Brian Leavitt

About Us:

Brian Leavitt founded Northstone Real Estate Inc. and Northstone Mortgage in 1996 as a boutique real estate and mortgage firm with the purpose of providing excellence in real estate and mortgage representation. After more than a decade in the real estate business Brian realized that there was a disconnect between the real estate and mortgage industries. Nearly every buyer needed a loan to buy their home and yet few if any Realtors had any substantial knowledge of the mortgage business. Brian had long ago discovered the importance of carefully prequalifying buyers for their ability to obtain financing and to carefully screen the buyers purchasing his listings because frequently people were very ill informed about not only the mortgage products available to them but even their ability to obtain financing. Since real estate and mortgage are so integrally tied together this made no sense at all. This was the start of a great idea which quickly led to the concept of integrated real estate and mortgage services.

One Call Two Great Companies

Before Northstone opened for business Leavitt and his wife Diane Leavitt, sat down and carefully outlined who they envision Northstone to be. The basics have always been really very simple. They outlined their values and decided that these are their corporate culture:

Personally their priorities are in this order:

•· God

•· Family

•· Work

Professionally they looked at how these values are carried forward in everything they do. They encourage every Associate and Employee of Northstone (our Team) in these ways. Although they do not and will not ever require anyone to profess the faith that they do they know that there are certain truths that simply underlay all of human nature. They believe that the spiritual component of everyone's life is the most important component. This is the core of our beings. Whether someone believes in God or not, the idea is that spiritually we understand that we are not the center of the universe. The world does not revolve around us. It is crucial to our happiness to have a focus beyond ourselves. These priorities are not in conflict with each other. For us, as an example, our first priority is our faith in Jesus Christ who understands that it is crucial that we care for our family as a primary component of our calling and that the work that we do, although third in priority, is a reflection of our faith. All three are in complete unity. We are very focused on supporting these values throughout the organization and in the level of service, care and diligence we provide our clients.

Professionally our priorities are very straight forward:

•· Client interest always comes before self interest.

•· We always take the high road in every decision we make.

•· Our customer service is based on the concept that the customer is always right.

•· We choose who we will serve based upon our ability to deliver the desired outcome to satisfy the needs of our client and the transaction, not strictly on the basis of a client's ability to pay.

•· We require our Team to adhere to precise standards of practice.

Our objective is to create a unique opportunity for our clients and our Team. Looking at the industry around us we see two primary brokerage models and three types of company structures.

•· The two models are "the big box broker" which is characterized by a large company with regimented and impersonal systems built around maximizing the number of transaction regardless of the failure or success rates of both agents and clients. Obviously their desire is to avoid the "collateral damage" of failed agent careers and failed sales because it is more profitable to have success, but there is a lack of regard to the personal consequences of these failures and as the systems are brought into focus to minimize they experience a diminishing return on investment.

•· The second group of companies are the small independent brokers who often desire to offer a very high level of service but frequently become discount brokers as a method of competing with "the big boys" They soon discover as they reduce fees for service they must increase the number of transactions they close to make up for lost revenue which results in a spiral downward of diminished customer satisfaction ultimately leading to lost client base which leads to heavier discounts, and on and on. The model works right up to the point that they must diminish service. When the service goes away so do the customers. The exception is the "one person shop" that controls overhead, usually based out of the brokers home, which by controlling overhead allows a sustained higher level of service but limits the professional contacts and resources that a commercial location and perspective offer.

The three types of company structures are:

•· The dependent company: This Company is the classic "big box broker" who creates a corporate culture of the company as all important. They instill in their agents the attitude that the agent's success is strictly a matter of company success spilling over onto the agent. Without them the agent is not successful. They often limit the agent's growth in many ways and encourage it in others PROVIDED it is in the company's best interest. Very corporate. There is little or no opportunity for innovation. These offices often have very good training programs but very little in terms of mentoring or serious coaching. In most instances these offices are franchise or corporate owned entities.

•· The independent company: These are what you typically hear of as the "100%" shops. The agent bears the risk but receives a higher percentage of commissions. Often there is very little structure or training and frequently little control over the agent's actions. If an agent has a desire to be a "shark" this is the place. A good place for the entrepreneur type of agent because there is a high level of independence and opportunity for innovation, but every agent is in, essence by the way they function, a separate brokerage. In a way the consumer never really knows what they are going to get. These offices are a mix of franchise and independent offices and usually have a very minimal level of training and support.

•· The Interdependent Company: This Company is characterized by an attitude of mutual success. One cannot succeed without the other. The company works to create a positive working environment to support, train and encourage the agents and realizes that one is not successful without the other. This is the team environment. Agents are always encouraged to be an entrepreneur and encouraged to support the company image for the benefit of all. This company is also characterized by profit sharing with the agents and is always looking for ways to creatively grow. The interdependent company is also well known for their willingness to train and mentor agents. The company and agent are not in competition with each other and there is not an "us vs. them" attitude often seen in other brokerage models. These offices are by far the minority in the business and are usually franchise offices.

Northstone is an interdependent Company. The first thing we look for in the agents and employees we hire is their personal integrity. We are reminded of a call we received from a perspective agent a number of years ago. After a lengthy telephone conversation and scheduling an appointment for a personal interview we asked if he had any specific questions or concerns. He said he had one. " I understand that is sales and especially in real estate it is necessary to tell a white lie once in a while" We asked him "how do you feel about that?" He replied that he was "OK" with that. We advised him we had nothing to discuss and that he did not qualify to work here. The correct answer is that "I could never do that" We are not saying that this person could not change and that there is no opportunity for them in the real estate business but we train and mentor agents in real estate and do not characterize ourselves as in the rehab field.

If you are looking for representation taken to a higher level Northstone may be right for you. We are very careful to position ourselves carefully to serve our clients best interests. To pay close attention to their specific needs and to provide creative solutions that best serve their needs. If you as our client do not believe that we are the best match and offer the best solution then we wisth you all the best and will even go so far as assisting you in connection with the best service provider; the best solution for your need possible.

We welcome your inquiries and look forward to the opportunity to be of service.

Brian & Diane Leavitt and the entire Northstone Team

Brian Leavitt, a Licensed Real Estate Broker and Licensed Mortgage Broker representing Northstone Real Estate Inc, and Northstone Mortgage.

Brian serves clients within the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

You can contact Brian directly by phone at 800-806-3145 or by email at brian@northstone.net. Click here to view his client newsletter.

Brian is licensed with the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions License number 510-MB-19802 and is a member of the Seattle King County Association of Realtors and Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

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"people who say one person can't be proficient in many areas really have limited bandwidth" s.b. Microsoft Corporation

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