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By Christine Graf
Capital Region native and real estate company owner Marcia Murray recently opened her third office at 56 Clifton Country Road, Suite 102A, in Clifton Park.
Murray, a former ReMax agent, has 20 years of real estate experience. Four years ago, she ventured out on her own and opened Marcia Murray Realty & Associates on Putnam Street in Saratoga Springs. Last year, she opened a second office in Albany.
When Murray announced plans to open a third office in Clifton Park, many people questioned her timing, she said. The real estate market had cooled and interest rates were on the rise.
“No one would have opened an office in this market. But I’ve always looked around, and what everyone else is doing, I don’t do. And it’s always been successful for me,” said Murray, noting that the Clifton Park office is now her busiest.
According to Murray, she had no idea what to expect when she opened her own real estate company just four short years ago.
“I had absolutely no idea. I just felt my way through it and could tell when it was time for us to go into another marketplace, and we did it. I’ve been asked by a lot of people if I ever thought we would fail. The answer is ‘absolutely not.’”
One of the things Murray is most proud of is a program she established called Selling Homes for a Cure. As part of that program, the American Cancer Society receives a portion of the commission from every home sold by her and her team of agents.
“Our customers receive a card stating that our agents have made a donation in their name to the American Cancer Society. It brings so much more meaning to what we do,” she said.
Murray said that she chose the American Cancer Society as the recipient of the donations because it is a charity that is especially meaningful to her.
“I lost my parents to cancer, and I have two agents who are cancer survivors. So, this was really super important to me. At our grand opening in July, we gave a $1000 donation to the American Cancer Society.”
Marcia Murray & Associates has a team of eight agents working in Clifton Park, Albany and Saratoga. Murray anticipates expanding her staff as her business continues to grow but acknowledged that inventory shortages continue to be problematic.
“Inventory is starting to build although not enough. Higher interest rates have obviously cooled down the market a bit. Buyers are less able to qualify for what they could have before. But there is still a lot of demand for houses. We have a lot of buyers.”
Even as interest rates continue to rise, Murray remains bullish on the local real estate market, particularly in Saratoga County.
“I am really optimistic about it,” she said. “I believe that Saratoga County is the diamond of New York State right now. We are the most progressive, fastest growing county in the state.”
A resident of Malta, Murray is a member of the Saratoga County Planning Board and serves on several local committees. As a result, she is able to see first-hand just how many companies are interested in operating in Saratoga County.
“I’m very involved in business development in the town of Malta as well,” she said. “I see all of the development coming in, and we are just growing so quickly. It’s an exciting time in Saratoga County for us, and we are super thrilled to be in Clifton Park.”