THE REAL DEAL
Meet OKC’s three youngest Realtors
For Jake Hartzog, real estate was an opportunity that emerged over time through community connections and rounds of golf.
For Matthew Hogan, real estate was a long-held dream sparked by the kindly agent who worked with his grandparents and their investment properties in Lawton.
For Nathan Hardesty, real estate lets him help people realize their dreams.
The one thing they have in common: Hardesty, 19, Hogan, 19, and Hartzog, who just turned 20, are the youngest agents in the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors. Youth can be a double-edged sword out in the field.
“It works against me sometimes,” said Hartzog, an agent with RE/MAX Elite, 6401 N Interstate Drive, Suite 144, in Norman. “Some people look at me and think, ‘Oh, he’s just a
kid.’ So I have to work a lot harder than someone older, more experienced.
"They’re essentially trusting me with their money, their decisions, so I have to make sure I’m doing the job the best I can."
Hartzog had enrolled in the University of Oklahoma and still was weighing his options when he graduated from Noble High School in 2016. “I was in the mindset to maybe go into law enforcement,” he said.
He’d already followed one passion with Waterfowl Insanity, a video production company focused on duck hunting. But a chance encounter on the golf course with Loren Coburn, owner and broker of RE/MAX Elite, steered him onto a different path.
Hartzog’s parents, Terry and Charlene Hartzog, buy and sell investment properties, so real estate was somewhat familiar territory. Plus Coburn offered to mentor him.
It works against me sometimes. Some people look at me and think, ‘Oh, he’s just a kid.’ So I have to work a lot harder than someone older, more experienced.” Jake Hartzog 20-year-old agent with RE/MAX Elite in Norman I like the concept of helping people find the home of their dreams. Homebuying is one of the biggest transactions of most people’s lives, so being part of that goal is a huge deal for me.” Nathan Hardesty 19-year-old, Keller Williams Realty Elite agent A lot of people think it’s cool. They just think it’s cool that I’m so young and yet I can do it. They like that.” Matthew Hogan 19-year-old Keller Williams Realty Elite agent
“Presented with that kind of opportunity,” Hartzog said, “I decided to go for it.”
His thought was any knowledge gathered in real estate school was bound to be useful in the long run whether he sold houses or ultimately bought one of his own. “I mean, everybody needs a place to live,” he said.
Hartzog has closed on nine homes worth more than $1.5 million since January, and he said he has several others heading toward closing soon.
'Sky’s the limit'
For Hogan, though, real estate was his singular focus from about age 10.
“My grandparents did a lot of buying and selling in Lawton,” he said. “Their Realtor was always so sweet, so nice to me. My parents traveled for work, so I was always out there in the summers when they were buying and selling.”
Hogan graduated from Southmoore High School in spring 2016 and finished up real estate school a few months later. He had to wait, though, until he turned 18 in November to take the real estate exam. He is now part of the team at Keller Williams Realty Elite, 5629 N Classen Blvd. in Oklahoma City.
“When I was probably 12, my parents bought a new home in south Oklahoma City,” Hogan said. “The Realtor, who was like my dad’s longdistance cousin, always gave me the info sheets and things like that. And it’s funny because now I work in the same office as him.”
His parents, Brett and Tracy Hogan, still live in south Oklahoma City. And Hogan’s cousin, Colby Ryder, has been with Keller Williams for more than a decade.
Matthew Hogan has closed on $4.5 million in sales this year, including a $900,000 home that broke the record for top sales price in Choctaw. That was a builder’s personal home and a deal fraught with potential pitfalls, not the least of which was an appraisal coming in short of the agreed price.
“I was a nervous wreck,” Hogan recalled with a laugh. “It was a for-sale-by-owner kind of setup, so I was having to manage both sides. When the appraisal came in low, I was having to keep the sellers happy and the buyers happy. So it was a wild ride.”
The four-bedroom, four-bath home, tucked away on 35 thickly wooded acres off Peebly Road, was built in an area dominated by more modest homes, hence the hit to the appraised value.
"For a builder, that’s a slap in the face for his home to be valued so much less,” Hogan said. But after two months of back-and-forth, he was able to bring both parties to the table and ink a deal.
Buyer ally
Hardesty, also an agent with Keller Williams Realty Elite, launched his career with a yearlong boost from a mentor who also is a board member with the Metro Association of Realtors.
“I have a career launch coach, Chuck Wells, who mentors and helps me in my first year, and that’s been very valuable. He provides training and feedback on how to get through issues and roadblocks as a Realtor,” Hardesty said.
He has no real estate background. He worked in Hobby Lobby's warehouse before starting his career. He got his real estate license in June and has already seen some success — and may have caught the bug that drives many agents.
"I like the concept of helping people find the home of their dreams," Hardesty said. "Homebuying is one of the biggest transactions of most people’s lives, so being part of that goal is a huge deal for me.
“My goal is to be recognized for my responsiveness as a communicator and as a hospitable agent. I want to focus on making sure my clients are in the loop with everything and feel comfortable going through the process.”
Office assistance
Hartzog said he was dropped into a challenging situation with his very first deal earlier this year, one involving a military family with the husband stationed overseas.
The wife held power of attorney, giving her the ability to make the deal on her husband’s behalf, but there were still late-night phone calls and carefully timed emails to get around the 14-hour time difference.
“It was kind of onesided, but it was definitely a learning experience for sure,” he said.
Hartzog said he broke even after his first month in real estate, selling enough to cover the lockboxes and other up-front expenses. He credits Coburn for teaching him the ropes.
“He helped me understand that the sky’s the limit,” Hartzog said. “I was kind of worried about that, too, because if you don’t sell anything, don’t get any deals going, you don’t make any money.
"I’m kind of in the perfect position, though. I’m available, and I don’t have other people relying on me for income. I’m in the perfect spot to succeed just because of availability.”
Hardesty said it helps knowing that Wells, Keller Williams business coach, has his back as he gains experience.
Hogan also credits professional support from the office, from Wells as well as broker Jennifer Arsenault. And there’s support from outside the office, as well.
“A lot of people think it’s cool,” he said. “They just think it’s cool that I’m so young and yet I can do it. They like that.”