As principal broker for Sunriver Realty, John Fettig’s job is not without its challenges. On November 19, Fettig had what he anticipated to be the problematic task of informing his agents the company would be consolidating its operations to Sunriver, vacating the Bend office by the end of November.
“We opened the office in Bend in 2001 after experiencing an expanding market,” says Fettig. “That was before we developed Caldera Springs and had growth in activity in surrounding areas. Although we experienced many good years, the last year and a half has seen a decline and we think there’s a good chance that will continue for awhile. We just looked at the situation and decided there was no need to oversee two offices, concluding we could serve our clients and brokers just as effectively from one.”
Fettig goes on to explain that operating two separate offices created much duplication of overhead, saying, “When the market was stronger, that was justifiable, but now we just had to say no, this doesn’t make sense to be spread so thin.”
After speaking with his agents, reiterating the move to Sunriver made sense from a business standpoint, Fettig gave them a choice. They could remain with the Sunriver Realty team and be based in Sunriver, which still made it possible to serve clients throughout Central Oregon, or they could relocate to Coldwell Banker in Bend.
“We made arrangements with Al Eastwood at Coldwell Banker,” says Fettig. “They’re a great company with a similar culture to ours and have been around a long time. We worked it out so the agents could have a choice instead of being out on the street hunting for a job, resulting in an easy transition for them and their clients. Even though it’s a challenging situation that has been disruptive for the team, they understood and everyone sees a positive future. We’ll re-lease the building in Bend and should experience no gap in service for our clients and brokers. It’s going to be pretty seamless.”
Visitors and clients to the Sunriver Realty office in Sunriver experience a welcoming ambiance that boasts a spacious lobby and conference room. The 8,000-square-foot building, designed by BBT Architects and built by Sun West builders was specifically conceived as a real estate office.
“The building was designed with lots of natural light, so even on a dark winter day, it’s a very pleasant place to be,” says Fettig. “Our agents have access to thousands of visitors who come to Central Oregon and for many, Sunriver Resort is their first experience, enhanced by our reputation as a resort, our marketing and all we do to bring people to the region. It’s great for our agents because they have the opportunity to meet a lot of people, some of whom want to look at real estate, either in Sunriver, Caldera Springs or Bend. The point is it’s a great place of introduction.”
Fettig goes on to explain how consolidating to the Sunriver Realty office makes sense for a myriad of reasons. A mere 20-minute commute from Bend (and a very scenic one at that), part of the space is utilized by Bellatazza Coffee and the Jeld Wen Tradition golf tournament.
“One of the best things about the office in Sunriver is that people have access to a nice culture here,” he says. “They can go next door to Bellatazza for a great cup of coffee. People can pick up a copy of The High Standard at our office, at various outlets through Sunriver Resort or at the airport, in addition to being in 500 hotel rooms and condos we own or manage.”
Reiterating that difficult times can bring out the best in people, Fettig is proud of his team of agents and how they have handled the change, not only in the transitional move to Sunriver but at the Coldwell Banker office in Bend. Looking ahead toward the future, he says, “Because we’re part of Sunriver Resort, we have diversification and are in a great position to ride out the downturn. While it doesn’t make sense for us to have two large offices with added overhead, it does make sense for us to consolidate and ride it out. Our Sunriver agents welcome the Bend agents with open arms and the sense of teamwork and support has been amazing and very humbling. I’m confident we’ll come out the other end stronger than ever.”
Information: 541/593-7000, www.sunriverrealty.com and www.calderasprings.com
