FIFTEEN PRESIDENTS AND NINE DECADES LATER, Wyatt Real Estate remains an integral part of Texas City. To be honest, the history of Texas City cannot be written without the contributions of Earl Wyatt, who made the city his home 80 years ago after serving in the United States Army.
Like his father, Don Wyatt served in the military (Navy), and after earning his degree at Oklahoma State University, he joined the family business in 1950. Together, father and son began laying an enduring mark upon Galveston County.
The family tree added another branch in 1975 when David Wyatt, Don’s son, came into the industry after completing his education at Sam Houston State University. Now entering his 46th year in the business, David Wyatt continues to build dreams for area families.
As the 80th anniversary of Wyatt Real Estate looms, The Post Newspaper Editor Brandon C. Williams sat down with David Wyatt and discussed the company’s history along with how coach David Wyatt might have been a different path in the first of a two-part interview.
Question: How is Wyatt Real Estate adjusting to the challenges presented by the Coronavirus?
David Wyatt: We’re social distancing and wearing masks while being as cautious as we can, but we’re still in business and we’re still working with people listing and selling houses. There’s a lot of hand sanitizer…you know, just trying to do the best we can.
Q: Going into 80 years, did you ever vision that the family’s presence would remain as strong as it is?
DW: It all revolves around my dad, of course. He was active for 61 years. I feel like we are a part of the city. We have been and hopefully will be for years to come.
Q: If you weren’t doing real estate, what do you think you’d be doing?
DW: I’d probably be a coach. I played football and baseball (at Texas City High School). In fact, my dad played for the Stingarees back in the 40s, and my late brother played in the ‘60s, so we have a tradition of football going there, too.
I still go to their practices. Just (recently), John Staggs, an old buddy of mine who grew up here with me, went and watched them practice. It’s pretty interesting to be on the sidelines. Even at practice, there’s a lot of positive vibrations on the football field. They’ve got a good group of coaches and a good future ahead of them.
Q: What do you feel is the one constant in real estate over the past 80 years?
DW: Connecting with people. Trying to please them and getting to know them and working to achieve the goals you’ve set. That’s one of the positives you take from being a salesman in a county like Galveston County. You meet a lot of people, remain friends, and as time goes by, those friends have kids. I’ve even sold a house or two to grandchildren of the same clients, so it’s a good feeling you take from it.
Q: What is like to have that experience to sell to multiple generations of the same family?
DW: It’s a great feeling. It makes it all worthwhile. You can’t take your commission check with you, but you can take your memories and your reputation when it’s your time.
Q: It definitely sounds like one of the mottos of the company is ‘the mission before the commission.’
DW: Yes. Very well put.
Q: Can you recall how many houses Wyatt Real Estate has sold over the past 80 years?
DW: Countless homes to Texas City residents and their families.
(Recently), a gentleman named Ignacio Vasquez dropped by and gave my wife and I some fruit. He and my dad used to put together fruit baskets and pass them out during Christmastime. Ignacio still lives in the same house that his father brought from my dad. I recall that the story went when his father bought that house about 60 years ago, he came into the office with a brown paper bag of money to buy it. You don’t hear stories like that but once in a great while.
Q: Describe what it was like when you closed your first home.
DW: I was on Cloud 9. I was walking a couple of inches off the ground. It was a little house via a VA loan. I believe it was on 10th Avenue, around the 700 block. I think it was a $1 move-in. Back then, it was pretty common for the buyer to help the veterans with their closing costs, and it still is.
Q: What is like when you’re selling so consistently that it feels like you’re in a zone?
DW: There were times where my dad would have 15-20 files going at one time. There are times where it’s a seller’s market, but there are times when it’s a buyer’s market because the homes aren’t moving that well.
Over the past year, Texas City has been in kind of a boom. It’s a seller’s market. Houses are selling well and their values are appreciating upward like they’re supposed to. Right now is a pretty good time to buy or sell a house because of the historically-low interest rates.
