(Clarinda) – After more than 30 years of serving the Clarinda community and region, Crawford and Company Real Estate and Auction is starting a new chapter.
Company officials announced that after 32 years in business, the store will close and consolidate its current sales staff with Manuel Real Estate in Clarinda. The move comes as longtime owner and broker George Crawford retires from his full-time job as a real estate broker. Crawford, who started in the business in 1992, told KMA News he felt now was a good time to step away from the day-to-day grind of an office job and start a new chapter.
“I’m involved with farms and homes from time to time. It’s kind of a necessary evil of the real estate business, so I’m involved in every aspect of it,” he says, “but when the calendar ticks over to 70, you realize that sitting in an office from 8 to 5 waiting for things to happen might not be what you want. But I’ve had good opportunities and great support from the staff (at Manuel Real Estate) to make things work.”
After graduating from Northwest Missouri State University, Crawford began his career at Clarinda Livestock Auctions in 1976. He earned his broker’s license and opened Crawford Company Real Estate Auctions in 1992. Although he was originally interested in the auction business, Crawford said going into real estate felt like a natural way to help people in the community.
“As the years went by, it became a natural progression for me to get into brokerage and network and help people. I was the state probate appraiser for Page County for a long time and my father held the same position,” Crawford said. “Helping people reach their goals in real estate was very important to me.”
Crawford says he’s grateful for people’s business and community support over the years, but he doesn’t plan on going too far as he plans to stay involved with Manuel Real Estate and help out with various auctions around the area.
“A lot of connections and networks have been made over the years helping people, and staying involved in the auction business is very important to me. I’ve helped with personal property sales at Antique John’s and assisted with the logistical side of things like household goods,” Crawford emphasized. “Joe Nebel and I have worked together for many years on farm auctions, and of course that comes from the history of working with him and Pat Maher through his late father, Jesse McIntyre, Clark Crawford, and over the years. There’s been a lot of history along the way.”
Regarding his semi-retirement plans, Crawford said he wants to be a bit more actively involved on the family farm and stay involved in habitat management throughout the region.
“When it comes to what we call ‘Deer Camp’ or ‘Lost Nation,’ there are some tracts of land where I make life or death decisions, and wildlife management is very important to me,” Crawford said. “I don’t do it for hunting purposes, I do it to be good stewards of nature.”
In addition to Crawford’s assistance, agents Scott Samp, Eric Klein and Hunter Crawford will also be joining Manuel Realty.
