A former engineer explains why the right realtor matters more than ever in Colorado’s fast, complex market

Some career pivots change more than a job title—they redefine how you solve problems for people at life’s highest stakes. Nick sits down with Fort Collins broker Fred Porter, who left engineering to build a family-run real estate firm that blends technical rigor with neighbor-first service. Fred breaks down why Colorado’s market demands more than a quick search: expansive soils that can shift foundations, radon that requires testing, rapid construction with uneven standards, and mountain properties where access, utilities, and boundaries can turn a dream into a money pit if you miss the cues.

We dive into the practical playbook for first-time homebuyers: financing paths, inspections that actually protect you, appraisals, and how to keep your stress low when the clock is ticking. Fred shares why AI and algorithms are useful tools—but not substitutes for a calm human who can read a basement wall, spot a drainage issue, and advise you to walk away when the risk isn’t worth it. If you’re curious about land and mountain transactions, you’ll hear what to check first: surveys, easements, well and septic realities, wildfire mitigation, snow load, and road maintenance that can change your costs overnight.

This conversation also gets personal. Fred talks about recovering from a cryptocurrency scam that wiped out much of his savings—and how rebuilding deepened his empathy for buyers navigating surprises. His family brokerage centers trust over pressure, proven by hands-on help, clear communication, and reviews on Google and Zillow. If you want real estate guidance that’s both technically sharp and human, this story will help you choose a partner who protects your budget and your peace of mind.

If this episode helped you think differently about buying or selling in Northern Colorado, follow the show, share it with a neighbor, and leave a quick review so more locals can find it.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.

SPEAKER_01 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a really goodreal estate professional?
Well, one might be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the great pleasureof introducing your good
neighbor, Fred Porter, withPorter Real Estate.
Fred, how's it going?

SPEAKER_02 (00:27):
Great, great.
It's nice to be here, Nick.
I appreciate the opportunity totalk to you.

SPEAKER_01 (00:32):
It's great to have you.
Tell us all about how you gotinto real estate.

SPEAKER_02 (00:36):
Well, um, you know, I was an engineer for about 20
years before I got into realestate.
I did a lot of investing duringthat time.
And uh I decided I wanted tohave a business of my own.
And so um back in 2013, Istarted going or selling real
estate full-time and then uhopened my own brokerage in 2019

(01:00):
with my daughter and I.
We have a nice family business,and uh I love it.
I mean, it's great.
I get to meet a lot of reallynice people and have great
relationships.
So I've been enjoying it.

SPEAKER_01 (01:12):
What are some myths or misconceptions in your line
of work?

SPEAKER_02 (01:18):
Well, um, oh my gosh.
You know, most realtors arepretty nice people and they're
really out there to try and helpyou.
Um, there's kind of amisconception that uh, you know,
realtors as a whole are somewhatblood suckers and out there to
get money from you.
Um 99% of uh realtors are reallyjust out there to you know help

(01:40):
people succeed and uh get themset up in a better living
situation.
So that's one of the myths thatI would, you know, kind of
contradict.

SPEAKER_01 (01:51):
How did you get into real estate in the first place?
What drove you here?

SPEAKER_02 (01:56):
Well, I was investing a fair amount when I
worked as an engineer.
I bought a bunch of rentalproperties and uh, you know,
having my license allowed me tosave quite a bit of money.
And uh I also got a lot ofeducation through doing that.
So that was kind of my lead intoit.
And uh I, you know, worked as anengineer for quite a while.
As I said, I worked for a newBelgian brewing company and uh

(02:18):
designed a lot of theirwastewater treatment and then
worked in oil and gas designingwastewater treatment plants.
And well, the uh price of oilwent down and I got laid off and
I have my real estate licenseand I wanted to do something of
my own.
So I dove into it full time andI've been doing it ever since
then, since 2013.
And it's it's been great.
It's been really fun.

(02:38):
Plus, I get to work with mydaughter, and so we have a small
family business, and it's it'suh really rewarding.

SPEAKER_01 (02:45):
That's awesome.
There's not many uh crafts orindustries that you can pass
down to your kids anymore beforeit becomes obsolete again.

SPEAKER_02 (02:53):
Yeah, this is true.

SPEAKER_01 (02:54):
It's just definitely real estate and electrician
seems to be too that that aregonna hang around for a while.

SPEAKER_02 (03:00):
Yeah, yeah, I think so, especially with the advent
of AI.
It uh seems to be taking over alot of different things.
So we'd be interesting to seehow that transpires in the next
10 years.
But you know, um, there'sthere's really a need for people
that understand the process ofuh helping people get financing
and get into a house and alsoyou know, construction standards

(03:22):
and making sure that you'rebuying something that's a
quality product.

SPEAKER_01 (03:25):
Exactly.
Yeah, exactly.
Um gosh, I was just having thattalk with somebody today about
you really got to watch outwhere you buy a house around
here because it's how faststuff's going up.

SPEAKER_02 (03:38):
Yeah, Colorado is pretty interesting.
We have a lot of expansive soilsaround here, which wreaks havoc
with uh foundations.
We have radon, we have you knowall kinds of issues.
So yeah, it pays to work with arealtor who has a good idea of
construction standards andwhat's going on in the area.

SPEAKER_01 (03:54):
Who's your target market and how are you reaching
out to them now in the digitalworld?

SPEAKER_02 (03:59):
Um well, one of my target markets really is
first-time home buyers.
Um, I really enjoy working withpeople, you know, who haven't
bought a home before and youknow, really helping educate
them on the process and uh, youknow, what they're buying.
Um, so that's one of one of mymarkets, and I I reach out to
them a lot by uh doing videosand also advertising, online

(04:22):
advertising.
We've got a nice website set up.
It's www.noco-realtor.com.
And um we have a great searchengine set up there where you
can create an account and searchfor properties.
Um, another market that I uhkind of specialize in is
mountain properties.
I do a lot of uh, you know,mountain properties and and land

(04:45):
deals, which are somewhatdifficult because it it takes
some skill to understand, youknow, land boundaries and
different issues that you runinto developing land or you
know, building a house to buildsomething.

SPEAKER_01 (05:00):
Do you feel like real estate since we were
talking about AI, do you feellike real estate's one of those
businesses where people couldjust take it or leave it,
whoever they're dealing with, aslong as they get the end result?
Or do you feel like it's stillone of those businesses where
the person matters, thepersonality matters?
The the the the in the abilityto work with that personality

(05:25):
still matters.
Um, do you find that that'sstill a living, breathing thing
in your industry?

SPEAKER_02 (05:31):
Um, I do.
You know, um buying and sellinga house is typically one of the
most the largest financialdecisions most people make, and
it can be extremely stressful.
And if you're working withsomebody that's high stress and
high pressure, it's pretty darnuncomfortable.
And so it really pays to havesomebody who you have a good
relationship with and somebodyyou can trust.

(05:52):
And um it also is really helpfulto to have a work with somebody
that has a good understanding ofthe product that they're
selling.
Um, I've had, well, a few horrorstories of you know, friends
that have bought things throughother realtors uh in and
actually had houses with severestructural problems or you know,

(06:16):
just different problems.
It really costs them a lot ofmoney to get out of the house.
And so it really pays to workwith somebody who's a
professional and uh you have agood relationship with.

SPEAKER_01 (06:27):
Have you ever thought about reaching people
through podcasting?

SPEAKER_02 (06:31):
Um, you know, I've never done it before, but today
this is pretty nice, actually.
I uh I think uh this might besomething I explore a little
more.
What do you do?

unknown (06:41):
Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 (06:42):
What do you do for fun when you're not helping
people find their next home?

SPEAKER_02 (06:46):
Um well I love to ski.
I mean, I grew up on the EastCoast working in the ski
industry, so I moved out here toski a lot.
Um, I do a lot of cycling, a lotof mountain biking.
Um, I do CrossFit and yoga.
And then I have two daughtersand um and you know, a lot of
hiking, things like that, a lotof outdoor activity.

SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
Um, Fred, this isn't a question I ask everybody, and
if you want me to just pass onit, that's fine.
But um not everybody has had aperfect life.
Is there a challenge in thatyou've had in your life that you
overcame that made you theperson that you are today that
you'd like to talk about?

SPEAKER_02 (07:25):
Um, there have been a few.
Um, I guess the most recentchallenge is probably about
three or four years ago.
I got scammed out of the betterpart of my life savings, and so
I've had to rebuild from that.
And uh that you know rocked myworld.
Um, I got caught in acryptocurrency scam and uh lost

(07:47):
you know just a huge amount ofmoney, so I've had to start
over.
And uh, you know, you justyou're where you are and you you
you go from there, and so I'vebeen very lucky in life too, you
know.

SPEAKER_01 (08:00):
I had the same thing happen when I started short
selling Tesla stocks in my firstI lost so much money in two
days, it was uh it was there wassome type of scam going on and
that I didn't understand, and Iwent back for more the second
day, and so man, I feel you.
I'll never go back again.

SPEAKER_02 (08:19):
Yeah, you know it happens.
I mean it's a littleembarrassing to talk about, but
it's just reality, and you know,um, we're all human, we all make
mistakes, and it's how you dealwith the adversity, you know.
Yeah, pick this up and go on.
So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (08:33):
Uh so what's one thing that you would like people
to take away from this interviewabout Porter real estate, Fred?

SPEAKER_02 (08:44):
Um, well, we're a relationship business, and we
really focus on building a solidrelationship.
We have tons of uh happyclients.
You can see it in our reviews,uh, both on Google and Zillow.
And we really focus on goingabove and beyond.
I mean, I've helped people move,I've helped people do work on
their houses, things that not atypical realtor will do.

(09:06):
Um, so we're, you know, veryfamily-based, and uh we enjoy
spending time with people andmaking sure their needs are met.

SPEAKER_01 (09:16):
Fred, what are all the ways that people can find
you through social media, awebsite, a phone number?

SPEAKER_02 (09:22):
Okay.
Um, my website is www.nocorealtor.com.
Instagram is Fred Porter RealEstate.
Um Facebook is Fred Porter, andthen I also have a Porter Real
Estate page.
And my phone number is970-231-4272.

(09:48):
And that's my cell phone.
So rings right to me, and you'llget me.

SPEAKER_01 (09:52):
Awesome.
Yeah.
Well, Fred, it's been a pleasureum introducing you to the
community and having you onhaving you on the show.
And we definitely wish you andPorter Real Estate the very best
moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 (10:05):
Thanks, Nick.
It's been a real pleasure.
Um, this is much easier than Ithought.

SPEAKER_00 (10:12):
Yeah.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to gnpfortcollins.com.
That's gmpfortcollins.com orcall nine seven zero four three
eight zero eight two five.