Bucks County Spotlight: Keith Reilly

No matter what type of market we're in, housing is always a hot topic. Whether searching for the perfect home, deciding whether to renovate an existing property, or just checking on the value of our investments, we could often use the expertise of a real estate agent. That's why Keith Reilly immediately caught our attention. Through the many mediums of social technology- blogging, Facebook, & YouTube to name a few- Keith is reaching out to the community to offer his help. We caught up with him to ask a few questions about his childhood in Bucks County, his business, & his predictions for the Bucks County housing market.

BH: Where did you grow up in Bucks County & what high school did you go to?

KR: I grew up in the family friendly suburbs of Yardley and attended school in the Pennsbury School District.

BH: When did you decide to join the Marines?

KR: I decided to join the Marines when I was a young boy playing with GI Joes in the backyard of my parents house. Boyhood fantasies turned into reality when I enlisted at 18 years old.

BH: What did you miss most about Bucks while you were in Iraq?

KR: What I missed most about Bucks County while I was in Iraq was my family. Of course I also missed all the great shopping, dining, green grass, changing season and the fact that you don’t really come across much sand in Bucks County 🙂

BH: Do you think your Marine training helps in your Real Estate career? How so?

KR: Of course! The Marines train you to think clearly in the most difficult situations. For most people, their home is the largest investment they have and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the purchase of a home they will spend many years living in often times causes a lot of anxiety for both buyers and sellers. It’s up to me to make sure that my clients make smart decisions when it comes to the purchase or sale of their home and that it runs as smoothly as possible. That can be a source of anxiety for me because I know people are depending on me to make it happen. My training helps me to service my clients effectively no matter what problems may arise.

BH: Did you always know you wanted to move back to Bucks after finishing your career in the Marines?

KR: I thought I wanted to travel the world, but after seeing what different parts of the world are like I can honestly say there is nothing like home sweet home in Bucks County, PA

BH: How did you decide to go into Real Estate?

KR: I was passed a copy of the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad while I was sitting in a bunker and bored out of my mind. The book basically outlines how someone can generate vast amounts of wealth through real estate. Since I didn’t know what I was going to be doing when I left the military, I thought I would jump head first into real estate to see what all this real estate investing talk is all about. I’ve been doing real estate ever since.

BH: Your clients are raving about you! What's your secret?

KR: Real Estate is a referral business. The more your clients are happy with your work, the more likely they are to refer you. In order to make my clients happy, I work as hard as I can to give them the best service possible when they are buying or selling a home. It’s a win-win situation.

BH: Favorite town in Bucks County?

KR: Doylestown Boro is definitely the best. Plenty of dining, shopping and nightlife along with excellent parking.

BH: When a homebuyer new to the area comes to you for advice about Bucks, what do you make sure to always tell them?

KR: When a new home buyer turns to me for advice about Bucks County, I make sure to always tell them to make a list of what is most important to them in the purchase of a new home. I then sit down with the potential buyer and try to match up logical locations and price points based off of what they are telling me. There are as many unique places to live in Bucks County as there are unique buyers. Knowing what you want is many times the hardest decision to make. That’s what I help my clients with first.

BH: What are the latest home & real estate market trends in Bucks County Real Estate?

KR: Open floor plans are really what every home buyer out there is looking for today, and you see that with all your new construction. High ceilings, hard wood floors, master suites and solid surface counter tops are also in high demand. As far as the Bucks County market, things are looking up. Single family resale for April of 2010 shows a median price of $283,000 as compared to the median price of $275,000 for April of 2009(TREND MLS). I expect things to slowly improve over time as the glut of inventory continues to slowly but surely be reduced. You are not going to see drastic appreciation anytime soon but I see the inventory thinning out and the market slowly improving over the next two years.

BH: What lies ahead for Keith Reilly

KR: Recently married, I would like to start a family in the next few years. Professionally, my business continues to grow at a steady pace and I attribute that to passionate referrals and my growing internet presence. Oh by the way….I’m never too busy for your referrals!