By Dawn Klavon
Sponsored by Long & Foster – Bill & Peggy Burke
The best realtors are those with decades of rich experience in all kinds of real estate – land, development, new (and not new) homes, commercial properties AND places of worship. Bill and Peggy Burke, associate brokers with Long & Foster Real Estate, are a great example of professionalism.
Over the years the Burkes have worked with approximately 20+ churches, which are doing well today. Even now the couple continues working with churches of all sizes. Some are in the process of moving or building.
“These are not your normal transactions,” said Bill Burke. “These typically need an entirely different game plan to get to a successful outcome.”
Money gathering is definitely important and the Burkes’ early briefings of church members assist in their understanding of avenues leading to the appropriate source(s), such as funds loaned by banks and/or other organizations, and contracts with consultants who assist and training church leaders and committees in ways to successfully fundraise in-house, Bill said. This may take some time, but if done correctly, Bill said church leaders will not be put in the position of losing membership engagement levels in the overall project.
“There is a big difference in working with congregations – it is not like a home or a normal commercial transaction,” Bill said. “Do they (the church) plan to have a building drive or how do they plan to finance what they want to do? This piece sometimes takes years of counseling.”
Church Real Estate 101
The complexities of church building sales have been impressed upon the Burkes through decades of transactions. Peggy agrees there is a big difference in working with congregations, as opposed to a family, because it involves knowing how to work with a group of people who all have different ideas about what they are trying to accomplish. She explained that often church leaders think that because it is a place of worship, financing will be easy.
“Although it is one of the first steps, it can take a long time to get financing in place,” Peggy said.
Often the organization will have to open accounts with a financial institution and supply financial information like how many giving units they have in their congregation (families who tithe or pledge). Another consideration for a house of worship thinking about purchasing a new property is what their expenses are every month and what the income is currently on a monthly basis. And, Peggy said, with that in mind, depending on how they plan to grow and are actually growing, their needs might change midstream.
Before Churches Buy or Build
Many churches have done it: in order to reach the point of actually being able to buy or buy and build, they go into semi-permanent space. This might be an office building or a flexspace area, depending on how much parking and space they need. Peggy said the organization might be able to rent space at a school, movie theater, or in another worship facility. It’s temporary, and congregations will be asked to adjust to the new digs until the church is ready for their next step.
Peggy advises that as the church grows, gets their finances in order, and starts to plan a purchase, there are several other things that they need to research and learn. Church leaders should bone up on zoning, how the county works, getting a land use attorney to navigate the county paperwork and permits.
“They need to pick an architect and a builder who understands their needs and can help with what the land use attorney needs for the building approval,” Peggy said. “They need to know about occupancy and special use permits, whether going into leased space or purchased space or building.”
Final Advice to Churches
The Burkes’ final advice to churches looking to grow is to get to know their local county supervisor and people in the neighborhood in order to get their support. It can help down the road.
In the meantime, the couple continues to passionately serve the Prince William County community, whether through residential or commercial real estate, and are ready to take on the heavy lifting.
“To be good at what you do in this profession you have to be a great listener,” Peggy said. “So, you feel great when you help people accomplish what is best for them.”
If you’d like to reach Peggy Burke, call 703.425.8000 or email Peggy.Burke@LongandFoster.com.
Dawn Klavon is a contributing writer for Prince William Living.
