Rightway Realty offers full real estate service

By Caroline Rosacker

The late D. Keith Willman established Rightway Realty in 1958 at the family's kitchen table in Osterdock.  Gary K. Willman, D. Keith's son, and current Rightway Realty owner recalled, "Back in those days you could become a broker or a salesman. You did not have to wait. You simply had to choose and then write that exam in Des Moines. The very first day my father had his license he listed and sold a farm. It was one of my family's proudest days!" He added, "I was three years old. I have been blessed with a memory back to two-and-a-half years old. I can still remember that day —the joy my father felt. He and my mom danced around the room! I was hooked."

The ambitious family eventually sold the family farm and bought a lot along Highway 52 on outskirts of Guttenberg. "My father's intention was to build a family home and put a real estate office in the basement. When my dad bought this lot people told him he was crazy. They thought it was a terrible place to start a business. I wouldn't trade this spot now for any amount of money. Our traffic flow is second to none," he remarked. 

Keith worked in real estate for several years before deciding to add auctioneering to the company's services. Willman explained, "My grandfather, Henry Willman, was an auctioneer. It made sense that my dad would eventually become one. I was in the ring with him at a young age as a ring man, and joined in auctioneering with him at age 16. We decided to retire the auctioneering portion of the business after approximately 23 years. The real estate side simply outgrew it." 

Willman laughed, "All the while this was going on, my true love was music. After I graduated from high school I wanted to become a professional musician. I packed my guitar, my shoulder-length hair and moved to Dubuque to seek out fame and fortune. I joined a local band called Nature's Image. We built a heck of a following and had more fun than you can believe." He went on to say, "However, it wasn't long before I realized that I was at a dead end and going to eventually starve to death. I did everything on the side to make a living. I threw tires at Sears, tooled leather with Trantham Leather and sold dogs at Pets Western in Kennedy Mall."

Willman told The Press, "At my father's urging, I decided to join the family real estate business. I studied for the sales associate test, went down to Des Moines to take the test and failed. Six months later I wrote for the test again and passed. I waited a year and passed the broker's test on the first try and became a licensed broker. I was the youngest real estate broker in the state for a while. I was 20 years old at the time. Things have changed so much and I truly believe in a good way."  

Willman shared, "Being an independent young individual I was not happy sitting in the office so I hit the road. I first met a young contractor in Luxemburg. He and I did a ton of business selling his newly-constructed spec homes. Then one day, while traveling on Highway 20, I happened to stop in Earlville. I quickly came to realize that the lady who owned the local newspaper was also an auction customer of ours. We visited, and within 20 minutes I knew everything that was going on in that town. I ended up selling a lot of property in that area over the next few years. Building relationships is the key."  

The real estate business has change substantially. Willman noted, "Things have really changed throughout the years. Offers and listings used to be done on a typewriter with every new document retyped from end to end. At one time we had 11 sales associates working for us. That became complicated. Over the years I decided to simplify. I believe that quality representation is much more important than quantity of representation."

Willman described, "Currently our staff is comprised of myself and sales associate Steve Miller. Steve is honest and ambitious. That is sometimes hard to find these days. Steve has a great future in the real estate business." 

"One of the turning points of our family business occurred in 1983. It was the same year I married my wife, Kelli. My mother, Yvonne, was the office manager. She became ill and was diagnosed with a very serious cancer. She died at 47," he said.

After Yvonne passed, Willman approached his father, saying, "If two people are going to do what three people did we need to computerize. Dad agreed. We went to Dubuque and purchased two Epson computer work stations for $3,000 apiece. That was a lot of money in those days." 

"Since then I have stayed on top of cutting-edge technology. We have had computers, cell phones, fax machines and most importantly a company website. Many people tell me that rightwayrealty.com is one of the first things they visit online with their morning coffee. Using our VPN system, laptops and cellphones, I can work anywhere in the United States," he added. 

Willman has a diversified resume. "If you are going to make it in the business world you are going to have to do more than one thing to make money." He listed, "I continued to pursue a music career and played professionally for 26 years. In addition to buying and selling real estate I branched out into property management about 42 years ago." 

Willman expressed, "We offer sales and service for every kind of real estate. I particularly love the challenge of a good commercial transaction. It is a great feeling to see a commercial venture succeed knowing you had a small part in helping a good business be successful. We have come along way since that kitchen table in 1958. The business continues to grow. We have handled thousands of transactions totaling millions and millions of dollars and continue to do so year after year."

Property management

Willman, who is 64 years old, has built his business on honesty, integrity and hard work. He manages 114 units for himself and other people. "Having a one-on-one relationship with attorneys, abstractors, the county courthouse and local lending institutions has been a large part of Rightway Realty’s success. We all work together and know each other on a first-name basis. I have a lot of respect for all of them, “ he said. 

The confident business executive stated, “I never sweat it when I see competition. Competition is good for business. It makes you work harder to improve your business profile. I believe my reputation precedes itself. I am an honest man. I put the public first and worry about myself last. That is something I feel is important in business. I put the customer first and the commissions will come as a result. I think that makes us different from others in our profession.” 

He cautioned, “So many people think they are going to get instant results when they open up a business. You have to work at it. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to take the good years with the bad.” 

Willman and his wife have two children, Dr. Tyler Willman and Dr. Tasha Ruiz. 

He concluded, “What it boils down to is being honest and hard-working. I find I spend a large part of my day giving out advice. You have to be knowledgeable on all facets of real estate. It is important to spend time with people. I truly enjoy what I do. Forty-four years in and we are just getting started!”