Joanne Breen
Owner, ERA Sargis-Breen Real Estate Co.
Age: 67
Experience: 36 years
Joanne Breen began her career as a teacher in Glastonbury public schools and took a break for the birth of her son. When she returned to the workforce three years later, she changed course and "fell into" a job as a Realtor. It turned out to be a good long-term fit, and Breen’s commitment to the industry has steadily increased over the years. The broker-owner of ERA Sargis-Breen Real Estate Co. in Newington, Breen is president-elect of the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors (GHAR), a post she assumes in January. Breen has been active in the organization in a wide variety of leadership positions over the past two decades. The organization covers a 57-community territory and has more than 4,000 members.
Q: You’ve seen five straight months of increases in single-family sales volume within the association’s territory. Is that a sign of true momentum and what is the reason for the recovery?
A: What’s keeping it going is the buying public has a sense, and it’s an accurate sense, that we have really hit the bottom price-wise, and it can’t go any lower. And the (mortgage) rates cannot be sustained at this level forever. The buyers that were on the sidelines are going for it.
Q: How did the spring sales season compare to 2014?
A: A lot busier, a lot more Internet inquiries. I personally have never been a huge proponent of open houses as far as how much good they do the homeowner. It’s a good way to get a feel for what people are saying about the house, but this year they had a lot of value.
Q: Where are the hot spots in the Greater Hartford market?
A: West Hartford, without a doubt, has come back very strong. Good properties that are priced well do not stay on the market. Blue Back Square has done wonders for West Hartford. Glastonbury also has been strong, and I think Farmington Valley. When you get into the higher price ranges, those are the stronger areas. In Newington and Wethersfield, when you’re under $300,000, those properties are moving quickly.
Q: What issues are most important to GHAR on the state level?
A: We really have a strong government affairs committee with good leadership in that area. We worked for a long time on the foreclosure by market sale bill that finally was passed. The carbon monoxide detector bill originally was very restrictive and required the fire marshal to sign off. GHAR was instrumental in voicing concerns that it could delay sales. That helped to make the final bill that came out to be much more workable for us.
Q: Which priorities still need to be addressed?
A: A lot of us are required to do broker price opinions for the lenders. It’s a very different process than an appraisal, yet it does take some time. And the way the state law is set up, we can’t charge for those. We’re charged with doing this service for the lenders and we have to do it for free. A lot of our members are in areas with lots of foreclosure sales and these people are required to do these. Usually it is properties that are coming up for foreclosure, but it also applies to pre-foreclosures and short sales where that’s happening.
Q: Have you seen any effect on the housing market from the launch of the CTfastrak dedicated busway corridor from New Britain to Hartford?
A: We’ve got it here in Newington and I haven’t ridden on it myself. We’re thought about doing this as an office tour. I don’t know that it’s been around long enough to make a difference. I do hear a lot of people talking about it. The commuter parking lot looks pretty full, so people are taking advantage of it. How it’s going to make a difference in the desirability of housing, I don’t really know yet.
Q: What’s the biggest way technology is changing Realtors’ jobs?
A: One of the main things we’ve done and we offer as a free service to members is: all of our contract forms are done online through Zipform. We provide that free for members. Some of the banks are still resistant on that, it’s mainly just the foreclosures. It has changed my life dramatically. It’s a wonderful service. I had a young doctor (as a client) and he was never around his scanner, and he was able to sign forms on his iPhone. It was huge for him.
Breen’s Top 5 Favorite Books
- "To Kill A Mockingbird," Harper Lee
- "Catcher in the Rye," J.D. Salinger
- "This Much I Know is True," Wally Lamb
- "The Godfather," Mario Puzo
- "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald
