CONDO CLEARINGHOUSE

A few months ago, real estate agents Lorene Stewart and Martha Cook decided to become publishers. Although neither had experience in publishing, they both noticed a void in the real estate publishing world. Last April, the two women decided that what Dallas needed was a definitive, thorough handbook for condominium buyers.

How does one put together a definitive guide for condo-shoppers in this condo-loaded community? Well, Cook and Stewart decided to begin by driving around a lot. While one drove, the other spoke into a cassette recorder, listing the names and locations of all the condominium complexes that they passed. Then, in the evenings, the two women indexed all the information they had gathered.

The first issue of Current Condos of Dallas hit the newsstands in June. The 41-page publication lists statistics on more than 125 different properties. The address, availability, financing, floor plan, price, square footage, amenities and developer of each condominium listed is included, as well as maps prepared by Mapsco Inc.

Current Condos is available in 200 area grocery stores and drugstores, and although no solid figures can be compiled until August, a representative from Martin News Agency, the magazine’s distributor, says the publication is selling well.

Cook and Stewart have just finished their second publication (the August/September issue), and both women seem confident that their product will catch on. They’ve also had a favorable response within the real estate community: During July, both were asked to speak about their publication at two Greater Dallas Board of Realtors meetings, which were attended by more than 1,500 real estate agents. Our own sampling of real estate agents shows that, for the most part, they find the publication helpful for condominium buyers.

Within the next several months, Cook and Stewart hope to expand the publication to other Texas markets. Then, they’ll spend their time driving all over San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Galveston…