Sit Down With Success: A Conversation with the Van Valkenburghs
The Sit Down With Success is a monthly series provided by the Huntsville Business Journal that focuses on successful small businesses in the Huntsville/Madison County area and their keys to success. For this month, the Huntsville Business Journal sat down with Richard and Nancy Van Valkenburgh of Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Properties, Inc.
If you’ve lived in the Huntsville area for some time, you may have heard the name Van Valkenburgh. The Van Valkenburgh family has been established in Huntsville for more than 150 years and eight generations, settling here from Indiana after the Civil War.
Sixth-generation Huntsvillian Richard Van Valkenburgh and his wife Nancy have made their mark in Huntsville in the area of historic preservation and real estate. Married 60 years this September and in business together nearly four decades, the couple started their real estate business, Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Properties, Inc., in 1985.
From their downtown Huntsville office, in the historic 1883 Goldsmith house, the couple shared with the Huntsville Business Journal their love for historic homes and passion for helping families find homes.
Heather (H): Tell me about the history of your business.
Nancy (N): We opened our business, Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Properties, Inc., as co-owners in 1985. I was a real estate broker specializing in historic properties. Both Richard and I were founding members of the Historic Huntsville Foundation in 1974, which at the time of its founding was seeking to preserve the architectural heritage of the area.
It was apparent that not all needed preservation could be done solely by volunteers, but it was necessary to find owners willing to invest in, live in, and preserve homes. Our business helped with this effort. In the early 1990s, the company was one of only 10 selected nationwide to be trained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in their Historic Real Estate program.
In addition to being a leader in the area real estate market sales, the company was awarded the 2020 International Philanthropy Award by Who’s Who in Luxury Homes. In awarding the honor it said that for a relatively small company, the company and its associates had an extraordinarily positive impact on North Alabama.
H: What changes have you experienced in real estate since you started your business?
N: The goal is the same, which is to help people buy and sell homes, but the methods have changed. Now people have access to everything on the Internet, but to me they still need REALTORS to help them because it’s like going into the biggest library in the world and saying, well, here’s the information. Find It. You have to have somebody who can help you.
Richard (R): The change is unbelievable. Almost everything now is done on our telephone. We used to have to go pick up a key and go out to show the house and bring the key back. We’d have to ride all over the county checking out houses to weed out the ones we knew wouldn’t suit the people. Having GPS is just wonderful. In the old days we used a map, but the maps couldn’t keep up with the streets being built, so it was a real challenge to just find a property.
H: What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced in your business?
R: Keeping up with the new parts of the business. Going to the Internet, then to the lockbox system, and we’re getting ready to change lockboxes again. When you stop and think about it, the business has always been trying to help someone find a home that they enjoy.
And we’ve always felt that part of it is a very easy thing, if we can find the right house. It may be the backyard where the kids can play. It might be a fenced yard where the dog can’t get out. It may be close to town where you can walk. There are so many different things they could be and just trying to find those in the new houses that they’re building are different from the older houses.
When you stop and look at that, this business is really about helping people find homes that they can enjoy.
H: What do you enjoy most about being a business owner?
N: The freedom to try ideas and make a difference for the better.
R: If we see a need, we can change and we can move toward it. We don’t have to be within the confines of what our corporate structure says we have to.
H: What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
N: First, plan carefully for finances. I sat down and planned the finances exactly. I’ve seen people in real estate that started off like they had “jillions” of dollars when they sold one thing. You have to plan and have your budget, but then be prepared for surprises. They’re going to happen. Be willing to take a chance on your ideas, love what you do, and enjoy it.
H: What have been the keys to your success?
N: To have a dream and be willing to work and persevere. That’s important. It’s also helpful to have support and encouragement from your colleagues and your family. If you have a mentor to turn to, that’s helpful too. We’ve got three daughters who came into the business. They were probably some of the youngest realtors in the state, and have been doing a fantastic job. We mentor all of our agents.
R: We actually have a grandson that just got his license and a granddaughter who’s getting ready to come in. We wouldn’t ever make any family try to live up to what we want to do and what we enjoy. If they enjoy it, fine, but if they don’t and want to go a different way, that’s fine too.
H: What sets your business apart?
N: I find the personal aspect to find what works for our clients. We have served several generations of families as we focus on the people, not just the house or the property.
H: How do you balance business and personal life?
N: When you own your own business, it is your personal life.
R: I get to work with my best friend, so that’s part of it, and she puts up with me, so it works very well. Every now and then we’ll sneak off for four-five days but mostly it’s enjoyable and if somebody has a problem we’re on the phone or they come in and we sit down and talk. We’ve been very fortunate. It’s hard to complain when your mouth is full. And we love our community.
H: What do you envision for your business in the future?
N: There will still be a need to help people buy and sell homes, but the details of how to help may change. Technology adds overwhelming amounts of information, but knowing how to use that information for the clients’ benefit to match needs of homeowners with available options is needed now and will be needed in the future.
For more information, please visit vvwrealtor.com.