Mission
The mission of Alden Country Real Estate Services (ACRES) is to create a new business model for the practice of real estate in the Berkshires and beyond based on holistic and heuristic principles:
Holistic (adjective): Characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.
Heuristic (adjective): Enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves.
Vision
The vision of Alden Country Real Estate Services is to create a real estate business in harmony with the lands and environments that surround us; with respect to the communities in which we live; and in recognition that the needs of each customer are unique and worthy of honor and respect.
About Alden Country Real Estate Services
My guiding business principle is that for nearly every customer, whether a buyer or seller and at any price point, their real estate holdings are likely their most treasured and valuable asset. I consider it to be the highest honor and my greatest professional calling to provide the best possible guidance and management of every real estate transaction to the benefit of my customers and their property.
When it comes to how I envision my business, my motto is, “Bigger isn’t necessarily better, but better is always better”. Since I started selling real estate in 2005, the world of real estate has evolved and changed dramatically, both from within and from outside the industry itself. Despite all the financial ups and downs and technological changes I have witnessed, experienced, and embraced, the most consistent element has been the personal satisfaction I derive from establishing deep connections with my clients through their ever-changing and evolving real estate needs, and from having helped numerous customers through the life changes that come with any real estate transaction.
My abiding love for the natural beauty and wonder of our surroundings, respect for our local sustainable communities, and the human need that we all have for a place to call home motivates me to reflect these values in my business practices and to try to provide every customer an uplifting transactional and inter-personal experience.
My Role as Your Broker
By Daniel L. Alden
My philosophy towards my profession as a real estate broker is that it is my role to facilitate the transfer of the property of its owner, with full recognition that it is likely their most valuable asset, to a ready, willing, able, and well-informed buyer to in turn help them make it their home, sanctuary, and future investment.
Within the scope of accomplishing this multi-layered goal, I often wear many hats. First and foremost, I strive to be my customer’s trusted real estate advisor. As an attentive listener and keen observer, I take each person’s situation as a unique circumstance, and I strive to learn something from everyone and every situation.
By understanding my individual customer’s goals and objectives, I am then able to step into the role of consultant/project manager. I extensively analyze and investigate the details, surroundings, and history of properties which then allows me to provide either a buyer or a seller a comprehensive understanding of the property and market conditions in which they may be buying or selling.
As with any relationship, I recognize that the most important elements are trust and communication. Once engaged with a customer, I often play the role of counselor, therapist, contrarian, and voice of reason. Through ongoing dialogue, shared information, and the mutual experience of the process, my customers often find my services far exceed their expectations and acknowledge that my care, insight, and professionalism helped them first recognize then realize their real estate goals.
Whether you list your property with me or choose me to represent you as a buyer, I offer my clients the benefit of my extensive transactional experience and the earned respect of my fellow brokers, local attorneys, lenders, appraisers, and trade professionals to ensure the highest level of service throughout the course of any transaction and across all price points and property types, including residential, land and commercial.
Beyond the transaction, I take great pleasure in helping my client’s transition to their new property with local service & professional referrals, networking and resource matching. I’m always happy to consult on future projects, additions, etc. and welcome the challenges of our diverse and ever-changing local market.
There are numerous structures of agent/client relationships as defined by state law and practiced by different brokerages. Historically, the “traditional” model of real estate agency was that brokers represented only sellers as clients and buyers were simply customers. As buyer agency came into existence and in our current era, most offices operate as either a Disclosed Dual Agency office, which essentially means all agents within the brokerage have the same duties to the client, or as a Designated Agency office, which means only an assigned agent has the duties of agency to the seller.
Having worked within both models, I have decided to structure my business as a Transactional Brokerage. As a Transactional Broker, my role is to be fair, open & transparent and provide full disclosure & accountability to all parties.
I assume this designation not just as a middle-ground position to the transaction but with the conceptual understanding derived from my personal experience that this structure and defined role allows me to represent all of my customers with equanimity and in perpetuity without any potential conflicts of interest and reflects my best business practices as outlined above.
I also fundamentally believe that the other brokerage models I have experienced create too much potential for conflicting relationships and are often confusing to the clients or not fully or properly practiced by agents. I have also experienced that they foster a false dichotomy of competition at all levels and from different angles that assumes a Win-Lose situation in nearly every transaction (meaning that someone will get the better of someone else through some level of advantage brought to bear by one side against the other).
I prefer to take a Win-Win approach to every transaction and seek to earn the confidence and respect of all parties involved. In all cases and for both sides of any transaction my goal is to foresee, prevent, mediate, and calm as much friction within the transaction as possible. By establishing a plan with each customer to attain their desired outcome, I am confident that I can help them attain their real estate needs.