DANVILLE — It’s all about making dreams come true.

For many real estate agents, that’s what keeps them going: Putting a young couple into their first home, helping a seller get a reasonable price, finding that perfect fit for the first-time homeowner.

“I just love the thrill — to put somebody in a home,” said Mike Woodley, a Realtor with ERA Renaissance Realty. “It’s still an American dream.”

Linda Heeren with Bob McMurray Real Estate in Georgetown agreed.

“It’s very satisfying when you help a buyer find a home they like,” she said. “You know you made a good match — a home that’s going to serve them well.”

Other agents echoed those sentiments as they reflected on why they got into the business — and why they stay in it, despite the fickleness of the marketplace.

With more than 100 Realtors in Vermilion County, real estate can be a competitive business. Still, it’s not about the money, some say.

“Out of those 21 houses I show, it’s all about the look on their faces when they find the right one,” said Sandy Knauer with Barney Realty in Westville. “It’s worth a mint. That’s what makes it worth it.”

“You have to enjoy it,” Jodi Barney, also with Barney Realty, said, even though it’s a lot of work.

Double duty

Like many agents, Woodley, Barney and Knauer all work other jobs. Heeren is retired from Danville Area Community College.

Debbie Borgwald, executive officer of the Danville Area Board of Realtors, said the agency has 123 members in the county. All are Realtors, except for 16, who are appraisers. The office doesn’t track how many agents are part time.

Woodley, however, estimates half of the agents work two jobs.

“In this market, unless you’re established like the big fish, it’s tough,” he said, adding about 20 or so can make a living full-time as agents.

Heeren said, “It’s a tough profession. I have a great deal of respect for someone who has made a living of it.”

Woodley, 47, said he averages selling one home a month, although summer is busier. He also sells for Luxury Homes based in Charleston.

By day, he sells real estate and in the evenings, he drives a truck for Brisk Transportation out of Champaign, covering a 400-mile radius.

He’s been with Luxury Homes since 1998 and has had his real estate license three years.

Barney is a math and science teacher at Mary Miller Junior High School in Georgetown. She got her real estate license 2½ years ago, about the time her son, David, was opening his agency in Westville. She always had been interested in real estate and decided the time was right.

Although she has a full-time job at the school, she considers her job as a Realtor full time, as well, devoting every free minute to it.

Knauer of Cayuga, Ind., met Barney in the real estate classes, and they joined Barney Realty about the same time. She works full time in administration at the Danville Polyclinic, but keeps her Realtor work part time.

Heeren, 57, took early retirement from DACC in May 2003 as vice president of student services and basic skills.

She loved her job at the college, but wanted to try something entirely different upon retirement. She asked herself: “Can I do something that’s outside my comfort zone?”

She thought she’d enjoy selling real estate and got her license before she retired.

She took a lot of the skills she learned in education — especially customer service — and applied them to real estate.

Heeren, who works out of her Danville home, sold four homes in her first year, and went to 18 closings last year.

On the run

Being a Realtor involves more than just showing a home and signing some papers.

Getting started and then maintaining an office can be expensive. After going through classes and getting a license, a person pays $450 to join the Danville Area Board of Realtors and then a $90-per-month fee.

Brokers have to undergo 18 hours of continuing education every two years, and Realtors, 12 hours every two years.

“People don’t realize how expensive it is,” Borgwald said.

And then there’s the cost of advertising and, for some, running an office.

Besides the expense, Realtors must have flexible hours and be willing to show a house to a potential client at all hours.

There’s a lot of running around and detailed paperwork — and making sure both parties are happy, Knauer said. Technology, such as cell phones and e-mail, has made a Realtor’s life a bit easier.

One drawback is that there are no benefits, so part-time Realtors need to have a spouse with insurance. Nor is there a dependable paycheck.

However, all said they enjoy meeting people, and working with them. When a Realtor works with a client for a long time and understands what he’s looking for, sometimes a friendship develops, Barney said.

“It’s a lot of fun,” she said.

But there are a lot of heartaches, too, she said, when a buyer can’t get a loan, or the home he wants is sold, or a seller won’t accept an offer. That’s when the Realtor is there to offer words of support.

Heeren said she enjoys the chance to meet people in different occupations, such as the appraisers, attorneys, title people, inspectors and others.

“It’s a whole new group from what I had in education,” she said.

The outlook

Although people notice a lot of for-sale signs around town, some say the market isn’t as bad as it seems.

The weather makes a big difference, Woodley said. Winter is a slow time for home sales because people can’t inspect the roof and foundation when snow is covering them.

Some families prefer to move in the summer, when school is out.

The best time for sales is between April and Labor Day, Woodley said.

“I think there are good times coming. You just have to ride the storm out,” he said.

The housing market is like the four seasons, he said: “We’re coming to the end of winter and April is getting close. You have to ride out the winter to make it to spring.”

The market for existing homes will get better because people can’t afford to build, due to the high cost of raw materials, such as copper.

“It’s not going to be bad forever. It will turn around this year,” he said.

The others agreed.

Heeren said the median-priced homes are moving as well as or better than they had been.

One problem, however, is that lending regulations have become stricter, and peo-ple aren’t able to get loans as easily as they could in the past, she said.

Knauer said it’s more difficult to sell a higher-priced home, and it’s more difficult for some buyers to get loans.

But, overall, she said, “I think we’re coming back.”

Barney agreed business is picking up — maybe because the market is getting better or spring is getting closer. Either way, she’s noticed an increase in business as early as December, which is unusual.