An agent of cooperation
OKC Realtor earns honors for working well with others
Nick Hilton has won his share of awards in his 12-year real estate career, but having the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors name him as Most Cooperative Realtor for 2018 may be the most special of them all.
“This is voted on by my peers in the industry,” he said. “That means a lot.”
Hilton was among the real estate professionals the association honored during its annual award banquet. As the name suggests, the award honors a Realtor who, among other things, “exhibits a high level of cooperation with the fellow Realtor members.”
For him, though, it comes down to one simple thing: “We don't want to be a part of the problem.”
Hilton, an agent with RE/MAX Preferred, 9520 N May, Suite 110, said working together with agents can help ease what is often a stressful time of change for their clients. That process also is a part of the job in which Hilton takes great joy.
“Being part of the process as a family goes through this change, to get close to them and help them, is wonderful,” he said.
Hilton, 49, came into real estate after years in beverage sales, a career he said he thoroughly enjoyed.
“But there came a time for me to make a decision,” he said. “I was on the road a lot and burning out, and that was really hard. I thought about real estate because I was also fresh off buying my own house (in the Oklahoma City area) and was interested by the process.”
`So blessed'
Hilton grew up in Aurora, a small town in southwest Missouri. Parts of the metro area remind him of those bucolic surroundings, especially areas like east Edmond where rolling land and thick trees sometimes lend a sense of privacy even within the city limits. Leading visitors recently through a listing at 2301 Powderhorn in Edmond, he gestured toward the
BEING PART OF THE PROCESS AS A FAMILY GOES THROUGH THIS CHANGE, TO GET CLOSE TO THEM AND HELP THEM, IS WONDERFUL.
backyard where the deck overlooked a treeshaded backyard.
Hilton lives in Edmond with his wife, Amanda, and their sons, Gage, 4, and Harlow, 7.
“This is a great area,” he said. “It has a small-town feel, but the amenities are all close by. You have the big-city feel, but it's perfect because you have nature, as well.”
Hilton decided after high school to follow his older sister, Jamie Hilton, to the DallasFort Worth area.
“I heard the call of the big city,” he said, and there he went into beverage sales, which eventually led to a transfer to Oklahoma City in 2007.
He was still new to the area when he got into real estate.
“I didn't know a soul” in the industry, he said. “Everyone goes to class and is taught how to sell. You get your license and then jump into the business on your own, and it's very competitive.”
He decided to watch and learn from the seasoned veterans, figuring out what made them successful and incorporating what he learned into his own approach. Over time, he said he naturally grew as a professional, helped along by his instincts.
“By nature,” he said, “I treat people like I want to be treated.”
Hilton has worked with RE/MAX Preferred his whole career, and he gives his colleagues the credit for his success.
“I'm very lucky,” he said. “I got into this office where everyone is awesome, lending each other support.”
He's also grown to love the Oklahoma City area and its people.
“This city is so blessed,” he said.