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Celebrating 50 Years... Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.

Reblogger
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Expert Real Estate Partners LLC

A great company to work for!! 

Thanks for spreading the word Bob!

Original content by Bob Edwards

I'm very proud to be a part of Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc. who is now celebrating 50 years in business. This is such a huge accomplishment and not one that's achieved by very many companies.

Here's an article written by our own Tricia Voskuil.

Congratulations go out to Joyce and Otto Bytof!

 

Celebrating 50 Years in Business
Tricia Voskuil
2/4/2010

 

 

 

Coldwell Banker evolves into regional real estate giant.  Celebrates 50 years in business.


 


When Otto Bytof decided to open his own real estate office in 1959, he never realized the company he founded would grow into the regional giant it is today.


"I was satisfied where things were (when I retired)," said Otto Bytof, who opened his first location in Appleton 50 years ago.


Now, what operates as Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group has 18 offices, with about 500 employees, covering the greater Fox Valley area from Door County to Berlin and west to Waupaca and Stevens Point.


Much of the company's growth is credited to Otto's wife, Joyce, who took the company over after he retired in 1988.


"I really had an interest in running the company at that time," she said.


Otto Bytof said he hoped Joyce would join him in retirement.


"It was something she really wanted to do; she was always ambitious," he said of Joyce's interest in running the business. "When I initially retired, I would come into the office, but to really know what's going on and to do the job effectively, you have to be in the mix every day."


The early days


Joyce Bytof said the foundation of the company was built by Otto.


"I don't think the company would be around today if it weren't for the principles Otto followed," she said. "It made for a solid base, which still holds true today. If it feels right, it's right, even if you're on the losing side and it still feels right, then it still was the right thing to do."


These days, residential housing listings are readily available, particularly on the internet, which can include video descriptions of homes and virtual tours that walk a viewer through a house.  Applications also are available for smart phones that can provide an assortment of details about a residential listing.


The Bytofs recall a time when Realtors were reluctant to share residential listings.


"If you didn't have the listings, you couldn't be successful," Otto Bytof said.


Eventually, multiple listing services were created and Realtors saw the benefits of pooling resources.


Smart growth


Joyce Bytof said when she took over the business, her initial goal wasn't to become the largest residential real estate company in the region.


"I wanted to build a company that would be selling homes to future generations," she said. "I'd like to know that my great-grandchildren would one day be able to buy a house though this company because it was a sound business that was successfully passed from one generation to the next."


Coldwell Banker's first major acquisition came in 1992 when it purchased Temmer Realty. Between 1992 and 2009, the company acquired 17 other real estate offices.  The most recent office being Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group in Stevens Point.


To further enhance the company's services, a title business was added, New Title Services, Inc. in 2003 and a mortgage business, New Mortgage Advisors in 2005.


"It was a way for us to bring all the services for a buyer under one roof," Joyce Bytof said.


Today's buyers


The Bytofs said they've seen buyer trends and buyers themselves change through the years.


Otto Bytof said homes he would typically sell were in the 1,100- to 1,200-square-foot range, with no garages.


"Buyers also are interested in homes with two-, three- and four-car garages," Joyce Bytof said. There's interest in storage as well as places to park second and third cars, as well as recreational vehicles like motorcycles and snowmobiles.


Though Joyce Bytof has no plans to step down anytime soon, the company is preparing for its leadership transition. Chuck Peeters is the president of the company's real estate division and Guy Bytof, Otto's son and Joyce's stepson, serves as the corporate president.  Along with their team of professionals, Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group is set to prosper for decades to come.


"Growing the business was what I set out to do," she said. "I wanted to be in the markets where it made sense for us."

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Duane Murphy Fox Valley Appleton WI Real Estate Home Buying Selling

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Comments (1)

Bob Edwards
Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc. - Appleton, WI
Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI

Thanks for the Re-Blog Duane, it's great to be a part of the "Group".

Feb 09, 2010 02:43 AM