Lois Dufrene
January 7, 2008
A GOOD CALL: Alcorn satisfied about choosing life in stripes
January 9, 2008
Debra Chauvin, owner and broker at Weichert, Realtors – Real Estate Express, officially launched the company’s first Louisiana franchise Jan. 1.
The Houma-based office is located at 6690 West Park Ave.
The office has 12 licensed real estate agents and an office staff. Chauvin serves as the broker of record for the firm.
According to Chauvin, the company will soon begin recruiting additional realtors and will host career sessions, likely on Saturdays. Sessions will begin when renovations, including work on a new training room, are complete.
“We are pleased that Debra is introducing the Weichert brand in Louisiana,” said company affiliates President Martin J. Rueter. “She is enthusiastic about the way we operate our business and understands the growth advantages we can give to our franchise offices. We expect her to continue to be beneficial to customers in the state.”
Weichert is a full-service organization, offering mortgage and insurance services, a commercial and investments division, a new homes and land division, an Internet lead-generating platform and a multinational relocation company. Support services include in-house marketing and advertising, public relations, Realtor recruitment, local training for agents and managers and extensive online education.
Weichert Real Estate Affilitates also hosts regular meetings and events for franchisees and sales associates, such as Broker Council meetings, management retreats and an annual national convention.
The affiliates group launched its first franchised office in January 2002. Today, it serves some 330 markets in 35 states.
Chauvin said she was attracted to Weichert because it affords her room to increase her activity level, recruit and educate agents and received needed business tools. “I wanted to grow and be able to offer more to my agents,” she said. “With Weichert I saw an opportunity for change, and for my agents to go to the next level. The franchise will free me up to do other things. I am putting every ounce of effort I have into it.”
Chauvin is a board member of the Bayou Board of Realtors, as well as a member of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce and the Bayouland YMCA.
She holds advisory board membership in the Louisiana Center for Women in Government and is a state committee member for the Louisiana Realtors Housing Opportunities/Cultural Diversity Team.
Her firm is a member of the Louisiana Realtors Association; the National Association of Realtors; the Women’s Business Alliance of Houma; the South Central Industrial Association (SCIA); Leadership Terrebonne Alumni Association; and the Krewe of Hyacinthians. It also supports a number of charities, including Toys for Tots.
Born and raised in Napoleonville, Chauvin resides in Theriot. Prior to entering the real estate profession, she was in administration in the oilfield industry, handling contracts and insurance. In 1998, Chauvin earned her real estate license, enabling her to do business in Louisiana and reciprocal states. After a five-year run with a small real estate brokerage firm, Chauvin opened her own independent office – Real Estate Express – in April 2004.
She holds the following real estate designations: Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), awarded by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) of the National Association of Realtors; and Seller Representative Specialist (SRS).
Chauvin said much of her firm’s business centers on selling residential, commercial and industrial properties. With a number of oilfield employees relocating in and out of the area, large market from the medical sector and retail chain stores opening, new hotels and second-home buyers seeking camping and fishing homes, Chauvin said the region has a substantial market year-round.
The company is reachable at (985) 223-2822.
