Tag Archive for: Times-Tribune

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.

Recognizing the Best in NEPA Real Estate

For the fifth straight year, Realty Network Group has been honored as Northeastern Pennsylvania’s “Best Real Estate Website.” This recognition was part of the Times-Tribune’s Readers’ Choice Awards, where subscribers and readers voted for their favorite businesses across multiple categories, including Home & Services, Dining & Entertainment, Wellness & Personal Style, Shopping, and Recreation & Entertainment. These awards celebrate the best businesses in the Greater Scranton area. Looking for the best sites for real estate? Look no further than Realty Network Group.

Continuous Website Improvements

Realty Network Group deeply appreciates the community’s support and is especially grateful for this latest recognition as NEPA’s top resource for real estate searches. Over the past year, the company has enhanced its website, making it one of the best sites for real estate searches in the region. Key improvements include:

  • A search by city function for more precise home searches
  • Enhanced content and page organization for easier navigation
  • A dynamic search tool powered by RealtyNA, offering an extensive database of real estate listings
  • Upcoming upgrades to their popular lakefront properties page

These enhancements make Realty Network Group’s platform one of the most efficient and user-friendly for homebuyers and sellers alike.

A Word from Realty Network Group

“We’re incredibly thankful for the support and votes we’ve received,” says Mark DeStefano, CEO and REALTOR® at Realty Network Group. “Our website, a major strength of our firm, continues to evolve to meet the needs of our customers. Their feedback and engagement drive our innovation. Likewise, our network of experienced real estate professionals plays a critical role in our success. Without their dedication and expertise, we wouldn’t excel in this market.”

The Realty Network Group Difference

As a boutique real estate firm, Realty Network Group takes a high-tech, high-touch approach to the market, blending cutting-edge digital tools with personalized service. Their network of experienced sales associates focuses on one goal: Connecting buyers and sellers. Every day. In every way.

For anyone searching for the best sites for real estate, Realty Network Group’s award-winning platform continues to set the standard in NEPA real estate.

Alice Manley is the newest agent to join forces with Realty Network Group. She infuses thirty years of sales expertise with an interest and passion for matching up buyers and sellers. Connecting both parties in a real estate transaction is more than a science. There’s an art to marketing homes or leading buyers in pursuit of theirs. Alice’s vast experience in media and hospitality are added advantages for her and her clients.

Alice will be a valuable asset to the firm as she brings a strong work ethic and a motivation to succeed into the field. She has a desire to work hard for her clients understanding that sometimes you don’t get a second chance to sell for the best price, terms and conditions as trends change. She’s also committed to homebuyers as they begin what will be a remarkable journey toward homeownership! She’s driven to succeed, realizing her successes will be victories for her clients too. Another strength for Alice is her problem-solving abilities. She has an uncanny sense for stopping issues in their tracks and moving toward a resolution that’s acceptable to everyone involved, especially her buyers/sellers.

“If it doesn’t feel right, we’ll search until it does,” expresses Alice. Her words to buyers never ring truer than they do now in a seller’s market. “Your ‘forever home’ wraps you in comfort like an old blanket, gives you refuge during difficult days and is always waiting for you after a long journey. Everyone deserves this and I look forward to bringing this experience to others.”

Alice has lived her entire life in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She loves all the area has to offer, including its seasons, natural landscapes and close-knit communities. She hopes those moving into the region or growing into it can have these experiences as well. “It’s an exciting time in real estate in NEPA,” underscores Alice. “I chose Realty Network Group because of a working relationship I had with one of its owners. It was knowing this person that attracted me to the company. I was certain of the value, integrity and respect I would find there. Furthermore, they train each new REALTOR®, like myself, which was incredibly important to me.”

Are you seeking the services of a real estate professional who’s extremely motivated and will work hard for your interests? Contact Alice Manley now at 570-954-3701 or via email at amanley@realtynetwork.net.

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

Over the years, we’ve been thankful for support from our clients as well as our professionals, who’ve been instrumental and vital to our success. They certainly are motivation through the obstacles brought on from this pandemic. As we can attest, connecting buyers and sellers requires new approaches in order to be successful during this surreal year. So far in 2020, the Greater Scranton market has shifted from being balanced to one now highly in the seller’s favor. The absorption rate (the rate at which homes are selling over a specific period of time) has dropped from 6.44 (last July) to 4.02 (this July), while inventory continues trending downward.* Though housing in Northeastern Pennsylvania is among some of the most affordable in our nation, affordability is dropping in many markets and difficult challenges for both buyers and sellers lie ahead.

Our network of REALTORS® will help you navigate these obstacles and put you on the path toward homeownership or vice versa, if you need to sell.

Please spread the love and vote our firm, Best Real Estate Agency and Best Real Estate Website in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards. [<– This has since ended, but you can see past winners here.]

We sincerely appreciate your time and support!

* Greater Scranton Board of REALTORS® stats
Readers’ Choice Awards – Times-Tribune