If you spent the late ’90s or early 2000s in Charleston, South Carolina, you may recall a man in a Panama Jack hat strolling the beaches. To the untrained eye, he appeared to be relaxed enjoying the sand and surf. In reality, that hat was a walking billboard, and the man underneath was meticulously building a real estate career one conversation at a time.
Today Wayne Owens is a highly successful agent who spends most of his days working deals in Dallas’ posh neighborhoods. In November he joined Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate after four years with Ebby Halliday. (Dave Perry-Miller is owned by the Ebby Halliday Companies.)
“The whole thing that I’ve found about real estate is that it’s about being unique, branding yourself, and working,” Owens said. “If you’ve got those three things, you’re going to be very successful.”
In his previous life, Owens spent 28 years in corporate sales with American Hospital Supply Corporation. He retired when he turned 50 and got into real estate the next day. He would walk the beaches every day and talk to people about living in Charleston. When the conversation inevitably turned to real estate, he was ready to swoop in. So many deals were made in the sand he could go days without actually needing to go into the office.
In 2014 he met Bonnie Bauer, a longtime Dallas agent who now works at Compass. Owens jokes that if he had been a better salesperson, she would be living in Charleston today. Alas, he soon found himself moving to Dallas ready to embark on a new life. When one of his friends asked him what he would do if he didn’t like it, he simply said that wasn’t an option.
“Life’s about the journey, not the destination,” he recalls saying. “I came over here and I do like it.”
Lucky for him, things have worked quite well. Owens admits that taking on the competitive Dallas market was a daunting task for sure, but his experience in sales and real estate made it a smooth transition. Over the past few years he has gotten to know a lot of people at Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate and ultimately realized it was where he wanted to be.
“They graciously accepted me,” he said. “I hit the ground running in November and have loved every minute of it.”
