Published

John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc./REALTORS®

Snapshot: With three sales agents and seven support staff members, John V. Pinto & Associates, Inc./REALTORS® serves the entire Silicon Valley. The firm earns 98 percent of its income through real estate and 2 percent by conducting seminars throughout the state on buyer broker and technology to REALTORS® and the public.

Firm Highlights: JOHN V. PINTO & ASSOCIATES, INC./REALTORS® recently set up an electronic mastermind system to track and assist in the entire buying and selling process, enabling staff to access files simultaneously and break transactions down into categories such as contacts, appointments, pre-presentation packages, sending maps to clients, and more. In addition to installing this system, Pinto & Associates has designed and implemented its Web page to steadily supply buyer leads. The firm also upgraded its computer system to a Windows '95, Pentium network.

Business Strategies: Having two support staff members for every sales agent, John and Ellen Pinto state they can enable their agents to concentrate on listing, buyer broker and contract presentations. "Our firm is unique in its approach to the real estate transaction as a predictable, assembly-line team effort. Everyone in our office works together to make the transaction a successful, completed escrow," says Pinto. He has divided his staff into five groups: leads management, prospect management, client management, escrow management and sphere of influence management.

Marketing Strategies: In addition to implementing more direct response advertising and interactive voice response technology, Pinto employs his counseling approach to conduct seminars on buyer broker and technology for REALTORS® and the public. "A very large percentage of my clientele over the last 25 years has been developed through homebuyer seminars I've taught at community colleges and credit unions," he notes.

Technology: The firm relies heavily on e-mail, which is used to book appointments as well as to provide home tours, CMA's and purchase agreements to clients.

Parting Shot: If you could change one aspect of the industry, what would it be? Pinto believes buyer broker should be a standard of practice. "I feel that the real estate industry treats buyers as poor sisters as opposed to sellers."  

Management:
John V. Pinto, CRB, CRS --owner, broker and CEO
Ellen S. Pinto, REALTOR®--owner and President
Market Area: Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County, San Mateo County, San Benito County, and Alameda County
Sales Agents: 3
Support Staff: 7
1997 Sales Volume: $50 million |
1998 Projected Sales: $62,500,000
Average Sales Price: $234,696

Editor's Note: In October 1999, John V. Pinto & Associates announced its affiliation with REALTY WORLD. Owned and operated by John and Ellen Pinto, the firm is now doing business as REALTY WORLD-John V. Pinto & Associates.