We end the year with some words of wisdom about an ever-changing market, a few pearls about MLS, and then a hodgepodge from everyone.

On The Market

Vincent Cannuscio, Hampton Bays: "There is always opportunity. Keep looking and you find it. Work diligently, it finds you!"

Hampton Homes Inc. Jan Robertson and Barbara Weinman: "Preparing for the 2008 rental season, we are confident that we will have a strong rental season as we did last year, our first year as a team. Always looking ahead, Jan and I do not worry if the market is soft or not, there is always business for the broker that wants to work. One cannot be lazy. We are in a world of our own driven by the NY market, and have seen these times before; it will pass. Unlike unseasoned brokers, we know what to do!"

Property listed with Hampton Homes Inc.

Marcia Altman, from Brown Harris Stevens writes: "Business has been good despite the bad press out there. I actually had my best year in 19 years doing real estate out here."

On Multiple Listing Services

From Chris Chapin, Land Division, Prudential Douglas Elliman, East Hampton: "One nice thing about MLS is that you can see the expiration date of every posting. This puts an end to the endless exclusive that had been the norm. When you know the expiration date, you can call the seller on that day and offer your services. The sellers have the opportunity to switch agencies if the first agency could not sell a property. Our team likes this, because we can get sold the properties that other agencies were unable to move."

"Our team puts all our listings on the MLS, it automatically co-brokes our exclusives to the rest of Long Island. We have agents coming from Syosset, Huntington, Manhasset, Sayville, Massapequa, to sell our exclusives. Without the MLS, these agents would not know about our listings. Without knowing about our listings, they could not sell them. Right now, Prudential Douglas Elliman is the only large real estate firm east of the Shinnecock Canal to use the MLS." Chapin continued.

Year End Roundups

Tom MacNiven, Prudential Douglas Elliman (PDE), manager/broker East Hampton: "New additions: Ken Meyer (formerly of Corcoran) and Mark Drucker (formerly of Town & Country). PDE is attracting talent from both ends of the large firm/small firm talent pool. Does that indicate that PDE is Perfectly Positioned? I think so. Our East Hampton office had it's best year out of 10 years in existence. We have a (slight) way to go to catch Paul's {Brennan) Bridgehampton juggernaut. But both the East Hampton and Bridgehampton office numbers must take a distant second and third to the year our Southampton office has enjoyed. Jay Flagg and Ray Smith have assembled an amazing group of agents and this year's results are off the charts."

Property listed with the Corcoran Group.

More from Tom, "In this year's difficult market our results are a testament to the training and support provided PDE managers and agents by Dottie Herman and Howard Lorber. They are always here for all of us. Lastly, it becomes more and more difficult each year to make a living as a full-time real estate professional. Going forward we'll just have to out-think, out-innovate, and out-work the competition. And sorry, we're not telling you how."

The Corcoran Group Annual Awards

The Dec. 12 event was hosted by President and CEO Pamela Liebman, Executive VP and Director of Sales Teresa Hall, and Rick Hoffman, Regional Senior Vice President. Agents from the North and South Fork gathered at East Hampton's The Maidstone Club for an evening of dinner and dancing.

Top Two Agents by office (NOTE: Some areas have two offices.): Amagansett - Suzanne Rose and Victoria Thompson, Bridgehampton - Ana O'Byrne and Jack Zito, Bridgehampton - Susan Breitenbach and Linda Haugevik, Cutchogue - Patricia Gleason and Nicole LaBella, East Hampton - Bonny Aarons and Gary DePersia, East Hampton - Elaine Stimmel and Patricia Wadzinski, Sag Harbor - Gioia DiPaolo and Mala Sander, Shelter Island - Penelope Moore and Gina Surerus, Southampton - Carolyn Kendall and Judi Krauss, Southampton - Pat Garrity and Geoff Hull, Westhampton Beach - Kathryn Strom and Connie Walsh, Southold - Sheri W. Clarry and Lori Feilen, Hampton Bays - Pat DeLuca and Frank Schwahl, Montauk - Theresa Eurell and Helen Stubbmann.

Employee of the Year: Roman Bohoslawec. East End Rookie of the Year: Joe DeCristofaro. Top Sales Agent by Sales Volume: Susan Breitenbach.

There is more on Cocoran stand-outs in our next column. It will knock your socks off and make you admit East End Real Estate is a very strange business. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!