Well we did it. We are now Mountain Valley Real Estate, an independent firm. The separation from Windermere is official on February 1, 2016. Our franchise was a wonderful 10 year experience with a very fine, professional, caring group of individuals. We are parting ways very amicably and intend to maintain a great working relationship with all of the Windermere offices. We are excited about our new business model and will be adding some new marketing tools to better support our brokers and their clients. Watch for a visual tour program, new website, and new print advertising options.
Additionally, we will be expanding our territory to include all of Lewis County. Our newest broker, Janet Simons lives in Mossyrock and concentrates her activities to the west. I will be busy recruiting additional brokers for our team in the near future. We expect that having brokers working across the county will increase our exposure and encourage referrals.
Business in 2015 topped every year since 2007. We came very close to getting back to 2007 dollar volume but had half again as many transactions which translates, of course, into lower prices. I think we are finally seeing the prices stabilizing but the inventory remains strong. I am optimistic about 2016 being the year we get back to a balanced market.
As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Contact me any time for a chat or answers to your questions.