Bill Whitescarver
FEATURED AGENT
PHOTOS BY VAST MEDIA | STORY BY ZACH COHEN
A Life Well Lived
“My career in sales began in the 1960s as a small child selling wild onions door to door that I
dug up from the cane field behind our home in Houma, LA,” Bill Whitescarver begins with a
smile.
Since he was a young boy, Bill has always worked hard, from cutting lawns to his later
entrepreneurial ventures. During his childhood, his family relocated from Louisiana to Northern
California, where he attended high school. Bill went on to earn a degree in business and
entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. After graduating college, he
became the CEO of Five Star Emerald Shine, a local car washing business.
“Along the way, it was suggested I consider a career in real estate, but I was too good for that
with my college degree,” Bill continues sarcastically. “I was not too good to run around in my
uniform with a matching shirt, shorts, and shoes cleaning cars.”
Over his ten years cleaning cars, Bill rubbed shoulders with some of the nation’s top real
estate names, including acclaimed coach Mike Ferry (who later became a mentor). At his peak,
he had 33 employees and mobile vans and managed a full-service car wash.
In 1997, Bill picked up his family to move to Oklahoma in pursuit of entrepreneurial success.
His plan was to develop theaters and entertainment centers, but he was, admittedly,
unsuccessful. He had two young children and was left frustrated and humiliated while trying
to land work.
“I was a boat in the ocean without a rudder and found myself on my hands and knees for the
first time in my life saying, ‘God, can you help give me direction?’”
The next day, Bill saw an ad in the Tulsa World. It asked, "Have you ever considered a career in
real estate?" Bill answered that ad and met Shel Detrick the very same day, and soon enough, he was
licensed. That was in 1999.
Over twenty years later, Bill is still thriving in real estate, although the path has been anything
but a straight line. He’s weathered several market fluctuations, including the Great Recession,
alongside some of his own personal storms. Through it all, he has gained a tremendous wealth
of knowledge about real estate and life. We sat down with Bill to tap into his wisdom and
catch up on what his business looks like today.
Q&A with Bill Whitescarver
Tulsa Real Producers: Tell us about your business today.
Bill: Over the years, I’ve had several groups and teams and have met amazing people that
today I get to call friends. I did have dreams of opening my own doors, but I grew tired of the
"teach, train, and turnover." My last team collapsed in 2016, and I decided to go in a different
direction. I choose to wear all the hats required to help my buyers and sellers, including
marriage counselor and sometimes financial planner. I surround myself with the talent of
lenders, closer, and craftsmen, and manage my investment properties. Today, it is me, myself,
and I. When you see me talking to myself, I’m in a team meeting!
Tulsa Real Producers: What makes you stand out in the industry?
Bill: Well, just spend some time with me. One quickly discovers they broke the mold after me.
Some may say I’m high-energy and animated. I say I am Snake Bite Bill, the conservative
hippie; my Indian name is Pawhuska (Longhair), and I’m doing the happily ever after with my squaw, Little Chic.
Tulsa Real Producers: So you’re living “the happily ever now”… tell us about that.
Bill: Three words drive my relationship with Suzanne — love, appreciation, and synergy…I am a
better person with Suzanne than I was living alone. I am also living out this phrase: “Help
enough people get what they want, and you will get what you want.” Together, Suzanne and I
remodeled and built our dream home, purchased our second investment property, and have
been traveling the world as empty nesters. Today, I feel I’m living my best life.
Tulsa Real Producers: How do you manage your work and life balance?
Bill: Balance is a myth. We are an oval rolling down the road as some areas of our lives are
better than others, and some areas need help. At times, work is all-encompassing with long
days that also burn into the midnight oil, especially March through July. Other times, you must
turn it off at a certain hour to time of the day to simply take time to breathe. I love nature,
travel, reading, and time with family and friends. I also like being totally alone on a hike in
nature, enjoying quiet solitude, and simply reflecting on love and life.
Tulsa Real Producers: How do you define success for yourself?
Bill: We are each born with God-given talents, and we each have the responsibility to discover
what they are and then use those talents. My success is defined by faith, family, finances,
fitness, friends, fun, and contribution. I do my best to live these areas out in my life. Many
people and books helped shape who I am today. I would like to think that I’m a light and do my
best to shine, share, and, when possible, inspire others. Discernment is also a spiritual gift for
me. If I see or sense evil, I’m not afraid to call it out. I will not avoid confrontation when
necessary.
Tulsa Real Producers: What are you passionate about?
Bill: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I think I’m passionate about love, life, the human heart, and what the mind of man can conceive and believe it can achieve. I love to learn, and I’ve become a student of history, especially our great nation that is conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. We live this out as REALTORS® every day in our industry as we help people from all walks of life.
