Southern Tatler 2017: March/April Local Feature

WEICHERT REALTORS Growing up ON THE PLAINS SOUTHERN TATLER 2017: MARCH/APRIL ISSUE: LOCAL FEATURE

LOCAL FOCUS WEICHERT REALTORS

Growing up ON THE

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PLAINS

Weichert Realtors ou might not know that the well known and very respected Weichert RealtorsPorter Properties of Auburn has evolved tremendously since the singular Porter Properties was established in 1992. The WeichertPorter home base is located on North Dean Road in Auburn, but the positive impact the company makes on those individuals and businesses it touches stretches far beyond the plains. We met with the men and women working behind the scenes at Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties in late February. They shared with us their plans to keep investing in the Auburn community, and gave us a short history of their brand. These dynamic individuals are among the top property managers and real estate brokers in the industry, and there is little doubt in our minds that it is because they love what they do.

H

oward J Porter, Jr. founded H.J. Porter & Associates in 1976.

At that time, H.J. Porter was focused solely on appraisals and consulting.

In 1992, Howard teamed up with Mr. Philip Minor.

With Philip’s experience in appraising real estate, he was the perfect partner with whom to form Porter Associates Southeast, a real estate appraisal company. Philip took over the appraisal and business management sides of the endeavor, while Howard concentrated more on development work.

Howard’s wife, Katherine, jump started the property management company at about the same time. For several years, Katherine independently oversaw property management, Porter Properties Inc., and made the Porter Properties name one not to be forgotten.

The firm was restructured in 2000 with the addition of Matt Rice as a partner and shifted its focus to include commercial sales, acquisition of commercial properties in Auburn, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Huntsville, management of multi-family properties, leasing and management of Auburn real estate, and development of climate-controlled self storage facilities. The newly expanded Porter Properties LLC became well acquainted with the inner workings of the market, and in 2004, they jumped into the single-family property sales market with their development and sale of several condominiums.

Mill Creek Condominiums, Longleaf Villas, and Magnolia Plaza in downtown Auburn were among the first of these.

In 2008, Porter Properties formally affiliated itself with

Weichert Realtors to focus exclusively on sales, bringing on Ms. Stacey Sanders as broker. Porter Properties LLC moved its focus to property management, leasing, and development.

Stacey began working in real estate in 1997 and served as the Lee County Association of Realtors (LCAR) President in 2006.

In 2007 and 2015, Stacey was named Realtor of the Year from LCAR. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Alabama Association of Realtors, a group comprised of approximately 13,000 members, and will the association’s president in 2019. Stacey has continued to be a standout in the industry, and says that Weichert RealtorsPorter Properties has been a great place to

People move back here all the time,” Howard said. “Young men and women graduate and come back for more. It’s our close to proximity to I-85, our wonderful university,

the impressive industrial base, public schools, and golf courses, plus so much more. IT IS A SMALL TOWN with a city

believe Auburn keeps people both mentally and physically active, too. feel. I

hone her talents and abilities. Until that inaugural year when Porter Properties added Weichert to its signage, there had been only three agents carrying residential sales. Once Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties got off the ground and could refocus, many new agents came on board. Today, thirty-three agents are setting records for the firm in and around Auburn.

When asked whether they have faced any significant challenges since 2008, Howard, Philip, and Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties’ third owner and associate broker, Matt Rice had to laugh. “In retrospect, 2008 was probably the worst time we could have picked to expand,” Philip told us. “It was the worst time on paper, but in many ways it was the best time for us, because the

ideal time to invest was when everyone was trying to come out of the downturn. We were actually able to grow when others were contracting.” They also faced a challenge in reviving and re-centering their focus, especially as they took on third party management of several properties. The common thread, however, as Howard, Philip, and Matt led Weichert RealtorsPorter Properties in revitalizing the local industry, was that they were opportunistic. They became experts in the field, managing not only commercial and residential properties, but also homeowner association management. They continued developing single family and multi family housing, then moved forward in taking on low income housing, office buildings, assisted living facilities, and more than a dozen industrial properties. Today it is hard to believe that the folks transforming the industry at this noted firm sprung up from the roots planted deep by Howard’s original mom and pop appraisal company.

The firm has consistently been named one of Weichert’s top 15 agencies. Their conference room walls are adorned with trophies and plaques bearing the names of top producing agents right here in Auburn. Howard, Philip, Matt, and Stacey are quick to say that the East Alabama community has been a fabulous support system, and that the people in this town have helped them achieve a level the things they couldn’t do on their own.

Howard, Philip, Matt, and Stacey all chose to raise their families in Auburn, and they truly believe in the power of the Auburn spirit.

“People move back here all the time,” Howard said. “Young men and women graduate and come back for more. It’s our close to proximity to I-85, our wonderful university, the impressive industrial base, public schools, and golf courses, plus so much more.

It is a small town with a city feel. I believe Auburn keeps people both mentally and physically active, too. ” Auburn’s explosive growth in recent years has certainly not hurt business at Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties, and they haven’t done any slowing down.

“So, what sets you apart from competitors in a community like Auburn?” we asked our

interviewees. They exchanged glances for a few moments, then Howard spoke up and said something which defined for us the true focus and mission of the firm: “Coming from a variety of different backgrounds, particularly with our experiences in real estate appraisal, we have unique expertise from every angle.

We are a full service real estate company in every sense of the word. We do a little bit of everything involving real estate around here.” Stacey added that the positive team environment that is fostered at their office promotes great things, too.

EVERY DEPARTMENT IS OUTSTANDING. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, ACCOUNTING, HUMAN RESOURCES, MARKETINGEVERYONE WORKS SO HARD AND IT’S FUN TO SEE WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO AS A TEAM. Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties employees enjoy an annual planning day and attend the Weichert Awards each year. Events like these are special opportunities for those on staff at the office to come together in celebration and recognition of both individual and team accomlishments. Stacey talked more about the awesome dynamic at Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties: “Our National Affiliation with Weichert brings us a lot more business as far as companies that communicate and send us referrals- things like that. We are also fortunate to take full advantage of Weichert’s excellent marketing

strategy and their national training tools. But the biggest factor in our success is the people we work with who each bring something different to the table. Many of us have analytical backgrounds in real estate and property management, and we are able to have clarity about our most important decisions. Our team is hard to beat for that reason.”

Howard holds the CCIM designation, or, in other words, is a Certified Commercial Investment Member. CCIM designees must complete extensive coursework in financial and market analysis, and they must have proven

experience in the industry as well, and are equally as excited to see Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties through to what is sure to be another decade of success on the plains.

Because the the good people at Weichert RealtorsPorter Properites are so appreciative of the Auburn, Opelka, and surrounding communities, they have vowed to give back in 2017. We spoke to the firm’s social media consultant, Amy Register, about their philanthropic goals for the year. Amy had many interesting tidbits to share:

WHEN MY FAMILY AND I MOVED HERE ALMOST FIVE YEARS, THE INDIVIDUAL WE CONSULTED WITH FOR OUR MORTGAGE RECOMMENDED A WEICHERT AGENT. JUST BY COINCIDENCE, I CAME TO KNOW

THE GREAT PEOPLE THERE AND BEGAN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THINGS THEY DO FOR OUR CITY. I AM EXCITED TO SAY THAT THEY ALREADY HAVE SO MANY THINGS PLANNED FOR 2017. THESE PEOPLE KNOW THAT BY BUILDING A BETTER COMMUNITY TO LIVE AND WORK IN, A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY FOR ALL RESULTS. So, what exactly does Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties have up their sleeves for 2017?

First, they’re teaming up with the Auburn Chamber of Commerce. They hosted a kickoff event for the Chamber’s Auburn Young Professionals group in January. Another kickoff party is planned for January 2018. Just this month, they’ve been packing backpacks with the Jason Dufner foundation for underprivileged children in Lee County. Katherine Porter serves on the board for The Exceptional Foundation of East Alabama and is planning Lee County’s first Big Green Egg Fest, “Eggs on the

Plains,” which will take place on April 1st. The festival will take place at Watson’s Backyard Living and will raise funds to benefit the Exceptional Foundation. Attendees will sample a variety of delicious meats cooked on Big Green Eggs.

Demonstration grills will be sold to the public at a discounted price.

Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties is also a sponsor of Youth for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, The Lee County Literacy Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, Alabama Rural Ministries, Auburn Parks and Recreation, Children’s Harbor in Alex City on Lake Martin, and Auburn’s annual Wine, Women, and Shoes event, among others. “We are blessed to be able do what we can, and we want to keep supporting the people who have supported us over the years,” Howard explained.

Take Southern Tatler’s word for it. Howard, Philip, Matt, and Stacey, their thirty-three amazing agents, and their entire office staff know what it means to serve a community well. Even in H.J. Porter’s small beginnings, Howard Porter was searching for ways to invest in Auburn’s future and stay connected. His efforts paid off, and he accepted nothing but the best when it came to building a solid reputation. Their vision for the future is even brighter.

Next time you pass the the Weichert Realtors-Porter Properties office, perhaps now you’ll feel that you know Howard, Philip, Matt, and Stacey on some level, and perhaps you’ll stop in to say hello.

One of their outstanding agents would be happy to help your family find a home in Auburn or Opelika or that commercial or investment property for your business. for more information onWeichert Realtors visit: www.weichert.com or call: 334.887.2070