Kelvin Wallin, real estate agent with Windermere Real Estate, is very certain of his priorities. “Faith, family, career. If I put my faith and trust in God first, then my family and career are taken care of,” he says. So it’s no surprise that one of the joys of his life is as Bible Experience Coordinator for the Seventh Day Adventist Washington Conference, and running the Pathfinder Bible Experience for youth ages 10-16. “It’s similar to scouting in a lot of ways,” Wallin explains. “It’s a summer camp, a teen retreat. We get to make them all feel special.”
Another love for Wallin is travel. Prior to a career in real estate, he spent over 30 years in retail and customer service, with ten of those years as a travel agent while living in California. But after Wallin married, he realized that “brick and mortar travel agencies were starting to struggle with online competition,” so he left the industry. But his first stop wasn’t in real estate. Oddly enough, his next venture was a balloon decorating business. Someone asked him if he could do balloon art, and he thought, “Well, I don’t know anything about it, but I’ll find out.” He attended the Balloon Arts Convention in Fresno and said, “This is incredible! This is fun! I can do all this stuff from a closet as long as I have room for an air inflator and some balloons.” He spent the next 3+ years in Napa Valley decorating for graduations, birthdays, and winery celebrations. He even opened up a store front, employing his brother and a couple of other staff.
Then his wife’s two brothers moved to the Boistfort area, and Wallin and his wife wanted their kids to be raised around their cousins. He sold his balloon business and they moved to Lewis County. Wallin spent several years managing Walmart stores in Chehalis, Auburn and Lacey.
During this time, his older daughter had an opportunity to go to Italy and Greece through school. He didn’t want her going alone, so he went with her. Wallin eventually took over when the principal organizing the trips moved. He has been leading historical tours in Europe and South America ever since. He works with Education First Tours, and, “They do all the work. I just get the participants,” Wallin smiles. The tours are designed for students but more often than not, they end up with more adults.
One reason he loves the history tours is to make sure people “see” the history that is not covered well in school now. For example, he took his younger daughter on a recent trip and they witnessed the Dachau concentration camp. His daughter was shocked, “Wow, dad. I didn’t know. The things that men did to other men…”
How did Wallin end up buying and selling real estate? In 2008 he decided he was tired of retail and quit his job. He went home and told his wife he decided to sell real estate. “In this market?” she asked, incredulous. “Yep, it’s the perfect time,” he responded. “It can only go up.”
Wallin interviewed around the area with different brokers to find a good fit. “With Windermere it’s the client, agent, brokerage office, then corporate. When priorities are in that order, things run well.” Wallin started buying and selling real estate with Windermere in 2009. Last year Wallin was president of the Lewis County Association of Realtors, the last president before they changed to a chapter status.
Wallin’s favorite clients are first-time homebuyers. “This is exciting for them. You have to spend the time to walk through things with them. Mentoring clients doesn’t get done enough. They need to know what it takes to get pre-approved. What area do they want to live in? What do they need to do for escrow? You have to be there the whole time with them. Then I keep in contact with them. I give them an annual evaluation about the value of their house compared to last year. It’s all about building relationships.” Wallin goes on to say, “Anyone can list your home, I’m here to help you sell it.”
Wallin also enjoys helping others get into the real estate business, with several former clients studying for the exam. “My goal is to help make them more successful than me,” he says. His advice to new agents is to do what you love for a career, “Not a ‘job,’ that’s work,” he quips. And Wallin loves his career especially because it allows him to still help others learn about history through travel. “Whenever I can get a chance to take off and travel, I’ll do it,” he smiles.
For help selling your home or to find out more about balloon art or educational travel, you can contact Kelvin Wallin at 360-388-0107 or 360-736-3300.
