MY REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROFILE 

(from Construction to Sir Tom Jones to Real Estate) 

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 together with local artisans.

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.

Linda Lou, my American wife, and I, along with our two young children, Emily and Jason, Titch a Maltese terrier, 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 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 1st 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 1st 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, who insisted I mention his claim to be a BRAD PITT lookalike!!.

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 Johnny 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 Johnny did manage to secure a song "Come Home Rhondda Boy" on one of   Tom's hit albums. 

As a mechanically minded teenager, after grammar school I joined the NCB working as a fitter at Oakdale Colliery until enlisting in the British army, R.E.M.E. ( Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers) as a Vehicle Mech. rising to 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” at Cardiff, who later employed me as senior plant technician at Ebbw Vale. It was during this employ that I decided to change direction again by linking up with a former grammar school colleague, John Glastonbury,  a surveyor, and break into the music business as songwriting hopefuls, and move  to London.

As a writer, 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. To 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 unfruitful record release promises from Joe, we 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 with 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 a penny return, regretably when Tom Jones' success became a reality, it took my colleague and I  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!

It is a shame 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, Kathy Kirby, Faith Brown, Luie Caballero 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.

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, currently in the Foreign Service with the US  Embassy stationed in Haiti, having survived the earthquake, but losing all her belongings when her car and condo slid down the hillside, fortunately while she was at the embassy. Meanwhile, our son Jason, now in college, is a classically trained woodwind player, also an aspiring Jazz saxophonist,  heading for Arizona  State University in 2011.

The relevance in relating my music business achievements to Real Estate is to emphasize my experience, negotiating skills and the benefits my clients have derived from this expertise in a tough business, only to be utilized and developed in Real Estate.  NOVEMBER 2010.

 

FOR MY PROFESSIONAL REAL ESTATE SERVICE PLEASE CALL 602 616 5093 OR EMAIL

BYRONTHEBRIT@COX.NET

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