew would work well together, and ended up with 20+ agents who became more like a family than an office of individuals. And then Barry got sick.
A beautiful shining star went out in our world, and we are left fumbling in the dark. I fear there will never be another Barry, but all of us whom he taught so much carry a piece of him in our hearts. As ee cummings said, "I carry his heart in my heart."
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