ME Realty: 25 years in business, 215 years of experience

[June 12, 2008]  Walking in the door at ME Realty, one would think they had stumbled upon a family party or reunion. In a way, that is exactly what the staff at ME Realty considers themselves: family.

As the company celebrates its 25th year in business, Carolyn McMath, the owner of ME Realty, explained the gathering that day: "We get together and have lunch once a month."

Glenda Allison observed that it is at these lunches when birthdays -- and there was a birthday celebration that day -- and other notable dates are celebrated by everyone working at the realty firm.

Linda Barrick's comment underscored how they all get along: "We are there for each other."

Of course, the firm has many business meetings throughout the month, but this type of luncheon is a gathering to enforce the friendships the people at the firm all have with each other.

McMath said the ME Realty family currently has 11 agents, two secretaries, an office assistant and a bookkeeper.

When asked how many years of experience the firm offers to prospective buyers or sellers, Allison added them in a calculator. The sum totaled an impressive 215 years in the realty business.

Hazel Alberts wore the top hat, as she has been in real estate longer than anyone else in the company, and in fact more than every other realtor in the county, save one.

The firm was started 25 years ago when competitive friends Carolyn McMath, Glenda Allison and Mary Ellen Copeland, all working for different realty firms, decided to join together in a new firm.

McMath, who currently owns the business, nodded with pride as Allison recalled their first month in business, when they listed 30 homes. Neither they nor the rest of the "family" have looked back ever since.

Asking what distinct differences there are in the realty business compared with 25 years ago, almost everyone agreed with McMath's statement that there is now a great deal more paperwork than ever before.

Computers also weren't a part of the real estate business back then. Allison recalled they kept home listings on paper in a loose-leaf binder when they first started out. McMath also mentioned there wasn't a multiple listing service either.

Everyone agreed with another difference offered by Allison as she compared the current market to a quarter-century ago: "We sold a great many older homes that needed work back then. Now, with rising utilities and home repair expenses, potential buyers are more and more looking for homes that they can enjoy immediately without spending their free time or money on repairs or upgrades."

The market is constantly changing, although everyone agreed there is currently a strong market for homes in the smaller communities, due to taxes and small school districts. However, the gasoline crunch might alter that trend again. Now that gasoline is so expensive, long commutes might create a new interest in moving closer to one's job.

Everyone agreed that the Lincoln and Logan County realty market is a stable constant, not subject to upward or downward trends in the state's economy. "We sold homes when the rate was 18 percent," Allison noted.

Some things do change of course. McMath showed that the current average selling price of a home within the city of Lincoln is $90,400. The selling price average in areas outside the city limits is currently $217,000. Allison mentioned that 25 years ago, those average prices would only be on the finest homes in the community.

When the realtors were asked what they believe the future of real estate would be like after another 25 years passes, none felt like making a prediction. Allison stated she did hope that the family-owned realty companies would still be around. All agreed, as it was time for this family to have a piece of cake.

[By MIKE FAK]