You know… the dating app where if you like what you see, you swipe right? I’ve long compared real estate to online dating. Are those pictures real and recent? Does the description on the profile reflect reality? Am I about to meet a crazy person? Will I have regrets tomorrow?

The real estate market often feels like the Wild West, and I thought that’s just the way it was. Brokers often see their clients and customers as a number rather than people who are likely making the biggest purchase of their lives.

Outdated technology, bad photography, and rolling the dice on getting a decent real estate agent have all been accepted as normal. Even more than most businesses, real estate is an industry that leans heavily on the character of the people involved. When Nick Schlekeway formed the Boise real estate agency Amherst Madison in 2013, he wanted to do things differently.

The culture of any company starts at the top. If you know Nick and the values he holds, you’ll know what to expect from Amherst Madison. He’s a forward thinker who expects the best from himself, and the 70+ agents at his brokerage aim for the same standard.

Founder of Amherst Madison – Nick Schlekeway

At a glance, Nick is one of those high achievers who seem too good to be true, but I can attest that he is the real deal. We are the same age and attended the same high school and college, so I’ve been Nick-adjacent for around 20 years. He was a star athlete, valedictorian, and Hall of Famer in high school. In college he was an Academic All-American who graduated with honors, First Team All Conference selection, and a team captain the season Boise State won the famous 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. If you’re still not impressed, he was a top-notch Boise firefighter for several years, completed a master’s degree at Georgetown, and started a very successful company in competitive niche.

Oh, and he’s nice.

Despite his success, what makes Nick and his brokerage an inspiration is the focus on other people. To that point, the agency isn’t named after the founder, but after a brother-and-sister pair he knew who battled cancer and won. Their ability to persevere inspired him, and when it came time to put a name on the company’s founding documents, the team believed their names deserved the honor. So if you’re in the market for a new real estate agency, skip the online dating period and meet the Amherst Madison team in person. The pictures are real.

~Matthew Biss

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Amherst Madison is a client-centric brokerage that focuses on community involvement and building relationships. Customers appreciate the updated, cloud-based technology the firm uses, with standards of quality in photography and listings that won’t be found anywhere else in Idaho. The agents operate with the belief that clients deserve more from their realtor, realtors deserve more from their brokerage, and the community deserves more from us all.