Published Saturday, May 22, 2004
Going the extra mile for customers
Best Real Estate Agent
By Steve Fry
The Capital-Journal

Hard work and going the extra mile to give customers his best are the keys to Bill Welch's success, he said after being named the Best Real Estate Agent. Welch is associated with Realty Executives of Topeka and WCW Property Management. To what do you attribute your win? I hope it's people who thought I gave them good service. Tell us about your customer base.

The majority of my customer base is investor-oriented. We represent customers all over the nation and abroad and help them find investment opportunities and manage them for the customers. We also provide strategic analysis for them.

Who is your business targeting?

Primarily, I target real estate investors although we work with regular homeowners.

What are the strengths of your business?

Very hard working and then we try to go above and beyond to provide excellent service.

What obstacles do you see in the future?

We pride ourselves on staying on the cutting edge of developing technologies. I can't see a real problem unless the economy takes a turn for the worse.

What can the city do to alleviate some of those concerns or facilitate your efforts?

The city needs to do whatever it can to encourage real estate development by being more cooperative with landlords and not passing codes that discourage development.

What do you credit as being a positive influence at your business?

The land values in Topeka have a good history of appreciation. There's a big interest in Topeka (property) by out-of-state investors.

What is your business philosophy?

Giving the customers more than they ask for and treating them with respect, dignity and Christian principles.

Can you share the secret of your success with our readers?

When you boil it down, hard work and ethical conduct.

Why do you like doing business in Topeka?

I've lived here all my life. It's where my family is, and I have a lot of good friends here to work with.

Bill Welch

Business name:
Realty Executives of Topeka and WCW Property Management

Address:
1238 SW Lane, Topeka, KS 66604

Telephone number:
(785) 273-9419

Specialty:
Investment properties, single-family homes and homeowner associations for buyers and sellers

Recent changes:
Offering W.C.W. Security Patrol

Other businesses:
Owns W.C.W. Property Management, which handles property in Junction City, Manhattan, Topeka, Lawrence, Kansas City area and St. Louis area.

Years in area:
7 with Realty Executives and 13 with W.C.W. Property (as of 2004)