Structural integrity: CR Properties Real Estate Services honors code of conduct, commitment to community

Sandra Shrader

Special to the Village News

Integrity is integral for CR Properties Real Estate Services. And that quality of being honest and fair and adhering to a code of principled ethics is what owner Bob Hillery attributes to his real estate company’s growing success.

"Acting with integrity is the most important choice a person can make in this life," said Hillery, who served as a fighter pilot and officer in the Marine Corps for 30 years, retiring in 2004 as a Colonel before beginning his second career in real estate.

"It’s the key to everything, and it reflects how our real estate clients feel about the services we provide and the level of trust they have in our company," he said, adding that CR Properties Real Estate Services, located at 128 South Main Avenue in downtown Fallbrook, has a full staff of agents and office personnel to assist buyers and sellers with home sales, plus land, new construction, and investment and commercial property transactions.

Hillary got started in the real estate industry in 2003 when he began planning for a post-military-service life, and he realized that "after 30 years of moving from house to house while in the service and making profits from selling them, real estate was a natural fit for me," he said.

After working for a national brand and regional real estate firms as an agent, assistant manager, and manager, Hillery – who has received numerous industry accolades, including recognition as Realtor of the Year in 2011, as well as San Diego Magazine 5 Star Realtor Excellence awards for 2009, 2011, 2013-2016 – decided to launch his own real estate brokerage company. A big fan of the "friendly village" atmosphere of Fallbrook, he acquired the current location which houses CR Properties, and, while still making renovations that kept the historic building’s charm, opened for business in October 2012.

As integrity can also be defined as the quality of being complete or whole, that too applies to how CR Properties operates because the agents for the company all work as a cooperative team, taking turns manning the phones and assisting each other with transactions to ensure that clients’ questions and concerns are always answered, said Hillery.

Additionally, in 2014, CR Properties brought Denise McFarland, another experienced Realtor, onboard to be the company’s sales manager, he said, adding that he has known McFarland since the days when they both started in real estate at the same national realty firm based in Temecula.

"We were both just beginning in real estate back then," said Hillery, smiling at McFarland, who nodded in agreement. "We would always help each other out. And we have both been through the boom times and the tough times in real estate, so together we have a wealth of experience in the real estate industry."

McFarland recently obtained her broker’s license which will also provide continuity for CR Properties to keep operating should Hillery pass away or become unable to continue the brokerage office, he said.

The company primarily provides real estate services for the North County San Diego region, and the Temecula Valley and southwest Riverside County.

And being part of the community as a whole is very important as well. Hillery has had and continues to have an active leadership role with the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce, and CR Properties and Real Estate Services has sponsored several organizations and events including the Boys & Girls Clubs of North County, the yearly Avocado Festival, and being a host for the 'Wine and A Bite' Art Walks.

"Helping people and doing the right thing, whether it’s for the community or for someone to achieve their real estate goals," said Hillery. "It’s what we do."

To contact CR Properties and Real Estate Services, call (760) 796-7482 or visit www.crpropertiesrealestateservices.com.