Helen Brogan of Springville chose what she thought would be just a part-time job, but she soon discovered that realty was not only something she enjoyed doing, but was a career path she would pursue for more than 30 years.
Concord Land Realty is a name that local residents have grown accustomed to seeing on “For Sale” signs on local houses, businesses and lots throughout the years – but many might not know that the business actually stemmed from one created many years ago by former U.S. Representative Tom Reynolds. A Century 21 business, Concord Land Company was located at what is now Rite Aid on West Main Street in Springville. When Reynolds sold his land, Brogan retained the existing phone and fax numbers and altered the name to what it is today, moving the business to 31 East Main St.
Brogan’s husband David, who had spent many years in education – including acting as assistant principal at the Springville-GI High School, director of physical education in the local district and more – joined his wife at the real estate business in 1979. The two had met while both were attending the University at Buffalo for health, physical education and recreation.
Soon after Helen Brogan took over the business and moved it to its current location, Dennis Sibley joined and rounded out the team. Brogan is the broker for Concord Land Realty, Sibley is an associate broker and David Brogan is a sales agent.
To become licensed in this field, an individual must take a real estate course and pass a New York state licensing exam. Every two years, he or she has to become re-licensed and keep on being educated in real estate.
Concord Land Realty lists and sells vacant land, residential, commercial and agricultural real estate. At any given time, there are between 40 and 60 properties listed for sale in the Springville area, and this business holds a portion of those listings. “People like to relocate before the start of the new school year,” David Brogan said, adding that springtime is one of the busiest times of the year for real estate, as people recover from the winter.
“When you come to us to have your house sold, we set up an appointment to tour your home,” Helen Brogan said, pointing out that what the broker is looking for in the initial visit are the number of bedrooms, any needed or completed updates to the structure, the condition of the roof, the basement and all amenities. Then the realtor would come back and do a market analysis to figure out what the house should be listed for.
“We can’t do an appraisal, but we will do the market analysis to figure out what the house is worth,” Sibley said. “We will compare that with six comparable properties to determine its value.” Brogan added that, although brokers do not stage homes, they will occasionally encourage sellers on ways to prepare a house for listing. “Some people can’t see beyond what’s there,” she said, “so we will sometimes make suggestions about how to improve a listing.”
After the broker and the homeowner have decided what to attempt to sell a property for, Concord Land Realty will list it, along with photos and room measurements, on the New York state multiple listing online. Concord Land Realty can sell other real estate entities’ listings, and vise versa, since the businesses are all members of the same board. If a potential buyer is interested in touring a home, he or she will make an appointment to take a look.
“If it’s over-priced, we can tell by the first two weeks it’s on the market,” Sibley said. David Brogan added, “We do try to be realistic. We don’t want to scare potential buyers away.”
If the home is not attracting any potential buyers, the realtor and the seller will get together to determine the problem. “We might recommend that the seller change something about the home or drop the price,” Sibley said.
A seller must fill out a property discussion disclosure on homes for sale except estates or foreclosures. He or she lists all of the known information about the property. The Concord Land realtors and New York state recommend that all home buyers have a licensed professional home inspector go through a home to check for any issues. “That’s the most important thing you can do when you purchase a home,” Brogan said.
The realtor stays involved in the buying process straight through to the end, and Helen Brogan said that it’s a very satisfying experience to see a home sold, because you “feel like you’ve helped somebody.”
Using a realtor to list a home as opposed to selling it as an individual opens a person up to a huge amount of advertising, which Sibley said is extremely instrumental in getting a home sold quickly. “We can advertise more often than other people and, because we’re smaller, we get to know the homeowner better,” he said. David Brogan said that he is now able to see young people he got to know throughout his stint as a high school educator buying and selling their own homes. “We’re right here in the heart of this town,” he said. “There’s no pressure here.”
Helen Brogan said that Concord Land Realty produces satisfied customers, and that the realtors get a lot of return clients. “Being in the [Springville Area] Chamber of Commerce, I am able to get in touch with people and network,” she said. “Our integrity is high and we are fair and honest.”
Concord Land Realty’s listings can be found online at 2findyourhome.com. Call Helen Brogan at 864-6371, David Brogan at 592-4641 or Sibley at 498-6332.