L-R Dan and Dave Bennett, a father and son team selling new and resale homes in Gig Harbor

Dave and Dan Bennett have been working as a team at John L. Scott Real Estate in Gig Harbor since January. The father and son say each of them brings strengths and weaknesses to the table, and they “complement each other real well.”

Dave, 67, is a veteran agent who has numerous awards, and was ready to slow down a little. Dan, who owned several businesses with his wife for many years, was looking for a different pace himself.

“We literally worked all the time and dad said, ‘There is a better way to do it,’” Dan said. After a couple of years of discussions, Dan decided to make the career change, and joined the award-winning real estate firm last year. In January, the two restructured and created a team.

“Most people who get involved don’t have this opportunity. It’s a challenging business that has a lot of pitfalls,” Dan said. “It’s nice to have dad there mentoring me. If I get ready to step off a cliff… he holds me and says, ‘Hang on a second, let’s think this through.’”

Dan entered the real estate market during a time when buyers have a hard time finding homes, and agents have to be quick on their toes, often ahead of the market. But he says that doesn’t make things complicated. “I’ve never known another market,” he said. “For me, this is normal.”

For Dave, working with his son means not only he gets to pass on his knowledge, but also his customers when he retires. The customers, of course, can choose whomever they want but he says his son has already been establishing a great track record. In the meantime, customers get to benefit from their combined resources.

This is not the first time the father-son duo has worked closely. Dave owned a couple of service stations, where Dan had worked for his father.

“He did a superb job then…and does it now,” Dave said.

Eventually, the father sold his service stations to each of his two sons. After five years, Dan put a coffee bar in his convenience store, and liked it so much that he opened three coffee shops around Eastern Pierce County with his wife, and eventually sold the service station. The couple started roasting their own coffee — and his wife continues to run the wholesale business after the shops were sold.

Dan says the first six months in his new field were stressful as he went through the learning curve. The team has a “simplistic approach” to how they manage their partnership: not worrying about who pulls in the weight, and simply focusing on what needs to be done, working in tandem. They have different styles and approaches, but they seem to enjoy what they’ve created together.

“There wasn’t any adjustment. I was ready for that team,” Dave said. “Dan doing something that he loves…makes me very proud.”

Dan says seeing his father be very successful as a real estate agent convinced him that he could do the same. Trusting each other is the most important part, and having a strong and close family to begin with was integral. “We have fun in what we’re doing. We get to laugh and celebrate,” he said. “I feel like the luckiest guy around.”.