For David Lorenze and Mark Nesselroad, principals of commercial real estate company Black Diamond Realty LLC, starting a residential brokerage was a no-brainer for the pair.
“We grew to be the commercial bridge with national [commercial real estate] firms and had formed a great team,” Nesselroad said. “We saw an opportunity to serve the residential market.
“Our outreach makes us different.”
Lorenze agreed.
“We are excited to utilize Black Diamond Realty’s presentation, process and people to develop a new organization focused on residential brokerage services,” Lorenze said. “Securing a well-respected, strong leader was a critical first step.”
The result of that opportunity is the recent formation of White Diamond Realty LLC, Black Diamond’s new real estate arm. And to lead their new residential venture as its broker, the principals tapped Melissa Berube, a veteran Morgantown area realtor who was the 2019 president of the Morgantown Board of Realtors.
“Melissa brings to the table a strong reputation, a charming demeanor and an unwavering work ethic, which we are confident will lead to tremendous results. … We are excited to see what the future holds and appreciate the community’s support,” Lorenze said.
At White Diamond, Berube, who has been selling homes for nearly two decades, is being tasked with recruiting and building a team of seasoned agents who know the local real estate market and are tech savvy. The White Diamond agents will be based at Black Diamond’s Stewartstown Road headquarters.
“I am excited to be building something new,” said Berube, who was previously with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Cheat Lake office.
“I am working on the foundations now,” she said. “Our goal is to become a boutique agency that emphasizes quality over quantity.”
Berube said she is looking at recruiting more than a dozen agents at White Diamond, a goal she hopes to accomplish by spring. She sees White Diamond’s niche mostly as second-time home buyers, or transition buyers who are new to the area.
“Experience is always good, but I would consider a newbie,” said Berube, when asked about the kind of residential agent she hopes to recruit.
The agents who join White Diamond will be incentivized and encouraged to work together as a team — a concept important to Black Diamond, she added.
“For us, it’s all about team building,” said Nesselroad, who also serves as the chief operating and legal officer of developer Glenmark Holding LLC. “Starting a residential company has been in the backs of our minds for a while.”
It also helps to have Berube as its residential broker, he said.
“We have full faith and confidence in Melissa Berube to lead our team.”
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