Guiding Local Buyers and Sellers Local Brokerage Expanding

Guiding Local Buyers and Sellers 

Local Brokerage Expanding in Market

Rich Cosner has been in the real estate business for more than four decades, with most of that experience coming in California. But after regular visits to Nashville over the past ten years, he decided to move to Middle Tennessee, first buying a ranch in Pulaski and then purchasing a local Coldwell Banker office early last year. Fast-forward to today, and Coldwell Banker Southern Realty has an office in Columbia—on the Spring Hill border—as well as another branch on Weakley Creek Rd. in Lawrenceburg.

At Coldwell Banker Southern Realty, Cosner’s agents work with both buyers and sellers, including homeowners who are looking to move up, move away, or maybe even move down. “That’s somebody where we have a lot of resources and can really help them,” begins Cosner. “We also work with buyers of homes in all price ranges, but Coldwell Banker, our brand, is especially strong in the million-dollar-plus market,” he adds. 

How Coldwell Banker Southern Realty is Different

As for the advantages that Cosner & Co. can provide sellers, it’s worth noting that Coldwell Banker has a worldwide network—and that his local offices have particularly strong outreach in California. 

“We are able to bring California buyers to our Middle Tennessee properties, and in many cases, those people are paying cash. They see tremendous value here compared to where they are leaving. We can bring buyers to them in a much more efficient way than any of our local competitors,” he explains. 

Cosner also recommends that sellers talk to his agents, “because we have a pricing strategy far different than many other firms,” he begins. “Traditionally, you would sit down with an agent, and they would bring you the comparable sales and what is on the market as a guide to how to price your home. We have found that is yesterday’s news, if you will, because, by the time a house is sold and becomes a comparable sale, probably four or five months have gone by. Our strategy is to price ahead of the market. That way, we are able to get our homeowners a lot more money for their home.”

Cosner is Looking to Hire Agents

Being relatively new on the scene, Cosner is also actively looking to add agents, both experienced and those who are new to the business. 

“We are hiring experienced people from other firms in the area,” he says, “with an eye towards people who are well-connected in the community and have a good database of past clients.” 

Cosner also has a training program that helps brand-new people get their licenses and begin a career. It provides them with everything from “technical” training—everything new licensees need to know to complete a real estate transaction—to the “sales” side of the business, as in how to attract both homeowners and buyers and begin working with them. 

But what has made Cosner and his offices exceptionally successful over the years is that he works one-on-one with all the sales professionals on his team, helping them eliminate potential roadblocks to success by focusing on a few key areas. Namely: database setup and execution; more effective time management; and doing more effective marketing. 

A Challenging Market for Buyers, But One Positive 

As for the biggest issue he sees in the Nashville market from a buyer’s perspective, well, that would be affordability. 

“There’s just not enough houses, which creates a supply problem that drives the prices upward,” begins Cosner, with sellers in Spring Hill and Columbia among the biggest beneficiaries. ”Prices are rising dramatically in these markets, but the prices are still less than Davidson and Williamson counties.”

Yet buyers do have one thing going for them—and it’s a big one. 

“Right now, buyers have the advantage of some of the lowest interest rates of the past 50 years,” says Cosner, “and as inflation gets more into our economy in the next few years, people that buy now and get a 2.5 or three percent interest rate—that’s going to look like the bargain of the century in a few years when inflation could easily push interest rates into the four, five or six percent range. Buyers who get their 30-year loan now—their payment won’t change, no matter what goes on in the real estate market.”

Through it all, Cosner & Co. will be here to help, already able to fully appreciate why so many people want to live in Middle Tennessee. 

“As much as I loved California, there is the change of seasons here, and the people are friendly, and it’s a magnificent place to live,” he concludes. “More and more people are finding that out all the time.” 

 Coldwell Banker Southern Realty
2563 Nashville Hwy., Ste. 6
Columbia, TN 38401
615-241-8888