Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Announces Top 10 in Sales for 2012

Skytop  - At the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates Annual Awards brunch held this year at Skytop Lodge, the Top 10 in Sales were awarded their plaques by Christine A. Scrofano-Wilkins, Gen Manager and Master of Ceremony.  Annually, the Company acknowledges those Salespersons who generated the most income in residential sales.

For 2012, those honorees were Carl Maurer, Associate Broker and head of “The Carl Maurer Team”, working from the Bushkill office; Dennis Farrelly, Realtor and member of “The Carl Maurer Team”; James Martin, Realtor and the 3rd member of “The Carl Maurer Team”, working from both the Bushkill and Stroudsburg offices; Kathy Skillman, Associate Broker who handles the North Pocono region for the company including Lake Wallenpaupack, Gouldsboro, Moscow and as far north as Pocono Springs Resort.

Other winners were Nicole Murray, Realtor from the Bushkill office, who last year received “Realtor of the Year” award from the Poc Mts Assoc of REALTORS; Jennifer Amantea, Realtor, in the Mt Pocono office and the newest member to the Top 10 in Sales, Sonia Kern, Realtor, from the Stroudsburg office.

Other award winners were Jeffrey Serowick, Realtor from the Stroudsburg office with the most referral sales in addition to the Top 10; Kathleen Kazimi, Sr Sales Assoc, from the Stroudsburg office; and Charles McQuillan, Realtor, from the Bushkill office.

These top 10 Realtors showed that the real estate market in the Poconos remains strong and at the end of any given year, those Realtors who work hard and focus on their online marketing and customer service will have a good year.

In 2013, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates is celebrating their 25^th year in business.  The company was founded by Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO with 3 persons in Mt. Pocono and expanded into the leader that they are today.

According to the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS MLS system, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates was No. 1 in the number of units sold by company with 8.15%.  This was for closed residential sales in the four school districts (Mt. Pocono, Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley & East Stroudsburg) located in Monroe and lower Pike County.  The next closest real estate office was REMAX Results with 5.58%, Keller Williams with 4.51% and the rest were 3% and under.

In total dollar volume, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates ranked No. 2 with 5.79% behind Keller Williams at 5.83%.  All told, the PMAR MLS data showed that the 2012 selling season, when compared to 2011, was only down by 2%.  The total number of units sold was up 16%, the sold volume up 10% and the average sale price down 5%.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates can be found online at www.wilkins1.com .

From left to right: Nicole Murray, James Martin, Carl Maurer, Sonia Kern, Jennifer Lynn-Amantea, Kathy Skillman, Charles McQuillan, Dennis Farrelly, Thomas R Wilkins, and Christine Scrofano-Wilkins.

Wilkins and Associates has two Agents selected for Scholarships

Scotrun – James Martin, Realtor and Nicole Murray, Realtor with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates were each awarded scholarships by the Pocono Mountains Association REALTORS to further their education in the real estate industry.  The value of each scholarship is $350.00. 

 “Each year the Member Services Committee accepts recommendations and reasons why individuals in the real estate industry should be awarded the scholarship to better their education.  These scholarships, typically in the form of educational classes, can either benefit that agent towards their broker’s license or some sort of designation.” said Dennis Mooney, Vice President/Sales Manager and a member of the Pocono Mountains Association of REALTORS (PMAR) Board of Directors.  “This year, both recipients were from the Wilkins organization.”

Murray, who was voted Realtor of the Year in 2011, is a member of the PMAR Board of Directors, Co-chair of the MLS Committee and has donated hundreds of hours of her own time to various committees in PMAR.  Her being awarded the scholarship was something that will certainly not go to waste but will be used to get her closer to her Broker’s license.

Martin has been in the business for 4+ years and devotes personal time by serving on the Social Events Committee and other committees, and is a huge advocate and full-time volunteer for Meals on Wheels.  Martin has served Meals on Wheels for the past 3 years and has never turned down delivering foods to those who need it most, regardless what the weather conditions were.

Said Thomas R. Wilkins, President/CEO, “Both of these individuals give back 150% of themselves to our local community.  That’s what it all about.  I stand proud to have them as a part of our organization.”

The Wilkins organization, in 2013, will be celebrating their 25^th year in business.  Even with the downturn in the economy and taking the Company through very difficult times, Wilkins maintained their integrity and never sacrificing customer service during a time when customer service really means the most in any business relationship.  Their agents never lost sight of bettering themselves through education.  Now, Wilkins is looking to expand their Management and Real Estate business to the Lehigh Valley and Scranton areas.

Said Wilkins, “We are ever so cautiously, but aggressively, expanding our Management division to the Lehigh Valley area while cooperating with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate—Valley Associates, a new Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise in the Lehigh Valley; and expanding the brokerage and Management division through Parasole Property Management & Assoc where Wilkins bought into a start-up company owned by Ronald Parasole.  Parasole will operate the day to day operations from Scranton and service the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazelton areas.  Wilkins will handle bookkeeping and accounting from the Park Avenue office.

All of the Wilkins offices are open 7 days a week.

 

PHOTO  -  (l to r) Nicole Murray, Realtor; Dennis Mooney, VP; Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO & James Martin, Realtor