When J. Carroll Molloy Sr. hung his first real estate shingle in 1916 in Bucks County, the price of eggs was 20 cents a dozen and bread was four cents a loaf.
The world has changed immensely in the 100 years since. What hasn’t changed is the business philosophy of the firm that bears his name, J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor, which is rooted in satisfying customers’ needs by providing unparalleled real estate service in a very personal way. The foundation of that approach remains as rock solid as so many of the historic residential and commercial structures in and around Doylestown, whose Main Street has served as the company’s headquarters since 1930.
One of the professionals leading J. Carroll Molloy into its next 100 years of success is Chris Nisbet, an Associate Broker/Partner who has been with the firm for 19 years. When asked, “What will be different in the next 100 years J. Carroll Molloy is in business?” Nisbet offers a thoughtful response: “As consumers change, laws change and market trends change, we will change, adapt and evolve.”
Nisbet, who became a J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor partner in the fall of 2015, says she was looking forward to a shift in her new duties, though she didn’t quite know to what scale this would be. “I was looking forward to it, and thought nothing would change,” she says. “Everything changed. I’m not just responsible for my own success; I am responsible for training others for success. I have always felt that I had the heart of a servant, but now I must have the heart of a servant—and it needs to be refined constantly.”
Whether the real estate transaction is for a home or business, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars or in the millions, the approach shared by Nisbet and her fellow Realtors at J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor remains unchanged: Serving the client is Priority No. 1.
“The key to our success is two words we use when we talk to clients: skill and knowledge,” says Nicholas Molloy, the firm’s broker of records, whose grandfather and father, J. Carroll Molloy Jr., passed along those lessons to him when he joined the firm in 1960—lessons that have helped sustain the firm for a century. “The knowledge is paramount, to know the trends and idiosyncrasies of Doylestown, both the borough and the township. We also have the skill to consummate a transaction, which gets more and more difficult all the time.”
Long recognized as a leader in Bucks County real estate, and having a strong interest in architectural history and preservation, J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor has effectively listed and sold historic properties and new construction equally effectively. The firm’s long history provides it with tremendous name recognition, recurring business and referrals. Also, the firm has maintained longtime professional relationships with numerous brokers in the Philadelphia area, and it is a member of The Heritage Group, a national leader in real estate.
J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor’s well-trained and experienced sales agents offer a wide range of backgrounds, with developers, architects, builders, banking institutions and attorneys. They are also knowledgeable in all aspects of new construction.
J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor remains focused squarely on historic Bucks County. The county offers a pleasing variety of home styles, from Colonial, Victorian and Federal residences along tree-lined streets in the borough of Doylestown, to nostalgic stone farmhouses, barns and modern homes dotting the countryside. The firm takes pride in helping everyone from large families to single buyers find the perfect dwelling, be it a sprawling estate or a cozy condominium.
Regardless of a property’s size or value, every transaction is performed with J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor’s trademark blend of skill and knowledge.
“We’ve sold generational real estate—many generations,” says Nisbet. “If you were to research and question the experts, you’ll find the more skilled and knowledgeable agents come from small firms. I learned that at an NAR (National Association of Realtors) convention I attended. When you have 200-plus Realtors and only a couple of managing brokers, how are they really able to manage care and quality service if they’re such a big group?”
Nisbet offers another reason why J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor has been so successful for so many years: commitment. “The people at our firm work at real estate full time,” she says. “This isn’t a part-time job for us.” She also cites how deeply the J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor team interacts with the surrounding community.
“You’ll never see a J. Carroll Molloy glamour photo or an agent’s photo on a placemat in a pizza parlor,” she says. “We hold ourselves out to the level of an attorney, a CPA or a financial planner. There are two ways to make your phone ring: The first is to dump lots of money in flash-in-the-pan marketing—shopping carts, park benches, mass mailing—but that’s not how we do it. Instead, we make our phones ring by delivering world-class service in the form of skill and knowledge.
“As a firm, we’re probably running between 80 and 90 percent strictly referrals,” she continues. “We don’t have to dump thousands into [advertising]. Our former clients are our billboards.”
Edward Ragar, a Realtor associate who has been with J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor for 15 years, believes an integral component to the firm’s success for a century is the firm’s knowledge of Bucks County, and specifically the Doylestown area.
“The Molloys are involved in the community beyond real estate,” Ragar says. “They know everybody in that town, and are involved in a lot of organizations. What also helps is we’re such a small office, which really allows us to learn so much from Nick, who’s an incredible teacher, along with Chris.”
One hundred years from now, the prices of eggs and bread will likely change beyond comprehension.
But, assuming J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor is still doing business in the year 2116, it will be representing clients with the same high level of skill and knowledge. And that will never change.
“My colleagues are so important to our business health, they are all so important to me,” Nisbet says. “We are brothers and sisters that happen to work alongside each other daily. It is a unique and powerful relationship that we all have. We cry together, we pray together, we get frustrated, but at the end of the day, we support one another. And we laugh together more than anything else. What a blessing it’s been.
“This group of brilliant professionals is the new core group that is going to take J. Carroll Molloy into the future. We are so excited!”
J. Carroll Molloy, Realtor
30 S. Main Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
215-348-3558
www.jcmolloy.com
Photograph by Allure West Studios
