By Sandra Farmer
Owning a home is a dream that should be within every family’s reach, according to the team at SBR Realty on West State Street in Trenton.
Owners Fareeda Stokes and Shelly Bryant-Reed opened the office at 849 W. State St. last August, and the duo said they have been directing their efforts toward new prospective homeowners, as well as repeat buyers.
Both born and raised in Trenton, they met at a local company in the area a few years ago and found that they shared a vision of helping people become homeowners. SBR stands for “Selling, Buying and Renting,” according to the office’s Web site. It also happens to be Bryant-Reed’s initials. They have been in business for five years.
Formerly a business analyst in the computer industry, Bryant-Reed said she became interested in real estate because she wanted work that was more fulfilling.
“We wanted to do something to help people and to educate the community about gaining wealth through real estate investment and home ownership,” Bryant-Reed said.
One of their goals, she said, is to encourage first-time homebuyers and other people interested in making real estate investments. For example, a seminar was scheduled at the office in June focusing on first-time buyers, the $8,000 tax credit available to them and the steps involved in purchasing a home.
“We’ve been focusing energy on people who are not educated about real estate,” the owners said.
The team includes five agents and an administrative assistant, and has sold homes as far as Camden County and South Jersey. Stokes, Bryant-Reed and several other team members have been awarded Circle of Excellence Awards from the Mercer County Association of Realtors, which recognize levels of sales achievements.
Although the real estate market has slowed nationally, they said it is still “vibrant” in the Trenton area.
“It had slowed down a bit but is picking up again,” Bryant-Reed said. “People are trying to buy houses.”
The team tries to determine the needs of their clients to find the right home for each family, she said.
Recently, they have been working with the developer Leewood Homes to sell their final Trenton properties, which are new construction two-family houses that homeowners can use as an investment; living in one unit and renting the other.
“We have the same vision; we are all about the people.” “People don’t know where to start; we are acting as a resource.”
Seminars on various topics in real estate and home ownership will be offered at the office throughout the summer. For more information, go online to sbrrealtypros.com or call (609) 392-0600.
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