Eighteen years ago, two local Realtors took a chance on a young Randy Bocook.

Alice Steeyart and Lynne Bayens of Remax Richmond Hill took a leap of faith when they hired Bocook, he said.

“I had no money and no experience, and it worked out amazing,” Bocook said. “I owe them a lot for taking a chance on me. I was brand new, so this was huge.”

Bocook, who started with a childhood dream of selling real estate, is proud of how far he’s come. It isn’t just about selling houses; it is so much more for Bocook and his team at Keller Williams.

Bocook’s family moved to the area in 1977 when his father was stationed at Fort Stewart. Despite being a military family, the Bocooks found a way to stay.

“I knew this would be home, It felt like home since I was 7 years old,” Bocook said.

While working in downtown Savannah as a stock broker, Bocook realized he wasn’t where he should be.

“It wasn’t personable enough, and you don’t get to meet people,” he said. “Even my childhood friends remember me talking about selling real estate. I knew it would be a good gig.”

After graduating from the Realtor Institute, becoming an associate broker, and gaining his accredited buyer’s-agent representation, Bocook began to feel a sense of peace. He knew this career was the right fit for him.

Now, 18 years later, he couldn’t be more pleased with his decision to pursue real estate.

“You know that feeling Sunday night about dreading work? I haven’t felt that in 17 years,” Bocook said. “I remember how bad that feeling is when you dread Monday. It is like a pit in your stomach. I cannot wait to go to work every day. I have such passion for what I do, I don’t even keep track of the days of the week.”

His focus is now on the “why” of working in real estate.

“It’s not about trying to sell the most homes,” Bocook said. “It is about taking care of each person and making sure they’ve had the best experience with the process. We’ve worked really hard on breaking it down. Let’s take care of the ones we already know and give them great service. We want to create raving fans, and sell houses too.”

Bocook’s team developed strategies for connecting the community and keeping their brand and marketing on a local level. Through developing several new concepts, the team has seen great response.

Recently, Bocook and his team established the Yard of the Month, Richmond Hill’s Greatest and the Amazing Race Give-A-Ways on Facebook. They want to go beyond selling houses and keep the relationships thriving with families they encounter along the way.

“Our new Yard of the Month program is going to be a great way to showcase different parts of Richmond Hill and thank residents for taking such pride in their homes and our community,” Bocook said.

Richmond Hill’s Greatest was established to honor those in the community who go above and beyond. Bocook and his team simply want to draw attention and thank those community members. September’s winner was Bill “Mr. Bill” Pollard, owner of The Ice Cream Stop.    

The response for the Facebook giveaways has surprised the team. Items such as Yeti cups, coolers and various other freebies have drawn in thousands of likes and shares.

“It has been so fun watching the community jump on board with this,” Bocook said.

Bocook said his team will continue to give back to the community in alternative ways.

“I am excited to bring Lesley Francis PR Firm aboard as an integral part of our real-estate team,” he said. “We both know that Richmond Hill is a great place to live and work and are committed to the area.  By combining their marketing expertise and our knowledge of the real-estate market, I know we have a winning combination.”