JACQUES WALCH, OWNER VOORMA AND WALCH

Jacques Walch, owner of Voorma and Walch Makelaars, is a real estate agent and trusted partner in the Gooi. Grew up in Hilversum, lives on Tafelbergheide, a keen car enthusiast who delights in closing another successful transaction between clients. A true local. MASTERS wonders: who laid the foundation for Jacques's real estate career?

Jacques Walch, owner of Voorma and Walch Makelaars in Het Gooi, is a real estate agent and trusted partner in 't Gooi. Grew up in Hilversum, living on the Tafelbergheide, a big car enthusiast and delighted when another successful transaction between customers has been completed. You hear it, a Gooi native through and through. The entrepreneur has already experienced several crises (editor: '82 and '08), but the company is still rock solid. MASTERS wonders: who gave Jacques the key to his broker career?Text: Mical Joseph
Image: John van Helvert

What was your very first job?

“As the son of a teacher and municipal official, I was taught at home that I had to do something for society. That's why I worked at the company from the age of fourteen, in addition to my secondary school education De Ronde in Hilversum. I helped deliver groceries and my first job was on the Utrechtseweg with singer Ben Cramer. I remember this very well, because he had just had his hit He was just a clown released. When I was eighteen I was allowed to drive the Volkswagen and I delivered groceries to customers independently. I did this until I was nineteen.”

And then?

“In the meantime, I met my wife in the penultimate year of the atheneum during the history course. The courtship went on, on, off, on, off, but at the graduation party in Theater Gooiland in Hilversum I met her again and asked her to dance with me in the Bombarde discotheque. Since then, our relationship has never ended... Well, it's for half an hour four times a year. After that it's always good again. In 1982 I married my high school sweetheart in a Volkswagen convertible 1303s. This Beetle is still in the garage and I regularly take it out for a drive.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“After high school, I studied Law at the University of Utrecht and had a part-time job at PTT Post. I was planning to become a criminal lawyer, until I met Garbrand Voorma... I knew him through our parents and his father was a real estate agent. Garbrand's father indicated at one point that I could just work for them instead of my part-time job at PTT Post. No sooner said than done: the real estate agency welcomed me with open arms and after a few months of working for the Voorma family, I quit my law studies and started working full-time as a real estate agent. I made this decision within two weeks, because I was promised half of the shares of Voorma and Walch Makelaars in Het Gooi.

My parents did not agree with the career change at all, because they thought it would look much more elegant than my introduction Jacques E. Walch, lawyer and attorney used to be. They barely spoke to me for about three months. It was especially quiet on Sunday: I come from a reformed family. But my choice was all worth it, I have never regretted the switch and have been in real estate since 1982. My parents saw my passion for the profession and joined in. Whether it is a compact apartment in Huizen for €325.000, a very expensive villa for €11 million in Blaricum or an apartment in Bryant Park in New York City, they are all nice transactions. We also recently opened our office in Ibiza in San Rafael. I think it is the best profession there is.”

I think a lot of people think the same way. Anyone can call themselves a real estate agent, right?

“There is an incredible amount of competition at the moment, most people who can count to ten are already becoming real estate agents. Fortunately, we are members of the NVM and the international organization Fiabci. I am also an appraiser for Special Management for banks and we employ construction engineers and legal people. You really have to be able to do something and there are people who just call themselves real estate agents because it is a liberal profession. ”

Who was your wheelbarrow?

“That's Garbrand Voorma. He was my partner and best friend at the time (which he still is) and seventeen years ago I bought him out. Garbrand is still associated with us, because he is an appraiser at the company. He taught me how to delegate well, without this skill I cannot manage a team of 31 real estate agents. Being a real estate agent is very different from being a manager. In addition to this wheelbarrow, my great inspiration is Cor van Zadelhoff. We facetime regularly and I always ask for some advice. Sometimes he grumbles because he thinks I'm a little too much in the publicity every now and then, so he keeps me with both feet on the ground and on the right path.”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“My greatest passion is to bring together customers with a smaller spending budget, but also millionaires and billionaires, to complete a transaction. With the latter group you are dealing with a lot of money and big egos, so it is truly tailor-made. Everything has to be right so that both parties are satisfied. I also love the interaction with people, no day is the same. I believe that without passion you don't do your job well.”

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“What made a big impression on me was a morning I spent with Jan des Bouvrie at his home before he passed away. We drank coffee and smoked a cigar. We looked back on his life and he said that he had a fantastic life. For me, this moment indicates the relativity of life. It is a beautiful learning moment that I cherish. Jan always impressed me, because even though I had been doing business with him since 2007, he continued to inspire me. As soon as I came near Jan, I felt his passion and warm energy. This is reflected in his creations.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“Follow your heart, because that's right and follow your passion. There are too many people in our society who do something they actually don't like. It is so important that you do something you enjoy, because then you will become a star.”

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I try to be a wheelbarrow for all the people I work with. Both at Voorma and Walch Makelaars in Het Gooi and at my two other companies where I have many employees. Sometimes it works well as a wheelbarrow, other times it works less well. That's part of it, but I always hope to pass on some of my expertise. I also keep myself in the background of the CDA and am in favor of a caring society: look at what unites you, not what divides you.”