After 40 years,Geishart stays course with North Central Real Estate

Matthew Day

Staff

March 2, 2026

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – When he earned his real estate license in 1986, North Central Real Estate Owner/Founder Gerry Geishart said interest rates were at “12-13%.” 

Since then, he said much more than interest rates have changed, as the industry has fluctuated through upheavals and periods of relative stability, while regulations, paperwork and technology continue to evolve. 

Through it all, Geishart said North Central has adapted to reliably serve North Central Wisconsin and beyond. 

From North Central’s headquarters at 1040 8th St. South, Suite 110, in Wisconsin Rapids, Geishart said “we cover the whole State of Wisconsin.”  

The agency’s 11-person team, he said, serves as “territorial agents” for residential and commercial properties as well as undeveloped land. 

Further, Geishart said the agency has exclusivity on another advantageous avenue. 

“We promote a lot of our properties in sport shows,” he said. “We’re the only real estate brokerage firm in Central Wisconsin that gets in five sport shows a year… Most of the ‘outdoors’ people come through there looking for hunting land, recreational properties, waterfront cabins, that sort of thing.” 

Geishart said North Central’s success stems from its broad range of properties and inventory, though the independent agency’s smaller size has been key to sustaining it.

“With our long-term success, experience and knowledge of the market, we try to stay personalized and keep [clients’] property on the forefront of getting it sold,” he said. “[We’re] able to pay more attention to it, versus them listing with a franchise, where their listing would be amongst hundreds of other properties and agents, where it kind of gets lost.” 

‘Time just flies by’ 

Geishart said he entered the real estate industry as a young man, earning his license alongside his father, Gerald Geishart Sr., in 1986.
“We worked for a real estate broker in town, here in Wisconsin Rapids, for a year and a half,” he said.

Though his father stayed on at the broker a while longer, Geishart said he decided to found an independent agency in 1988 – Wisconsin Valley Real Estate – which his father soon joined. 

In 1996, Geishart said he bought a Prudential franchise and operated as Prudential Valley Real Estate for 12 years. 

Eventually, he said he and his team decided to redeclare independence – establishing North Central Real Estate in 2008. 

Geishart said it’s “unbelievable” to look back on a 40-year career in real estate. 

“It doesn’t even seem that long – it really doesn’t,” he said. “Time just flies by.” 

In 2018, Geishart said the company welcomed its third generation when his son, Hunter, joined the team.

Time has flown by, he said, largely because he’s stayed so busy, particularly in regard to staying on top of the industry’s changes. 

“When we first started in real estate, there was one page for a listing agreement and two pages for an offer to purchase,” he said. “Now…, there are probably 15 pages to all your listing documents, and there are 20-some pages to an offer to purchase, with all the documents that go with that, the addendums and so forth.” 

From real estate law to marketing, Geishart said the industry is constantly changing. 

To keep up, he said North Central’s agents – all independent contractors – meet monthly to review changes in rules, regulations and laws and also to connect with one another.

In an industry where many aspects have been digitized, Geishart said he still cherishes in-person interaction, including with buyers and sellers.

“A lot of it – most of it – is done over the computer,” he said. “Now, [with] an offer to purchase, we can simply email it to [buyers] and have them e-sign it, click on the tab and it comes right back to us, and then we can go present it to the seller.” 

Sport shows as well as open houses – which Geishart said “are starting to come back” after their COVID-19-related hiatus – provide additional opportunities to meet people and understand their needs, preferences and what they’re seeking in a property.

More about the agency 

Geishart said North Central assists with buyers and sellers alike. 

For buyers, he said the process includes identifying their needs, confirming whether they’ve been pre-approved by a bank and determining if they are – or wish to be – represented by a real estate agent.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, agents are going into a buyer’s agency agreement, representing the buyer, writing their fee and they’ll offer to purchase,” he said. 

With “the market being as competitive as it is,” Geishart said it’s “crucial” for buyers to get pre-approved before looking at properties – as it strengthens their position compared to another interested buyer who does not have pre-approval. 

All aspects of real estate, he said, are related the constant building of relationships, something “tremendously” responsible for North Central’s endurance.

Four decades’ worth of connections, Geishart said, has resulted in him growing a considerable network of contractors. 

“I don’t know how many contacts I have in my phone, but when somebody needs somebody to get something done, I usually have some[one] who fits that,” he said. 

With the reputation he’s built up over time, Geishart said he has “people calling me every week on their real estate questions” – and he’s all too happy to help. 

“If we go into a listing agreement putting up a home for sale, they may want to have some advice on what they can do to make their home more marketable – ‘Should we replace the flooring? Or should we repaint? Or should we remodel the kitchen or bathroom?’” he said. “We get asked that all the time.” 

Real estate review 

With current interest rates hovering just above 6%, Geishart said he doesn’t expect a return to the record-low rates seen in the early 2020s.

However, drawing on his history within the industry, he said conditions are ever changing. 

“You definitely do see the pendulum swing on when it’s a buyer’s market [or] seller’s market,” he said. “Right now, inventory is really low. It’s still a seller’s market, but not as crazy as it was.” 

Even for someone with his experience, Geishart said several years ago, conditions were “unbelievable.” 

“I’ve never seen a market that crazy,” he said. “I mean, people were buying homes without even looking at them.” 

As he learned back in 1986 and has seen reaffirmed in recent years, Geishart said no matter the conditions, “there are always going to be buyers, and there are always going to be sellers.” 

Geishart said he has also seen an increase in second homes, along with short- and long-term rental properties, such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

Land purchases, he said, have held steady, albeit for different reasons. 

“Buyers years ago, they were purchasing land when it wasn’t a priority [but] basically when you had your home paid off,” he said. “It was just looked at differently. Now, we get a lot more buyers who are purchasing vacant land for recreation. Back then, it was more of an investment… Now, a lot of people are buying land just to hunt it or just to camp on it.” 

Looking ahead 

Geishart said he confidently predicts two phenomena for real estate in 2026. 

First, he said, is the end of subagency, which lexawise.com defines as “when an agent (often a buyer’s agent) assists a listing broker in finding a prospective buyer for a property without representing the buyer.” 

Second, Geishart said he anticipates more AI being used for real estate marketing, due to a mix of convenience and improving technologies. 

He said he’s likewise confident in predicting continued success for North Central – “one of the only locally owned, family-owned, non-franchise agencies around.” 

“We want to keep growing, [but] I’m not focused on trying to have a 20-, 30- [or] 50-agent office…,” he said. “Being a little smaller of an agency, we’re more personalized, and I kind of like it that way.” 

With 40 years and counting in an unpredictable industry, Geishart said he simply looks to control the controllables. 

“I don’t know the future,” he said. “I just try to stay on track, stay ahead of the curve on listings and sales and keep things going the way they are.”