Company News - Realty Network Group

Top Agents of 2023

Last year had its challenges, no doubt. The sales volume coming from all the companies associated with the Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® was down about 11.7% year-over-year in relation to the previous one (2022). The number of transactions was down about 5.4% year-over-year and surprisingly, the average sales price also decreased from $202,511 in 2022 to $189,148 in 2023 (-6.6%). Yet, many still found success in a market that had begun to turn. Our region still favors sellers (no doubt), but those days appear to be coming to end for the immediate future. The months supply of homes is creeping in the direction of a three months supply. We’re still a reach from the lower side of average, around five months, but these trends can accelerate when the market is changing — it’s done it before.As challenges persist, there can be uncertainty about your situation as a homebuyer or seller when faced with the state of the local market. How is buying or selling different now than it was four years ago? One could argue, now is the time when (a) you don’t want to go at it alone, and (b) you should rely on those real estate professionals who deliver results and who have experience in various types of market conditions. We have many agents who have this pedigree! We have a wonderful “team” of professionals at Realty Network Group. Additionally, these are our top performers for 2023…

Ann E. Cappellini
$5,445,613

Halle Stevens
$5,029,288

Maria Muchal Berta
$4,503,750

Ann A. Sheroda
$4,084,800

Melissa C. LeStrange
$3,933,000

Scott J. Weiland
$2,433,260

Dana A. DeLeo
$2,228,960

Heather A. Luklanchuk
$1,960,350

Amy L. Kiesinger Bohenek
$1,492,400

Theresa DeMario Plisko
$1,475,800

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home, these agents are a great starting point. Get started today by reaching out to one of our top performers!

January 5, 2024/by realtynetworkgroup

New Faces In 2023

Agent Announcement, Company News

Realty Network Group saw five additions to its REALTOR® family, five new faces in 2023. It was a good year to get into real estate, learn from our trainer/Associate Broker as well as learning from each other. This group was a special group that would even collaborate at times and bounce ideas off one another. It was also a group that stretched our coverage zone into Susquehanna and Bradford counties in addition to the Back Mountain and beyond. They also learned in a market that emerged from a frenzied seller’s market to a much tamer one (a year with a lot of fence-sitting). The skills agents learn during these transitions are invaluable and serve them well for years to come, if they stick with it.

Without further ado, in case you missed the five agents we welcomed in 2023, here they are…

If you are thinking about pursuing the field of real estate, be part of our team! If you’re looking for a Brokerage that truly cares about your success, look no further than Realty Network Group. See what we offer. Let’s talk!

December 20, 2023/by realtynetworkgroup

Our Website: Still A Popular Choice

Company News

Recently, our company was awarded the honors of winning Best Real Estate Website for the sixth year in a row. At the conclusion of the 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards, Realty Network Group was voted in as being the top real estate option for many homebuyers and sellers in our region.

Real estate search is where it begins, and Realty Network Group has a robust platform suited for driving search results right to the fingertips of our clients, who are in the process of either looking for a home or want to better understand conditions in the market. Our firm has utilized a comprehensive search powered by RealtyNA, providing a wealth of information to consumers on the go. Last year we launched the search by city on our site and also revamped our lakefront homes page. This year we introduced a unique home value estimator tool on our site. This tool is a great way for sellers to get a little more educated about what their property might be worth as well as discovering what buyers are looking for in their neighborhood. While automated valuations aren’t always the most accurate mechanisms around, they do shed light on current valuation of homes in a particular area.

“This is where our professionals come in,” emphasizes Greg Solfanelli, Director of Marketing & Consumer Experience at Realty Network Group. “Our agents do an excellent job of filling in the gaps for our clients, helping them get a grip on changing circumstances and local trends. Homeowners especially want to identify how these changes can and will impact them. We’re lucky we have the real etate pros we do! Their dedication to their clients is hard to match.”

Realty Network Group agents can help prospective home-sellers effectively price their homes through customizing a competitive market analysis, while helping them digest an automated home valuation report. Our firm is a boutique real estate business, connecting buyers and sellers in any market. We continue to reach consumers through a high tech, high touch approach to buying and selling.

Many thanks to everyone for their support of our brand, website and of course, our agents, who do so much for our clients, day in and day out! We appreciate your support and your votes as well.

October 4, 2023/by realtynetworkgroup

Top Producers [Mid-Year]

Agent Announcement, Company News

We love celebrating our real estate professionals who make us who we are, year in and year out! We have an incredible “team” of agents in our ranks at Realty Network Group, both new and veterans alike. We’re so proud of them. Each one adds something unique to our brand and really accentuates the expertise and diversity we desire to share with our clients, who are looking to purchase a home or investment property or seeking to sell one.

At the half-way point of 2023, a market unlike any other, we’d like to honor our top ten selling REALTORS® aka our top producers. We hope you’ll congratulate them as well!

Ann E. Cappellini — $2,947,613

Maria Muchal Berta — $2,782,450

Ann A. Sheroda — $2,370,000

Scott J. Weiland — $1,734,500

Halle Stevens — $1,623,100

Dana A. DeLeo — $1,533,960

Heather A. Luklanchuk — $878,350

Christina M. Keller — $654,900

Lynn H. Marino — $650,680

Cheryl Gerrity — $647,500

Seeking the services of a real estate professional? Find your match here.

These numbers reflect these top producers’ sales volume via the Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® (January-June 2023).

June 30, 2023/0 Comments/by realtynetworkgroup

Realty Network Group Wins Award For Best Real Estate Website

Company News

For the fifth straight year, Realty Network Group was awarded the honors of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s “Best Real Estate Website.” The accolades were part of the Times-Tribune’s Readers’ Choice Awards, where online subscribers and readers of the Scranton Times voted for their favorite businesses in multiple categories such as Home & Services, Dining & Entertainment, Wellness & Person Style, Shopping as well as Recreation & Entertainment. These category winners are honored as the best in the Greater Scranton area.

Realty Network Group is so appreciative of all the support they’ve received over the years, but especially for this latest recognition as NEPA’s top dog in real estate search. Over the last year, the company has added a search by city function to their website in addition to boosting content and reorganizing many of their most visited pages. The site features one of the most dynamic search tools powered by RealtyNA, which offers a vast array of content at the consumer’s fingertips and numerous ways for prospective homebuyers to find exactly what they’re looking for. Their lakefront properties page will soon get a upgrade!

“We’re thankful for the support and votes we’ve received,” underscores Mark DeStefano, CEO and REALTOR® at Realty Network Group. “Our website, one of the strengths of our firm, continues to evolve toward the needs of our customers. They’ve been essential to our success, much in the same way as our network of real estate professionals. Without the expertise, hard work and dedication from our agents, we simply wouldn’t excel in this market.”

Realty Network Group is a smaller, boutique real estate business with a knack for reaching consumers through a high tech, high touch approach to the market. Their network of sales associates is one of the most experienced in the Greater Scranton area with a singular aim in mind: Connecting buyers and sellers. Everyday. In every way.

September 27, 2022/0 Comments/by realtynetworkgroup

Top Performers

Agent Announcement, Company News

Recognizing Our Top Performers

Through the first half of 2021, housing demand has been high and now listings are bouncing back as well. Since the “start” of spring selling season and the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions in Pennsylvania, we’ve seen inventory increase by +233 properties, 1,582 new listings versus 1,349 pending sales.* This trend is a welcome sign for homebuyers in our region, especially first-timers.

Realty Network Group recognizes these ten top performers, who have outperformed many in the Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® thus far in 2021:

Ann E. Cappellini | $4,646,615 (total sales volume**)

Lee Ann Julio-Mahalidge | $3,720,542 (total sales volume**)

Ann A. Sheroda | $2,720,900 (total sales volume**)

Christina M. Keller | $2,398,695 (total sales volume**)

Scott J. Weiland | $931,901 (total sales volume**)

Melissa C. LeStrange | $911,640 (total sales volume**)

Maria Muchal Berta | $836,825 (total sales volume**)

Amy Kiesinger Bohenek | $730,900 (total sales volume**)

Dana A. DeLeo | $717,100 (total sales volume**)

Dianne Montana | $717,000 (total sales volume**)

Our professionals are nothing short of that – professional and they continue to impress!

* Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® statistics March 1, 2021 through July 16, 2021
** Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® statistics January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021

July 16, 2021/0 Comments/by realtynetworkgroup

ADA Compliance Debuts In NEPA

Company News

It’s another first for our firm: RealtyNetwork.net is the first real estate website in the Greater Scranton area to be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

Our company is making finding your next home even easier! Those who have visual, auditory, mobility or cognitive impairments will find our website, with its new accessibility menu, of huge benefit. Access to this menu is found on every page along the right edge of our site (see image below).

“[W]hile technology has the potential to create a more inclusive future, it has also created further barriers. With technology so embedded in our lives, digital accessibility isn’t something that would be nice to have, but is a right for everyone.”

These barriers (i.e. homebuyers not properly being able to access information in real-time) are what Realty Network Group is seeking to eliminate for each and every individual who enters our platform. Furthermore, the ADA accessibility menu could even be utilized by consumers who don’t have any impairments. “This new tool on our website affirms we’re committed to easing concerns for buyers and sellers, who are actively pursuing real estate,” emphasizes Greg Solfanelli, Director of Marketing & Consumer Experience at Realty Network Group. “It’s another reason why I believe our clients continue to trust us. We understand how important compliance is in our business, not only for our professionals, but also for our clients and their assets.”

Realty Network Group’s website continues to lead the way in Northeastern Pennsylvania. ADA compliance is another step in the right direction.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. It was created in an effort to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities and ensure accessibility to all individuals, regardless of their physical limitations. Now, thirty years later, our world has changed tremendously, especially in regard to technology. Now more than ever, ADA compliance expands far beyond a simple handrail or parking space. It encompasses all public-facing entities, which includes most websites.”

November 23, 2020/0 Comments/by realtynetworkgroup

Our Award-Winning Website Strikes Again

Company News

It’s hard to imagine the real estate terrain we find ourselves in these days, but yet here we are. Many parts of the Northeast, who prior to the pandemic were struggling, are now reporting record signs of growth – the largest increase in home sales since the end of 2006. Unlike much of the Northeast portion of our country prior to COVID-19, Northeastern Pennsylvania’s market was thriving. When the economy became derailed in March, real estate entered stealth-mode for over two months. Since then the terrain has been very smooth, churning at a fast pace. Home sales and home prices have been on the rise. Though homes are selling for 11.6% more this August versus one year ago, home prices year-to-date are enjoying a more comfortable 2.2% increase (year-over-year).*

Sure, the challenges are present for our market: our inventory is very low, more homes are going under contract than are being listed and commercial space is beginning to saturate our market; but the Greater Scranton area appears to be insulated from the other surrounding regions. Lower-priced homes have been in short supply this year, especially in recent months. Hopefully new construction kicks it into gear, but the higher costs of lumber since mid-April hasn’t helped the situation. Some homeowners have decided to stay put, which hasn’t boosted the housing inventory either. Nevertheless, our area remains very affordable and for many first-time buyers, they eventually find what they’re looking for.

Demand remains strong and thus it can be frustrating for some homebuyers, especially in our current seller’s market. It’s particularly stressful if you’re searching in print these days! Some of the properties we market in print are no longer active when they appear in black-and-white in the publication. Honestly, properties are moving fast these days. May we make a suggestion? If you’re actively searching for a home in today’s market, look online without hesitation. We would also strongly suggest having your agent keep you up to speed with the latest listings that fit your criteria and the trends affecting the neighborhood(s) where you’re searching.

Where you search online can make a difference too. Recently, we were awarded Best Real Estate Website in Northeastern Pennsylvania for the third year in a row by local newspaper readership. Our award-winning website, realtynetwork.net, features the entire inventory of homes on the market through our comprehensive database. Our site has a simple interface with straightforward navigation and high mobile-performance, so you can easily connect with us from wherever you are. There are many tools available for visitors to explore as well. Venture to our award-winning website today and let us know what you think.

* Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® stats

September 27, 2020/0 Comments/by realtynetworkgroup

Trending Up

Company News

Activity has been particularly lively this year at Realty Network Group. Besides the increased activity from both homebuyers and sellers this year over last, we’ve been excited about our new office. Our Clarks Summit office went through an major remodeling in 2019 and has a fresh, new modern look. We also opened a new branch office in the Valley area, located at 814 Main Street in Dickson City. Finally, if that wasn’t enough excitement, we’re thrilled to announce the relaunch of our Website – realtynetwork.net.

Thanks to many of our visitors, last year our firm was awarded “Best Real Estate Website” in Northeastern Pennsylvania (Reader’s Choice 2018). This was quite an honor! And while we were proud of the previous online site, we’ve made a bunch of upgrades to it. Presently, we provide distinctive channels of exposure for our clients through use of social media paid promotion, high-quality photography, drone and videography, in addition to other traditional forms of advertising. Our revamped Website is not only another extraordinary channel, but also a powerful tool for buyers and sellers alike. Each of our client’s situations is unique and therefore requires a custom marketing action plan involving local market trends. This new channel will provide our clients with more exposure and deeper insight into those trends.

“Our new real estate Website is now powered with an even more sophisticated search,” emphasized Dianne Montana, Managing Broker of Realty Network Group. “Over the years, as advances in technology have caught the real estate industry off guard, we’ve always sought to stay ahead of the curve. Many real estate sites lack the tools necessary to connect with consumers. We’ve made recent changes ensuring that wouldn’t be us. We’re trending up these days.”

The new realtynetwork.net features an advanced real estate search (utilizing a state-of-the-art real estate plugin); lakefront, just listed and open house properties; free home value reports; school district information; market statistics and trends; buyer and seller tools; mobile-friendly navigation; and much more. Perhaps the biggest benefit of the new Website is its simplified user experience making navigation a breeze for visitors.

As we continue to grow in 2019 and beyond, Realty Network Group is a brand that’s committed to both its clients and its network of real estate professionals. We genuinely care about our clients’ needs and we work as a team collaborating with our real estate professionals. Each real estate transaction is unique. We pride ourselves on listening to our clients and the challenges they face. Alleviating the stress of homebuyers and sellers and assisting our REALTORS® in setting realistic goals and achieving them is what we do best. Our professionals adhere to the highest standards of compliance in the industry. We value and market our clients’ most valuable assets always with one goal in mind – connecting buyers and sellers.

(revised August 14, 2019)

August 14, 2019/0 Comments/by realtynetworkgroup