Obtaining a real estate license in the midst of the Great Depression was the best five dollars that George W. Johnson ever spent. Nearly 70 years later, he's still active in the profession—rounding up prospects on the golf course, courting families for repeat business, and fielding calls at the brokerage he opened in 1947. At 96, he recently solidified plans for his youngest son, Bob Johnson, 64, to take over Seattle-based George W. Johnson, REALTORS®.

Your wife, two sons, and two daughters all worked at your brokerage. Did you intend to start a family business?

When my eldest son Jim graduated from Seattle Pacific University, he needed a job so I gave him my insurance business. He was making $400-$500 a month, which wasn't bad in those days. It was a big chunk to take out, but I also did property management in addition to insurance and real estate. So I wanted to get rid of a piece of it because it was becoming too much to do all of it. I was running a little too ragged. My son has since retired, but he sold it to his two sons. And soon, my youngest son will be taking over for me. Two grandsons and a great-granddaughter are also in that insurance business. Not too many families can do that and stay compatible. The ones I've seen get to fighting. But so far we've done real well, and I hope the kids are enjoying it as much as I am and I think they are. I have a perfect retirement now set up with my young son taking over.

You experienced various housing downturns over 50 years. What strategies did you use to get through them? 

Ties to a community really make a difference. We've stayed in one location the whole time we've been here. When I had a milk route, it was always the same route. And when I went into real estate I wrote all my customers a nice little note and told them what I was doing and where I would be and invited them to come over. That's been my bread and butter. Seventy percent of my business is repeat clients, and you can't beat that. That's the best business in the world. I'm selling to grandkids of grandparents that I sold to way back then. Contrast that to a newer office that doesn't have the background and the experience we have and that's not known as well as we are. That has helped us weather these types of things every time. An awful lot of offices go broke, close up, close their branch offices, but we've been able to hang on. We pay our bills, and that's all anyone can expect right now.

Where do you think things are heading with real estate and the economy? 

Business has picked up in the last month or two. The trick is to last until the change. It seems to me like it's turning the corner, and there are lots of signs we're headed in that direction. The industry is getting more positive publicity in the papers and on television. If they publish a little more of the good news instead of all the doom and gloom, it would go quicker. The interesting thing about the change is the next cycle always goes higher than the previous one and I suppose this one will be the same way. Right now we have four or five deals in the hopper — that's the most we've had for the last six months!

What advice do you have for today's struggling practitioners? 

You need to remember you never know where your next sale will come from. I got a good prospect today when I was playing golf. There was one guy ahead who invited me to play with him and it turned out he and his wife were moving here from Canada. He wants to buy a house, so I'll sell him one.

If you're going to stay smaller, and not compete with the big boys with their advertising dollars and their 25 or 50 salespeople, you've got go to do it right. Keep your nose clean and be honest, and people will keep coming back to you. If you do it right, people know you're working for them, and not just for a commission. I started my old office in the same location I'm in now. I kept the office small on purpose. I do not like the pressure of having 15 or 20 or 50 or 60 salespeople. With five or six salespeople and a smaller office you get more time to spend with each individual, and I find that's most important. Whether they're sellers or buyers, listen to them, pay attention to them, and not only pay attention, but follow through. Do it right, and know what you're doing, and treat people right and they'll appreciate it and come back.

Are you comfortable with today's technology?

My brokerage is completely up-to-date on technology. My sons do the Web site, but I did not get into it. I knew I didn't like it, and it changes so fast. But the way real estate is done now, there is no community office and sitting at a desk. My salesmen work from their computers and laptops. I'm the only one in the office during the day except for my secretary. I'm able to take care of the frequent calls and people who stop in.

The MLS has just changed the real estate business fantastically. Before that it was a dog-eat-dog business. If I took an exclusive when I didn't want to, I didn't have to share that with anyone. If you happened to have that kind of broker, and he didn't want to pass it around to anybody, you're stuck for three months. The MLS prevents that. It's been the best marketing tool for buyers, sellers, agents, and offices that ever hit the market.

At 96, you've stayed in real estate well past the typical retirement age. Why?

I've been working in the field most of my life, and I'm sold on the idea. I also noticed along the line that people who retired lasted 10 or 15 years without something to do. I enjoy what I'm doing and had a good set-up with the office with family and so on, and it just worked out beautifully for me. It might not for everyone, but it sure did for me. I've had 96 and a half years of good health. I've got a place to go to work and something to do — if I stayed home, I'd drive my wife nuts. And on a slow day, if somebody says "let's play golf," I go play golf.