James Kesterson has been a major figure in real estate world locally for four decades. This summer, however, the company he heads – Kesterson Realty and Appraisal – has quite literally been on the move. On June 15, it relocated its offices to 1926 First Ave. S.

The building that is the firm’s new headquarters underwent a massive renovation prior to the move.

“The interior was gutted completely and rebuilt,” Kesterson said. “It took about two months. It’s a better location and a more convenient layout.”

He said the new office sets the stage for expanding the business.

“We plan to get bigger,” Kesterson said. “We now have room to add four or five additional staff.”

The enterprise has two major components.

“We do real estate. We’re pretty active in the real estate field,” Kesterson said. “We do both residential and commercial. We also do appraisals for residential, commercial, farm and industrial properties.”

For residential property sales, Kesterson said the company focuses on Webster County. With respect to the commercial and industrial sectors, it draws clients from a much broader marketplace.

“For industrial, we’re connected with brokers in multiple states,” Kesterson said. “We’ve co-brokered deals with brokers from all over the Midwest – Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Des Moines.”

The appraisal work takes Kesterson well beyond Webster County and can occur for a variety of reasons.

“Appraisals can be for any purpose,” he said. “Some appraisals are needed for property sales, some for refinancing. We do a lot of estate work. In divorce cases you have to know what the assets are, so appraisals may be needed.

A little history

Kesterson graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High in 1974 and continued his education at Iowa Central Community College. At age 19, he entered the business world.

“I started a restaurant when I was 19 in Badger – Jim Kesterson’s Badger Inn Restaurant,” Kesterson said. “I was successful in the restaurant business and started buying real estate to rent out and to rehabilitate.”

He said he found real estate so fascinating that he made that his main professional focus.

“I started with Ken Hougen Realty,” Kesterson said. “I became a local manager or Stanbrough Realtors. We were an affiliate of Better Homes and Gardens.”

He bought that company’s Fort Dodge office and changed the franchise affiliation to Coldwell Banker.

“I’m the original owner of Coldwell Banker in Fort Dodge,” Kesterson said. “I sold that to Chris Parker in about 1990. Then I became Kesterson Realty. From 1990 to 2005, I was primarily doing appraisals and commercial brokerage.”

Since 2005, the real estate focus has expanded and broadened. The company now has four Realtors in addition to Kesterson.

Kesterson is a licensed real estate broker and holds certification from the state of Iowa as an appraiser. He handles the appraisal work.

Kesterson’s expertise in appraisals led to his service for six years as one of seven members of the Iowa Real Estate Appraiser Examining Board. This was a gubernatorial appointment requiring confirmation by the Iowa Senate and reflects his high standing in that profession.

Active community service roles have been a significant part of Kesterson’s life. Currently, he serves on a variety of Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance committees. Kesterson is a member of the city of Fort Dodge’s Plan and Zoning Commission and has been for more than two decades. He also is on the Webster County Board of Adjustment as well as the county’s Board of Review. He chairs the board of directors of the Marian Home.

The Kesterson approach

Asked what makes Kesterson Realty a good choice for clients, Kesterson said he said its low-key, customer-oriented approach is what sets it apart.

“Our claim to fame would be our experience and our service. We’re very experienced,” he said. “We don’t push people into things that they shouldn’t be in. I’ve always said that a young family has to have money left over for a beer and pizza or whatever. To get them into a home that doesn’t allow them to do some fun things in life is a horrible injustice to the customer. We know better and shouldn’t do that. The advice I gave my own children is ‘don’t become house-poor.'”

Kesterson said that means his team members help clients understand fully the financial ramifications of buying a home.

“We certainly show the customer what they can afford, but we also show the customer the rest of the story,” he said. “For example, there will be some tax savings but those don’t happen as you are making your monthly payments. You might get that tax savings at the end of the year. We take pride in giving good, sound financial advice.”

The local housing market

Kesterson said the economic boom that has been taking place in Webster County in recent years has been good for Realtors.

“It’s a very healthy market,” he said. “There is a lack of homes in the $125,000 to $225,000 range. We’re working closely with the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance to solve some of those problems. We’re working on a project with the Growth Alliance right now. We’ll be investors as well.”

He said the goal is to increase the number of single family dwellings for sale and broaden the offerings in the rental arena.

“We have a real rental shortage in that new, nicer price range,” Kesterson said.