By Paige Tepping
RISMEDIA, Feb. 20, 2008-In today’s aggressive marketplace, it is imperative for brokers to provide tools to help agents stand out. At Century 21 Advantage Gold, Broker/Owner William Lublin says his company accomplishes this by not only providing technology but by also continuing an emphasis on education, technology, coaching and productivity. Here, meet Lublin and discover his formula for providing professional service while maintaining a personal touch with clients in the Philadelphia market.
William Lublin - Broker/Owner and CEO
- Century 21 Advantage Gold
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Region served: Southeast Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey Years in real estate: 37 Number of offices: 9 (8 sales; 1 corporate) Average sales price: $150,000 Average time on market: 62 days What I like best about Philly: “This region is an extremely diverse, gateway city with a large immigrant population. The marketplace is consistent and is fueled by the events of life.” If I weren’t in real estate: “I would go into conflict resolution. It is a wonderful feeling when you facilitate people reaching agreement without the need for adversarial or advocacy positions. We already do this frequently as Realtors.” Personal motto: “Value hard work, loyalty and honesty above almost anything else.”
Describe your current market conditions.
Our market is slower than it was a year ago but we are not too far from what would be considered the good markets of the past. There is still plenty of funding and lots of people that need to buy. The value of homeownership is what it has always been: a way to provide a stable home environment for individuals and their families while accruing a number of great long-term financial benefits.
How would you describe the demographics of your clientele?
We have a lot of first-time home buyers and a lot of Baby Boomers in our area. This region has always been a great location for first-time home buyers. The housing is moderately priced and the location provides a great quality of life. We are well-located and provide beautiful urban and suburban areas.
How do you set your company apart from the competition in your market?
The Century 21 company brand is the main way we stand apart from the competition in the market. Our agents work with our customers to get them to answer a set of questions including, “Why should I use a broker?,” “Why a CENTURY 21 broker?,” and “Why CENTURY 21 Advantage Gold?” Our company provides a tremendous amount of technology and is very aggressive in the marketplace. We have a constant emphasis on education, technology, coaching and productivity. We work hard to provide professional service with a personal touch and attempt to help clients make good decisions.
How do you keep your agents up to speed with what is happening in the market?
We are very techno-centric. All of the computers in the company log on to the company resource center, which has daily calendars, news links, MLS, CENTURY 21’s Intranet and, a number of company-specific software programs and our company’s intranet. Our agents receive a monthly electronic newsletter and a weekly electronic calendar that we put together. In addition, we are constantly recommending that our agents subscribe to online real estate news sources. Century 21 provides additional support material from the national brand as well. We take advantage of all of the tools and materials that we have available to keep our agents up to speed.
