Meet the OG: Get to Know George Sykes, Managing Broker for Southwest Illinois
By Worth Clark Realty
This month marks an incredible milestone at Worth Clark Realty as we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of one of our true "OG" agents, George Sykes.
Over the past decade, George has closed more than 200 sales with WCR, proving himself to be a powerhouse in the Southwest Illinois market. Now, he’s stepping into a new chapter as our Managing Broker for Southwest Illinois. Combining 30 years of tech-entrepreneurship with deep local real estate expertise, George is uniquely equipped to help our agents thrive.
We asked George to talk tech, real estate marketing, and why Worth Clark has been his professional home for a decade.
Q: In 30 seconds or less, tell us about yourself!
George: I'm a longtime business owner and software developer with a background in 3D visualization and internet application site development. I expanded my tech company of 30 years into real estate, building around our Wildfire CityPages.
On the personal side, I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 40 years, and we have two grown children and a couple of golden retrievers. If you can't find me at the keyboard writing software or out showing properties, I'll be at the gym or on the pickleball courts!
Q: What inspired you to start your real estate career?
George: My software company developed most of the St. Louis area home builder sites back in the late 1990s. Having beautiful homes and floor plans as part of our daily development cycle made for a natural transition. We started adding MLS features into our Wildfire CityPage sites—like edwardsville.com, collinsville.com, and granitecity.com. Today, those network sites cover over 60 cities within 50 miles of the St. Louis Arch!
Q: Reflecting on your early career, what memorable moments ignited your commitment to client success?
George: Client success is a constant across all business models. Whether you are writing software, selling homes, or building a new deck, clients need to be front and center. In the long run, you have to grow your audience to grow your business. Happy clients help you grow. Unhappy clients... don't.
Q: What is the best real estate advice you’ve ever come across?
George: Want the business, but never need the business.
Q: New agents often struggle with establishing their business out of the gate. What advice would you give to someone looking to start a successful real estate career?
George: Be seen. Learn how to market. Real estate is a tricky business because you actually have to market twice. The first time is marketing yourself so a client can find you. The second time is marketing to sell their property. If you don't truly understand marketing, real estate can be a rough business.
Q: What first attracted you to Worth Clark Realty a decade ago?
George: To be honest, I didn't believe the 100% commission model at first! Lucky for me, the original Managing Broker for Worth Clark was a high-producing agent making the jump from RE/MAX, and I couldn't believe he had moved to a smaller company. That was 10 years ago. After seeing how Worth Clark operated, there was no other option for me.
Q: What do you feel Worth Clark Realty does exceptionally well for its agents?
George: Worth Clark was way ahead of the curve when it comes to agent support. While traditional offices were still asking for paper contracts to be dropped off at an admin's desk—and then making you wait days for feedback—Worth Clark quickly adopted technology for speed, convenience, and accuracy.
Q: Why should agents in the Southwest Illinois market consider joining Worth Clark Realty?
George: I have been on "rides" with several breakout companies over my career—and by rides, I mean witnessing the birth and growth of well-run, profitable businesses. Agents making the move to Worth Clark receive the distinct benefits of that highly optimized structure, not to mention keeping 100% of their commission.
Of course, one of my absolute favorite things about Worth Clark is our table funding model. There is nothing quite like walking away from a closing table with your check already in hand.
Q: What are you most excited about as you take over leadership in your market as Managing Broker?
George: Worth Clark agents are smart, motivated self-starters. This certainly isn't a babysitting job! Instead, I'm excited for this to be a space where I can share my experience when needed, and even learn from some of the incredibly engaged members of our team who work hard every single day for their clients.
Q: We hear you have a bit of a superpower when it comes to local networking and helping clients. Tell us about that!
George: About 10 years ago, I helped form BNI BiG, which is a business networking group in Edwardsville. We now have a network of about 38 local businesses that meet every Thursday morning.
This has become one of my most valuable tools when it comes to helping my real estate clients. With an army of trusted local contractors at my disposal, I can genuinely say "I know a guy." If any of my clients or agents need the right, trusted person for a job, I can point them in the exact right direction.
Connect with George:
Explore the Region: Check out George’s extensive local network covering over 60 local communities at edwardsville.com/cities.
Social Media: Follow his updates on Facebook at Search618.
Thinking about making the move to Worth Clark Realty? Learn how WCR’s technology, guaranteed support, and 100% commission model can elevate your real estate business: worthclark.com/lets-talk