Winter 2016

TEXAS LAND / Profile
operated a single office. A couple of years later, as the market
recovered, he sold them.
While the REMAX endeavor foreshadowed his ability to single
out overlooked opportunities, another deal demonstrated what
would become the trademark of his career, the ability to sell
“white elephants.”
In 1989, the Lyle and Erik Menendez headline-grabbing
murder of their parents resulted in their lifetime imprisonment and
liquidation of all property owned by the family estate. The Calabasas
Menendez Mansion, as it was known then, languished on the
market for five years despite the efforts of a series of California’s
superstar realtors. Uechtritz, a young untested realtor,
was brash enough and persuasive enough to convince
the conservators and lawyers to give him a chance to
market the property. He sold and closed the mansion
within 90 days.
From that experience, he recognized some key elements
that makes selling “impossible” properties possible.
“Usually you have to spin ‘stigmatized’ properties
180 degrees from where they were,” he said. “You
have to look at who the buyer is and where they are
going to come from. Then you have to create a competitive
environment and a closing window of opportunity.”
His phone began to ring. In addition to a burgeoning specialty
of selling distressed properties, Uechtritz also formed Front
Gate Properties, a firm specializing in high-end developments in
Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, and Beverly Hills.
“I worked in that market for 15 years,” said Uechtritz, noting
the early 90s were tough because most of the high-end homes
in California were upside down. “In those days, the big deals
were $500,000 to $5 million. I learned a lot about the business
and about people.”
a passion for polo
“Throughout it all, I’ve maintained a passion for polo. I didn’t get to play much
the past two years because of the Waggoner deal, but I’ve tried to make up for it.
This year we launched Icon.Global Polo. My daughters and son now also play.
So far, we’ve played in Santa Barbara, California, Chicago, Texas and Australia, and
have had a great season. I will also be returning in December to compete in the
2016 Aspen World Snow Polo championship to defend our feature match title of
last year. (www.AspenValleyPoloClub.com)
More importantly, though, polo provides a platform for philanthropy. Part
of our team’s mission statement is ‘to be involved in human, animal and
environmental causes.’ We participate in any event we can that supports
one of these causes.
Polo has also become an integral part of my real estate business. It offers
marketing avenues as well as incredible networking opportunities. This
past year, we’ve even hosted some polo and polocrosse events on ranches
we were representing. These events generate publicity while creating
a social event where lenders, brokers and potential buyers can mix and
mingle. It’s a win-win for everybody. “
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