By Patty Jo Sawvel

Kernersville is on the move. With new business developments and expanding residential areas, the housing market is flourishing. In fact, Keller Williams Realty—the largest real estate company in town, both in agent count and in the Kernersville market share—recently experienced their best February ever in closed sales and new listings.

“We are in a real sweet spot right now,” announced Operating Principal Carol Whicker. “Sellers have reclaimed lost value as home prices continue to improve and buyers can still get mortgage rates of 4.5% or less. So, if anyone is sitting on the fence—about buying or selling—now is definitely the time to make your move.”

To make it easier, Keller Williams Realty International (KWRI) unveiled a free mobile real estate app. Easily downloaded (call any Keller Williams agent), it lets potential buyers or sellers look at all the current MLS listings—complete with prices, photos, room sizes, amenities, and taxes.

After Virginia Washburn received the KW app from her agent, Earla Clark, she drove through neighborhoods where she wanted to live. Her KW app immediately displayed each home photo and all the details of every house for sale.

“I am no techie,” Virginia said sheepishly, “but this app is really easy to use. I even used the advanced search tool so that I could limit my views to my price range.” Then an amazing thing happened. When Virginia’s “dream home” had a price reduction, it immediately popped up on her smartphone search. So, she called Earla to schedule a showing.

Earla’s years of experience and KW training helped Virginia save an additional $5,000 while claiming some coveted appliances and home furnishings. On the flip side, Earla helped Virginia maximize the resale value of her former home, by using staging tips and low cost home improvements which significantly increased the market value.

It is this training—the human touch coupled with extraordinary expertise—that makes the Keller Williams experience one of a kind. In fact, Training Magazine named KWRI one of the top two training organizations in the world for all businesses, not just the real estate industry.

This world-class training is evident at all levels of the company. Last year, John and Amanda Slater called Keller Williams to schedule a showing. Wanda Robinson—with less than one year of experience with KW—answered the phone and offered to help.
“Wanda wisely asked us each for our wish list and then scheduled a showing of six houses the following day. The fourth house had everything we wanted, including a fenced yard, a big garage, a big kitchen, and a basement,” John said eagerly.

However, the real test of Wanda’s skills came when it was time to make the offer. Several offers were being presented. The team took a break at Chick-fil-A to come up with a strategy. Wanda soon realized just how important this home was to John and Amanda. They could see themselves raising their future children in the home and picking blueberries in the backyard, with the fence keeping everyone safe.

While Wanda wrote the contract, she had John and Amanda each write a letter to the homeowner explaining why they wanted her house. John said happily, “The homeowner wanted us to have her house even though our offer was for less than the asking price. Then, Wanda guided us through financing at Movement Mortgage. We were approved in seven days. We now call her our second mother.”

Sometimes, people want it all. They want to sell their home at maximum value, buy their dream home at the best possible price, and then have both houses close on the same day. That is exactly what Kim and Dean Hutchins challenged KW agent/investor Shirley Ramsey to do. Shirley knew their neighborhood well and sold their home within 30 days. Then she helped them find their dream house, a rural home with acreage.

Kim recalled, “We went on quite a few all-day home finding adventures with Shirley and her son, Lucas, who is her business partner. They did not let us stop until we found our perfect house.”

Then, came the tough part. Shirley orchestrated the closing of both houses on the same day—flawlessly. Kim concluded, “This was absolutely our best ever experience in working with a realtor. They made it easy for us.”

As more people are making their move—downsizing, upgrading, or relocating—Keller Williams is working hard to keep listings. Team Leader Michelle Amador said, “Our listings are selling so quickly that we are having to canvas the neighborhoods to find people willing to sell! So if anyone has been waiting for the ‘right time’ to sell—the time is definitely now.”

Keller Williams is located on Highway 66 South in Kernersville, with a second location on N. Main Street in High Point. KW serves the entire Triad in residential, commercial, foreclosures, new construction, and land sales.
Carol Whicker summed it up, “We opened our doors here in the heart of the Triad in 1995 with only 6 agents, and Kernersville has opened its heart to us. We now have 150 agents engaged in lifelong training so they can continue to earn the trust and loyalty of our clients.”

Award-winning journalist Patty Jo Sawvel can be contacted at www.ClassicWritingPR.com.

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Keller Williams Realty
1261-D Highway 66 South
Kernersville, NC 27284
www.KWTriadRealEstate.com
336.992.0200