About Desert Sage Seminars

Jon and Dana Kichen-OUR STORY

In 2022 Desert Sage Seminars helped Arizona real estate licensees complete more than 54,281 CE classes Online, Live and Zoom!

Desert Sage Seminars Mailing Address: 15029 N. Thompson Peak B111-487, Scottsdale, AZ 85260

In early 2021, Jon was awarded the REALTOR Emeritus designation from the National Association of REALTORS.

Jon and Dana were married in 1976 and moved to Arizona in 1980. Together, they own and operate DESERT SAGE SEMINARS, a real estate school located in Scottsdale featuring quality On-Line, ZOOM and Live Real Estate CE classes. Jon's Zoom classes are taught predominantly in the Phoenix Metro area and available to register for and take from any location where a stable internet connection is available. He has written and instructs over 37 CE classes including Graduate Realtor Insitute (GRI) for the Contract Class and the Safe Real Estate-GRI Ethics class.

About Jon
Jon obtained his real estate license in 1980. He owned and operated Kichen and Associates with his parents, Shirley and Rubin Kichen. They focused primarily on condo conversion sales and residential re-sales. During the 1980s Jon was very active in SAAR and was named Realtor® of the Year in 1984. He served on several SAAR committees including Government Affairs and the Realtors Political Action Committee (RAPAC) throughout the 1980s.

In 1986 Jon moved to Merrill Lynch Realty where he became Sales Manager and continued selling real estate. Merrill Lynch Realty became Prudential Realty and Jon assisted the company in the transition to the well respected national franchise.

In 1990, Jon joined Coldwell Banker and became Branch Manager of the Camelback Branch. Within 1 year, he took an office that was losing money and turned it into one of the most profitable offices for the Western Region of Coldwell Banker for many years to come. Jon was part of the team that moved Coldwell Banker Success Realty into the forefront of leadership in the real estate community in Phoenix. Jon was with Coldwell Banker Success Realty until the spring of 2002.

In June 2002, Jon joined the brokerage team of West USA Realty. While he played an active role in his capacity on the brokerage team, Jon decided to pursue a different role in the real estate business. Thus, in the fall of 2013, Jon parted ways with West USA Realty. Once it became known throughout the industry that Jon was "available", he was pursued by numerous companies to join their team. Jon continued to focus on Desert Sage Seminars and also accepted the position as Designated Broker for DeLex Realty. This was a new brokerage needing a guiding hand and Jon set up needed systems and helped grow the company. In the summer of 2015, Jon decided to focus solely on education and resigned his position as DB of DeLex Realty. Currently, he remains focused on teaching CE classes and volunteering in the real estate industry.

In July 2006 Jon had a near-death experience. A medical procedure had gone horribly wrong and his condition required a “code blue”. That means the patient has coded (no heart rate) and is turning blue. Through considerable luck and the skill of the surgeon on the cardiac crash team, he survived the procedure and the resulting emergency surgery.

While recovering for the better part of 6 weeks at home, there was plenty of time to think. First, every day is a gift, and he quickly realized that. But,

he also realized that had he not survived, what legacy would be left to his family? Sure, he had life insurance, retirement assets and some other assets, but what viable source of income would continue after his death? At that point; nothing.

So, Jon began pondering what he could do; what type of company could he build that could continue after his paychecks stopped? Since he was already a real estate trainer (instructing live classes) and knew that the Arizona Department of Real Estate allowed on-line classes, that seemed like a natural step. So, in August of 2006, the idea for the Desert Sage Seminars website was born.

For the rest of 2006, he ran feasibility studies of the market to see if there was room for another company. That answer was yes. He began taking on-line classes (reviewing the competition), and began speaking with real estate agents throughout the state. He could discern what was missing and what was needed in a new website. By early 2007, he developed a business plan and researched the cost to build a website.

That took the better part of 5 months, and by June 2007, he contracted with a company to build the website. That was an extremely costly process, but necessary in order to do it right. He began writing classes submitting his first 6 classes to the Real Estate Department in December 2007. By February, the classes were approved, and on February 21, 2008, Desert Sage Seminars was launched. With some pent-up demand from agents he had already spoken with, they had customers their very first day and that success continues. Desert Sage Seminars continues to have an excellent reputation for being a leader in the industry offering quality education, the most user-friendly website and customer service experiences like no other.

To see Jon's monthly schedule, click here: https://www.DesertSageSeminars.com/LiveClasses.html

Jon is

A Certified GRI Instructor
A Certified AAR Ethics Instructor for National Association of Realtors (NAR)
A REALTOR Emeritus, awarded by the National Association of REALTORS, after 40 years of service, and at least one year on a NAT Committee

Currently, Jon

Serves on the Arizona Association of Realtors® (AAR) Professional Standards Committee
Serves as a Professional Standards Mediator for AAR
Serves on AAR Risk Management Committee, 2020-2024
Serves on National Association of Realtors® Professional Standards Committee
Serves on National Association of Realtors® Interpretations & Procedures Advisory Board
Serves on the ADRE Education Advisory Committee, 2022 - 2024

Previously Jon

Served on the AAR Fair Housing Advisory Wrokgroup, which developed the AAR Fair Housing Advisory, published February 1, 2023
Chaired the AAR Solar Addendum Workgroup- 2021
Served on the AAR Risk Management Data/Cybersecurity Task Force, 2018
Served on the ADRE Education Advisory Committee, 2010 - 2020
Served on AAR Purchase Contract Sub-Group, 2016, which revised the current Residential Purchase Contract.
Served on AAR HOA Addendum Task Force Committee 2014
Served on the AAR Risk Management Committee 2014-2018
Served on AAR Purchase Contract Task Force (2014) which revised the Purchase Contract to be in compliance with the new TRID requirements

Jon has owned, operated, educated, managed and practiced real estate his entire career. His volunteer time with REALTOR® associations has made him one of a kind...
Volunteering through committee levels to the board levels does not only make him a good REALTOR® but an advocate for the entire real estate industry.

About Dana

Before moving to Arizona in 1980, Dana was a Quality Control Analyst, Color Specialist and Customer Service Advisor for Helena Rubinstein cosmetics. Using her expertise, she began working for Revlon Cosmetics (Southwest Division) as the Color Analyst for all first production color products. Thereafter, had her own Private Label Cosmetics business and sold products to beauty salons in the Valley of the Sun.

Subsequently, Dana became the Southwest Regional Training Coordinator for Estee Lauder Cosmetics and worked with the major retail stores training the staff for customer service, products, artistry and sales for 10 years. With her team, they created a training course that was adopted and used nationally by the company.

Dana joined The Dial Corporation (Henkel) where she handled escalated consumer issues and legal claims and helped manage the 16 tele agents in the Consumer Information Center. She collaborated with Risk Management, Marketing, Sales and R&D for product issues and information and was part of the team to train her division on product and customer service skills for over 12 years.

Applying her training skills, product development insights, and creative customer service, Dana is currently the President of Marketing and Director of Customer Service for Desert Sage Seminars. Dana believes that quality informative Arizona-specific classes, a user-friendly website and exceptional customer service is an integral part of what distinguishes Desert Sage Seminars from their competition.

Dana was selected and participated in the Scottsdale Area Association of Realtors® Leadership Academy-Class XVIII. Dana continues to participate on AAR’s Instructor Training Improvement and Education Task Force. Dana has been an active member and Strategic Partner in Women's Council of Realtors® since 2008. She served on the board as the Education Chair for Women's Council of Realtors®-Phoenix in 2016 and 2017 and served as the Arizona State Womens Council of Realtors® 2016 State Education Chair (Arizona ). Desert Sage Seminars was a 2014 State Sponsor for the Arizona Woman's Council of Realtors®. She was awarded Affiliate of the Year for the Scottsdale Network in 2011.

Dana truly enjoys networking in the Realtor® community. She manages the FaceBook group ARIZONA RE CE Classes that has over 1,900 members. Her goal is to be sure that agents have access to any CE classes that are being held in the Valley. She is very active in her community and volunteers on numerous committees such as preparing meals for the families staying at the Ronald MacDonald house.

Jon is an avid photographer of nature, animals and extreme locations. Jon and Dana have trekked on a glacier, explored an active volcano, and hiked down through a rainforest. Jon has also visited and photographed the Mayan Ruins in Chichen Itza, Mexico. Jon volunteers at Foothills Animal Rescue.

Jon and Dana live in Scottsdale. Their son, Jason, is married to Stefeny and they have a young daughter.