| Creating the one-stop shop for homebuyers
Val Guzman believes the “one-stop shop” is the future of the real estate industry. This destination allows a prospective homebuyer to search listings, connect with a real estate agent, make an offer on a home, secure a purchase and go through the necessary steps to finish the transaction.
 As the president and CEO of BlueInk Title Agency, The Realty Agency, LoanSuite Mortgage, and the Valentin Guzman Insurance Agency, Val guides firms that collectively provide a “one-stop shop” for real estate customers. Having these affiliated companies, Val says, “definitely gives you more leverage when it comes to reaching out to the consumer and offering other services.”
From insurance agent to CEO
Val has worked in sales since 1998 and as a local businessperson in Yuma, Ariz., since 2005. Val’s journey in the title, real estate and mortgage business began with a job as an insurance agent in 2007. He then launched a real estate brokerage (The Realty Agency) with more than 100 agents.
“We grew one of the biggest independent brokerages in Arizona,” Val shares. “There was a lot of need at the time and …the service wasn’t there … That’s how we started with the title and escrow company.”
BlueInk Title Agency was founded in 2019 in Yuma, Ariz. The firm now has offices in Yuma, Sun City, Gilbert, Chandler, Foothills, and Wickenburg, Ariz. Val then added another spoke to the one-stop shop wheel when he launched LoanSuite Mortgage in 2022.
Anywhere from 95 percent to 98 percent of BlueInk’s business comes from its real estate partners and this one-stop shop reflects Val’s focus on providing convenience, transparency, and competitive pricing to customers.
“With everything that is changing with technology … I think being able to offer… all-in-one type of service, being customer-centric is very important to me,” Val says.
A look at a typical day
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“Company culture is very important. We’ve got to make sure we transmit the internal culture of the company to the public so they can see what it’s like to either work (for us) or consume one of our products.”
Val Guzman
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Val says he usually starts his workday at 5 a.m. with a meditation session. He then spends time from about 6 to 8 a.m. returning emails and reviewing his schedule for the day. From 8 to 11:30 or so, he will conduct meetings related to one of his companies. After lunch, he will spend time focused on a different firm.
He also likes to have one-on-one conversations with his agents, escrow officers and other employees dealing with topics such as personal development and how to grow the business.
“(The) majority of my days are meetings and problem-solving,” Val says.
Employees at BlueInk and Val’s other firms try to remain visible to prospective customers and employees via marketing efforts on a YouTube channel and through social media accounts.
“I’m very hands-on when it comes to our marketing,” Val says.
Short videos of interactions in the offices as well as customer testimonials are another component of his firms’ marketing strategy. Val says he is “very involved” with managing the image of the companies through the use of videos. He will tell his staff if there is a video feature that needs to be changed, and recalls he recently told his employees he didn’t like the lens that was used with a video they had produced.
“I wanted to get a different vibe, different feel,” Val explains. “For me, company culture is very important. We’ve got to make sure we transmit the internal culture of the company to the public so they can see what it’s like to either work (for us) or consume one of our products.”
The goals with the marketing and videos are to both increase sales and to recruit new employees.
“My job is obviously, how can we sell the next property?” Val explains. “But … my primary job is always recruiting people. … We’ve got to make sure we transmit a very positive environment … from our team to the consumer. … The excitement, the energy, it needs to be really present in order for us to maybe attract employees or the potential employee candidates, and the client.”
Striking a balance between technology and personal touch
While offering a positive environment that attracts both potential customers and employees, Val observes that some of his counterparts in the title, mortgage and real estate industries are becoming more dependent on digital technology. Striking the right balance between using technology as a resource and maintaining strong human interaction with customers is key.
“Use technology, but don't disappear from the transaction,” Val states. “Stay in touch with your client. ... A lot of people are just becoming so digital dependent and allowing technology to do the entire process or complete almost 90 percent of the transaction. That’s a problem.”
On a related note, Val concedes he has “mixed feelings” about artificial intelligence, but acknowledges using the technology will be beneficial in some respects.
“I think AI is going to help our industry tremendously,” Val says. “We’re going to be able to be more efficient, a lot faster when it comes to a lot of the process that we do as an industry, but I think ... as long as we remain with the personal touch, … there’s going to be business for us.”
AI has its shortcomings, too.
“One thing that we know AI can’t do is sell,” Val says. “We know AI can’t sell a product in person.”
Future will be challenging for brick-and-mortar businesses
 With the rise in technology and people having access to more information and brokerages, Val predicts it will be more challenging for a traditional brick-and-mortar title agency or real estate brokerage to remain profitable.
“As technology grows, (profit) margin will slip,” Val says. “Now the goal is going to be customer acquisition. Now how you acquire the client at a lower cost, or if you want to keep a lower cost, you have to offer more services in order to stay competitive.”
This is one of the reasons Val has set up multiple affiliated companies that function as a one-stop shop.
Val says he believes the title industry is going “to change a lot” during the next few years.
“We just have to make sure we change with it and adapt,” he says.
Enjoying time away from work
When he’s not working at one of his companies, Val can likely be found on either a youth soccer field or a golf course.
Val and his wife have been married for 15 years, and have four children: two boys (ages 13 and 10), and two girls (ages 5 and 2). They live in Yuma, Ariz.
Val notes his two sons play soccer and adds he spends much of his non-work time watching the boys’ games.
He says he also enjoys playing golf and watching documentaries. On the golf course, Val says his goal this year is to reduce his 14 handicap to a 9.
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