Transcript (Unedited)
Tom Heath
Well, welcome back to another episode of Housing for Good, where we talk about that intersection between real estate and community service. And today we've got, I think, a lifelong realtor. You've been doing this for a while?
Billy Mordka
Yeah, I got licensed in 2003 when I was a sophomore in college.
Tom Heath
Oh, because the legend was that you got pre -licensed in the womb and came out as an agent.
Billy Mordka
I mean, unofficially, yes. Okay.
Tom Heath
So you grew up in a real estate family?
Billy Mordka
I did. I am third generation real estate here in Tucson. My grandfather moved here in 45, and he was a commercial developer, and he developed a couple of shopping centers here in town. And then my father took over that business with his brothers, and then my father started Harvey Mort Realty in 1975.
Tom Heath
Okay. Yep. And you were born, and then in 2003 you got your license?
Billy Mordka
2003 I got my license, and then 2012 I took over the business.
Tom Heath
All right. Yep. And it's still in business? Still in business. Okay, that's good. That's always a tough thing here. And then you've done a few roles within the association. You've run the thing for a while, didn't you?
Billy Mordka
Unofficially. I was the president in 2020, and then I've had numerous roles my whole tenure as a realtor, so yeah.
Tom Heath
And the clapping you hear is from our producer Lisa in the background, who has promised to not ask too many questions, although we encourage her to ask those questions, because they make things fun. The world in which you live is sort of this balance between commercial and residential?
Billy Mordka
Yeah, I mean, I think someone coined it resmercial, so that's definitely kind of like what I am. Did you coin that? I did not, I wish I had, so.
Tom Heath
Well, you gotta work on it. You coined something.
Billy Mordka
I know, eventually. You're a very creative person. Yeah. Gotta get that mailbox money, right?
Tom Heath
What do you, which do you prefer? Do you have, like, if you had to do one or the other?
Billy Mordka
It really just depends on the client. I mean, I would say my true bean of what I enjoy the most is investors. Really first -time investors, people that are ready to start trying to grow their wealth, trying to make an investment in the future, so whether that's residential or commercial. Obviously, I think all real estate ownership is an investment, so it's kind of a, I get to enjoy all aspects, because I tell people, and I'm sure you preach the word, that when you do a, when you buy your first home, it's an investment in your future, and over the course of the United States, you're probably gonna get a lot of appreciation.
Tom Heath
Yeah, I think that's the, what we're seeing right now, too, that the market's just been pretty intense. With your investors, do you have any building houses?
Billy Mordka
Because we need some houses. I know, the hard part about building houses is the soft costs, so the, to put in the utilities, to put in the streets, to do all that. That's where it really is a government issue at its core, and I think when the government starts to make it easier for developers to do what they do, I think it'll be a benefit to everyone, especially those that need housing.
Tom Heath
So you hear that, but then, I've been seeing many video games in which you can build an entire city in just a few hours.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, exactly. The hard part is getting into the city.
Tom Heath
So you also, you started some organization a couple years ago about what the, what the Europeans might call football, what we call soccer. Yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about that, because this is just amazing.
Billy Mordka
I definitely didn't start the organization. I was a steward of the organization. In the 90s. You didn't start it? No.
Tom Heath
Oh, this interview is over. I thought you started this whole thing.
Billy Mordka
In the 90s, Bill Viner of Pepper Viner Homes. Oh, okay. His kids were soccer players, and they were tired of going to tournaments, and everyone would get in, they would eat at a pizza joint in the hotel lobby, and then they'd play their games and leave. And so what they did, Bill Viner and about four other parents of the soccer players started what's called the Fort Lowell Shootout at the time. And they said, you know, all the kids can meet here, and we'll have a parade, we'll have like a welcoming event, kind of like the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and then we'll give them a little contest to do, and then they can go home, rest, and then come play their tournament games. So what started out as a little idea grew and grew and grew, as, you know, most good community events do. They find a way to stick around. And I started volunteering there my first year as a realtor, because I met Diana Cannon, who was also a, worked for a title escrow company here in town. She goes, we need volunteers,
Billy Mordka
and I went over there, and just fell in love with the tournament, because it made, brought in a lot of outside money from the surrounding states and surrounding cities.
Tom Heath
Did it start that way, or did it start with like Tucson?
Billy Mordka
It started like Tucson and like Phoenix. Okay. And then it just grew, and so now they have teams from Texas, they have teams from, a ton from New Mexico, California. We've had like Hawaii, they had teams from Poland, they had a team from Thailand, England, you know, obviously those are like the sponsored ones that they want to come over. But during my tenure, we ranged anywhere from 325 teams to I think the most we ever had was like 399. And when you multiply that out, these are all kids teams. So you have usually 15 players, and then they have parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, and coaches, and you look at the hotel rooms, and you look at the going out to buy pizza, going out to buy ice cream, and it just usually would bring in about the impact that was told to us by Visit Tucson was like two to $4 million to the economy.
Tom Heath
And that's over a period of how many days?
Billy Mordka
It's always MLK weekend. So it's always a Friday to Sunday.
Tom Heath
Good, how many teams right now?
Billy Mordka
I think when I stopped, it was 2019. And I think that year we had like, I think like 350 -ish.
Tom Heath
350 teams? 350 teams. 350? 350. Oh my gosh. Yeah. That's where the millions come in.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, I mean, the first night we would put 12 ,000 people into Kino Baseball Stadium.
Tom Heath
Yeah, I know the Tucson Association of Realtors has been a sponsor of that for some time, and got to go to a few of those ceremonies. And I gotta tell you, the first time I went, I did not know what to expect. I was expecting this sort of little league atmosphere. It's definitely youth sports, but this is a big time production.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, you know, the planning is a year round committee that put it together. And then the, probably seven days before it actually, people start showing up. It's just all hands on decks, mostly done by volunteers that put it all together. And yeah, just a great tournament. Great thing for Tucson. And I always tell people, they'd ask why you do it. And I would say, because it's an investment in our city. They would come and they would redo all the parks before the tournament. So the curbs would get painted, the grass would get mowed, the toilets, bathrooms would get cleaned. And then it's just a, it's a fun thing to have in your community where, you know, if you're a local kid, oh, you've seen it all your whole life. I mean, people my age, they played it when they were playing soccer, you know, when they were six, seven, eight years old. So it's been around for a long time. For you a player? I played, I never played club because I like playing other sports, but I did play soccer until my
Billy Mordka
junior year.
Tom Heath
Did you ever play in the shootout?
Billy Mordka
I never did.
Tom Heath
Were you any good? Average. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. Goalie?
Billy Mordka
You know it. All right. I played defense a couple of years too. Okay.
Tom Heath
Are you familiar with what's happening down in that Keno area, like that youth development complex? You got any insight on that?
Billy Mordka
I don't have any insight. I mean, I think it's great that they were able to expand it and put it to more use. Obviously, you know, being a lifelong Tucsonan, you hear a lot of people say the baseball stadium should have been downtown. A hundred percent agree, but you know, things happen and it's where it is. So you got to make the best of what you have. And I think, you know, putting an investment down there and making it a complex that people use and people will attract people, obviously attracts commercial development, which you're seeing right now.
Tom Heath
And I think that it's going to be more sports and more teams that are able to come out.
Billy Mordka
Yeah. And I think the ice cats are going to go down there.
Tom Heath
Yeah. So,
Tom Heath
yeah, I'm at the mosaic quarter. My sister, Lisa, from the background reminds us we had an event where we brought in a lot of the economic develop movers and shakers into the TCC and they were part of that. So we actually have a little clip of what they're doing on our website. Nice. So it's fun to share that because I don't get out of downtown much, right? That's my cores. I'm downtown. I love downtown. I'm always there. And they're like, oh, what's happening down in Pima? I'm like, Keno, my guy. Where is that? There you go. But I get to hear all these cool things. This is a little personal, but if you don't want to share that's fine too. But there's just some interesting news on Facebook about your family. Yes. And I think that was kind of interesting.
Billy Mordka
Yeah. Me and my wife made the decision. We wanted to become foster parents about a year and a half ago, almost two years now. We got licensed. And then the first phone call we got was for a little baby boy. And we had the great blessing to be able to adopt him. So we, our little family too became a family of three and we're through them.
Tom Heath
Your first foster experience?
Billy Mordka
First foster kid literally was the one that we adopted.
Tom Heath
Wow. Yeah. Did you expect that going in? No, not at all.
Billy Mordka
So it was, we got him and instantly fell in love with him and then thank the good Lord we were able to adopt him and keep him forever.
Tom Heath
At what point? Was it like instantaneous? Like you saw this kid? Cause he was young. I mean.
Billy Mordka
He was 12 days old. I mean, it was pretty instantaneous for me and my wife. You know, you never talked about it cause you don't know how long you're going to have a foster kid for. But, you know, now that he's official, you can know that like it was meant to be. It was a blessing from above.
Tom Heath
So one of those things where we're going to have to adopt. Otherwise we're going to have to move cause we're going to be on the run.
Billy Mordka
It's the angle. No, is the right answer to that.
Tom Heath
The paper sign, you're good. What got you into the foster program?
Billy Mordka
You know, we were just, we're sitting, looking at our lives and, you know, we're, I just turned 40 and, you know, you have an extra couple bedrooms in your house and you think about the need of, you know, the kids out in the community that do not choose this life. So we just decided that we had a lot of love to give and we wanted to focus it on foster care and see how that went. And, you know, the first time it happened was a bullseye. So, and then everyone always asks, are you going to do it again? And we just tell people, you know, we're going to enjoy this one as a new family and enjoy it for a little bit and then see where it takes us.
Tom Heath
Try not to preempt the questions cause that was going to be the next question. It's everyone's next question. There'll be a moment of silence while I think of the next question. But for people that are considering this, what kind of thought process went through prior to signing up? You said you had to get licensed.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, so you have to go through a, typically most people will go through a state licensed organization. So there's a Arizona Baptist Children's Services. There's Christian Family Care. There's, I would say probably 50 other ones that you can go through. You go through them, they will help you get licensed. They will tell you what to do, what you need to do, what you can't do. And then you get state certified, your house does. And then you, you're on the list. And when a kid that is in need comes, you get a kid in need. And it can be, I would tell people that the first thing you have to do is you have to have a very strong relationship with your partner, because you are inviting, for a lot of things, just chaos. Even with the best kid in the world, it's still a complete change to your daily life, your daily schedule. You go from two professionals. My wife's a speech pathologist at Tucson Medical Center, and I do real estate, of course. And all of a sudden, we're going about our day getting
Billy Mordka
ready for work, and then the next day, I go, oh, who's taking care of the 12 -day -old? So.
Tom Heath
Oh, should've thought through that.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, so it's definitely a shock to the system.
Tom Heath
So it's, how long from, it was 12 days, and then how long until you adopted?
Billy Mordka
He had already turned one, so it was about a year and a month that he was adopted.
Tom Heath
Is that a normal timeline, do you know, or is that?
Billy Mordka
We were told that was one of the fastest ones they've ever seen.
Tom Heath
Especially, I think, a lot of times in the foster community, getting a newborn is rare as well, is it?
Billy Mordka
Yeah, it's rare. As far as adoptability, newborns are always the most desirable for a lot of people that are looking to adopt. So it's unusual to maybe not get them, but to keep them, yeah.
Speaker 2
During the process, I'm sorry, I have a question. During the process, are you telling yourself don't get too attached, don't get, at what point do you just lose it,
Billy Mordka
and you're like, I'm attached? So you can tell yourself that all you want, and you know, but you're attached. I mean, obviously it just depends on the person that you are, but I would say most people that are getting into foster care, not to say they're all great people, because there are some people that do it for nefarious reasons, but for the most part, you have to have a heart that loves, and when you have a heart that loves, you're gonna fall in love with kids and pretty darn quick, so.
Tom Heath
Once again, our producer Lisa is crying in the background, which seems to be a regular occasion we bring real estate agents in who are doing good things in the community, and I think that's what this is all about. You know, I mean, there are things that I get to do, and there's things that a lot of individuals in the real estate community get to do because of the flexibility and the trust that people put in us to do these transactions. It's hard to find a job that gives you the flexibility that we have.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, and with the flexibility comes, you know, not many realtors focus on, you know, oh, I only work with engineers, or I only work with school teachers. For the most part, we work with people throughout the community, and when you work with people throughout the community, you're gonna hear the goods and the bads of the community, and so I think that's what, why realtors are involved with so many things, not just on personal levels, but a lot of times you hear a need, and you're gonna try to help that need because you have friends. I remember in 2007, right as the crash started to happen, the 2008 school year was gonna be really tough, and that was the first year TAR did a school bus drive, I believe, and we just, you know, got supplies ready and got that, and it was a former realtor, Jill Knox, and I remember me and Jill Knox standing outside of an office max in 110 degree weather with a school bus behind us, and we were trying to fill it up, so, and then it's just taken off from there,
Billy Mordka
so yeah, you just, when you're in the community, you hear the needs of the community.
Tom Heath
Yeah, you're 100 % right on that. We hadn't really thought about it in that way. It was always something from a personal passion, but that personal passion is oftentimes driven by someone else's exposure to you.
Billy Mordka
Yeah, you know, when you're a broker or a realtor, most of the time your passion is people, and then the more you get to know people, the more you wanna help people, so.
Tom Heath
I kinda wanna end it there, because that's like a perfect line, but is there anything else we missed? Anything else you wanna share?
Billy Mordka
I mean, I would say as a, we're a divided country right now, as far as politics go, and I'm not gonna get political, but I think we all need to strive really hard to try to work together to find solutions for the people in our community that are hurting, and they're all hurting for different reasons, some by choice, some by hereditary, some by, you know, decisions that were thrown at them, but I think it's the constant bickering and yelling back and forth, and saying it's my way or the highway is not how you get things solved, and I think you're probably seeing that in your interviews with realtors. I guarantee you we're not all the same, but we're all trying to do good for the community.
Tom Heath
How do people follow you if they want to? Are you on social media?
Billy Mordka
Yeah, so I mean, you can follow me on social media. We have Mordka Realty on Instagram. We have Mordka Realty on Facebook. Personally, it's just Billy Mordka on Facebook.
Tom Heath
M -O -R -D -K -A? You got it. All right, and then are you still involved with the shootout?
Billy Mordka
No, so I retired from the shootout in 2019, so that was my last year, and then I did TAR, Tucson Association of Realtors, and that was my vice presidency year, my president's year. Yeah, when we got COVID. Yes, I was the COVID president, and then after that, we knew we were gonna go into foster care, so I kinda stepped away from that, so it's very important not to put too much on your plate.
Tom Heath
But they're still surviving, right? They made it, they're doing okay without you?
Billy Mordka
I believe they are, yes, yes, sir. They're doing well.
Tom Heath
You guys win every time, each year. What? But you said it was Martin Luther King?
Billy Mordka
Yeah, the shootout is MLK weekend, and I always tell people when they go, what's the hottest time of the market in Tucson? And I always say, MLK weekend, when the shootout is, and then U of A graduation, so that's always the hot market. A lot
Speaker 2
of people in town. A
Billy Mordka
lot of people in town, and the weather is beautiful.
Tom Heath
Well, Billy Mordka, lifelong realtor, basically.
Billy Mordka
Lifelong Tucsonan.
Tom Heath
Lifelong Tucsonan, actually, and appreciate what you do in our community. Good luck with the family, and let us know when you have the next foster child experience, and we'll bring you back. You'll have me on again. We'll see how that's going.
Billy Mordka
Very good. We'll do the sequel. All right, thank you, Tom.
Billy Mordka
Of course.
Tom Heath
Thank you, sir. Of course. We're starting to release these in September, probably do them every two weeks, so until we get more of a... So who else have you had on? Kim Clifton, Blair Lamedy, I've got Tracy Castell coming in next week, and you know what? I'm gonna have you... Put that on? Yeah, one more time, because I forgot what we're doing at the end of each of these, is we've
Tom Heath
got to ask you a couple of questions about work -life balance. I'm good.
