Innovative program and Millennial agents drive success for Colorado real estate company
Fort Collins, COLO. (Nov. 9, 2016) – After opening its first Colorado office in December of 2014 in Fort Collins, Windermere Real Estate Colorado has experienced accelerated expansion with new offices in Centennial and Denver Metro over the past two years. The rapid growth stems from a number of factors, but primary among them are a one-of-a-kind home selling program and a fresh approach to hiring and engaging a younger workforce.
With the Front Range expansion, Windermere Colorado has tripled sales volume from $77 million in 2015 to $205 million now, increasing employees from 21 to 65 agents during this same time.
Windermere Real Estate’s Colorado President, Eric Thompson, explains, “We’ve figured out how to be relevant to top-selling real estate agents and how to be relevant to the customer. In our mind it’s pretty simple: agents want their company to save them time and energy, and customers want a predictable process with no surprises.”
Thompson and his team pioneered a revolutionary program to market a home called the “Windermere Certified Listing.” Similar to buying a certified pre-owned vehicle, the program includes a pre-inspection of each listing before it ever goes on the market. With the pre-inspection in hand, the seller can decide how to handle certain repairs and then be transparent with the buyer as to the exact condition of the home.
“The biggest disappointments in a typical transaction occur when there is a surprise. With this program we’ve virtually eliminated all surprises,” says Thompson.
Now entering its third year, the Certified Listing program is getting results. For example, Windermere’s listings in the Northern Colorado market sell for 14 percent more and 42 percent faster than the market average. It has also been a key driver to attract productive agents to Windermere because the company’s staff handles the scheduling of all the vendors who prepare the home for sale.
“The Certified Listing program was a big reason why I chose to align with Windermere,” said Natalie Davis, Windermere agent and past Chair of the Fort Collins Board of REALTORS. “It saves me an enormous amount of time and allows me to focus my energy on my customers.”
Interestingly, the program has also resulted in a younger generation of agents joining Windermere. Currently, 20 percent of Windermere Colorado employees fall under the Millennial generation, an uncommon characteristic for a real estate company in an industry where the average age for a realtor nationally is 58.
At 35 percent, Millennials are the largest share of home buyers, which has been consistent over the last four years according to the National Association of Realtors. Having younger real estate agents to connect to this group is something Windermere leveraged at an early stage.
“Most of my clients are in their 20s or 30s,” says Kyle Basnar, a Millennial agent at Windermere Colorado. “Windermere educates us on how to effectively guide this group and give them the information they need to make good decisions.”
Both the younger and experienced agents at Windermere also appreciate Windermere’s commitment to giving back to the communities where they serve. The Windermere Foundation has generated over $31 million in donations since its inception toward supporting low-income and homeless families. In Colorado, Windermere partners with Homeless Gear, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the YMCA.
“Charitable giving is incredibly important to me and the agents on our team. The fact that Windermere is so committed to giving back to the communities where they serve was certainly a major factor in our decision to join Windermere,” said Carl McNew, co-owner of Windermere Metro Denver.
About Windermere Colorado:
Since its inception in 1972, Windermere Real Estate has grown to be a network of 300 offices with more than 6,000 agents by focusing on three basic principles: hire the best people, give them the best tools and create thriving communities. Windermere’s growth has allowed them to expand into the Colorado market led by Eric Thompson, President of Windermere Colorado. For more information, visit www.windermerecolorado.com.
About Windermere Real Estate
Windermere Real Estate is ranked the largest regional real estate company in the Western U.S. serving communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Mexico. The Windermere family has a proud heritage of serving our neighbors via the Windermere Foundation, which funds services for low-income and homeless families. Since 1989, the Windermere Foundation has contributed more than 31 million dollars towards improving lives in the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.windermere.com.