About Laurie

Turn a street corner in Center City Philadelphia and you'll most likely see a building with Laurie Phillips' name attached to it. The 52-year-old power real estate agent of Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors had more than $78 million in sales in 2008.

Much of this robust business comes from referrals - a testament to the care and effort she puts into her work and the special bond she creates with her many clients. Her resume includes numerous honors and distinctions, including Top Producer (city of Philadelphia), Top Lister (center city), Top Seller (center city), Top Overall Combined Volume (center city), the Diamond Award, the Platinum Award, Top of the Rock, Chairman's Circle and the PREA 100 Award.

Phillips sells exclusively in Philadelphia with properties that stretch from Old City, Society Hill, Fitler Square, Washington Square West and Rittenhouse Square. She knows this fine city well, being in the real estate business for 25 years, but her career started out on a different path.

After growing up in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City, she moved to Philadelphia in 1974 to attend Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts), studying painting and design. At age 23 she purchased a home in the Society Hill area, her first in Philadelphia. It was a thrilling experience and she was instantly hooked. Plus, having real estate in her blood didn't hurt her ambitions. Phillips comes from an entrepreneurial family with both her dad and uncle investing in New York Real Estate.

Phillips initially sold commercial real estate in the 1980s, but switched to residential to have more personal contact with her clients. In fact, she now says many of her clients have become close friends. She has sold to generations of families, and has even been made a godmother by a few clients. Her clients respect her because she sells quality properties. She never accepts listings she considers mediocre or priced unreasonably and always closely examines the value, design and location of each home.

Unlike others in the business, Phillips only works with two or three clients at a time, and only lists up to 10 properties. This makes her a rare gem among realtors who follow the "quantity is quality" philosophy. Not only is Phillips highly regarded among homebuyers, but she is also the go-to agent for national architects and developers coming to Philadelphia.

Following Phillips's urging, architect Plato Marinakos Jr. increased his unit size to accommodate the influx of empty nesters abandoning their large homes in the suburbs for the city. "They don't want to go into a 1,200 square foot apartment," says Marinakos, partner of Marathon Design Associates LLC and who works with Phillips on The Chelsea at 1515 Locust St. "That was a very good suggestion." Phillips even helped to come up with the building's name.

"Phillips always lets her opinion be known whether it's about quality, good sense of space, or the importance of light," says Wesley Wei, principal of Wesley Wei Architects. "In the end, she takes away a lot of guesswork and eliminates the need for big market studies,” says Wei, who meets with Phillips regularly about the Ayer Building in Washington Square. "She knows exactly what's going on."

Jeffrey Brown, CEO of Brown Hill Development, says she's intimately involved in each project she works on and has a passion for real estate that's rarely matched. "That is a critical ingredient," he says. "I don't want them handing out books or reading off a script. I want someone who believes in our product in-and-out. That's what Laurie does. And she imparts that to the customer."

Her innate artistic talent helps in her work with developers. "I design homes that can be sold," she says. "I work with these design talents to present new ideas and new ways of living that create better life than one may anticipate living in Center City. It is a revolutionary concept on how to use space. We do not imitate, we create the future. We use the highest quality material in order to create the best finished product," she explains. One need only look at the recent Brown Hill projects at 108 Arch and The Ayer to see what she means: a glass house several stories in the sky and living spaces featuring materials including limestone, zinc and bamboo. Phillips not only is the best, she knows the best: products, materials, spaces and concepts.

Phillips also takes much pleasure in having out-of-towners or first-time buyers come to her so she can educate (or lessen their anxieties) on the values of living in Philadelphia or the sometimes-daunting process of purchasing a home. People rely on Phillips for her valuable opinions, dedication and experience, and she does not let them down. "I care about my relationships with people," she says. "No one has lost money selling or investing in a property with me in 25 years. I strive to keep it that way."

 

Awards & Accolades

  • 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE: Center City
  • Top Producer: City of Philadelphia
  • Top Seller: Center City Philadelphia
  • Top Lister: Center City Philadelphia
  • Top Overall Combined Volume: Center City Philadelphia
  • PREA - 100 Award: "One of the Top 100 Prudential Real Estate Agents in the Nation"
  • Diamond Award
  • Platinum Award
  • Top of the Rock
  • Chairman's Circle
  • Chairperson CCRA: Center City Residents Association "Center City Celebration for Living" Gala
  • Philadelphia Magazine: Touted as "Power Realtor"

 

Contact me for any questions about any of the properties you see on the site, or inquiries about new property developments and upcoming events!