Office building going up in Goshen

Realtor expands, looks for new manager Goshen — Real Estate Solutions, a professional affiliation of R.J. Smith Realty and D.L. Hawkins and Associates, is planning to open a 10,000-square-foot office building at the corner of West Main and Matthews Streets in the Village of Goshen. Construction is already underway, with completion expected in the fall. With its strategic location and high visibility just off of Route 17, the new building will house Real Estate Solutions’ central Orange County office, in addition to having office suites available for lease. “The Goshen office is going to be the focal point of Real Estate Solutions’ growth,” said R.J. Smith. Real Estate Solutions also recently kicked off plans for a new electronic marketing initiative that includes targeted e-brochures and a newly designed Web site that includes more than 11,000 searchable, active listings. According to the National Association of Realtors, roughly 75 percent of buyers found their home through the Internet, realtor resources, or for sale signs. Buyers have moved on from more the traditional forms of marketing, Smith said. The e-brochures are designed to reach more potential property buyers within a large geographic area that includes the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, the New York City area, western Connecticut and northern New Jersey. Real Estate Solutions has built an extensive database of hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses. “Instead of waiting for potential buyers to come through the door or to make a phone call, Real Estate Solutions is sending the listings directly into their homes,” said Dave Hawkins of D.L. Hawkins and Associates. The company is also expanding its team to include a new manager of brokerage services. The additional position, which has not yet been filled, is part of Real Estate Solutions’ 2008 expansion plan. The candidate selected will be charged with helping to develop and elevate the skills of the staff. Real Estate Solutions has done business in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties since the early 1970s. In that time it has helped sell $2 billion worth of real estate.