spe • cial • ist | spe-sh(ə-)list noun
a person who specializes in a particular occupation, practice or field of study
Travis Tarrant
Managing Partner
Tarrant & Harman
Work smart, work hard.”
Where do you live? I call West Central Illinois home and live just outside the Mississippi River town of Alton, Illinois.
Where do you work? I’m the managing partner of Tarrant and Harman Outdoor Properties. We market farms in the Midwest through traditional listing services as well as live and online auctions. I also serve as the president of the board of directors for LandLeader.
What drew you to ranch and recreational real estate? I grew up in the outdoors and come from a family that farms. My passion for pursuing wild game peaked my interest in the recreational side of the business, and being raised around a farm led me to the ag side.
What makes the corner of the world where you work special? Illinois offers some of the most productive soils that can be found in the Midwest. The terrain ranges from flat black dirt to rolling hillsides and river bottoms. Illinois is known for trophy whitetails, and we attract hunters from all over the country hoping to bag a bruiser.
What are the three most important tools in a ranch broker’s kit? A firm handshake; UTV and a mapping program; and a differentiating factor. For my company, that is our partnership with LandLeader.
If you could call anywhere on the planet home, where would it be? Why? I’m a Midwest boy, but I’ve got a love for the mountains. I’d settle anywhere with a good view of the Rockies and easy access to hunting and fishing.
What’s the most profound lesson you’ve learned from the land or its people? The meaning of hard work. Owning and working land is a lifestyle, and there’s not too much easy about it.
Listener or talker? Listener. I’m a firm believer it’s better to be seen than heard.
If you had one extra hour of time per day, how would you use it? With my children. I have four youngins’ under seven, and I love spending time with them.
Would you rather be without Internet for a week or your phone? Both. I think we all need to “unplug” from time to time. A little piece of the country with no service sounds just fine to me.
If you could give one sentence advice about how to live life, what would that be? Life is temporary, live it like you get that.
Describe your perfect work day. Listing a farm that you know you have the perfect buyer for!
What is your most memorable deal to date? Auctions always stand out in my mind. You work and plan like you’re going to pull it off but never really know if you will until the hammer drops. We hosted a multi-tract ag auction several years ago while I was still wet behind the ears. That sale probably took a couple years off my life, lol, but we got it all sold! We can crank them out all day long now, but that was when we were still in the “fake it ’til you make it” stage.
Learn more about Travis & Tarrant & Harman at TarrantandHarman.com