Coldwell Banker Thrives On Ethics, Hard Work
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William McCartney, Coldwell Banker’s regional vice president for Long Island and Queens, serves as office manager of its Huntington branch. Long Islander News Photo/Janee Law
By Janee Law
jlaw@longislandergroup.com
What’s made Coldwell Banker successful since its inception in 1906 is the concept of keeping ethics at the forefront, said William McCartney, office manager of its Huntington branch.
The real estate franchise began in San Francisco in 1906, after the devastating earthquake and fire leveled the city. Real estate company’s preyed on those struggling to rebuild with dishonest deals. Real estate agent Colbert Coldwell recognized the need for ethics and professionalism in the industry and opened the firm with a customers-first mentality.
Today, it’s part of one of the world’s most ethical companies, Realogy Holdings Corporation, its parent company, which has been awarded that title each of the past six years by Ethisphere Institute.
Coldwell Banker has around 3,000 offices spread across 49 countries and territories, including 15 locations on Long Island, like the 3,000-square-foot Huntington location at 82 Main St., which opened in 1990.
The agency offers services like real estate transaction management for both residential and commercial properties for those clients looking to buy or sell a home, or rent or lease a property.
As part of its affiliations with groups like Guaranteed Rate Affinity, Pro National Title Agency and NRT Insurance Inc., McCartney said, “We also offer title insurance, mortgage products and homeowners insurance.”
Along with keeping ethics at the forefront, the company also has a strong presence within each of the communities it operates in, said McCartney, who also serves as Coldwell Banker’s regional vice president for Long Island and Queens.
He said, “We care about the communities that we serve. We support our communities. We do things the right way and we want to provide the best level of service that we can.”
McCartney, 43, of Levittown, started out as an assistant manager at Coldwell Banker in 2008 and became branch office manager in October 2016.
His responsibilities include guiding clientele through transactions, growing the office, and overseeing sales associates, of which there are more than 70 on staff. McCartney guides them through transactions, helps train new agents, and assists experienced agents in honing their skills.
“What I love about this is being able to help people,” McCartney said.
One of the ways he’s able to do that is through Coldwell Banker’s new AMP program, which was implemented in October as a means to increase agents’ productivity. The program began with a group of 15 agents, who were, in a matter of four weeks, able to create more than 100 appointments for themselves.
“We recognize that people want to reach their financial goals,” McCartney said. “The process itself seems easy, but all the emotions that go along with it aren’t easy to handle. You have to be able to walk people through that, and talk them off the ledge, keeping everybody on an even keel.”
