In November 2015, David Acosta Real Estate Group, Keller Williams entered into its third market, adding San Diego, Calif., to its already established Los Angeles and El Paso, Texas, markets.
“Real estate is local. We have the great fortune of being in two completely different markets (different price point, population, inventory levels, etc.), so what is considered luxury in one…is just an entry-level condo or home in another,” says Acosta, principal of the firm. “This keeps us focused, and we consistently identify trends, try to anticipate and adapt to cycles in the market and use what brings us results in one market in the other.”
Last year, the El Paso market remained flat, with a shift from a resale market to a new-homes outlook due to buyers getting tons of options from builders and discount incentives. Meanwhile, the L.A. market continued to rise due to low inventory.
“People continue to move to the Greater Los Angeles area from all over the world,” Acosta says. “New house formation in the nation has helped boost sales.”
Challenges do exist in each market, however. For example, Acosta notes that in L.A., the lack of inventory causes prices to rise, and people seem to be waiting for another bubble to pop, when in reality, the market has already had a correction and prices seem to be steadily rising.
“Buyers need to move up fast and take advantage of still-low interest rates,” he says. “They won’t know that it was too late until they miss the boat.”
In the El Paso market, the opposite holds true. Acosta explains that there are too many options in most communities and buyers feel they can wait, without realizing that opportunity knocks for those who listen.
“The San Diego market is experiencing various communities going through the gentrification process, and prices are rising in several very sought-after areas, and will continue to rise,” he says. “This could price out buyers if they don’t utilize low rates now, rather than waiting.”
Even with San Diego coming on board just recently, the company is already mapping out its growth through Southern California for the rest of 2016, with plans to grow in North County San Diego, Irvine/Orange County and West L.A.
“Keller Williams Expansion-Teams initiative provides the infrastructure and support to be able to hire and develop talent rapidly, and we are focused on expanding into 4 – 5 teams this year in So-Cal, with the goal of 8 – 20 people in each team for 2016,” Acosta says. “In Texas, our focus is in Dallas, a market that has recently been exploding back to the pre-boom projections in 2005 and 2006.”
The firm is also targeting REALTOR® teams and brokers that are phasing out of the business in the next couple of years, absorbing some of them as an exit strategy.
“We offer an opportunity for people to concentrate their efforts on what they love to do,” Acosta says. “There are tons of young people with great and diverse talents who have already entered the workforce and experienced that a job might not be a career; they are prime for harvest into an opportunity that allows them to expand their market reach, and be mobile and fluid.”
For more information, visit www.david-acosta.com/
