The son of two real estate brokers, Bob Boog was raised on stories of listings and appraisals and sales.
We shouldn’t be surprised, then, that he’s dedicated his own professional career to real estate, right?
Well …
“That’s all my parents ever talked about – and I hated it,” Boog recalls with a chuckle. “My mom (Joan) would say, ‘Did you see they listed the house at the end of the block?’ and my dad (Paul) would say, ‘For how much?’”
He laughs and adds, “That’s all they would talk about.”
Much to his own amazement, Boog has carried on the family tradition for the past four decades, running Bob Boog Realty out of a non-descript office in a strip mall along Lyons Avenue where he has assisted hundreds of buyers and sellers with their own set of unique needs along the way.
His wife, Roxana, has been at his side since the couple married in 1984 and their son, Brandon, recently joined the team. So did niece Kelsey Rinker.
Family, as it turns out, has become a cornerstone of Boog’s bilingual business.
“We’re a family and you’re going to feel that family vibe as soon as you walk in the door,” Brandon says. “We treat everybody like they’re our family.”
Growing up in Santa Clarita, where he graduated from Hart High School after attending Peachland Elementary and Placerita Junior High, Bob Boog planned to go to law school and become a Spanish-speaking attorney.
His parents, though, encouraged him to get his real estate license and help with the family business.
“Before doing so, I spoke to a real estate agent who probably lied to my face. She told me she loved her job. But I believed her and just borrowed some books and went down and took the exam,” Boog says. “I’m not sure who was more surprised when I passed the real estate test on my first try – my parents or me – but I actually had my real estate license in my hot, sweaty palms before I’d graduated from (UCLA).”
From there, Boog took up a desk at his parents’ office in Newhall and, within two weeks, he made his first sale – to a man named Sam who had phoned to request a tour of multiple houses.
Soon after, Sam was seated in the red vinyl passenger seat of Boog’s 1964 Ford station wagon – without the luxury of air conditioning – on what Boog remembered as “one of the hottest days” that year.
“When we got back to the office, his clothes were sticking to his back, he was so sweaty,” Boog says.
That didn’t deter Sam, who later called Boog with instructions to make an offer.
“I didn’t even know how to write an offer,” Boog says with a laugh.
In the 40 years since, Boog has lost track of how many homes he’s sold, though Roxana proudly shares that “we’ve sold houses to the parents and then the kids and now the grandkids.”
“For most people, moving is a stressful experience so we try to keep things simple. When you tell people in advance what you will be doing, selling a home can be as easy as 1-2-3,” Bob Boog says. “What has helped us consistently sell homes year after year is giving people a sense of comfort and ease. We laugh and enjoy working with people and that’s why, for 40 years, our motto has been something that was sent to us by a client, ‘I just feel comfortable with Bob Boog Realty.’”
He adds, “To stay in business for 40 years, we must be doing something right.”
At a glance
What: Bob Boog Realty
Where: 23916 Lyons Ave., Newhall
When: Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Phone: 661-259-9723
