Live, play, retire — in the Land of Enchantment®

n any business, it would be pleasantly surprising to hear the phrase “client interests over commission,” and real estate broker John Johnston has proven that exceptional customer service — combined with genuine concern for clients — is the true key to success.

“Whether it involves a relatively small transaction or one in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, whichever client walks through the door of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices gets my undivided attention and the benefit of all the tools I bring to the table,” said Johnston.

As the Managing/Qualifying Broker of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Taos Real Estate, Johnston has an impressive array of those tools at his disposal.

In 2014, the former United States Marine retired from a 40-year career as a management and business consultant, both running his own companies and working in the electronics and energy industries with such heavyweights as Honeywell and Campbell Scientific.

He obtained his New Mexico real estate license as an associate broker in 2017, when “I realized my years of experience in sales, marketing and contract management were clearly pluses in a real estate business.” By 2021, he was licensed as a Qualifying Broker and assumed oversight of the Taos office of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, covering Taos and Colfax counties. His latest venture is opening and recruiting brokers for a new company office in Angel Fire.

The cornerstone to Johnston’s approach, however, is not just “in the numbers.” It is in recognizing the different goals and needs of his clients and paying close attention to them. “I want to know my clients well enough that I can see what will work — or not — for them,” he said. And because this is a post-retirement career, Johnston continued, “I am fortunate that I can place customer interests and satisfaction first,” a vantage point which ensures a standout level of service for his clients.

These principles extend to the community at large, Johnston said, noting the vitality of the market should be measured by its collective energy, not simply upon individual transactions. As part of Chevron’s environmental and economic development commitment to Northern New Mexico, Johnston is working to identify buyers for the Chevronowned acreage in Sunshine Valley north of Questa. “It is timeintensive work because the land appeals to just a few specific groups, like organic farmers, small cattle ranchers or those who wish to live off-grid. But it’s a worthy use of time because the point is to get the land into the hands of those that will make it productive again and contributing to the surrounding communities.”

Johnston was the Treasurer of the Taos County Association of Realtors (TCAR) for 2022 and was recently elected the Vice President of TCAR for 2023. He sees it as another opportunity to affect robust regional change. “In 2022, we decided to put TCAR assets under professional management which will allow the Association to expand its continuing education services for realtors and to plan for future facility needs.”

Like so many others who chose to make it their home, Johnston and his wife of 52 years, Jane, found the Enchanted Circle by serendipity and were ultimately attracted by the area’s culture, climate and recreational opportunities. “While motorcycling through the Southwest, we were on our way to Dallas and passed through Taos. The mountains and the rural beauty of Taos attracted us, and we made it our home in 2016.” Visit John Johnston at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and allow him to help you decide if the move is right for you, as well. 314-A Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos Office: 575-758-1924, Cell: 575-741-6294 https://www.bhhsnmproperties.com/ taos/john-johnston/cid-1073179