Real estate contraction

Posted: Monday, Jan 05, 2009 - 11:15:15 pm PST
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By PATRICK O'BRIEN
staff writer 

SHAWN GUST/Press Century 21 Beutler and Associates announced Monday that it will be consolidating its Post Falls real estate office with the Coeur d'Alene location on Northwest Boulevard.

Century 21 consolidates North Idaho offices

COEUR d'ALENE -- The shrinking economy is continuing to take its toll upon the real estate industry in North Idaho. Century 21 Beutler & Associates announced on Monday that it will consolidate the company's Post Falls office with its real estate offices in Coeur d'Alene. The consolidation will take place on Feb. 2.

"The timing is right -- we now have the space to accommodate the Post Falls agents and this move will allow for greater synergy, and cost savings, said John Beutler, Century 21 owner. "Given current market conditions and the economic climate, this is a fiscally responsible thing to do," he said.

Approximately 30 real estate agents, the office manager and customer service staff will move to the company's Coeur d'Alene campus, which consists of two large office buildings off Northwest Boulevard. Beutler said that no employees had been displaced by the consolidation.

"I think everyone has got to be responsible for what they're doing with their own business," said Beutler, "And we are trying to be as responsible as we can."

Century 21 is not the first Post Falls real estate agency to consolidate offices in recent months.

In November, Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty closed its Post Falls and North Coeur d'Alene locations and relocated its agents into two offices on Northwest Boulevard. At that time, the realty company announced that it would be laying off any part-time employees.

Century 21 Beutler & Associates opened the Post Falls office in 2004 during an upswing in the real estate market.

In 2006 the company built a 20,000-square-foot office building adjacent to their Northwest Boulevard office. The building housed real estate agents and Kootenai Title. In 2007, Kootenai Title relocated to Northwest Place on Northwest Boulevard.

Beutler said many of the Post Falls agents had originated in the Coeur d'Alene offices prior to the 2004 expansion, and returning would provide them better opportunities for communication and networking.

"We are very excited about having our Post Falls agents join the Coeur d'Alene agents," Beutler said. "It will create great energy for everyone."

There are no plans to consolidate any other offices within the company. The Post Falls building will be available for lease.

Looking to what 2009 will bring, Beutler said there was a number of positive things in the market referencing the steep drops in gasoline prices, as well as the election, which he described as a positive change irrespective of party affiliation.

"A lot of the decisions we made here over the last several years, have got us to the No. 1 office in the world for Century 21," said Beutler, referencing a 2007 recognition of some 8,000 Century 21 offices worldwide. "We're not going anywhere," he said.