Watts
Realty Company, Inc.
A Generational Legacy
With more than 100 years of experience serving a changing region, the Watts family knows the Birmingham area as well as anybody. That wealth of knowledge is reflected in the
success Watts Realty, Inc. has enjoyed over the past century.
In
the beginning, W.A. Watts founded Cement Block and Manufacturing in 1906,
building block homes and renting them out to tenants. The following year, he
expanded into the purchase and sale of both residential and commercial
properties. By 1908 he added the
purchase, sale, and ownership of real estate to his growing portfolio.
A
new generation joined the company in 1946, and Bill Watts Jr. wasted little
time in taking a leadership role in the real estate industry, serving as
president of the Birmingham Board of Realtors, president of the Alabama
Association of Realtors, and director of the National Association of Real
Estate Boards. However, he also ensured that Watts Realty maintained its focus
on community service and customer satisfaction, which earned him Birmingham’s 1963 Realtor
of the Year award and the President’s Cup award in 1986.
Bill
Watts, III joined the firm in 1970 and continued the family’s emphasis on
industry leadership. He was president of
the Birmingham Association of Realtors in 1988 and served on numerous
committees with the Alabama Association of Realtors. During this time, Bill
continued the company’s focus on customer service. He followed in his father’s footsteps as
Birmingham Realtor of the Year in 1990 and as a President’s Cup winner eight
years later. He took the initiative to co-found the Realtor’s Service
Corporation and served as president of the Birmingham Multiple Listing Service.
By
1999 Bill and his wife Jan had started a residential sales firm aptly named
Watts Residential Sales Inc., that grew into the tenth largest residential firm
in Birmingham. The residential sales company was sold in 2003, however, Watts
Realty, Inc. continued to specialize in commercial leasing, property management,
and investment sales.
Today,
a fourth generation is continuing the family business by maintaining Watts
Realty’s professional reputation. Chip, the eldest son of Bill and Jan, is
Watts Realty’s President and Birmingham’s 2008 Realtor of the Year. Another
son, Michael, serves as Marketing Director for the organization, while youngest
son, David, serves as the Multifamily Portfolio Property Manager. Michael Watts
recognizes the dual responsibilities he and his brothers have not only to a
proud family name, but also to the community their company calls home.
“Birmingham has been very good to us for more than a hundred years now,” he
says, “and we’ve made it our goal to give back to this community by providing
the highest level of service and professionalism we can. That’s how our family
succeeded in this business in the very beginning, and it’s what we pride
ourselves on today.”
That
community spirit is reflected by Chip, Michael and David’s continued
involvement in industry organizations as well as in numerous local events and
charities. Representative of their community involvement, Chip claimed the
Birmingham YMCA’s 2007 Volunteer of theYear award. Watts Realty, Inc. is well positioned to
remain a family owned and operated business, serving Birmingham for many
generations to come.
Watts Realty Company, Inc. • 1506 5th Avenue
South • Birmingham, AL 35233 • (205)
251-1267 • www.wattsrealty.com