It's coming up - the first anniversary of when Gail Leithner and Karen Mock, along with Chris Gorski, took over the local Keller Williams Realty franchise. And it's been a very busy year, even in the roller coaster-like market for residential real estate.

"But a good year," Leithner said during a recent tour of her North Bailey Avenue office.

Keller Williams is the region's 12th-busiest residential real estate firm, handling 246 sides - or portions of sales - last year. Like many agencies, its numbers were down from 2009 when the firm, under different leadership, reported 288 sides.

She said that's a reflection of the economy more than anything else. And she is not alone in that observation: Residential sales have slumped for the past few years.

Neither Leithner nor Mock are looking back, saying they have an aggressive game plan for expanding their presence.

The change in ownership saw some adjustments in terms of licensed brokers with the Amherst firm. Where it once had more than 60, there currently are 50 agents working out of the Amherst office. Leithner and Mock are looking to add staff in the coming months. In a perfect world, they said, they'd like to see 100 agents working there.

"We're not just a bunch of real estate agents selling homes," Leithner said. "We want to treat everyone like we ourselves would like to be treated."

But they aren't planning to bring in more agents just to have more bodies in the office.

"We want to see who is the right fit," Leithner said. "We're out there watching agents."

That's just one part of the plan at Keller Williams for the coming months. Leithner and Mock said they'd like to either start a division or dedicate agents to focus on foreclosure and short sales. Starting a commercial division is not outside the realm of possibility, they said.

"We're waiting for the right person or opportunity to come along," Mock said. "Adding a commercial division or agents is definitely on our radar screen."

Don't be surprised to see them get some agents onboard who specialize in high-end residential sales of $400,000 and up. According to Mock, her office already handles some truly upper-end sales, but she wants to make that a more regular occurrence.

"There is a good market in Buffalo on the upper end," she said, "probably stronger than most realize."

And if the stars align, there is an outside chance a second Keller Williams office could spring up. Opening a new office isn't inexpensive: Startup costs alone easily top $150,000.

"When we get to the right growth point, we will open a second office," Mock said. "But we're not there today."

Operating in the Western New York market is tough. It's dominated by the "big three" of Hunt Real Estate Corp., RealtyUSA and M.J. Peterson Real Estate. Looking at the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors statistics, however, you see that there is room for others. That's the niche market in which Leithner and Mock said they hope to operate.

"The brand really isn't Keller Williams so much as it is the agent," Mock said.

Leithner pointed out that at least 50 percent of their business comes from word-of-mouth and referrals from past clients. The Keller Williams philosophy is to protect leads for the agents; they aren't thrown into a general pool.

"Every lead goes back to the appropriate listing agent," she said. "Our belief is that the database belongs to the agent, not the company. What we don't want is to see leads go out the window."

 

Welcome to Western New York

Rochester-based Auction Direct USA opened its first local automobile dealership.

It specializes in used vehicles and opened a superstore on Transit Road in Clarence.

"We can't wait to offer Buffalo a better alternative to the traditional car-buying process," said Todd Hoagey, chief operating officer.

Auction Direct USA has a no-hassle/no-haggle pricing policy and offers customers a three-day, 500-mile guarantee or their money back.

The company opened its Clarence store with more than 400 vehicles. It hired 55 people to work at the dealership.

"Our guest experience has been warmly embraced in the communities in which we currently operate," Hoagey said.

Auction Direct USA operates two locations in Victor, near Rochester, including one in Eastview Mall. It also operates in Jacksonville and Raleigh.