John Hetzler is putting his Toyota Tundra through its paces as he climbs Aetna Mountain, located 15 minutes north of Chattanooga. The vehicle has taken him from paved road to gravel, and from gravel to red clay, his tires dropping into and popping out of muddy holes that grow deeper and more numerous the farther up the mountain he goes.
Eventually, the path on which he’s driving no longer resembles a road, but a barely worn trail.
He tries to avoid a large water-filled hole, but is too late. The impact of his right front tire hitting the bottom of the cavity jars the truck, which fishtails as the tire bounces out and hits the ground. Accustomed to rough roads, Hetzler recovers and continues driving.
“This is nothing. I’ve driven this truck off a four-foot cliff,” he says, his voice rattling from the ride. He looks in his rearview mirror to make sure his four-wheeler is still in the bed and turns on his wipers to clean the mud off his windshield.
As a broker specializing in land transactions, Hetzler is accustomed to punishing drives, both literally and figuratively. He says it’s not uncommon to work on a deal for two or more years, only to see it collapse over a niggling issued. While disappointing, he says these occasions demonstrate the importance of using a specialist when purchasing land.
“Land is not cut and dry. You can look at it and not see the complexity. Someone might own the mineral rights or have access across the property. These things are not disclosed up front, so you need someone who knows to look for them and can negotiate purchasing the rights,” he says.
Hetzler does more than look for potential pitfalls in a property; he can also identify its value. For example, through years of working with timberland investment groups, he’s learned how to preserve land while profiting from its resources. He points out how the owner of the land on which he’s driving thinned its trees to provide wood for houses but left the forest intact.
“You don’t want to cut all of your hardwood to make a quick dollar. You can manage your timber in a sustainable manner,” he says.
Hetzler’s job often involves more than listing and selling land. Once he’s identified pockets of value on a property, he determines what needs to be done to prepare it for sale. From there, he might oversee the construction of roads, the installation of utilities or the clearing of a bluff.
Hetzler emerges from the woods and stops his truck. Beyond a mile of sloping brush, Nickajack Lake blends into the scenery under a grey sky. Despite the clouds, the panorama of water and mountains is spectacular.
Ever the businessman, Hetzler sees its commercial potential. “This property could support a diverse development with many outdoor activities. You could build an equestrian center and also have mountain biking, hunting and skeet shooting. This could be more than a golf course,” he says.
This kind of thinking offends environmentalists, who want to safeguard as much territory as possible. Many of them are therefore surprised to learn Hetzler shares their concerns and actively works with the Land Trust for Tennessee, the Foothills Land Conservancy and other organizations to protect large chunks of land.
“The state was acquiring property on the Cumberland Plateau near Monteagle from a timberland investment group. The group wanted to sell 6,000 acres, but the state wanted only 3,000 acres, so I brought a private buyer to the table to purchase the other acres and complete the transaction.
“I’m in real estate to make money, but helping to preserve special places that otherwise would be classified as timber production is also rewarding,” he says. To date, Hetzler has helped to protect 5,500 acres through conservation easements.
Hetzler’s concern for the outdoors is the result of having grown up adjacent to Moppet Springs, a protected area on Signal Mountain. With thousands of acres as his backyard, he spent a lot of time in the woods and open air. Even his Boy Scout Troop shunned the indoors, and spent most of its time together canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing and backpacking.
“It was intense. If our leader found out it was going to be snowing, he’d plan a camping trip,” Hetzler says.
After high school, Hetzler worked at the family business – Eureka Foundry. He then did “several different things” before ending up in real estate.
“I had an entrepreneurial spirit. My wife had been in residential real estate, and I had occasionally helped her, so I thought that would be a good way to work on my own without having a lot of overhead. And the sky is the limit. If you’re willing to work 90 hours a week, you’ll be rewarded accordingly,” he says.
Hetzler tried residential real estate but quickly learned he did not have a knack for showing houses. Given his background at the foundry, he thought commercial real estate would be a better fit, so he went to work for a commercial firm. This led to him working with developers and other people who were looking for land. These contacts in turn introduced him to timberland investment groups and private equity funds, allowing him to develop key relationships in the land business.
Today, Hetzler heads a group of three at RE/MAX Renaissance, including one other Realtor and an assistant. He handles the large transactions, such as the 6,400-acre tract on Aetna Mountain, while his partner manages the smaller deals. After eight years, Hetzler has sold 83,000 acres. With 45,000 acres listed, he hopes to top 100,000 acres this year.
Achieving this goal will take a lot of time and effort. Hetzler works close to those 90 hours a week he mentioned and it’s not unusual for him to take part in a conference call at 11 p.m., when clients in distance time zones are still working.
Although this puts a crimp on his schedule, he is able to spend some time with his wife, Kerri, and their three girls, including a 3- and a 6-year-old and a stepdaughter who’s 19. For instance, he and Kerri recently took their two youngest kids camping for the first time. “It was a no frills trip in the woods. They loved it. We’re looking forward to getting out even more,” he says.
Hetzler also likes to trout fish, but for the most part, he’s on the job. “I’m 36. It’s time to be working,” he says, smacking his right fist into his left palm and laughing.
As Hetzler climbs back into his Tundra, he says he can tolerate the long hours because he rarely feels as though he’s working. “Every time I go out, it’s an adventure. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
That said, as Hetzler returns to civilization, he’ll be watching for the water-filled hole. Sometimes, a little less adventure is good.