Brokerage Beat: News from Corcoran, RE/MAX, C21, more
Corcoran grows in Houston; RE/MAX adds WY offices; C21 gains Denver affiliate; TN firm joins BHGRE; Livian adds 4 teams; The Agency opens in Halifax & Jamaica.
Editor's note: The brokerage business is a busy one, with frequent moves, mergers and milestones. Here we highlight some of the latest activity among brokerages across the U.S. and globally.
Corcoran expands Houston presence
Houston-area broker Nicole Freer has moved her team, the Nicole Freer Group, to Corcoran.
Located in Katy, Texas, the newly launched Corcoran Genesis, owned and operated by Nicole Freer and her husband Doug, joins Corcoran Ferester Realty and Corcoran Prestige Realty as the brand's third brokerage in the Houston market.
"It is exciting to see our Houston market presence continue to grow with the addition of Corcoran Genesis," said Corcoran Group President and CEO Pamela Liebman. "With an impressive track record, not only in comparison to their local suburban market, but also throughout the greater Houston and national marketplace, I am confident they will achieve even greater success with the resources and power of the Corcoran brand behind them."
The Freers launched the Nicole Freer Group in 2015, and today it includes 14 agents as well as support staff. Nicole Freer said the Corcoran affiliation will help the brokerage continue to grow "swiftly and thoughtfully."
"Alongside this exciting partnership and growth potential, I look forward to continuing our dedication to providing exceptional client service, and to providing valuable development opportunities for our agents," she said.
RE/MAX opens two new offices in Wyoming
Entrepreneur and Renters Warehouse founder Brenton Hayden has come out of early "retirement" to open two RE/MAX offices.
Hayden is joined in the venture by his wife, CFO Ashley Hayden, and two vice presidents of operations, John Parsons and Mark Wilson.
Parsons and Wilson sold the first office, 307 Premier Properties in Buffalo, Wyoming, to Hayden, who has rebranded it to RE/MAX Elevation. At the same time, the group opened a second RE/MAX Elevation office in Cody, Wyoming. Wilson will serve as broker and vice president of the Buffalo office, while Parsons will be vice president of the Cody office.
"We want to develop these really great communities of Wyoming," said Hayden. "Buffalo and Cody are hot and upcoming markets and there's kind of a renaissance happening; we want to be a part of that. We want to help grow these markets and create sustainable careers for the agents here."
Hayden founded the property management company Renters Warehouse in 2007 and sold it in 2015, meeting a self-imposed retirement age of 27. He remains as chairman of the board and defined retirement as being able to choose when to work, not an endless vacation.
Century 21 strengthens Denver presence with new affiliate
Century 21 Prosperity in Denver, Colorado, is the brand's newest affiliate.
Founded in October 2022 by William Lawrence and Kelvin Caiati, the firm closed hundreds of transactions in its first year before joining the Century 21 network.
Lawrence opened his first boutique brokerage, Lawrence Family Properties, nearly a decade ago, while Caiati has a background in finance. Caiati became a licensed real estate agent and mortgage lender in 2020.
The duo aims to increase the company's size to 40 agents in the next year, then expand with additional offices in Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Florida.
"The brand's name recognition will help us to open new doors in new places, while our skills and experience can help to establish deeper roots for the Century 21 brand as a whole in untapped markets," said Lawrence.
"Our goal is to be the ultimate one-stop-shop for clients," said Caiati. "Our office has intimate knowledge of the local real estate market, but more importantly, we also have strong relationships with lenders, inspectors and contractors."
Tennessee brokerage joins Better Homes & Gardens
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Heritage Group in Shelbyville, Tennessee, is the newest brokerage to join BHGRE.
The firm was founded in 2010 by Principal Broker Melissa Sterling along with Jeff Hicks, David Bradford, Jordan Cooper, Reed Emerson and silent partner Leigh Kelly. All are lifelong Tennesseeans.
"Lifestyle is core to the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand, and to effectively serve niche markets, it requires an in-depth understanding of the local lifestyle, a quality that Melissa, Jordan, Jeff, David, Reed, and Leigh embody," said Ginger Wilcox, president of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. "Their strong local connections provide them not only valuable market knowledge but also a genuine passion for their work."
Sterling said buying a home is a huge moment for people. "Our mission is to become our hometown's premier real estate agency and help as many of our neighbors achieve this dream as possible, and we believe that integrating with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate will play a key role in realizing that goal."
KW's Livian platform adds 4 teams with $126M in sales
Four new teams with a combined annual sales volume of more than $126 million have joined real estate team acceleration platform Livian.
"We're bringing together the best minds in the industry to elevate our services and redefine the future of real estate," said Livian CEO Adam Hergenrother. "Together, we are poised to create unparalleled opportunities and set new standards of success in the world of real estate brokerage."
Livian, which launched in partnership with Keller Williams in 2021, now has 61 real estate teams with more than 475 agents across 27 states.
The four newest teams to join are:
Livian The Houk Group in Louisiana, whose five agents closed $32 million in sales volume in 2023
Livian Estates in South Carolina, with six agents and $15.6 million in sales volume last year
Livian Homes Collective with eight agents in Ohio and South Carolina, reporting $40.6 million in sales volume in 2023
Livian the Merritt Real Estate Group in New Jersey, which brought in $38 million last year and is home to 10 agents
Livian's platform offers marketing services, diversified lead generation levers, automated conversion strategies, human resources and talent acquisition support, fiscal reporting and accounting, and prescriptive training and coaching.
The Agency launches offices in Nova Scotia, Jamaica
Luxury brokerage The Agency has the weather spectrum covered, opening offices in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and the Caribbean nation of Jamaica.
The Agency Halifax marks the company's first office in Nova Scotia and its 18th in Canada. The branch will be led by Managing Partners Steve and Katia Bailey, and Managing Directors Megan Landry and James Goode.
The Baileys are brokers and managing partners for several of the brand's offices in Canada.
"We are honored to add The Agency Halifax to our diverse portfolio of Agency office locations throughout Canada," they said. "Our amazing team of local market experts including Cait Banks, Megan Landry and James Goode are going to serve as invaluable partners as we bring The Agency brand into this unique and burgeoning market."
Meanwhile, the brokerage has opened its first office in the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica.
Matthew 'Taff' Stevenson, Rebecca Stevenson, Sean O'Neill and Ian Hurdle will serve as managing partners, with David Thwaites as managing broker of The Agency Jamaica, based in the capital city of Kingston.
"Jamaica is such a special country with a strong culture that appeals to both locals and visitors alike," said Jim Ramsay, executive vice president of franchise sales at The Agency. "Our expansion into Jamaica and the greater Caribbean has been unprecedented. By leveraging our extensive network of leading agents and unrivaled marketing strategies, we are poised to redefine the real estate landscape in Jamaica."