The time has come to redesign this site and make some improvements. We want this website to be the BEST resource for Chester County real estate information. The current layout and design does not enable that.
That’s where you come in…
We want your input, comments, advice, opinions on how to make it better. By doing so, you will be entered into our drawing for one of 5 starbucks gift cards worth $5. The deadline is THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th. On Monday, we will pick 5 names from a hat and let you know who won. One entry per person
To get the creative juices flowing, here are a couple questions…
What information are you looking for when you come to the site?
What would you like to see more of on the site? Maybe specific subjects, or areas….
What do you like most about this site?
What do you like least?
What information would you like to see on the home page? Maybe certain subjects or area’s?
Tomorrow night, 6 – 8 pm, Firecreek Restaurant in Downingtown, PA 19335 (Free food and Wine)…
We are SUPER excited for our kick-off celebration and fundraiser tomorrow! If you have not RSVP’d, you can still come by and be a part of the festivities – in fact – we insist! The more people there the more support we can raise in honor of Bill Lloyd. He is the father and husband of some close friends of Chris’s and he died of cancer about a year and a half ago. ALL of the support raised will go to the Lance Armstrong Foundation who fights to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.
To raise funds, we will be holding a silent auction from 6- 7:30pm. Below is a list of items that will be up for auction. We have some FANTASTIC local businesses that have very generously donated to make this a success. We want to make sure those businesses hear our heart-felt thanks!!
We are very excited to report that our new Real Estate adventure – The Chris and Caleb Real Estate Team – is off to a fantastic start! Our team, that consists of two agents – Caleb Knecht, our Seller Specialist and Chris LaGarde, our Home Buyer Specialist have sold 21 homes in March and April. This is huge when you take into consideration that the average agent is lucky to do 7 in one year. We have sold 3 times that in just two months.
So if you, or someone you know, needs real estate advice, is considering buying or selling real estate or is having trouble selling their home, please let us know. It would be our honor to serve them and apply the techniques and guidance that have helped 21 clients do the same in the last 61 days.
The Chris & Caleb Team focuses on helping clients buy and sell real estate in the Chester County, PA and surrounding areas. Both Chris LaGarde and Caleb Knecht are long time residents of Chester County and before they teamed up sold more than 90 homes prior to teaming up. To view homes for sale in the Chester County area, please check out our property search section of our website. You will have access to all homes for sale in the Chester County Area. If you are wondering what your Chester County home may be worth, just take a second to complete our Home Value form and we will be in touch shortly afterward.
Last summer I it took a “bold” step out into the unknown and signed up for a new and intense Keller Williams training course called “BOLD: Business Objective – Life of Design”. Intense it was. . . The entire 8 week course was geared around conditioning our thinking and mindset, and the skills needed to achieve the goals that we set. It was like getting a personal trainer named “Sven” who looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger and that scared the heck out of you to get you in shape. And did it ever!
To appreciate the change that this course had on me, you must understand who I am. I am an artist NOT a sales person. I never wanted to go into sales. I perceived sales people as inauthentic – fake – just wanting to make a buck. I love to help people and please people and as a result my moods were always up and down depending on what was going on in my life. I have even struggled with depression in the past.
Since completing the BOLD course, my life is very different. Not that BOLD is alone responsible, as I have a deep faith in Jesus Christ that really is the under pinning of all success I have had and will have. But, I do have to say that the coach, Michaelann Byerly, and the course itself helped me gain the skills and mindset that seemed to be unachievable previously. It has affected every area of my life. Not only do I love what I do with a deep passion but my personal life has improved as well. It has made me a better father, a better husband, a better friend and someone who is aiming to contribute to my community in ways that I never imagined.
In short, I literally walked away a different person. So different in fact, that Keller Williams International decided to feature me in an article for their bi-monthly company magazine. They wrote a great article on how the course has effected me and I wanted to share it with you. I am honestly don’t really like the attention. But since it has been given, I honestly hope that it inspires, not only other real estate agents, but everyone, to take the steps necessary to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves. After all, if an artist who despises sales people can achieve what I have in the Real Estate business, then anything is possible!
On August 28th, 2009 my company received some very good news! Mark Willis, CEO, announced during his state of the company address that Keller Williams is ranked highest by J.D. Powers and Associates for highest overall satisfaction among home buyers for two years in a row! This is proof positive that Keller Williams continues to outperform the industry.
“Keller Williams is rising to No.1! The longer the downturn lasts, the stronger Keller Williams emerges. Year to date, NAR’s membership has dropped by about 10 percent, while Keller Williams agent count has incresed by 2 percent,” said Willis.
Why is it Keller Williams continues to power ahead in gaining its “unfair share of the market?” States Willis, “Unified training, unified leaders, a unified culture, and a unified economic model.”
As those who know me know – I just recently graduated from an intense 2 month real estate training course called “BOLD: Business objective – a life by design” and it was incredible.
The training and coaching took a holistic approach and dealt not just with your business but with you and your personal life as well.
The area where BOLD had the deepest effect on me and my business was on my mindset. Being an “artist”, discipline and focus has ALWAYS been a ongoing challenge for me.
BOLD has helped me build the habits, the focus and the accountability needed to achieve the goals I have set.
August has been my best month ever – by far – with 5 pendings, or $1.2 million in volume and $37,500 in GCI. That’s an ROI better than 4300%. My business was in a lull previous to BOLD and had no pendings and few motivated clients.
There will be a new session starting up in a couple of weeks if any real estate agents are intersted.
My office, KW Exton, took first place in total units sold for past year with a 5.261% market share in all of Chester County! Our nearest competitor has a 5% market share. We had 463 units and they had 440.
Year to date numbers are even stronger. The numbers show that our training and systems are allowing our agents to power through this shift and gain more market share. After only five years we are now leading the way.
Who says the real estate market is bad? Keller Williams in the Greater PA region is doing very well. Check out these recent stats:
KW Market share is up 7.5% of market share of closed units – the most ever
Share of KW listings taken: 8%, this is an all time high, up 1.5% in the last year.
KW is now #2 in PA counties in Units, volume and listings for the 13 Trend counties combined.
KW is #2 all the way around in Chester County
We are growing, even in a down market, and we are one of a very few who are. I have to say that one of the reasons is because of all the training that we offer and the open culture we have.
If you are interested in a career in real estate in the Chester county area, or would like to find out how Keller Williams can help your already existing real estate career, just contact me!
RED (Renew, Energize and Donate) Day is a new Keller Williams Realty service initiative dedicated to improving our local communities. This day has been dedicated in honor of our Vice Chairman, Mo Anderson, because of her constant commitment to the culture of Keller Williams. All Keller Williams Realty associates in the US and Canada were asked to donate their time on May 14, 2009 to renewing and energizing aspects of their local communities.
The vision for this day is that all Keller Williams associates will actively engage in a coordinated effort to improve their local community. Activities may include rehabbing a house, cleaning up a local trail, providing food for the homeless, or any other service related activity needed in your community. This was one of the single biggest events ever undertaken in the real estate industry, and could possibly inspire others in the real estate industry to start their own community service project.
Here in the Chester County area, numerous projects were undertaken. From the Keller Williams Exton office, which covers the Downingtown, Coatesville, West Chester, Phoenixville areas, to name a few, we focused on 4 projects.
One group of about 12 went to work with the ministry called “Good Works” in Coatesville. Good Works is a Christian nonprofit organization which exists to improve the living conditions for low-income families in Chester County, PA. There we helped one of the Coatesville Arson Victims help repair their homes. Another group went to help the Brandywine YMCA help get a camp ready for low income, inner city children, while another went to a nursing home to spend time with those who do not get many visitors.
