Pauline Bennett recently was appointed as president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New England. Most recently the president of Coldwell Banker in the Carolinas, she will oversee 85 real estate offices and 4,000 affiliated sales associates in the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island.
In Providence, Coldwell Banker recently opened a sales office on the East Side. A native of Connecticut, Bennett is a graduate of St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. She spoke to the Providence Business News this week about what lies ahead.
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PBN: You most recently led Coldwell Banker’s offices in South Carolina and North Carolina. Why were you interested in New England?
BENNETT: I’m a native of New England. I was born and raised in Connecticut. I went to school in New Hampshire. I’ve got deep roots in this area.
PBN: What are the priorities for Coldwell Banker in Rhode Island?
BENNETT: We want to continue to [recruit] quality agents, provide great support to the agents we have, and to continue to provide a great experience for our customers.
PBN: Are you in the commercial market as well?
BENNETT: We are also in commercial. We have agents who [handle] commercial real estate throughout the Northeast footprint. It’s a nice fit. Very often people who have residential needs also have commercial needs.
PBN: In Rhode Island, the past few years have been characterized by low inventory in listed homes. Is this part of a national issue?
BENNETT: Shrinking inventory has absolutely been felt in other parts of the country. It’s the age-old … logjam, where sometimes sellers are reluctant to put their home on the market until they’ve identified some place to go to. After Q1, we started to see more activity.
PBN: What is the argument for creating new housing?
BENNETT: The argument for that is just the age-old market principle of demand. What millennials want is sometimes something that’s new. There’s a part of the market that wants that new product. There is a huge segment of the market that appreciates the charm and the craftsmanship of our turn-of-the-century homes, but the desire for new product … is [strong].
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
