THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 4, 1995 TAG: 9503020340
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
Susan Murphy of William E. Wood & Associates has been named Realtor of the Year by the Tidewater Association of Realtors. The honor was announced at the annual Circle of Excellence Award Banquet held last weekend at the Norfolk Marriott.
The award recognizes the agent's sales achievement, professional knowledge, customer service as well as service to the industry, association and community.
Murphy has been selling houses since 1978 and specializes in resales. Her favorite haunts are Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake.
She doesn't fear for the industry despite the interest rate increases of recent months. ``I remember when I was selling VA homes for 16 and 17 percent,'' she says.
Why does she like being in real estate? ``I like the diversity, I like to make decisions and I like to help people,'' she says.
The Rookie of the Year Award was won by George Frates of Century 21 at the Mall in Virginia Beach. This award honors the agent who meets sales ($70,000 in gross closed commissions) and contribution criteria and who has been a Realtor for 18 months or less.
Frates qualified even though he began his real estate career just a year ago, though he admits he wasn't a complete greenhorn.
``I'd been in the construction business and my wife was in the Real estate business,'' Frates said. ``I've always enjoyed looking at homes and being in the field. I knew the areas and was familiar with the different types of house styles.''
Willie Colston of Re/Max Central Realty is the Top Producing Salesperson of the Year.
More than 400 Realtors were presented Circle of Excellence awards, honoring their outstanding sales excellence. Suzanne Barr of William E. Wood & Associates and Carol Young of Realty Consultants were given Emerald Awards for being in the Circle of Excellence for 20 years.
Diamond Awards, for 15 year membership in the Circle, were won by Marianne Scott of Prudential Decker, Peggy Mordecai of William E. Wood, Barbara Shaughnessy of Rose & Krueth Realty, Judy Thaler of Re/Max Alliance, Thomas A. Seddon Jr. of Long & Foster Realtors, Wendy Lucas of Rose & Krueth, Judy Reed of Re/Max Central, Caroline McCartney of GSH Real Estate, Alma Anderson of GSH, C.J. Howell of Progressive Realty and Sol Kellihan of Realty Executives.
Sixteen Realtors received Platinum Awards for 10 years of achievement, 73 won Silver Awards and 272 won Bronze Awards. Seventeen were named Distinguished Property Managers.
A house that talks? Yes, indeed, says Don Cline of Ward and Hollingsworth Realty Corp. of Virginia Beach. Cline offers his customers a mini-radio transmitter that broadcasts a recorded message over an AM radio frequency. A potential buyer drives up to the house, tunes the car radio to the FCC-approved frequency listed on the yard sign and hears all about the dwelling's features.
The broadcaster is about the size of an answering machine and plugs into any outlet, Cline says. And it's offered at no extra charge.
Gatling Pointe South in Smithfield was named Community of the Year by the Sales and Marketing Council of the Peninsula Housing and Builders Association at the organization's recent awards dinner.
The subdivision was developed by East West Partners.
Housing starts will decline by 4.8 percent this year, falling to 1.38 million from the 1.45 million recorded in 1994, according to a forecast by the Chicago Title and Trust Co.
For the fifth year in a row, Atlanta will lead all U.S. metropolitan areas in housing starts with 40,200, a projected increase of 0.8 percent in '95. Florida will be the top state, with a 4.8 percent rise. Runner-up California will experience a 4.6 percent boost in starts, Chicago Title's figures indicate.
Texas and Georgia should also experience an increase in starts but the rest of the top 10 state will see declines. North Carolina ranks fifth, with 61,300 starts predicted, and Virginia comes in sixth with 47,000, according to the statistics.
The Norfolk area will have 9,100 starts, the insurer predicts, a 5.2 percent decline from the 9,600 last year. Richmond's starts should total 6,700 in 1995, a 3.1 percent boost over last year's figure of 6,500. MEMO: On the Move reports management changes, awards, seminars and new
services offered by real estate firms. The events should be generally
open to the public. Photos will be used as space permits and cannot be
returned.
Send the information to Real Estate Weekly, The Virginian-Pilot, 150
W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk Va. 23510, or fax it to 446-2531. Please
include a phone number.
ILLUSTRATION: Susan Murphy
George Frates
Willie Colston
by CNB