In a recent article, Vicki L. Cox Golder, 2010 NAR president wrote, “For Realtors who specialize in residential sales, this is a time to embrace your role helping clients find a home they can afford and in a neighborhood they love.

Our job at Coldwell Banker NRT Development Advisors brings that expertise to the forefront.  Our agents are well-trained and counseled when it comes to the details of providing valuable service to the buyers, sellers and investors, while maintaining  a high standard of practise.

When looking to hire a real estate agent, buyers should ask themselves, “Who are they working for?”  Our agents are product knowledgeable, informed about the areas (referencing schools, activities, entertainment, religious venues and more) and concerned about the needs and wants of each client.  NRT Development Advisors’ goal is to serve you the client with the finest team of dedicated agents who receive ongoing training and education.  Our agents also educate the client regarding why it is a smart time to buy a house or condominium -not only because of attractive interest rates and tax deductions, but because we all still love the dream of owning our own home.

Down economy, job loss, home value depreciation…enough is enough! The vein of our existence for the past 18 months has been focused on negativity. It was refreshing to meet with peers from all aspects of the real estate industry at the first Real Estate Round Up last night at Ormbys’s. A new energy was in the air and a true collaboration of ideas took place. We are all in this together, and instead of focusing on what is not working we all recognized last night how much more productive it is to band together to forge positive change for our industry! We received quite a bit of interest for future Real Estate Round Ups, so we’re in the midst of planning another in the coming month(s) and possibly in a different part of town. Where would you like them to be held?

Whether you are referring to investing in real estate or investing in your career, diversification and education are your best options for surviving – and thriving – in difficult markets. So often we get in comfort zones and choose not to see the opportunities that are available in challenging times, many times because we anticipate the fear that change brings.

The best way to control change is to create it yourself. Agents today are embracing the changing market place and learning new skills from the numerous companies offering education and training on a wide array of subjects. This new breed of agents has developed skills in all areas of real estate – managing to juggle new home sales and resales, and even developing a healthy mix of foreclosures and short sales.  As a result, today’s most successful real estate agents have grown more in the past 3 years than in their entire careers. Adversity makes the strong survive and grow.

As our economy regains momentum during the next 12 months, the housing market will not lead the way out of this recession as it has in so many recessions in the past. Therefore, real estate agents must continue to work smarter than ever before and learn new skills that will serve them well for years to come.

Learn, Grow and Survive in 2010.