Two colleagues in the real estate arena, William Wong and Chris Darville, have now merged into one company to form Darville-Wong Realty. The details were finalized on February 1.
Both Wong and Darville said they both have been seriously discussing the merger for the last four years and decided now to make the marriage official, which will create a merged firm with a staff compliment of 12 agents and two brokers.
"I think my reason for the merger is economics and the way I travel today," said Darville. He shared that he finds his new partner to be fairly aggressive and both companies have a great team of agents so it made sense. "In this business most agencies have basically the same listings, and we just find that with the combined businesses, we bring synergies together and economically it made more sense," said Wong.
It only makes sense to share and pool the resources, said Wong, and it's something he sees as mutually beneficial for all involved. "We're quite optimistic that with the combined synergies and the staff and our advertising, we could enjoy a good share of the market," said Wong.
"I'd like to see us target more of the commercial properties in New Providence and also expand our wings more in the Family islands," said Wong. "There seems to be an increasing demand for properties in the Family Islands and also we're going to have one of the best registers for rentals in New Providence." The plan, Wong said, is that when people think of rentals they will think of Darville-Wong Realty.
Additionally, the merged firm will offer property management in its services, along with appraisals and sales.
"We will become a one-stop shop. In addition to that, we have a mortgage broker on staff that can pre-qualify and secure financing for potential clients, so you don't have to go anyplace else," said Wong.
Wong, a former president of the Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA), has seen a number of transitions in recent weeks, having relocated his firm from its Love Beach office back to the Cable Beach strip which, he said, only made sense with a number of developments like Baha Mar taking place.
Both Darville and Wong have a number of years of experience in the real estate industry and are committed to making the presence of Darville-Wong Realty felt in the market.

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