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280 281 COLDWELL BANKERWALLACE &WALLACE REALTORS ment with a mortgage company. About 90 per- cent of the business is residential and 10 percent commercial. Rentals in the property management division include about 300 single family homes and some small commercial properties. “Our emphasis has been on the upper brack- et of the market,” says George Wallace, “with an average sales price, company-wide, of $215,000; the Knoxville average is around $205,000. In our core business, higher production offices, sales are closer to $300,000, which is significantly higher than the market. Our typical customer is someone who lives here and is in an upper-mid-level posi- tion, buying a $300,000 home, with 2.2 kids and a dog - and maybe a parakeet.” According to Jim Wallace, the company excels in three areas that separate it from other real estate companies in this market. “One strength is our superior training programs in the region. The other is support from brokers and staff to sup- port our agent base. And the third is a marketing department that reaches out to serve our agents’ needs.We have an ongoing training program for new agents, for experienced agents, top agents – we do training for all different skill sets.We have a history of agents staying with us for a long time. Some have been with us for 30 years, quite a few over 20, and we’ve built those relationships.We’re partners with our agents in helping them grow their business and retain it.” George adds,“We’ll add 100 agents this year,many of whom come to us as experienced Realtors who see the value in our services. We’ve had the luxury of hav- ing both long-term relation- ships and new people enter- ing the business.We’re really blessed by that.” Claudia Stallings, Vice Pres- ident of Residential Sales, concurs, “One advantage of being in business so long and being a pillar of the real estate community is we have a reputation for success. Of course, the Coldwell Banker name is recognized by cli- ents across the globe, and the other thing that sets us apart from other real estate firms is that we are all about agent success.We have re- lationships with our agents and they choose us. When One advantage of being in business so long and being a pil- lar of the real estate community is we have a reputation for success. CLAUDIA STALLINGS, VICE PRESIDENT OF RESIDENTIAL SALES