My father Herb established DeLacy Real Estate in 1963. For several years before opening, he was an agent for Hilborn Real Estate. The building we work in today became available not too long before he ventured out on his own. It was a personal residence of the Diller family prior to my father converting it into what you see today.

 

Dad was a born salesman and worked 12 hours, 7 days a week to quickly make DeLacy Real Estate Exchange one of the main residential brokerage firms in the Port Huron market.

 

In 1971 at the age of 21 I became an agent for my father, working alongside and learning the residential business. In 1983 my father informed me that he was retiring and closing the office. I immediately wrote my Brokers test and reopened the office after it had been closed for a brief period of time. My father followed immediately after the reopening of DeLacy Real Estate because he knew I would need him to be successful. Possibly correct, regardless, he was a wonderful help in continuing the business along with

our most wonderful friend Albert (Ubby) Langolf, who I had the pleasure of working with for many years.

 

Through all those years I also maintained my 7 day a week job at Dunn Paper, along with my home building business in which I was responsible for leading the construction of 43 homes from 1971-1996.

 

When my father passed away in 2003 one of the last things I told him was “Don’t worry dad, I’m retiring from the Mill to run the office, and I promise I will make you proud.” He passed the next morning while we were at his side.

For several years before dad passed I knew I would lead our office into Commercial Real Estate due to a single incident that I have NEVER until this writing made public----Back in the late 80’s I had a client that wanted to look at a commercial building that was listed by Kramer Real Estate. I called Kramer and spoke with Gerry requesting a showing only to be told “no, you residential people know nothing about what I do, so you will need to send me your client and I will send you a small referral fee if I make the sale.” I thanked him, sold my client another building, and decided that a fellow with that big of an ego needed a little competition.  Hardly a day goes by I don’t think about sending him a Thank You card. He has no clue what brought him his worst nightmare, a competitor!

 

Dad passed in the fall, and I spent the next 6 months remodeling, dry walling, plumbing, phone, computers, furniture, etc. to get ready. Every day I would come in with my carpenter clothes and a sport coat in the car, work on the building, answer the phone, and show properties throughout the day and evenings. The first year I set an all- time sales record, which we beat each year for the next 5 consecutive years. Again, Thank You Gerry, without your inspiration this would have never happened.

 

My children went to college, then went away to work in their field of degree leaving me with no heir apparent until a wonderful man by the name of Tom Blount walked into the office a few years ago.