Three Join Better Homes and Gardens - Wilkins & Associates

Kat Kotlyar

Stroudsburg – Christine A. Wilkins, Exec V.P./Gen Mgr. announced the hiring of Kat Kotlyar, James O’Brien and Kate Best as licensed Salespersons with the company.  All three have completed the two required courses and passed the written exam.

Said Wilkins, “These three Salespersons all have the personality and skills to be fulltime Realtors with the company.  Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate offers a life-style brand and Agents want that type image in today’s market.  Another reason new and experienced Realtors are attracted to BHG is because of the free training that’s offered by the Wilkins team in webinars, classes and our one-on-one coaching.”

Kat Kotlyar lives in Scotrun and will work from the Stroudsburg location.  Kotlyar’s past work experience has primarily been in the accounting field.  Since 2006, Kotlyar advanced from Administrative Assistant/Bookkeeper to the position of full charge Bookkeeper.  Kotlyar holds a BS in Accounting from the University of Phoenix.  Kotlyar is fluent in the Russian language.

Said Kotlyar jokingly, “I’ll be able to provide buyers and sellers very accurate estimated closing costs.  My accounting background will serve me well in real estate because time management is one part of the real estate business that I’m told is very important.”

Pennsylvania Real Estate is based on ‘time is of the essence’.  Top Realtors need to be proficient in estimating home values so the home is priced well to sell for the highest price in the shortest amount of time.  Top producers need to be proficient in negotiations on behalf of the buyer or the seller.  Marketing is a very important part of the business and with the Wilkins organization marketing is typically done by Management, approved by the Realtor and it becomes a partnership agreement between the agent and the company.

Jim O'Brien

Jim O’Brien will work from the Bushkill location and was recruited by Dennis Mooney, Sr. Vice President.  O’Brien has lived in the Poconos for the past 23 years, is a 2002 graduate of the Pocono Real Estate Academy, and was a fulltime Realtor with USA Realty for a number of years.  USA Realty was the preferred broker for Camelback Ski area when they developed, marketed and sold homes in Northridge a large up-scale community located directly across from the ski area and waterpark.  O’Brien is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

For 35 years, O’Brien was a Physical Education teacher.  Said Mooney, “I’ve known Jim for a number of years.  His commitment to buyers and sellers simply does not go unnoticed.  Jim is one of the best salespeople that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with throughout the years.”

Co-broke sales and working with other real estate brokers through the MLS system is something that Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates prides themselves on having done so for the past 28 years.  Wilkins is a member of the Pike/Wayne Assoc of REALTORS (PWAR), the Pocono Mountains Assoc of REALTORS (PMAR) and the Lehigh Valley Assoc of REALTORS (LVAR).  Better Homes and Gardens Wilkins & Associates pride themselves on marketing homes through all three organizations.  Very few Pocono brokers are members of multiple associations.  This allows BHG to market a single home in front of thousands of Realtors in the 10 county Northeast and Lehigh Valley area.

Kate Best

Kate Best, also recruited by Mooney, has lived in the Pocono Mountains her entire life.  Best is a resident of south Stroudsburg.  Best took the required educational courses online through Real Estate Express.  Said Wilkins, “We are just now seeing the value in online real estate courses and while for certain agents classroom studies may be a better fit, there are those who learn will online and for those Agents, the company has a preferred relationship with CAREER WEB SCHOOL—ONLINE REAL ESTATE COURSES.”  Best will work from the Stroudsburg office.

Wilkins stated, “We have partnered with Career Webschool to offer real estate licensing and continuing education courses for all our Realtors.  All of Career Webschool courses are online, self-paced and State approved.  This allows the applicant the ability to study anytime and anywhere.  Anyone can sign up to take the courses at www.licenseschool.com and enter partnership code 2066.”

Since 2006, Best has owned and operated a childcare program also located in south Stroudsburg.  While still continuing to own and operate her childcare program, Best will be a fulltime Realtor.  Today’s real estate industry, being such an online business, the Realtor can be anywhere and be able to communicate with their buyers or sellers, market themselves and, of course, providing Real Time Data (offering recurring emails that give the buyer and the sellers what is available for sale, what has sold and what is pending).  The more information that buyers and sellers have, the easier it is to sell their home for the best price. 

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates, have over 80 licensed Salespersons in their 4 locations.  If you are interested in a real estate career you can visit them at http://wilkinsandassociates.bhgre.com/aboutus/join-us or contact Dennis Mooney, Sr. V.P. at (570) 421-8950, Ext. 349; direct at (570) 872-3290, or contact William Schutte, Vice President/Associate Broker at (570) 296-6946 or direct at (570) 903-3913.

All offices are open 7 days a week.