February 15, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

DiFranco named partner with Elfant Wissahickon
by PETE MAZZACCARO

Larry DiFranco (second from right) joins three other partner owners at Elfant Wissahickon Realtors (from l-r) Bob Elfant, Louise D’Alessandro and Paul Walsh. (Photo by Marc Barag)

Bob Elfant and Larry DiFranco didn’t know each other when they moved to the same block in East Mt. Airy, the 7100 block of Crittenden Street, in 1976. Both loved the neighborhood and became active in East Mt. Airy Neighbors.

Ten years later, the two men would open the Mt. Airy branch of what would later become Elfant Wissahickon Realtors in a space previously occupied by Mt. Airy Auto Parts. And 30 years later, DiFranco would join Elfant, Louise D’Alessandro and Paul Walsh as a partner in the firm that sells more houses than any other in Northwest Philadelphia.

Before he entered real estate, DiFranco worked as a city planner with the city’s Office of Housing and Community Development.

“I was always interested in urban renewal and development,” he said. “But I was frustrated [at the planning] and decided I could do more in the private sector.”

So in 1982, DiFranco joined Martin Elfant Inc., the Elfant Wissahickon predecessor started by Bob Elfant’s father. He was both a property manager for the firm’s rental units and a sales associate.

“Larry and I built the sales business together,” Bob Elfant said in an interview at his Mt. Airy office with DiFranco. “When he came to work for me, he was the best. He was a cut above everyone else.”

Since then, DiFranco has been a top salesman for Elfant. He managed the Mt. Airy office for seven years. He then spent three years back in the public sector as the deputy director of planning and development for the Philadelphia Housing Authority before he returned to Elfant Wissahickon.

Elfant was enthusiastic about DiFranco’s new role in the company.

“He’s a top producer,” Elfant said, “The DiFranco Team [with Realtor Denise Chapline] had $15 million in sales [last year] and projects to sell $20 million this year.”

Furthermore, Elfant said that DiFranco has been a major part of the team atmosphere that has made Elfant Wissahickon so successful.

“A big part of our success is that we have a very hands-on ownership,” Elfant said. “Every week our owners go on a caravan to view all the new listings.

“We all help each other here no matter who is going to get a commission, and that means our customers get ‘round-the-clock service. We also get a lot of repeat business and that’s true of Larry more than almost anyone.”

DiFranco also credits the team approach with his success.

“My philosophy has always been to provide the best service,” he said. “I like to think of myself more as a real estate consultant than a salesman.”

In addition to his new role at Elfant Wissahickon, DiFranco is a leading member of the local Realtor community and has served on the boards of both the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors and the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors.

Most of all, he’s pleased to practice his profession in Mt. Airy.

“I moved my family here and raised my children here,” he said. “My wife and I chose to move here after we learned about [Mt. Airy’s] openness and diversity. I’m happy to work for a local real estate company that is actively involved in the betterment of the community.”