Herald-Tribune - December 18, 2006

Business buzz

Saunders bucks slow real estate trends

The housing market may have gone into slow-mo, but one office doing $20 million in contracts in one day suggests that all traction has not been lost.

That is how much housing value the downtown office of Michael Saunders & Co. took to contract during one very busy day last week – more than $20 million in combined sales.

The following Realtors took part in the marathon: Debra Pitell, Kim and Michael Ogilvie, Phyllis Garfinkle, Marianne LeBar and Pat Mudgett.

“These associates are veterans of the company and the region’s real estate market,” said Gary Loughlin. “They’ve seen plenty of ups and downs and know that a sluggish market yields positive results to those who price their homes realistically.”

Saunders, based in Sarasota, reported sales of $3 billion in 2005. Divided by the number of agents, that worked out to $5.99 million a piece, putting the company in ninth place among all brokerages nationwide for individual agent productivity.

- Michael Pollick