Burt Smith

I was born in Royal Oak, Michigan where I have resided for much of my life. I grew up playing winter hockey In Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, and baseball in the summer. During my childhood years my grandmother owned a cake decorating and chocolate store in Downtown Royal Oak where I spent occasional days after school helping out.

After High School I worked in numerous body shops for a few years as an automotive painter until I decided to follow in my step fathers footsteps who worked for Manufactures Bank in the Real Estate Acquisitions and Foreclosure department as a Vice-President during the 1960s through the early 80's before founding his own Real Estate Appraisal Company.

At this time I decided to become involved in Real Estate for a living return to school and achieve higher education. I then enrolled in a Real Estate Principles class at Macomb County Community College and that is where it all began. I became a licensed Real Estate agent in 1994 at the age of 21 during which time I was awarded a "Rookie of the Year Award" From Century 21 Associates. Soon after this obtained my first level of State licensure with regard to Real Estate Appraising in 1995, and then in 1998 I obtained my State Licensed Appraisal License. I continued to take classes until I achieved my associates degree upon which time I transferred to Wayne State University in Detroit where I obtained a Business degree in Corporate Finance and eventually graduated Summa Cum Laude with top honors. In 2008, I began studying to obtain my Certified Residential Appraiser License which is the highest level of residential appraising license that the Federal Government recognizes, and in 2009 I am proud to say I achieved my goal.  

Since 1994, I have been consistently and effectively listing and selling Real Estate with The Century 21 Corporation during which time I have seen many changes in the industry and the market come and go, but instead of looking at this challenging market we are in as a negative, I actually am grateful that I have not only survived our market as a top agent, but LEARNED many things that most people have not in the history of our country about the housing and Real Estate market due to the tumultuous and very trying times we ALL have been going through in Michigan and around the country in the last few years, but I am happy to say everything is headed in the right direction!