It’s more like a merger.

Holly Weisberg-Louk, owner of Five 1 Five realty, now has both an east and a west office in downtown Webster City.

When the Neighborhood Realty sign disappeared, it might have felt like there were fewer people to handle real estate in Webster City. But that is far from true. In fact all the agents for both Neighborhood Realty and Five 1 Five Realty are still working the real estate market– even the former owner of Neighborhood Realty, Stacy Wearda.

Wearda is now one of seven agents who are working with Weisberg.

It’s closer to a marriage, with each bringing children to the relationship.

But Wearda is taking a step back, selling the building to Weisberg, leaving the business of managing the business to her.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” she explained, “I now have 3 grandkids, and I didn’t want to be the broker ‘in charge.'”

It was official in April, when Wearda and Weisberg-Louk closed on the building located at 711 2nd St. The agents who worked for Wearda are remaining in this building. The eastern location, located at 633 2nd St., is where the original agents for Five1Five realty are located.

So the team has merged into one. The agents are Janell Powgnas, Heather Reck, Heather Stewart, Jill Burtnett and Destiny Cortes. Broker Associates are Wearda, Jill Burtnett and Weisberg-Louk.

Everyone is concerned about the local housing market, with few new houses being built. Many potential buyers look online to see if there is anything interesting.

“The first thing is to pick a real estate agent,” said Weisberg-Louk.

She advised that if you see something on Zillow or other real estate websites, to be careful not to click on a link to see more information.

“Once a buyer does that, they will be locked into whoever has paid the most for their placement through the website,” she continued.

“Ask around about agents, don’t sign off on an agreement just because you want to see the house.”

Both Wearda and Weisberg agreed to be cautious of the online agreements. Once an online agent has an agreement signed, they can’t switch agents.

“Don’t be scared…..we’ll be your advocate,” Wearda said.

“I think we’ve hit our low point,” said Weisberg-Louk, “Sellers are at premium pricing; buyers are more cautious.”

Higher cost housing is a much slower market, she said.

“But those high end homes are worth it,” jumped in Wearda,

And both ladies recommend getting to know the agents, explore the options, and work with the local real estate companies. They really want everyone to find the home of their dreams.

And what else do they want?

“We want to drive home how excited we are!” Weisberg-Louk concluded.