Nelson Taylor Continues Reinvention With William Raveis Venture
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
William Raveis maintains its rapid expansion into Rhode Island, partnering with former travel writer and top-producing Residential Properties agent Nelson Taylor for the opening of a Providence office. The company’s RI franchise, William Raveis Chapman Enstone, opened its first office in the Ocean State 5 years ago, as new partner Nelson Taylor said, “Just when the market started to tank.”
“But we’ve grown consistently over those 5 years opening a new office each year,” Taylor said. “In a world of real estate doom and gloom, we’re growing when other companies are tightening their budgets and even closing offices.”
Providence Office
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Providence team will be led by Chris Bilotti, a local CPA and real estate investor, and Taylor who will work as a sales agent and the broker owner of the office. David Enstone, who is majority owner of WRCE, will serve as principal broker.
The new location is in the circa 1750 Corliss House, located at 203 South Main Street across from the Cable Car Cinema. Occupied for many years by Gower & Company, Gower is now in the process of merging with WRCE.
A freelance travel writer for Details, Men’s Health and countless others, Taylor came to real estate out of necessity. After 9/11, he remembers, the bottom fell out of travel writing as it did for so many businesses. Advertising dried up, magazines cut budgets and Taylor and his wife were expecting their first son.
“Between the lack of work and the thought that a career in travel writing might not be the best idea for a new father,” Taylor said, “I got my real estate license and hit the ground running.”
He added with a laugh, “It’s amazing how effectively a baby can motivate an adult.”
From Travel to Real Estate
Properly motivated, Taylor worked at Residential Properties for a decade, built his own business—the Taylor Group—and became one of the company’s top-producing agents.
“Residential Properties gave me my first shot in real estate,” Taylor said. “I will be forever indebted to them for the opportunity.”
But as the Taylor Group grew, Nelson Taylor began to better understand the local market and look for greater opportunities for his clients. As a partner in the WRCE franchise, Taylor remains an agent in Providence County while expanding his brand throughout Rhode Island.
“Not all real estate is bad news,” the affable Taylor said.
Still, he admitted, despite record low mortgage rates and rising affordability in most U.S. housing markets, 2012 is shaping up to be a challenging year.
“Financial markets have tightened,” he said, “so while a borrower might have qualified for a loan 6 years ago, he or she might not today, regardless of financial profile.”
Taylor is careful to point out that borrowers aren’t the only ones suffering through tighter regulations. Condos and multi-family homes are generally much more difficult to finance than they were 6 years ago.
“Many people are forced to rent,” Taylor said. “Some are simply choosing to rent.”
Where is the Market Headed
Pressed for a forecast, Taylor is optimistic: “My prediction is that the investment market is going to return to Providence in 2012 as investors seek to take advantage of soft sales prices and a strong rental trend.”
If the whole real estate thing doesn’t work out, Taylor might have a revived writing career to look forward to. A book he published 10 years ago called American Bizarro is currently being turned into a reality show.
“It's a compendium of the most unique gatherings, conferences and contests across the country,” Taylor said. “The book was fun to write and got great reviews, but sales were sluggish at best.”
Taylor’s literary agent contacted him recently to tell him that Apostle, actor Denis Leary’s production company, was interested in purchasing the book rights.
Taylor smiled and said, “The pilot is currently in production, so that's a fun twist but,” he added, “real estate is my life.”
The Providence office is number 5 for William Raveis Chapman Enstone. The others are located in Newport, East Greenwich, Little Compton and Bristol. Residents started to see the pale blue Raveis signs popping up in their neighborhoods in mid-December. With any luck, buyers—especially those who subscribe to Nelson Taylor’s brand of buoyancy—will follow.
Related Articles
- Real Estate News: Good Word on Housing
- Signs of Life in Commercial Real Estate Market
- 6 Gorgeous Penthouses
- Newport Luxury Inn Makes Conde Nast 2012 Gold List
- The Most Expensive Condo in RI
- Chanler Inn Chosen as Luxury CEO’s Top Getaway
- Newport Mansion Luxury Is Yours, for a Price
- NEW: Lila Delman Real Estate Hosts Economic Summit
- NEW: RI Real Estate Bucks National Trend - Up
- Making the Case for Real Estate
