Cressy & Everett Real Estate, a full-service residential real estate company, was one of Delta's earliest customers. Today, the brokerage firm with about 175 agents continues to excel in the industry with the help of Delta's services and technology. Their experience, long-standing reputation, and understanding of the importance of keeping up with the times have earned them their spot as one of the top five companies in Indiana and Michigan. The brokerage was also ranked among the top 125 companies by National Relocation & Real Estate magazine's 250 power brokers nationally. They have offices throughout Indiana in South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, and Plymouth. In Michigan, their offices reside in Niles, Edwardsburg, Three Rivers, Dowagiac, Sister Lakes, Harbor Country, and St. Joseph. 

Their brand symbol at Cressy & Everett is an ampersand, simultaneously symbolizing all the extra work they do for their customers, how connected they are to their agents and clients, and how connected their clients are to their homes.

A Fully Integrated System

When Cressy & Everett Real Estate learned about Delta Media Group many years ago, they were drawn to how well the technology was integrated. Back then it meant simply having the MLS integrated with their website. Now, the MLS, Delta-powered websites, Google Workspace, social media platforms, other vendors, and so much more are all integrated within the DeltaNET® CRM.

Cressy & Everett Marketing Director Michael DiStefano says, "I think our biggest benefit with DeltaNet is the integration. You integrate the MLS with all of our products. Our app is completely integrated with you; it makes it easy and smooth."

Personalized Websites That Offer Great Value

DiStefano is extremely fond of the Cressy & Everett brokerage website and the agent sites. He mentions that one of his favorite features is "What's My Home Worth," which enables users to find out the current value of their home through an integrated AVM tool.

"We like the 'What's Your Home Worth?'" he says. "That's been very popular and a big asset for us. A lot of people have that right up front on their website, so it gives them a reason to contact us."

DiStefano has witnessed that the "Find Your Agent" feature is also popular among users and thinks it's an easy way to search for an agent.

"'Find Your Agent' is very popular," he exclaims. "Agents always love that. Somebody can go in there. It's easy to search for a name or an area and get an agent."

In addition, DiStefano likes how easily customizable the agent subdomains are, and how they can personalize them for their brand using templates. 

"Each person has their own website, which shows their personality," he notes. "They can pick the format and do what they want with Delta's templates. And it's nice to see everybody do something a little different."

He encourages agents to use the custom templates and bio on the homepage to showcase their personalities. Along with the agents' branding, he likes how their subdomains are branded to match the company for greater consistency.

"I always talk to agents about making sure that their personality comes through on their website," he says. "A lot of agents don't even do anything with the 'About You' page, but I think it's important to talk about your background, what you've done, and your successes so that when people read that, they get more information than just the company information. Then it also includes the company information, which backs them up."

A Platform That Brings Them New Leads

The integration between their websites and DeltaNET is especially beneficial for lead generation. DiStefano points to the fact that they receive an automatic notification each time someone shows interest in a property on their website.

"If somebody is interested in a property, we get a message from you guys saying that so-and-so is interested in this property," he explains. "So that's great."

As an agent himself, DiStefano has directly witnessed the technology work to capture new leads. He has personally gained leads through the platform that have ultimately converted into clients.

"I'm also an agent in Michigan, and I had somebody that went on my website," he says. "They read my background, contacted me through DeltaNet, and thought we would be a great fit. I contacted them and I ended up selling them a condo in Michigan, and they were in Chicago. So it's just really nice."

The Magic of Marketing

As Marketing Director, DiStefano understands how important marketing is to the success of any business. They use a mixture of print and digital marketing strategies to appeal to customers at Cressy & Everett.

Delta Media Group has worked with Cressy & Everett Real Estate to design custom templates for their flyers, which they love to display outside their offices.

"We use a lot of the flyers," says DiStefano. "In St. Joe, we have one on a storefront right downtown. We put those up in the storefront and it's a great look. We've designed new templates with you so that we have a new look and it's very fresh, and I love being in that office because everybody that walks by stops and looks at every single one of them."

The agents and staff at Cressy & Everett Real Estate also leverage the e-blast tool in DeltaNET.

"We use the e-blast," notes DiStefano. "It's very easy to put one of those together and it's kind of behind the scenes."

He says they are looking forward to using this tool for holiday promotions in the future.

"We're going to be doing automatic holiday promotions where it's just going to be, 'schedule it and don't worry about it."

DiStefano feels that the customer profiles in DeltaNET are helpful for targeted marketing, as agents can easily manage, track, and access customer details.

"It's great to have all of your clients and keep track of what they are, where they are, what they've been doing," he says. "And that's very important."

Along with leveraging the marketing tools in DeltaNET, Cressy & Everett Real Estate advertises new listings on TV. They have a long-running local television show that airs every Saturday and Sunday morning, known as the HOME SHOW. With over 22,000 weekly viewers, the show is quite popular among prospective buyers in their markets.

"We're the only company in our area with a TV show that covers all the new properties," says DiStefano. "We have a big viewership that watches it live. And then we also have a big YouTube viewership. It's just a fun show to watch. I think a lot of people watch it when they're looking for a house."

Working With Delta on Buyer Commission Changes

Something they are particularly excited about at Cressy & Everett Real Estate, given the recent buyer commission ruling, is working with Delta to add buyer compensation to their sites. DiStefano notes how helpful this will be for agents and customers now that they can no longer post buyer commissions on the MLS. He also believes this will be an excellent touch for agent recruitment. 

"I think the most exciting thing we're going through right now with the change in the industry and not being able to publish the buyer's compensation on the MLS anymore is that we worked with you and developed a great site, so we've got that on our website now, thanks to Delta," he says. "And it's going to be huge because we can just tell agents you'll always be able to find out your compensation when you go to our website."

Using Future-Proof Technology to Remain a Leader in Their Markets

The integration of advanced, automated technology, personalized websites, and effective lead generation and marketing strategies allows Cressy & Everett Real Estate to stay a top-performing company and provide excellent customer service. With innovative tools and customized solutions, Delta Media Group ensures they are well-equipped to navigate the ever-evolving world of real estate. With over 75 years of experience and a forward-thinking approach, Cressy & Everett Real Estate remains a trusted leader in the Indiana and Michigan markets.