Scott Jerson
Debbie and Scott Jerson.
Our series “Exit Interviews'' featured a series of conversations with people who left their mark in Phoenix. They either reached a plateau or needed to grow.
Currently, Staying Power is highlighting people who have made Arizona their home, including real estate agents Scott and Debbie Jarson.
Full interview
In the 1980s and '90s, Phoenix wasn't necessarily the place to go for great architecture.
Scott Jerson: It was classic minimal stucco, with red tile roofs and acres of newly built subdivisions.
Back then, when I drove around my neighborhood, I saw a lot of cookie-shaped houses with red tile roofs. And that started to become a problem for our next guest, who has spent his career selling real estate here.
Scott Jerson: We have had a good career in that we have sold many homes. And that's where we felt, at least I felt, that it was starting to become part of the problem of reaching into this kind of desert. The spread didn't accurately represent where we were coming from.
That's Scott Jerson. It was around his 1990s that he and his wife of 42 years, Debbie, changed direction and started doing something pretty bold with a new subdivision in Phoenix, a stately landscape.
Debbie Jerson: At the time, we were selling these houses and they're okay. There's nothing wrong with them, but we just decided otherwise. That wasn't what we wanted to sell.
Actually, I talked to Scott one day and he said, “I want to withdraw from the business,” he said. So I said, what if I stay in the business? And he said, “I like architecture.” I sell architecture. This is him in 1990. So I said, “Let's sell architecture.''
They call it an architecturally unique house, and their colleagues? Well, they thought they were crazy.
Scott Jerson: Well, no one in the real estate industry was interested in architecture. At that time, there were several people who were active in the newly created historic districts, but no one had a comprehensive look at the depth of design, and at that time even mid-century houses were considered mid-century. It wasn't. So, interestingly, a group of our colleagues in the real estate industry thought it was really humorous for us to go down this path and were confident that we wouldn't sell anything.
At that time, not many people were interested in modern, modernist housing. In fact, most real estate agents didn't want to represent real estate agents. They had a long sales cycle and they didn't fully understand it. So we actually got a little bit of a reprimand from a colleague about this. Similarly, I will never sell my house again.
How did you build it? Was it difficult at first?
Debbie Jerson: Yeah, it's been tough, but it's something we enjoy, so it's really natural for us. And it turns out there are a lot of like-minded people who feel the same way. That's because you're in the closet, so to speak, and no one is listening. Talk to them about architecture and come see their architects.
But over the years, as the Valley has grown and their business has grown, things have changed.
Scott Jerson. There's more here than people think. We're really lucky to be able to do this, you know, we're a post-war town, and after World War II, everything boomed here. So we brought together a bunch of mid-century architects. Al Beadle, a local guy, had a great career here, and we also have Ralph Haver. All of these mid-century homes are really famous now, but they were once hidden gems.
So it's like how Ralph Haver's house has skyrocketed in value and Al Beadle's house can't be had for less than $1 million. As you can see, mid-century items are all the rage. Do you think the two of you contributed to making it a staple of Phoenix architecture and cherishing it?
Debbie Jerson: Yes, it is. Well, that's not the case, and we don't want to take all the credit for it. And it happened all over the country as well. But we feel like we've done it. We want to let the little people of the world know that these homes are good homes, that the way they're designed is thoughtful, that they truly belong here, and that anyone can live in them, no matter how old they are. Ta.
Scott Jerson: It was also a lot of education because at the time many of these houses were frankly ignored. Like you said, they weren't celebrated very much. And we do our part to sell a lot of these houses and prevent people from putting red tile roofs and plastering and just living there for a while, you, you. You, you know how it feels. And I'm very happy that the valley has pretty much caught up with the rarity of having this type of real estate inventory in this area. It's unique.
So I'd like to talk about what I love about a really well-designed home and why it's a Phoenix home. For example, is there something distinctive here, or are there some things that are unique to you here that you won't find anywhere else?
Debbie Jerson: Well, I think a well-designed house takes a lot of thought. The house itself is well placed on the land. What often happens with poorly designed homes is that while the home may look good on paper, it's a completely different story when you get to see it in person. Sometimes you think a house could be perfect just by shifting it just a little bit, but that wasn't what was thought of. But good architects think about them.
I had never thought of actually placing it on my property.
Scott Jerson: I think one of the other important characteristics of good design, good architecture is scale. And in general, they are more humanistic. This house will comfort you in a very good way. When people think of modern architecture, they think of steel and glass, but a good architect controls the space to ensure that it's well-lit during the day. And I think you can see that in Arizona's great design. Good architects here know how to control the sun. They know how to keep the sun's rays out of steel and glass, allowing you to create a home that you can enjoy year-round in all weather conditions, even in Arizona's extreme climate.
Scott Jerson
Debbie and Scott Jerson.
So obviously you've had a long career here and you've contributed a lot to helping people understand what good architecture is in Phoenix. Looking back, did I plan on still being here all these decades later?
Debbie Jerson: That was one of the first questions I asked Scott.
Scott Jerson: that's right.
Debbie Jerson: You know, deserts are places, especially the Arizona desert, the Sonoran desert, it's a really unique environment, a place where you really grow into yourself and it's hard to leave. It's, it's the only place like this in the country. And it's beautiful. That means you can find something really beautiful all year round. That's why I want to stay forever.
Scott Jerson: Yeah. And I, you know, I'm a desert kid through and through, I mean, just, you know, I grew up here and I'm used to the flora and fauna. I like the subtle seasonal changes here. You know, it's crossed our minds to go somewhere else and we had the opportunity to do that. But there's something magical about this place for us. It's different from other places. And it has its own signature.
I asked my father, who had immigrated here from Michigan in the 1950s. He could have lived anywhere in the United States at the time, but for a while, he lived in San Diego. So I said, Dad, why did he choose the Valley of the Sun? Why did he come to Phoenix as his home? And he said that when he went to the Arizona desert and looked beyond that clear sky, this was a limitless horizon for me as a human being. I could have done anything here, but I didn't have the legacy that maybe he would have had with Michigan. So I always thought about that, and I thought that's part of the amazing charm of this Valley and creating your own legacy here. And it's a place of big ideas and broad dreams. It's hard to leave it behind.
So, it seems that you now have two sons who are taking over the family business. Do you think they will stay there? Are they going to tell this?
Debbie Scott: In fact, I think it will. I tried to get them to leave college and go somewhere else, but neither of them wanted to leave. So I think they will, they will stay here. I mean, they both want to see the world. I think they will be traveling a lot. But in terms of living, this is where they want to live.
So, one last thought, when you look back on your big career here, you're still in the middle of it, you're by no means finished, but what do you want as your legacy or what do you hope to accomplish? Do you think so? Before it ends?
Scott Jerson: It's just this, what's already here, and what's been here before, and we're so lucky to be able to celebrate this, this mid-century thing that's really mainstream now, but has been forgotten for a long time. An overall education and awareness of the modern history of. Our roots here are very interesting and different from other parts of the country. So if our conversation about real estate can enlighten some people, open their minds a little bit more to what's here and help attract and keep a few more creative people in Arizona. You may be able to keep it. That's something we're really proud of.
Do you think it's discounted? Don't those people look at Phoenix and say, oh, why Phoenix?
Scott Jerson: Yeah, I have very strong opinions about it, and I've been here long enough to see cycles of creativity come and go. So we've got a really strong, vibrant, creative community that will often come and pick us up in one way or another, and then come back again. And it's exciting because each wave brings new ideas and fresh perspectives on life here. From that perspective, I think this is a very creative place. It's just sometimes it's hot and sometimes it's cold.
I like that.
