Century 21 was first established in Santa Rosa in the 1980s by Flo Gresty and Pat Provost. During the 1990s, it became Century 21 Alliance when it merged with Century 21 Adobe and Century 21 Les Ryan (both also Santa Rosa-based). Since then, it’s experienced other ownership changes and mergers until two years ago, when it became Century 21 NorthBay Alliance. It now operates nine offices in three counties throughout the North Bay. It’s attracted talented sales associates because of its longstanding success in the market and its ability to be flexible, brand recognition and dedication to the people in the organization.
Partners Jeff Collaso, Greg Cornelius, Glenn Gephart and Pat Provost all believe the biggest issue in the market today is the lack of inventory. They say, it’s at the lowest number of homes for sale in two years. This, combined with such low interest rates and low home prices, makes the market feel like it would “burst” if the number of homes increased by just a little. “Buyers are no longer sitting on the fence like they were a year or two ago. There are so many clients wanting to write offers that, when a property hits the market at the right price, there are multiple offers competing to get accepted,” says Collaso.
Century 21 has always been a strong listing company, so it’s done well even in this market. But with listings so essential right now, it tries to do a little extra to keep the importance of listing properties at the forefront. It recently ran a “March Madness” listing competition among its agents to go along with the NCAA men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. The company tries to do things like this to maintain productivity and keep up the morale of its sales associates in such a tough market.
The company uses all of its resources to gauge the best way to succeed in the market and then relays this information to its associates. However, it’s not enough to simply reiterate market data. What’s important is the ability to take that information and make it meaningful. Provost explains, “Anyone can tap into sales data and show some graphs and charts. But knowing how that data will affect the day-to-day activities of our sales associates—or what it means to our clients—is what gives us an edge.”
As a company, 2011 was Century 21’s best year in the last five for both the total volume of homes sold as well as the number of transactions closed. It was also honored last year to welcome sales associates from Prudential Realty in both Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park and Hurd Real Estate in Santa Rosa to its incredible sales force. This let the company continue its mission of providing the highest quality service to clients through its top real estate professionals.
In addition to its industry-leading Internet advertising for property listings, Century 21 (the national parent company) finished its 2011 advertising campaign by running a commercial during the Superbowl. It also sponsored the pre-game show, which helped maintain its industry-leading brand recognition. This year, it will be advertising during the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, two of the three premier horse races of the Triple Crown, as well as during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. It will also be a sponsor of both the men’s and women’s national soccer teams to take advantage of its international brand awareness.
Spring and summer are always an exciting time in real estate. They’re the busiest part of the selling season so they present the biggest opportunity to help people buy and sell homes. It’s also a time when the company can help in different ways, such as the Easter Seals golf tournaments it puts on. There are two every year and the proceeds benefit Easter Seals’ North Bay efforts. The first will be held at Santa Rosa’s Oakmont Golf Club in July and the second will be held at the Hidden Valley Lake Golf Club (in Lake County) in August. Says Cornelius, “If you want to come out and join us for a round of golf and a great time, either event is an excellent way to support those in need in our local communities.”
The Century 21 group explains that four key things separate it from other real estate firms. First, it has the best sales associates in the business. Second, the global reach of the Century 21 brand is of tremendous value. Third, it’s the largest locally owned real estate firm in the North Bay. “We’re able to provide the best support for our associates, because we’re completely accessible. When an associate needs assistance, we’re ready to support the hard work they do every day,” adds Gephart. Last, it works to provide technology, tools and systems that make sense of today’s real estate market.
Collaso, Cornelius, Gephart and Provost would like to say, “Thank you to everyone who voted for us! We really appreciate your vote of confidence in our ability to assist you with your real estate needs. We’re very honored not only by the award but also by the opportunity to serve all of our neighbors in the North Bay.”
