How Long & Foster became among largest real estate companies in U.S. | Local Business News

Dawn Bradley, senior vice president for the Richmond region, states the company’s success is tied specifically to its determination to putting individuals very first — consumers and brokers alike.

“It goes appropriate back to belief, family and excellence,” she claims. “Truly, that is the basis of our business and how we function. As aggressive as this business can be and is, Prolonged & Foster agents guidance each other. The society we’ve developed is true.”

Bradley states Extended & Foster has labored by the pandemic to aid brokers and team by giving improved know-how, primarily by means of cell phone apps, to make their jobs less complicated. On the internet conferences and training also kept folks connected till in-person meetings could resume.

“We required to get men and women back again in the workplace for common [in-person] sales conferences, and we also wanted to supply persons what they ended up comfy with, by way of Zoom conferences,” she states.

With a booming authentic estate market, Extended & Foster is searching to retain existing agents and employ the service of new team to meet up with client demand and provide excellent provider, Bradley states.

“Through the last yr, we’ve worked as hard to retain our agents as we have worked in recruiting,” Bradley suggests. “We present a complete schooling sequence of lessons to help construct [their business] and make activities to make them prosperous. You’ve obtained to preserve the again door closed and maintain individuals individuals happy.”

Bradley details to autonomy throughout workplaces, with person supervisors ready to establish what’s finest for their team, as one particular way of retaining associates engaged. One more strategy is much more universal: food.

“If you feed them, they will occur,” Bradley says. When she’s out traveling to offices, she typically delivers treats alongside: doughnuts, pizza, barbecue — “whatever I’m hungry for,” she laughs. “Sometimes, the best way to develop that relatives environment is just sitting down at a desk breaking bread with each other.”

Branch managers are also encouraged to host normal agent panels, where associates from each level — set up producers to these who are relatively new to authentic estate — communicate about their ordeals.

“Agent panels are pretty well-known, and we do not concentrate on just our best brokers,” she says. “We’ll discuss about how [participants] got commenced, and they’ll share their experiences so other agents can conquer cases that are not as optimistic as you want.

“It usually takes our complete family members to hold us going ahead. It warms my heart to walk into an office and see a seasoned agent sitting down up coming to a person who hasn’t been with the company for quite lengthy, just having a discussion.”