KEARNY —
For the sixth time in eight months this year, Billy Pena has been named Realtor of the Month at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Coccia Realty’s Kearny office, Jan R. Kwapniewski, president and owner of BHGRE Coccia Realty announced this week.
In August, Pena closed eight transactions, and to date in 2014, he’s closed 22 deals with a volume of $6.6 million, according to NJMLS statistics. He has seven pending transactions coming in September, as well.
The only agent who has closed more deals is Pena’s business partner, Amelia Pena, also a realtor with BHGRE | Coccia Realty. Year-to-date she has closed 25 transactions with a sales volume of $7.75 million.
Pena’s territory includes Harrison, Kearny, North Arlington and Lyndhurst. He specializes in residential, multifamily and income producing properties.
“Billy has been with us for over three years now, and he’s consistently been one of our top performers in the West Hudson County and South Bergen County areas,” Kwapniewski said. “I am very happy Billy decided to get into real estate after spending years as a financial advisor. He’s been a tremendous asset to our company.”
When asked about the qualities that contributed to Pena’s success, Kwapniewski credits Pena’s diligence, tenacity, market knowledge and customer service. “He also assimilated, quite well, the systems, technologies and tools provided to us by BHGRE and learned how to incorporate them into his business plan, providing his clients with exemplary service.”
Pena obtained his New Jersey real estate salesperson’s license in 2003. After spending a decade as a financial services advisor he transitioned into real estate sales over three years ago. He says he really enjoys the flexibility being a real-estate agent offers him, something that wasn’t possible in the corporate world.
“In the corporate America, there’s very little wiggle room in terms of working hours and production,” Pena said. “Here, I know I have freedom and flexibility. And I know there’s not that rigid structure to deal with. It’s a great life. I get to meet terrific people and help them realize their amazing goals and dreams. It’s a wonderful feeling when you help a person achieve something so personal and significant.”
That same flexibility allows him to be involved in numerous activities outside of real estate.
He currently serves on the Kearny Urban Enterprise Zone’s board of commissioners (KUEZ), is a member of the Pre-Cana team at St. Stephen’s Church, Kearny (marriage-preparation team), a member of the St. Stephen’s baptism-prep team and is a member of the Kearny Portuguese Cultural Association. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors and the New Jersey Association of Realtors.
The 35-year-old Kearny High School (1998) and Montclair State University graduate is married to Susana Pena, an elementary school teacher. They have a 4-year-old son, Lucas. To contact Pena, call him on his mobile at 201-232-4339 or send an email to billy@mycoccia.com.
BHGRE Coccia Realty, privately owned by Jan R. Kwapniewski, serves Hudson, Bergen, Morris, Essex, Passaic and Union counties. It was established in 1961 by Joseph Coccia Jr. In 1989, the company transitioned to new ownership and has since been led by Kwapniewski, who has modernized and grown the company while adhering to the original values of high standards, service and trust that were instilled in him by the original owner.
Coccia employs more than 100 agents, many of whom are multi-lingual speaking Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Greek, Hindi, Macedonian, Chinese, Russian, Slovak, Ukrainian and Polish. Its associates are seasoned agents with many years of service and have won numerous sales awards and accolades from various organizations. Offices are open seven days a week.
BHGRE Coccia’s year-todate includes closing over 190 transactions in 2014, totaling over $62 million in volume, according to statistics released by the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service (NJMLS).
For more information, call 201-997-7000, or visit www.cocciarealty.com or facebook.com/cocciarealty.
