Company Profile: DwellHop

by Taylor Kennedy

Whether you’re buying or selling a house, it can be a little stressful and confusing. This is where DwellHop comes in.

Formerly known as TwentyFourSevenOpen, DwellHop provides property marketing services, including professional photography, video tours and custom listing websites directly to sellers and buyers.

Cathy Lacy, Tim Lacy and Betsy Repaske, who have a combined 40 years experience in real estate, initially founded the company to offer marketing services to real estate agents, until they realized how much of a need there was in the industry.

“Buyers and sellers have adapted to technology more quickly than the real estate industry and have become more self-sufficient with the help of this technology,” Repaske, who serves as DwellHop’s business manager and marketing director, said. “We hope to meet this new breed of buyer’s and seller’s needs.”

DwellHop has tailored its services to match both the buyer and seller. For example, the company offers a 40 percent rebate of its buyer’s agent commission to any buyer to whom DwellHop shows three houses or fewer.

On the selling side, because sellers bear the brunt of many costs associated with the transaction, DwellHop providers them with options that range from a flat-fee listing to a full-service listing package.

Each listing includes professional photography, 3D showcases that allow potential buyers to virtually walk through the property, custom listing URL sign riders and seller questionnaires that can help buyers find a personal touch for reasons to buy the property.

“It is important for clients to present their homes in the strongest, most visual way possible online because that is where 92 percent of buyers start their search,” Repaske said. “The average time you have to gain someone’s attention online is eight seconds. We feel we are doing a service to both buyers and sellers by working to show a house at its best and with as much information as possible.”

The company also prides itself on its client-driven philosophy.

“We make sure our clients know that we are not a dictatorship,” Repaske said. “We want to work with them to sell their house in a manner that is more appropriate for their needs.”

In the months ahead, the self-funded company seeks to expand into other Wisconsin markets and update its website to allow more streamlined communication between buyers, sellers, agents, lenders, title, lawyers and any others involved in the transaction.