Kurfiss Sotheby's held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 27 to commemorate the opening of its new office in Chestnut Hill. (Photo by Michael Hirsch)

by Brendan Sample

Having already established a presence in Chestnut Hill through regular business, Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty became an official part of the community with the opening of its fourth and newest location. Situated at 8431 Germantown Ave., the firm held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 27.

According to Kurfiss owner and chairman Donald Pearson, the fact that the company was already doing a “considerable” amount of business in and right around Chestnut Hill was the primary factor behind the new location. Praising the amount of unique and distinguished homes in the neighborhood, Pearson is looking forward to being able to better service them on a more dedicated level.

“We’ll definitely be more active here because of the profile of our agents and having newly-established presence in areas like Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy and Blue Bell,” Pearson said. “This location really complements our existing presence in Center City and the Main Line, all of which are distinctive markets. This region is very much tailored to the Sotheby’s brand.”

From the time that Pearson decided on a new location in Chestnut Hill, it took about two years for everything to come together for the opening. The property was previously occupied by the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, which closed in June 2017, and the Spice Rack, which moved to 8428 Germantown Ave. in November. Pearson praised the work of Bowman Properties, which owns the building, as it “worked very hard to make it a stunning presence.”

Kurfiss joins a group of other notable real estate companies operating in or around Chestnut Hill, including Elfant Wissahickon, Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach and Compass. While Kurfiss joining the local mix of realtors will likely increase competition, Pearson does not necessarily see that as a bad thing.

“I look at this as a fraternity of professionals working together to close these transactions,” Pearson explained. “It’s healthy to have good competition, and I have a high regard for our competitors … The different real estate brands aren’t just competition – we work very closely together.”

As “International Realty” would indicate in the business’ title, Kurfiss has a global reach when it comes to real estate, but that does not mean that its attention is at all diluted with the addition of another office. Kurfiss Real Estate actually began as an independent, Pennsylvania-based operation before beginning an affiliation with Sotheby’s International Realty in 2006. Though Kurfiss now has access to a wide-reaching market, its operations are still focused in the Delaware Valley area, and there is plenty of excitement regarding the newest office.

“I’ll definitely be looking to spend more time at our new Chestnut Hill location than normal,” Pearson said. “I’m thrilled with the opening of the new office, and I’m really looking forward to working with the community.”

More information about Kurfiss Sotheby’s can be found at Kurfiss.com. Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@chestnuthilllocal.com or 215-248-8819.