As broker/owner of Advanced, REALTORS®, Mark Handlovitch has spent 17 years working the west side of Pittsburgh. While the local market has always been steady, Handlovitch explains that an influx of clients coming in to the area to work in the rapidly expanding gas and oil industries is driving faster growth.
“This sudden growth led to diminished inventory, keeping values up for owners even compared to Central Eastern Pennsylvania,” explains Handlovitch. “Our cost of living is also much lower, which bodes well for buyers. While prices are higher, they’re still reasonable.”
The influx of those not ready to buy has created a booming rental market as well, jumping from 10 to 20 percent in the past two years. Not only is this driving more development of rental complexes and hotels, it’s creating additional business for the firm.
To better manage this gold rush of new business, Handlovitch and his agents began using Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®)—the largest comprehensive database of parcel-centric property information available—in late 2013.
“Between the RPR mobile app and desktop dashboard, our agents are using the program constantly, more recently to scout out FSBOs,” says Handlovitch. “We then go in to assist them in marketing their homes and pick them up when they decide they don’t want to handle it themselves.”
Handlovitch goes on to explain that his team can do much better market analyses because RPR provides such robust, comprehensive data. “We can disseminate that data in any neighborhood to do things like taking out distressed properties to get a more accurate market analysis.”
And when it comes to their clients, Handlovitch notes that they’re typically overwhelmed in regard to the level and quality of information coming from RPR. “It looks like we’ve done that much more work when in fact it’s just a couple of clicks. RPR makes it that easy.”
Thanks to RPR, the minute a lead comes in, agents can quickly access their dashboard, enter the address and learn everything they need to know about the property. “They can then call the client and engage in a very in-depth discussion. From a seller’s perspective, it gives the impression that we’re the leading information resource in the market,” says Handlovitch.
“While the prospect is still on the Web looking at other listings, they’re getting the call from our agent who is ready to discuss how we can help them sell their property. Thanks to RPR’s data, we look like the smartest guys in town,” concludes Handlovitch.
For more information, visit www.narrpr.com.
