Schaible’s heart, soul invested in Heartland Realty

Audrey Schaible remembers making a big splash in the real estate business back in 1990. There wasn’t really any water involved, so the splash was more a figure of speech. Twenty-two years ago Schaible successfully sold a defunct municipal swimming pool, bathhouse and trio of tennis courts in Lind for $8,000 on behalf of the Lind School District. Today, she chalks that up as one of her most memorable transactions.

The recollection comes as Schaible sat down to reflect on her career in real estate, running a small business in Ritzville and the fact she opted to retire this summer, shuttering Heartland Realty.

Ending her tenure as a downtown businesswoman came with a few moments of emotion, but Schaible has put in her time, served her community well and is eager to set off in a new direction or two, enjoying retirement with her husband, Don. They’ve been married since 1987 and enjoy fishing as often as possible.

“I’ve got weeds out in my flower beds,” she said. “We’ll do a little traveling. There’s so many places we haven’t fished yet. I’d like to learn my way around Potholes.”

Back to that swimming pool, Schaible said she eventually found a buyer from Roslyn who, at the time, owned the bar there that was used in the once popular television program Northern Exposure.

“That hit the AP (Associated Press) wires,” Schaible said. “A reporter from the Spokesman-Review came down. They even had me go down in the pool for pictures.”

Schaible even produced a copy of the article.

Ever a positive, successful salesperson, Schaible saw the vacant property as diamond in the rough.

“It’s a steal,” she told reporter Eric Sorensen at the time. “It’s a giveaway. The bathhouse alone is a very good building.”

Real Estate wasn’t her first career. Retail sales is where she honed her craft for promoting bargains. A health scare caused a course change.

“I had ovarian cancer in 1976. After that I didn’t think I wanted to go back in retail sales,” she recalls. “A friend talked me into real estate.”

Schaible went to work for Wanda Bervar Realty in Spokane in 1977 to learn the basics while studying to earn a real estate license at Rockwell Institute.

Later that year Schaible recorded her first sale in Liberty Lake.

Ten years later, after marrying Don, she relocated to Ritzville and began listing and selling residential, farm land and light commercial properties.

She went to work for Turf Realty in 1998, traveling from the Canadian border to Oregon.

By 1997 it was time to venture out on her own. She obtained her principal broker license and in 1998 launched Heartland Realty. Later the same year, her daughter, Michelle Asmussen, joined her and they became a mother-daughter team.

Schaible’s recollection of what was different in Ritzville in 1997 — there were just two vacant buildings along the Main Avenue business district. In those early years there weren’t many homes for sale here either. Schaible said she remembers when having just five or 10 listings at a time was good.

Lately the challenge has been not over extending the company’s service area.

“We’ve tried to keep our listings within a 60-mile radius,” she said.

Selling homes and property is a business venture. The process has evolved into much more for Schaible over the years. What’s the best part?

“A lot of the people I met along the way,” she said.

Helping someone buy a home is personal gratification for Schaible.

“A lot of times they think it’s something they can never do. It’s the thrill of the hunt. When they move in, putting their things in place, their colors on the wall, it’s fantastic. They really aren’t customers then, they become friends.”

The most important transactions over the years have involved helping first time homebuyers and the elder members of their community when it comes time for them to sell their home and downsize or move into any kind of assisted living or care facility. Schaible knows how those can be emotional times for her customers.

Schaible has also been committed to the community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce since 1988. Among other things, she frequently dressed as a clown on behalf of the chamber to visit with people during the annual community parade on Labor Day weekend.

A long time friend and colleague, Jeanie Zornes, has been working out of the Heartland Realty office for more than a year. She has joined the Katz Realty team in order to continue to serve local customers.

Even Schaible won’t completely ride off into the sunset. She plans to keep her real estate license active, just in case there’s a good business opportunity and a chance to help a local buy or sell an important property.

The adventure has been a good one for Schaible, but the people have made it even better.

“I have made a lot of friends along the way,” she concluded.