For Brent M. Fish, president of Fish Real Estate, the real estate is a family tradition.
Fish Real Estate was started be Fish's grandfather in 1956 and passed on to his father in the 1970s.
"The growth and success of the business was mainly due to my father since the early '70s," Fish said.
Fish took ownership of the business in 2007 and continues on in the same tradition as the two previous generations.
Fish Real Estate currently employs 30 agents and five support staff members and has recently added different divisions to offer services to meet a wide variety of client needs.
The new divisions include Fish Commercial, Cabela's Trophy Properties, Fish Auctions and rental location assistance.
Cabela's Trophy Properties, Fish said, is an affiliation with the national sporting goods chain and focuses on developing recreational properties for avid outdoorsmen.
Rental location assistance is a new area for 55-year-old company and according to Fish was added in response to the natural gas industry's impact on the area.
"It's part of an overall relocation package we offer," Fish said.
The service helps the business build long-term client relationships, particularly those relocating to the area as part of the natural gas boom.
"The majority are still renting but the percentage of buyers has gone up over time," he said. "We adapt our services to build relationships with Marcellus companies and meet the demand."
Overall Fish believes the natural gas industry has been beneficial to the area in terms of its economic impact.
"Without the Marcellus development, we would feel the impact of the national economy more," Fish said. "We would feel the same pain real estate companies are feeling all over the country."
Fish noted that while there has been a positive impact across the board from the gas industry, it has impacted the commercial side of the business a little more than the residential. He believes the industry will continue to have a positive impact going forward.
Despite the new divisions, Fish Real Estate has not neglected its core business of residential real estate.
"The core of our business has always been residential brokerage," Fish said.
In addition to customer demand, the field is constantly being reshaped by technology.
"We've spent a lot of time redesigning our website," he said, noting the increased importance of a business's web presence and use of social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.
"Technology has always been a great tool for this business," Fish said. "The internet is the first place everybody looks now when they go to start searching for properties."
Going forward, Fish hopes to continue to use technology and the connections made through the Williamsport/Lycoming Chamber of Commerce to continue to grow and enhance all of the services offered through Fish Real Estate.
Fish Real Estate is located at 1868 E. Third St., and can be reached by calling 326-1561 or 1-800-227-8978. For more information about the company, visit its website, www.fishre.com.
