By Brenna Wiegand
Being Realtors provides Dixon Bledsoe and Lisa Santana a unique approach to community service that enables them to not only join forces with existing projects but to blaze their own paths in that arena.
“When we work with families, we get inside information on what families look for or are doing in the area and what is happening in the schools,” Bledsoe said. “When we work with veterans, we find out who they are, what they have done, and find new ways to honor them. When we work with seniors we find out about and understand their issues, get involved with the Senior Center, and help them find solutions to their challenges, such as ‘aging in place’ homes, reverse mortgages, 1031 exchanges and estate planning by getting them to the professionals.”
Since opening in 2015 Bledsoe Santana Team Realty (B&ST for short) has grown to include more than a dozen agents, offices in Silverton, Woodburn and Keizer and between them Bledsoe and Santana have sold over $100 million in real estate.
It almost appears the partners enjoy outdoing each other.
Lisa is a Senior Residential Specialist and serves on the Silverton Senior Center board, and Dixon is a Military Relocation Professional who’s working with the city to install custom benches for pedestrians and veterans, one for each branch of the Armed Services. Bledsoe was Silverton’s First Citizen in 2012. While Dixon’s a devoted Rotary member and past president, Santana is the current Silverton Kiwanis Club President.
Bledsoe was named North Willamette Association of Realtors Realtor of the Year in 2013; Santana received the same award in 2017.
“The impact of this business on the community has been huge,” said one of their fans. “Dixon and Lisa are both community superstars.”
Santana and Bledsoe each have 17 years in the industry and both have worked with local and larger international firms but came to believe their industry is about relationships and struck out to make a business built on that foundation.
“Our success is that we focus on people, we listen well, we put them first, train our agents to be exceptional and follow a couple of cardinal rules,” Bledsoe said. “Ethics matter, our customers deserve at least our best every day and community service is a privilege.”
Bledsoe Santana Team Realty has been a major sponsor at such community events as Judy’s Party, SACA events, and the high school’s sports scoreboards.
“There aren’t enough kind works to say about B&ST Realty and Lisa and Dixon,” wrote a nominator. “We admire their continued involvement in and service to the community and their sincere integrity.”
