BYRON GODFREY

MY PERSONAL AND REAL ESTATE PROFILE...IT MAY SURPRISE YOU!

Use this section to write about yourself - don't be shy - Why should a buyer or seller want to work with you? Do you have any certifications and qualif

I began as a Realtor here in the US with Coldwell Banker at their Tempe, AZ. location in 1996 as a buyers' and sellers' agent, specializing in relocation and working throughout the Phoenix Valley.

Previously, as a secondary business, I had owned and ran a construction company, Bay Jay Construction, initially buying, renovating and selling Victorian flats (apartments) in the heart of London, England. The buyers being mostly foreign, and eager to get a piece of the busy London property market which was rampant in the second half of the '80's.

By '89, with the London property market's sudden demise and repercussions throughout the globe, I moved my family to Normandy, France, taking with me my grammar school French and buying a rundown French Manoir (manor house) in Carrouges, a small country village (population 750). The home came with 7.5 acres of woods and grassland, the latter we let to the local farmer for cattle grazing, whilst our home itself boasted an orchard, several two storey stables a picturesque view over the valley, and all the trappings of the former resident "baron". The property was cheap by comparison, but the renovation was extensive, providing my British crew of Newcastle tradesmen with several months work assisting me in the renovation of our new home.

The Victorian flat renovation work was replaced by buying and renovating small chateaus, manoirs, holiday cottages and lakeside apartments, many to be sold to the Brits. who took advantage of the new channel tunnel and speedy cross channel hovercraft ferries, using the homes as weekend or holiday retreats. Retirees frequently made Normandy their new home, having easy access to the British mainland when needed.

My American wife and I, along with our two young children, a Maltese terrier "Titch" and Fred the hamster, spent the next six memorable years in a less stressful and more relaxing environment in the Normandy countryside. A lifestyle both my family and I now miss dearly.

With my wife's mother developing a serious illness, we decided to sell up and move to Melbourne, Florida where her mother and father lived, until a year later in 1995, we moved to Phoenix, AZ. near her younger sister, and younger brother living in Tucson.

At the time, the Arizona property market was beginning to flourish again, so I spent the first year buying, renovating and selling residential homes in Tucson before obtaining my Real Estate license and joining Coldwell Banker in Tempe in 1996.

My lengthy experience in construction had given me the ability to recognize faults and assess the qualities of homes, thus providing my clients with knowledgeable assessments of property values, though I always advise them to avail themselves of a good home inspector, and I know a few.

I spent six years with Coldwell Banker before joining 1^st USA Realty Professionals for a further six years. In the worsening economy, they finally became a Century 21 satellite company. For reasons unknown to me, with obvious company issues, after several months they reverted back to 1^st USA Realty which was when I decided to leave, earlier this year joining a younger, more tech. savvy company, Solutions Real Estate.

Earlier, I mentioned construction, initially as a secondary business, for at that time I was still a London theatrical manager/agent owning and running my own business, Million Dollar Music Co. Ltd. in London's Paddington district for the better part of 25 years, partnered by the accomplished writer, actor and TV comedian, Johnny Caesar. Our company was primarily artistes management and agency, booking TV, cabaret, entertainment for trade shows, but we were also music publishers and record producers. It was hectic times, we had a massive hit in Wales with one of my artists, David Alexander. "If I could see the Rhondda one more time", written by Johnnie and produced by both of us with the expertise of Musical Director Tony King. The song was intended for Tom Jones, but Tom, having previously and ungraciously lost a London High Court action to myself and an earlier partner of mine John Glastonbury, declined as we knew he would, otherwise we were sure it would have been another "Green Green Grass of Home" worldwide hit. Nevertheless Johnnie did manage to secure a song "Come Home Rhondda Boy" on one of Tom's hit albums.

As a teenager I was always a bit of a mechanically minded "wheeler dealer" and decided to follow that line of work from grammar school until joining the British army, R.E.M.E. ( Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers), initially as a Vehicle Mech. and then spending three years as an Aircraft Mech. with the Royal Army Air Co. at Middle Wallop (yes there is such a village!) on the Salisbury plain. On completing my term, I joined a construction company installing industrial gas plants for the American company "Air Products" which was operating in the U.K. The latter company offered me a position as senior plant technician in Ebbw Vale, a town in Wales, near to where I was born. It was during this employ that I decided to change direction again by linking up with a colleague, John Glastonbury, who was a surveyor, and break into the music business as songwriting hopefuls with the sole intention of relocating to London.

With these new goals as a songsmith, I began using the alias "Byron Godfrey" instead of my legal name "Raymond William Godfrey", "Byron" being still with me today. As writers in the 60's, we made many trips to London's music centre, Tin Pan Alley, later discovering a singer and his group who were working the social clubs in South Wales. In an effort to have control and create some form of discipline and direction for the group and singer, we signed a management contract with them and proceeded to promote them, soon signing them to a record deal with Joe Meek, one of the first successful independent million seller record producers. Remember "Telstar"? Following months of impatiently pursuing Joe for a Decca Records release and receiving many hollow promises, eager to promote the singer and his group, we finally decided to cancel the contract, booked a London studio and produced our own tracks with the singer and his group.

The resulting recordings enabled us to sign the singer directly to Decca Records after meeting and playing the tracks to Britain's top DJ at the time, Jimmy Saville. That's how Sir TOM JONES began his amazing success story.

Of course there is much more to tell, but having financed Tom's career without one penny of a return, regretably when Tom Jones' success became a reality, it took my colleague and I over 5 years in a legal action through London's High Court in the Strand before we were able to extract any money out of Jones with an out-of-court financial settlement. And believe me, there's much more to tell!

Rewards are difficult to come by when greed and a lack of integrity rule people's actions. However, we live and learn, that example being a reminder that we should always be grateful for other peoples' sacrifices. I might add that not all ambitious artistes behave in this manner.

During my 25 years in the music business I managed and represented many successful British artistes, amongst others, Kathy Kirby, Faith Brown and American, Linda Lou Allen among them. As an agent I also booked British acts for the US's Mike Douglas TV Show", a show in which I was negotiating an appearance for Benny Hill before his untimely death. Edna Everidge (Barry Humphries) was another extremely successful booking on the company seminar circuit.

In my spare time (that's a joke), since I've been in the States, I've revived my favourite pastime, renovating classic cars, and have just finished a 1952 Pontiac Chieftain de Luxe, and am half way through a 1967 MGB GT.

I met my American wife Linda Lou Allen purely by chance in a London club in '74, learning that she was seeking a manager to promote her in the British music scene of the 70's. This was the start of her successful career in TV, film cabaret and "live shows"until the birth of our second child in '88, when she decided to retire and look after her family. We are now the proud parents of a Stanford educated daughter, Emily, having just secured a place in the Foreign Service with the US Government. Meanwhile, our son Jason, now in college, is a classically trained woodwind player, also an aspiring Jazz saxophonist.

As an update, after initial government training in D.C. in October '09, my daughter, Emily, now 26 years old, elected to work in Haiti for the first two years of her service, joining the Haiti embassy in November'09 and was fortunate enough to survive the recent earthquake in January 2010, though it proved quite an ordeal which she, nor we, will ever forget.

The relevance in relating my construction and music business achievements to Real Estate, is to emphasize my knowledge of home construction and negotiating skills, all beneficial to my clients. My knowledge and expertise in a tough businesses, being incorporated and utilized in Real Estate.

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Use this section to write about your specific areas of expertise. Do you specialize in first time buyers - listing high end homes - etc. Are there specific market area's that you specialize in? The more you write about your area's of expertise the more knowledgeable you'll sound to a potential buyer or seller.

BUYING AND SELLING REAL ESTATE WITH THE EMPHASISE ON SHREWD NEGOTIATING.