Sotheby’s International Realty Announces 2022 Brand Performance
We Welcome Laurie Madaus to Our Bucks County Office
Ryan Cortez, Director of Recruiting at Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that top producer Laurie Madaus has joined the company’s Bucks County office from Addison Wolfe in New Hope.
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Welcome, Lawrence Wong, to Our Bucks County Office
Ryan Cortez, recruiting manager for Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that Associate Broker Lawrence Wong has joined the company’s New Hope office. Licensed since 2009 with a career that began in Brooklyn, N.Y., Lawrence’s hometown, he brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to his real estate business. Lawrence has primarily worked as a listing agent and was named one of the National Association of Realtors’ “30 Under 30” earlier in his career.
The challenge of creating a sales strategy tailored to every client’s property, along with managing the showing and negotiation phases and then bringing the parties to the closing table, are what keeps Lawrence energized about his real estate career.
“Real estate appeals to me because I enjoy problem-solving. There are more intricacies and details – large and small issues that pop up — than people appreciate, and it’s my job to solve those,” says Lawrence. “I like the satisfaction of helping clients reach their goals, not just selling the property but seeing the process through for them.”
That approach earned Lawrence many word-of-mouth referrals, the “gold standard” for him as far as measuring success.
The Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty marketing platform and the company’s local and regional presence are a perfect fit for Lawrence, who also lived in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood before moving to Bucks County. He maintains his New York broker’s license and will continue to do business there and in Pennsylvania, making him a strong agent for those with interests in both markets.
Fluent in Chinese and an active real estate investor, Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management. He and his family live in Buckingham Township, and he is based in the New Hope office of Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty. Reach out to Lawrence here.
Welcome, Brian Filko, to Our Bucks County Office
Ryan Cortez, recruiting manager for Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that Brian Filko has joined the company’s Bucks County office. Brian grew up in the Lehigh Valley and moved to Bucks County 7 years ago. While new to real estate, Brian has used his engineering degree from The Pennsylvania State University and his entrepreneurial mindset to start multiple businesses including Gear Infusion as well as Doylestown Candle, an all-natural eco-friendly candle company. Prior to launching his own businesses, he worked as a mechanical engineer and product manager at Lutron Electronics for 6 years in their lighting control and automated-shade teams. Over the years, Brian has lived in Telford, Coopersburg, Allentown and Doylestown.
Brian is excited for his newest venture into real estate. “I can’t wait to use my creative mindset and passion to help my clients find their dream home” says Brian. Brian’s attention to detail, organizational skills, ability to think outside the box, and friendly nature will make him a well-suited addition to the Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty’s New Hope real-estate group.
To add to his enthusiasm for real estate, Brian just recently bought his own dream home in Doylestown with his wife Danielle and sons Ethan and Aidan. “I am so glad to have found the house of my dreams, but was sad to have the house hunting process come to an end. I can’t wait to be able to help my clients have as much fun as I had,” says Brian.
Brian will be based out of the Kurfiss SIR New Hope office and is happy to extend his market reach from Bucks County into the Lehigh Valley. Reach out to Brian at his agent page.
Kurfiss SIR agents earn top spots among Pennsylvania real estate agent rankings
RealTrends & Tom Ferry announce top agents in Pennsylvania
Ryan Cortez, recruiting manager for Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that 8 of the company’s individual agents and one team were recognized as “America’s Best,” a ranking of all agents with 2021 sales volume of $20,000,000 or more. Lisa Yakulis of the company’s Main Line office is the #1 agent by sales volume in Pennsylvania as far as truly individual agents who function without a team. there are 142 real estate agents in Pennsylvania who made the “America’s Best” list in 2021.
Team Whetzel, based in the company’s Chestnut Hill office, is the #7 small (2-5 agents) team in Pennsylvania. Led by agent Kim Whetzel, the team also includes Ellen Hass, James McFadden, Nina Furia, Rebecca Morley and Anne Flynn. A team had to sell at least $30,000,000 collectively to quality for the list.
Other agents from Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty who are on the list for Pennsylvania include (listed alphabetically):
- Caryn Black – Bucks County Office
- Linda Danese – Bucks County Office
- Lisa Frushone – Bucks County Office
- Douglas Pearson – Philadelphia Center City Office
- Cary Simons – Main Line Office
- Kevin Steiger – Bucks County Office
- Wendie Steffens – Chestnut Hill Office
“Our agents are some of the most experienced and dedicated in the business, and their quality shows in their performance last year,” says Cortez. “I congratulate them as well as our agents who topped their personal bests in sales in 2021. We are fortunate to have them in the Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty family.”
Join Us as We Celebrate Mural Arts Month in Philadelphia!
June is the month when Mural Arts Philadelphia celebrates new works with dedications of murals, the return of the annual Wall Ball and the premier of a series of short films sponsored by Scribe Video Center and presented by Storyville. These films are from ‘Making Home Movies,’ a signature project of Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Porch Light program. Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty is in its second year of sponsorship with Mural Arts so that we can support the organization’s work throughout the city of Philadelphia as well as its art education, restorative justice and other initiatives. See the complete list of June events here.
Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation’s largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process, rooted in the traditions of mural-making, to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts engages communities in 60–100 public art projects each year, and maintains its growing collection through a restoration initiative. Our core program areas—Art Education, Restorative Justice, and Porch Light—yield unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults.
Each year, 15,000 residents and visitors tour Mural Arts’ outdoor art gallery, which has become part of the city’s civic landscape and a source of pride and inspiration, earning Philadelphia international recognition as the “City of Murals.”
Welcome, Jacqueline Evans!
Ryan Cortez, recruiting manager for Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, is pleased to welcome Jacqueline Evans to the company’s Bucks County office. Continue reading “Welcome, Jacqueline Evans!”
Kurfiss SIR Chairman Completes Realogy Leadership Program
Donald Pearson, chairman, Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty, recently completed the Ascend executive leadership program offered by Realogy, the real estate services company that owns the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, among other brands including Coldwell Banker and Century 21. This 46-week corporate experience provides franchise owners from Realogy brands with the leadership, business knowledge, critical skills and confidence to lead their companies. The intense year-long learning experience focuses on leadership techniques from the real executives working in all aspects of real estate. While Pearson has decades of business experience behind him, along with an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, he says the Ascend experience was extremely useful.
“This program is an excellent training ground for future leaders in the Sotheby’s International Realty affiliate network,” says Pearson. “It was an opportunity to really understand how deep the bench is in terms of talent at Realogy, and it also was an opportunity to learn how to approach various issues that every owner and manager in the real estate industry faces.”
Ascend: The Executive Leadership Experience was developed by Michael R. Good, chairman emeritus since 2013 of Sotheby’s International Realty, along with other professionals from the Realogy Franchise Group. Good served as the first chief executive officer of the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand from February 2004 to February 2013.
Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty is on track to grow to 120 agents by the end of 2023, says Pearson. Based on his experience, he will rely on the Ascend program to train professionals from his company to prepare for future leadership roles at the company.
Philadelphia Inquirer 4/3/2022 Ads
Sotheby’s International Realty Achieves Record Sales in 2021
Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to announce that its global network achieved a record US$204 billion in 2021 global sales volume, a 36% increase in sales growth year over year, as U.S. cities saw a resurgence of interest following the pandemic and sales activity in secondary and resort markets around the world remained strong. The brand’s U.S. sales volume grew by 33.8% year over year, significantly outpacing NAR’s national increase of 20.6% from the prior year,¹ underscoring the brand’s leadership in the high-end market.
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Kurfiss Sotheby's International Realty 