Caron named Realtor of the Year

The Realtor Association of Southeastern Massachusetts presented Bob Caron, a partner in the Streamline Realty Group of Swansea, with its Realtor of the Year Award at an awards luncheon on Oct. 16 at the Stoneforge Tavern in Raynham.

Caron said he was shocked to receive the award. The board of the association nominated him for it.

"I was humbled," Caron said. "In all reality, I didn't expect it. It's a real nice honor."

Caron sells and helps people buy residential and commercial properties for Streamline Realty Group that is located at 1211 G.A.R. Highway in Swansea. He is partners with Craig Howard in that business. Caron has worked in real estate fulltime since 2008.

"I really think it comes down to personal service," Caron said of what it takes to be successful in real estate sales. "People are making decisions on the biggest purchases of their lives, for most people. I guide them."

Caron said he is representing the best interests of his clients, so if he is selling a property for someone, he is trying to get the most money possible for them, and for those who are buying homes, he tries to get them the most reasonable price.

Caron said he gives his clients information to help them make the right decisions and to send them in the right direction. Besides pricing, he said home buyers have to be concerned with property conditions, such as roofs, age of heating systems and hot water tanks. Caron said his saying is "You build a house from the bottom up and you protect it from the top down." For sellers, he said they also have to know the problems with their properties because they have to be disclosed to the buyers.

"It's making your client aware of what the good, the bad and the ugly is and figuring out what the problems are and how to fix them," Caron said.

Caron said purchasing a home is more of an emotional decision for people who are going to raise their family or spend their golden years there than commercial property sales which come down to more number crunching because it is an investment.

Caron, who is a Somerset resident, said housing prices have been going up in the area because the inventory has been relatively low. For that reason, he said when houses are priced right, they get multiple offers. He said historically low interest rates have also been driving the market. Caron said rents have also gone up in the area, which causes some people to decide to invest the money into buying homes, rather than renting. Caron said analysts are predicting that the next year will also be very strong for real estate sales.

Caron has been asked to be the president elect of the Realtor Associationn of Southeastern Massachusetts for 2020 and would serve as its president in 2021.

Caron said he grew up in a small cemetery memorial business in his family. He said he jokes with people that he went from selling permanent real estate to selling temporary real estate and will eventually end up in permanent real estate.

In the real estate business, Caron said the people who walk through the door are his bosses.

"If I don't pay attention to my clients, I'm not going to have a business," Caron said.