The three co-owners of Better Realty Services say their name says it all: Their real estate firm will help you have a better experience in a wide range of services, whether you want to buy a home, sell a home, rent a home, manage an investment property, sell a business or buy a business.
Although their company is only three years old, Monty Bryan, Mike Kane and Kathy Rieger bring decades of experience to Better Realty Services, located on Cypress Creek Blvd. in Wesley Chapel (off of S.R. 56, just east of I-75). They each have their own specific area of expertise.
Monty has been a Realtor in the Tampa Bay area since 1982. He started his own real estate company in Tampa Palms in 1989, called Florida Properties Tampa, Inc. He sold that business to Coldwell Banker in 1999 and continued to work at the firm. He now handles the real estate sales and purchases for Better Realty Services.
He met Kathy when she purchased her home — with Monty as her agent — in 1999. He says he recruited her to join him at Coldwell Banker, where she specialized in property management. Today, Kathy brings her property management expertise to Better Realty Services, where she manages investment properties on behalf of owners, making the process of finding tenants, collecting rent and maintaining the property much easier.
Monty and Mike first connected while their children were in preschool together, and the kids later played recreational sports on the same team. Mike launched a business in New Tampa 10 years ago called First Choice Business Brokers, helping business owners who wanted to sell or people who wanted to buy a business. Mike’s role at Better Realty Services is to continue to help business owners as they plan an exit strategy from their respective businesses.
Monty, Mike and Kathy teamed up to launch Better Realty Services in 2015 and will celebrate three years in business together in May.
“It’s synergistic,” explains Mike. “There are a lot of people who want to buy an investment property, and then, we offer professional management for that property. Or, we sometimes sell a business to an out-of-state buyer, who then may be looking for a house to move into this area.”
All three are licensed Realtors, and Mike is the Broker for the office. Because of their years of experience and commitment to hard work and the highest ethical standards, they say they can help any customer who may be interested in any of their varied services.
“We’re a boutique company,” explains Kathy. “We customize our service so that it’s personal and works for every client.”
Good Timing For A Move
Monty says that now is the time of year that the residential real estate market is the busiest.
“Most people want to move before the summer, so this is the busy season for both sales and rentals,” he says. “If you have considered putting your home on the market, this is the time of year when there is the most traffic, so my advice is to do it now.” Monty and his team can help you get your home ready to sell and price it correctly.
“If your house is in good shape and priced well,” adds Kathy, “it will sell quickly.”
Monty adds that the local real estate market has been busy for the past two or three years, after several slower years.
“It took from about 2008 to about 2015 for all of the foreclosures to clear out of the market,” he explains. “Now, we’re in a season of steady growth and lower inventory.”
While lower inventory may mean a higher price if you’re ready to sell, the team explains that it’s still a good time to buy, too. Interest rates are low, which is good for buyers, and builders are active again, offering many new home options in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel real estate markets.
Long-Term Relationships
Pauline Evans is a former New Tampa resident who now lives near the University of South Florida (USF) in a retirement home. She says she has been working with Monty and Kathy for 18 years, since Monty first helped her buy a home in Hunter’s Green in 2000.
Since then, Pauline says that Monty has been her real estate agent for several more transactions, as she purchased two investment homes in Wesley Chapel.
“My husband and I were managing our own properties, and Kathy and Monty were always there as advisers,” Pauline says. “They helped us to be entrepreneurs and manage our own properties.”
Since her husband, who was retired from the U.S. Army, passed away about three years ago, Pauline has turned her rental properties over to Better Realty Services for Kathy to manage. She says she trusts Kathy to manage her properties as well as she and her husband did, when they used to send one of their sons over to mow the lawn or fix small problems at any of their investment homes.
“Everything is in Kathy and Monty’s hands now,” she explains. “Now, they just send me a statement each month.”
Pauline says it’s much easier on her, and that the friendship and advice she has received from Monty and Kathy over the years has led to her trusting them with her investments.
“I am blessed to have these rental properties,” she explains, “which make it possible for me to live in this community, which is more expensive than living in a little house somewhere.”
Monty, Karen and Mike hope to become that trusted source of expertise for anyone in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area who is considering buying or selling their home, or an investment property, or even their business.”
Their years of experience have given them a perspective that is somewhat unique. When Monty opened the first real estate office in New Tampa in 1989, the only neighborhoods were Tampa Palms, Hunter’s Green, Pebble Creek and Williamsburg.
“I knew this area was going to grow, because I could see this area of raw land on the map,” says Monty. “But, it’s kept growing and growing, and now moved into Wesley Chapel. That’s a lot of growth in 30 years.”
Monty says with all that he’s seen over the last three decades, he still truly enjoys what he does.
Mike concurs. “I think it says a lot that we’re all still in this business after all this time.”
Better Realty Services is located at 2654 Cypress Ridge Blvd., #103. The office is open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and evenings and weekends by appointment. To reach Mike, Monty or Kathy, call (813) 793-4380. For more information, visit BetterRealtyServices.com.
No comment yet, add your voice below!