New real estate firms are popping up left and right in Hamilton County as owners and brokers position themselves to take advantage of the current housing boom. But one company with 40 years of experience in the Greater Chattanooga area is showing that a tried-and-true firm is more than up to the task as well: Coldwell Banker Pryor Realty.
During a recent awards luncheon at Springhill Suites in downtown Chattanooga, Peggy Pryor, CEO of Pryor Realty, characterized 2017 as a banner year for the company marked by strong sales and physical growth.
COO and General Manager Phil Pryor, Peggy’s son, spearheaded the effort last year to open a Pryor Realty office in Spring City to focus on waterfront properties. With Van Marler at the helm as managing broker, the new branch had “an unbelievable beginning with an outstanding team of sales associates,” Peggy said.
In 2017, the company also promoted Real Trends ranked Realtor Robert Backer from sales associate to managing broker of the Chattanooga office. Meanwhile, the Dayton office maintained its leading share of the real estate market in Rhea County and met the criteria to become a Coldwell Banker Premiere Office.
To applaud those who made Pryor Realty’s success in 2017 possible, the company’s brass bestowed several awards on their sales associates. Included among the honors was the Circle of Excellence award, given to 11 agents with sales exceeding $3.5 million in 2017: Teresa Congioloso, Anneke Wilkey, Natalie Chalverus, Leatha Eaves, Susan Stout, Melanie Reynolds, Tanja Hollowell, Rolanda Pullen, Greg Travis, Jan Lambert and Wayne Bull.
Seven additional agents sold at least $2 million worth of real estate last year: Yun Gravitt, Joan Rose, Buster Yates, Levi Eaves, Sheila Tallant, Karen Parris and Amanda Wilkerson.
Rising Star award
Joan Rose was honored as Pryor Realty’s Rising Star. This award goes to the sales associate who began his or her real estate career during the last 24 months and has met specific sales and income requirements.
“Winning the award was a wonderful surprise, but what’s truly rewarding is helping my clients get to where they want to be – whether it’s finding the home of their dreams or selling an existing home to move on to their next chapter,” Rose said. “I tell people I’m a matchmaker - matching people with just the right home.”
An Ooltewah resident, Rose transitioned into real estate in late 2016 from a marketing career in banking.
Pryor said, “Joan’s positive attitude, meticulous attention to detail, marketing experience, commitment to continuing education and devotion to the service and care of her clients are only a few of the reasons she excels in the competitive real estate industry.”
“Buying or selling a home can be a stressful experience, but it can also be rewarding and exciting,” Rose added. “It’s my goal to make the process an enjoyable and beneficial one for my clients.”
Rose is a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga and a member of the Chattanooga Women’s Leadership Institute. She serves on the board of directors for Junior Achievement and volunteers in various roles with the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army, Greater Chattanooga Realtors and St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church.
Top producers
Awards were also given to the top producers at each office. In Chattanooga, the top-selling associate was Stout, while Chalverus was the top listing associate and top overall producer.
Wilkey was the top selling associate in the Dayton office. Congioloso was the top listing associate and top overall producer.
In Spring City, Reynolds was the top selling associate, top listing associate and top overall producer.
Company-wide, Wilkey was the top-selling associate and Congioloso was the top listing associate and overall top producer.
International awards
Pryor Realty is just one of 3,400 Coldwell Banker offices worldwide, yet many of its sales associates have risen to the top of the company’s ranks. To honor these agents, Coldwell Banker delivered several trophies to Pryor Realty, which the firm presented during the luncheon.
Six Chattanooga sales associates received the International Diamond Society award, which is given to agents who produce $165,000 in closed adjusted gross income or sell 25 units: Chalverus, Pullen, Lambert, Hollowell, Stout and Eaves. These sales associates were among the top 10 percent of all Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.
Reynolds and Travis received the International President’s Circle award, which is given to agents who produce $254,000 in closed adjusted gross income or sell 35 units. These sales associates were among the top five percent of all Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.
Wilkey received the International President’s Elite award, which is given to agents who produce a minimum of $400,000 in closed adjusted gross commission income or sell 55 units. Wilkey was among the top three percent of all Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.
Congioloso received the International President’s Premier award, which is given to agents who produce a minimum of $650,000 in closed adjusted gross commission income or sell 80 units. Congioloso was among the top one percent of all Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.
“We’re always excited when our sales associates receive Coldwell Banker International Awards,” Pryor said. “This is especially noteworthy since Coldwell Banker has approximately 84,000 sales associates in 43 countries and territories.”
Pryor Realty has enjoyed the ups and weathered the downs of the real estate market for four decades. But regardless of the market’s condition, Peggy said she and her team focused on one thing: excellence.
“Excellence is just a word to some, but to us, it’s everything,” Peggy said. “We’ve set a high standard for our sales associates, management team and company. We also hire the most qualified professionals we can find and then empower them with the best training and tools possible. They deserve the best as they strive to meet the high levels of success possible in their real estate careers.”
Peggy added that she and the rest of the team at Pryor Realty are expecting 2018 to be the best in the history of the company. To take advantage of the momentum achieved in 2017, Pryor Realty will be hiring additional professionals and training them to achieve that goal.
“I appreciate everyone in our company who’s dedicated to their personal success to providing and a high level of production and professionalism,” Peggy said. “We celebrate them today and look forward to seeing them reach higher levels of achievement tomorrow.”