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Welcome to CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty’s Blog!

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Welcome and thank you for stopping by our newly enhanced website and blog!

How was CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty Born?

In February 1979, two forward-thinking like-minded friends, who both happened to be real estate brokers, each owning different CENTURY 21® real estate companies in Hernando County said hey,” let’s join forces”.  Out of their great friendship and their passion for the real estate profession, beginning with an idea, on that February 1979 date; what we know today as CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty was born.

Today and every day we give thanks for the vision of our founders, the late greats, David H. Sturgill and Harry Timmons, Sr.  “Our founding fathers high standard of ethics, deep passion for the real estate profession, and their strong commitment to outstanding customer and agent services is alive and well today”, said Broker, Marilyn Pearson-Adams, who worked side by side for years with both David and Harry.  Marilyn also said occasionally when she seems to be hesitant about making a major decision for the company, she thinks about David and Harry, and low and behold a decision is made, and the company growth since birth continues.

management team century 21 alliance realtyNurturing a “Family First” culture.   

“Family First” is who we are, and what we believe in.  So when we say “Family First”, what does that really mean?  To us, it has two meanings. First, the personal families of those who choose to come to work with us should always come first.

Second, because most individuals who work can spend a large portion of their waking hours away from home, we created a strong comfortable family culture inside our company.   Our culture is filled with positive influences, respect for all, high ethics, and just a fun inspiring place to be where we can learn, grow, laugh and cry together, lift one another up, collaborate, and celebrate success.  

You can find evidence of our strong family culture in the length of time the majority of our sales associates and staff have remained a part of our CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty family. Growing, learning, laughing, nurturing and sharing daily life together are all important threads in the fabric of our companies family culture,  just as they are in most families.

How our culture benefits you

Wherever you go for any type of service you can usually tell, and often times feel if the folks working there are happy and looking forward to assisting you. At CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty, our culture leads to a happy team of sales agents and support staff who are glad you are here.  With smiles and a cheerful voice, all are ready to listen to your needs and answer your questions, with the ultimate goal of making sure you feel right at home.

It’s a priority for us that when you walk through the doors of our offices, speak with us by phone, text, or through email, that you immediately feel at ease and welcomed, and that you know you and your family are in good and capable hands.  It is so important to us that you instantly discover our family first culture does exist and extends beyond us to you.  

We used to be on every corner.

Back in the day, before consumers and businesses had or used the internet to access and share information, and because as REALTORS® we were the ultimate gate-keepers of all the property listings that were available to purchase, it was important for real estate brokerages to have offices with high visibility.  It was also important if the broker could afford to do so, to have multiple offices statically placed throughout the market, hopefully on every major corner.

Back in the day ☺ (we only say this because we have been around since 1979) 70% of buyers drove through our neighborhoods looking to discover real estate for sale yard signs so they knew what was available, and who to call.  Remember, GPS did not exist then, so every real estate office also had boxes of street maps to hand out to anyone who needed one with the brokers’ office information printed on the map.  

Woohoo!! Now today, instead of only having limited access to property information, and driving around searching only when the sun is up, consumers surf the internet to discover what properties are for sale, together with varies aspect of the property and the market from anywhere, anytime, day or night.  95% of all buyers used the internet during their home buying search in 2017.  Additionally, the majority of buyers also found their agent online.  With this shift over the years in how buyers locate properties and agents, real estate brokerage firms no longer need to have an office on every corner.  Real estate offices today still prefer locations with high visibility; however, this shift no longer requires a real estate brokerage to have multiple offices saturating the same market.

One office location today can be as productive as having multiple office locations. Our very own example of this is; prior to displaying our listings online, we had 6 locations.  Today we have two strategically located, full-service real estate office locations and a small kiosk serving Hernando, Citrus and Pasco County.  Today, you have more access to property information than ever before, and today CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty can service a wide market area well without the need of having an office on every corner, and now wherever you go with your phone, so goes your map to help bring you right to our office door!

We Are More than Just a Real Estate Company

As REALTORS® we are the ambassadors of our hometowns, for we love where we live, we love what we do, and we want you to love it too.  We can and will share with you all that our area of Florida has to offer, which is known as The Nature Coast or The Adventure Coast. We can answer most of your questions about the services and activities you are looking for to help sustain your lifestyle and the needs for you and your family. Our resources run far and wide, we want you to think of us as your neighborhood databank.  If we do not know the answer, rest assured we will find the answer or point you in the right direction to get your answer.

Giving back to our community is something we take very seriously.  We volunteer often and do what we can to make life better for others.  We do this without much fanfare or promotion because we believe it is the right thing to do. Our community has served us well, so giving back is our way of saying thank you.  We also work tirelessly to help defend and protect private property rights, because homeownership matters and helping to provide shelter for individuals and families is serious business. 

It is an honor and a privilege every day for us to work in a profession that helps to make the American Dream of Homeownership a Reality.   We are all about connecting people to communities.

We have a moving truck and more just for you.

Buy or sell your home with us and let our FREE moving truck save you $$$! This truck is also available for use by non-profits and community service organizations.  Just call our office for availability!

Our resources and support

At CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty we believe our customers deserve and shall receive the finest service ever offered by any real estate organization. Since the beginning, over 40 years ago, our proactive approach to providing top notch customer service is an everyday conversation with our agents, support staff and management team.

You’re reading this and you are thinking,  ya, ya, ya, this is exactly what I expected you to say, but how does this help me? Why would I choose to do business with CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty?

“Proof is in the pudding”, our answers below to a few probing questions you should be asking before buying or selling real estate is proof we care about you and have a clue!!

First, when looking to work with a real estate company and its agents, through probing questions, you should ask some of the following to decide if the REALTOR® you are speaking with has an in-depth understanding of the current market conditions, together with the expertise necessary to help guide you through your real transaction.  

Here is an example of a few important questions you should be asking, and the why.  The responses from the agent to these questions should be fairly easy for them to answer.  Let’s begin with:

Question:  Is this a buyer or seller’s market?

Answer:   Currently (January 2018) we are in a Seller’s Market, meaning we have more buyer needs than properties available to purchase.

What that means to you as a Buyer is that there is not much room to negotiate the price as long as the property is priced fairly, and multiple offers are not unusual.  Therefore, once you find your dream home, make an offer quickly and for a fair price.  

What does this mean if you are a Seller.  Is it because it’s a great time to sell. The average time on market from list date to contract date is less than 60 days, and from there depending on the Buyer(s) offer you will usually have anywhere from 30 to 60 days to move.   Knowing this, as the Seller(s), if you need more time to move than the market is currently experiencing, or if you have not yet decided where you want to move to, please have this conversation with your REALTOR® prior to placing your home on the market for sale.

Question:  Why does the REALTOR® ask the Buyer(s) how do you plan to pay for your purchase?

Answer:  Depending on how the Buyer(s) plan to pay for a home, cash or a mortgage, will be a major factor in determining how long closing will take. If you are paying cash it could be a just a few days, depending on how quickly the title search can be completed, time needed to complete inspections requested by the buyer, and if occupied, how quickly can the occupants move.  Knowing the type of financing a buyer chooses will be important for the REALTOR®, because the length of time needed to close can vary based on the loan type.

In today’s market, 45 to 60 days is the typical amount of time needed to close with financing.  In order to know what your closing date for the contract needs to be, it is important for your agent to know the type of mortgage you are getting.  It would also be awesome if the lender and the REALTOR® could speak to make sure everyone is on the same page moving forward, and we are not playing a guessing game on your very important, can’t wait to call this home, closing date.

Question:  Do you have lenders I can talk to?  

Answer:  Absolutely.  We have a large portfolio of lenders we can recommend.  Just like shopping for a home, we also recommend if you do not have a lender already, you may want to consider shopping for your mortgage to find the financing that best fit your goals.  

It is important for all concerned to know how much home you can buy. Speaking with a lender prior to looking at properties is really the first step in the buying process.  Discovering your financing options and getting your prequalification letter is one of the most important steps a buyer can complete.  If you think about this from a REALTORS® perspective, without knowing how many homes you can afford, the REALTOR® has no clue regarding where to begin their search as far as price is concerned.   

Additionally, when making an offer to purchase, the prequalification letter from the lender is important for us to share with the Seller(s).  Not only does it show the Seller(s) your sincerity and ability to purchase, it can bring a level of comfort to the Seller(s) before they begin packing.

Question:  How will you be marketing my home?  

Answer:    Globally.  CENTURY 21® is the global leader in real estate with a network of offices in 77 Countries and Territories around the globe. Based on our earlier statement that 95% of all Buyers in 2017 began their property search online, your home will appear on over 300 websites, which include: C21AllianceRealty.com, CENTURY21.com, REALTOR.com, HomeFinder.com, Zillow.com, USAA.com, Trulia.com, YahooHomes.com, and of course our CENTURY 21® global site, CENTURY21Global.com, and that is just the beginning.

When we talk about marketing, we also need to talk about the buyer experience on our mobile and tablet applications, since 6 in 10 of the 72% of home buying consumers using these devices found their home using such. At CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty, not only does our company have a user-friendly mobile and tablet application, each one of our agents has one as well, giving the buying consumer the experience they want and expect, and a very large footprint for the buyers to find your home.   

Social media is another place where you will find us promoting your property with a virtual tour that not only showcases your home, but also provides community insights and more.  

We cannot forget about our iconic gold post yard signs, especially when CENTURY 21® is the most recognized brand in the industry today.

Each property also receives its own unique property website dedicated entirely to each one of the homes listed with our company. Additionally, we will customize a marketing plan for your property.

When you speak to one of our agents please ask about our Sellers Service Pledge.  

Thank you for visiting CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty, where customer service is not just a department, it is an attitude.  Come back again soon! Whether you need your real estate questions answered, and/or help with your real estate needs, please give us the opportunity to earn your business and to become your REALTOR® for life.  Have a wonderful day and God Bless.

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