A day in the life of Walt Danley, president of Walt Danley Realty.

7:30 a.m. I typically sleep in until 7 a.m. because I work late into the night. Today is a good day because I stretched my sleep a little longer.

7:35 a.m. Reading is a staple throughout my day, and I start first thing in the morning by reading a daily journal of sorts, called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, while drinking my coffee.

7:45 a.m. While eating my favorite—and simple—breakfast made up of Wheaties and a banana, I watch the news on TV.

8:05 a.m. Tails wagging and full of excitement, my two yellow Labradors, Henry and Sophia, and I play outside for a bit before my partner and I take them for a morning walk. Henry is still elated from his ninth birthday celebration, in which I had friends over for dinner and we sang “happy birthday.”

8:30 a.m. My COO Dub Dellis calls me, and we discuss everything we have in store for the day. I finish reviewing contracts and pertinent information to prepare for my upcoming meetings.

9 a.m. I have a short drive into the office, which is located at Scottsdale and Lincoln Roads. I see there is a lot of good activity happening adjacent to my office with the development of the new Ritz-Carlton villas.

9:10 a.m. I meet one-on-one with one of my associates to discuss an offer we have on one of our listings in Paradise Valley. Negotiating a contract and keeping deals together is my passion and perhaps favorite part of my profession.

9:30 a.m. My associate and I call the buyer’s real estate agent together to discuss the offer. I never negotiate in the car—I’m sitting down at my desk, with my glasses on and take detailed notes. We discuss the transaction, showing, assess the homebuyers’ demeanor including what they like and do not like about the home, if they ever lived in this area before and so forth. I gather as much information as possible to make an educated next move. I like for my associates to listen in and participate on these calls so we can stay in sync with each other, and ultimately with our client.

10:30 a.m. It is an ideal outcome following the negotiations. We are notified the homebuyer selected our listing in Paradise Valley. So, the next steps are turned over to my team to see it through the inspection period. I help prepare my co-lister and, together, we coach the home seller through the process to close the deal.

11:45 a.m. I am meeting a client I have had a relationship with for the past 25 years for lunch to celebrate her birthday. I like to reach out to clients on their birthday, whether over lunch, with flowers or a simple card.

1:15 p.m. In between appointments, I swing by Scottsdale Marketplace and then My Sister’s Attic to find treasures. I’m into interior decorating—not for other people, just for my fun.

2:15 p.m. Back at the office, I return phone calls, and then meet with another one of my associates and Dub to discuss our next meeting, a listing presentation. I co-list and co-sell everything I do, so you will generally see me with members of my team at most meetings.

3 p.m. We arrive at a home soon to go on the market in Clearwater Hills. At the homeowners’ house, we give our listing presentation, tour the home and take diligent notes. This house reminds me of a couple of houses in the area. I ask if the homeowners have ever been in those properties when they were on the market. I use them as comps in assessing the value of this particular home. Out of the gates, we have to be in line with the listing price because that is the most important factor in selling the home.

4 p.m. This being my ideal day, the homeowner selects us to represent them in the sale of their home.

4:30 p.m. I meet my team for our monthly happy hour and to celebrate a good day. This month, Guy Donahue arranged it at El Chorro. I have my favorite dish, the Niman Ranch prime NY steak. I’m in good company.

5:45 p.m. I arrive home and the first thing I do is take off my sport coat, watch and ring. Then, I go outside and play with Henry and Sophia who always greet me with a warm welcome.

6 p.m. Relax for a few minutes and flip through Motor Trend and Road & Track magazines.

6:30 p.m. I get back to work out of my home office. I return phone calls that my assistant scheduled for me now, which I could not take earlier in the day.

8 p.m. Review contracts, research trends and read through information pertinent to meetings the next day.

10:30 p.m. I look at my calendar for tomorrow. I set out everything I didn’t finish reading during the day, so I have my reading priorities in order in the morning when I get up. I also lay out my clothes the night before, depending on my schedule. I think tomorrow I’ll go for comfort with a pair of jeans and a white shirt.

11:30 p.m. Time to re-energize for a new day ahead.