Mt. Pocono – Thomas R. Wilkins, CEO, is pleased to announce the addition of Kathy Louis, Associate Broker, to the Better Homes and Gardens Wilkins & Associates family. A lifelong resident of Monroe County, Louis has been a licensed realtor since 1984 and as a broker since 1994. With more than 30 years of experience to offer clients, customers, buyers and sellers, Louis will definitely be an asset to Wilkins & Associates. Louis founded Kathy Louis Real Estate in 1997 and owned and operated the business until she recently sold the business. “Kathy sold her business and was looking for a place to call home. While Louis had an extremely successful business, the primary focus was REO work, and that went with her business. Kathy wanted to get out of the REO business, which is very demanding, and into regular and higher end home sales. Kathy is a perfect match for us,” said Wilkins. “Kathy doesn’t want the headache of owning her own business or management. Kathy simply wanted to get back to what she does best – list and sell homes built on 30-plus years of being in business.”
From 1977 through 1987, Louis ran family owned Naomi Cottages, a smaller upscale resort catering to couples and families. Louis’ duties included; advertising, management of the resort, reservations, bookkeeping, marketing, payroll, and all other phases of resort operations. “Naomi Cottages was a very prestigious cottage-style resort in the Cresco/Mountainhome area,” said Wilkins. “In its day, Naomi Cottages was the place to be, and she ran the whole complex.”
In addition to Louis’ real estate sales and business experience, she has an extensive background in real estate education, and has earned two prestigious designations – GRI, which includes taking courses GR I, II, and III; and ABR, which stands for Accredited Buyer Representative. She facilitated four training programs – FastStart, tech skills, buyer and brokerage workshops – for Coldwell Banker back in the 90s that is still in use today. “With her training courses and workshop skills, we are going to utilize Kathy in that capacity because she has the patience of a saint,” said Wilkins. “Kathy will do some teaching for us, which as everyone knows, the Wilkins organization is really big on.”
When it came time to choose a new company to work with, the choice was easy for Louis. “I’ve known Tom Wilkins my entire real estate career. He was my first manager when I started my full time career at Coldwell Banker Phyllis Rubin Real Estate 30 years ago in Mount Pocono. He was new too so we all learned our way together. About four years ago when my husband passed away, Tom and Christine came to his funeral and were so wonderful to me. It touched me that they came,” said Louis. “About a year ago when I was thinking about selling my company, I went to Tom and he gave me such good guidance and ideas. I sold my company to one of my agents in May 2016, but as months went on I knew it was time for me to move on. Tom was my first and only call. He was so excited about me joining Better Homes and Gardens Wilkins & Associates and welcomed me with open arms.”
Once Louis began meeting the other agents and staff and learning all about BHG, she realized just how welcomed she was by all and how excited she was about all BHG has to offer. “I cannot tell you how welcomed I felt by everyone,” said Louis. “The marketing at BHG is beyond anything I have ever seen in my real estate career, including Coldwell Banker. I can’t wait to share all this with my customers and clients. Superior to most for sure and I love what I do.”
Louis plans to teach at BHG, and get into relocation side of real estate, as well. “I love watching agents become more knowledgeable and confident when meeting with sellers and buyers and giving them the tools to do so. The training I’ve developed offers them the basic skills to conduct their real estate business with confidence. This training is not only about forms, but about how agents present themselves and their company to customers in order to secure the business,” Louis said. “I have never been involved in the relocation part of my business career but very excited to learn more about it. There is always so much to learn if we are open and remain teachable, and I am willing to learn.”
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Wilkins & Associates has four offices in the Pocono Mountains – Stroudsburg, Bushkill, Milford and Mount Pocono – and handles home sales and rentals in a six county region. Starting the business in 1988 with only three people in Mount Pocono, Wilkins has remained a leader in the Pocono real estate industry. All offices are open seven days a week. To learn more about Better Homes and Gardens Wilkins & Associates, visit the website at www.BHGWilkins.com.