News

By Christine Davis
    
Nine South County Realtors were named on the sixth annual “Top 250” lists of U.S. agents in The Wall Street Journal/REAL Trends Thousand report. Compiled as part of a special advertising section co-sponsored by The Wall Street Journal and Real Trends, the ranking was based on either the total dollar amount of their 2011 “closed transaction volume” or on the number of closed transactions for both Realtors and Realtor teams.
    Three area Realtors ranked in the category of Top 250 sales professionals by closed transaction volume.  David W. Roberts of Royal Palm Properties in Boca Raton was ranked No. 16 on the list, with a reported transaction volume of  $148,960,275. Pascal Liguori of Premier Estate Properties in Delray Beach was ranked No. 49, with a volume of  $85,850,000 followed by Scot Karp, of Premier Estate Properties in Boca Raton, who ranked No. 132 with a volume of  $51,584,500.
    Each was also on the 2011 list. Last year, Roberts ranked No. 36 with $88,542,000; Liguori ranked No. 50 with $72,465,000 and Karp placed No. 234 with $36,992,500.
    Roberts, Royal Palm Properties broker/owner, said he’s lived and worked in the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club for more than 25 years. “I’m established in that community. When it was time to re-price the market, people listened to me because of my longevity.
    “Interestingly, last year, a lot of my clients came from within the community. People bought additional or adjoining properties, so that helped the market.”
    In 2009, Robert was No. 7 on the list with a volume of $123,938,332.
“In 2010, I was No. 36. When the banking crisis came to the forefront, people were immobilized and didn’t take action. It took them to 2011 to feel confident again.”
    Concerning this year’s volume, Roberts says he’s having a good year and is on track again.
    Broker associate Pascal Liguori of Premier Estate Properties in Delray Beach said he’s proud to have maintained his ranking on the list, and has done so for the past four years, consecutively.
 “Agents from New York and California tend to dominate the list because their price-per-property is much higher, but the market shows significant improvement from two years ago. The number of closed transactions for single-family residences is up in my area, which includes Delray Beach, Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge and Manalapan,” he said.
    “Also, sale prices are rebounding, days on the market is down and inventory of active listings for sale has gone down from a year ago. June is a benchmark, and I see I’m on track to rank on the list again in 2013.”
    Scot Karp, director of the ultra-luxury division of Premier Properties in Boca Raton, attributes his higher placement on the list to be the result of the timing of his transactions coming together.
    “I don’t see the market as getting stronger, but it’s starting to stabilize,” he said.
    “We did make more transactions in 2011, and, so far, I’m on track for similar production this year. We are seeing that the ease of lifestyle of these condominiums has drawn people.”
 One individual Realtor and two Realtor-teams also placed in two of the three additional categories. In Top 250 sales professionals by closed transaction sides, Diane Keane of Coldwell Banker Palm Beach/NRT in Delray Beach, ranked 244 with 125.25 transactions.
    In the Top 250 Teams by Closed Transaction Volume category, the Carmen D’Angelo/Joseph Liguori/Gerard Liguori team of Premier Estate Properties in Boca Raton, ranked No. 63 with a reported transaction volume of $90,512,500, followed by the Mark Nestler/John Poletto team of Nestler Poletto Sotheby’s International Realty in Boca Raton, who ranked No. 124 with a reported transaction volume of $65,385,550.
    While Real Trends requests surveys from a wide variety of sources, sales professionals who meet Real Trends’ minimum threshold of business may also request an application. A $25 application fee per person is required upon submission. Data must be verified by an independent source and staff at Real Trends reviews submissions for accuracy.
    According to the July 19, 2012, report from the Realtors’ Association of the Palm Beaches, closed single-family home sales increased 65.2 percent, up from 824 in February 2012 to 1,361 in June 2012. The median single-family home in Palm Beach County increased 18.4 percent, up from $190,000 in February to $225,000 in June. The median price of townhomes and condos increased 17.3 percent, up from $75,050 in February to $88,000 in June, and closed sales increased 37.6 percent up from 913 in February to 1,256 in June.
    In Delray Beach, June’s year-to-date closed sales were 2.6 percent lower than in June year-to-date 2011. New listings were up 12 percent. Properties were on the market for 142 days and the percentage of the original price received was 86.2 percent, representing a 2 percent increase. The median price is up 34.8 percent, to  $120,000. In Boca Raton, closed sales were down 9.8 percent. Properties were on the market for 160 days and the percentage of the original price was 86.4 percent. The median price was up 14.5 percent, to $229,000.