John Duston and history of Duston Real Estate Services….
John Duston has been in the real estate business since 1985 and a licensed broker since 1986.
John has owned and managed one of Palos Verdes most influential real estate brokerages, over seeing three offices and over 30 agents. During this period he supervised 150 to 250 transactions annually, personally overseeing the more difficult transactions through completion.
After graduating from USC’s Marshall School of Business, John joined the real estate industry, learning and gaining expertise through the financial side of the business.
He worked for many of California’s leading banks: Gibraltar Savings, American Savings and Malaga Bank. He has also worked with the residential funding arms of two of California’s premiere financial firms, Centex and Capital Lending Resources.
As 1990 approached, John joined the family business, First Realty – Better Homes and Gardens of Palos Verdes. First Realty’s predecessor was Wright Realty, one of Palos Verdes most distinguished and influential real estate brokerages on The Hill. In 1978 John’s parents Dixie and Jack purchased Wright Realty, eventually changing its name to First Realty – Better Homes and Gardens of Palos Verdes.
With a strong foothold on The Hill, Dixie saw an opportunity of bringing the same high quality of service to Torrance. In 1986, First Realty opened its second office in Torrance’s Southwood area. In 1987 with the business performing well, Dixie and Jack created a holding company, Duston Enterprises, Inc. Dixie, Jack and Duston Enterprises would purchase both offices building.
With John onboard, serving as CFO, Duston Enterprises was able to acquire its third office with the purchase of Betty Vokes & Associates in Malaga Cove. John also took up the added responsibilities of managing this office.
In mid-1991, the manager of the Torrance office made a very attractive offer on that branch. The Duston family recognized the manager’s talent and entrepreneurial drive, so with a fair price encourage the manager’s to his future endeavors. Duston Enterprises would sell both the office and building that year.
The company’s leadership took a change in 1997 with Dixie’s passing. John took control of Duston Enterprises and First Realty. The real estate industry was changing, becoming more of a regional firm as the smaller brokers merged. In 1999, John successfully merged First Realty with Summit Real Estate Group of Newport Beach. John assumed responsibilities of Summit’s South Bay operations.
Consolidation continued as Summit was purchased by Fred Sands Real Estate Group in 2000.
By 2004, John had seen that corportization of the realtor brokerage firms was pushing the industry and its agents to more represent the interests some a corporate parent than the constituancy the agents and brokers should be serving, their clients. That year John would reopen Duston Enterprises and Duston Real Estate Services. Duston Real Estate Services goal was simple: to provide full real estate service with a professional ethic and personal client focused attention. With independence, John and his agents would know that they could represent their clients’ interest with a flexibility that suited the clients’ interest.
John’s philosophy is simple:
“Every client is important and worth far more than one transaction. It is our goal to earn the client’s trust and business for life with honest, integrity, expertise and hard work.”
John also continued with his education with the following certifications:
GRI – Graduate Realtor Institute Designation
Less than a third of one percent attain this certification
Less than 40% of licensees attain this designation
ABR – Accredited Buyer’s Representative
