by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
The area’s newest real estate office opened last month and about 500 visitors saw a similarity: there’s one almost like it on the other side of the St. Johns River.
Owner/broker Ann McAfee unveiled her new Re/Max on Park Avenue digs to an appreciative group at an evening reception, and she says it was easy to figure out what to do.
“It’s very similar to our other office (Re/Max Realty Specialists on San Jose Boulevard) but we tweaked it a little,” she said. “One thing’s for sure: it’s a lot better than what we had.”
Orange Park architect Steve McCullar did both buildings, working with McAfee and her staff to try and fit every need. Apparently, it was successful, though the office’s growth, which mirrors the growth of the immediate area, may end up where they started: not enough inside space or outside parking.
McAfee’s previous headquarters was a cramped space about a mile south on Park Avenue (for non-Clay residents, that’s either U.S. 17 or what Roosevelt Boulevard becomes when it leaves Duval County.) She started there in 1986 when she left Watson. She had three agents then and, as the Re/Max concept boomed, the company grew far beyond the space’s capacity. Today, she has room for almost 60 people and almost every desk is occupied.
The two-story building totals 15,000 square feet; Re/Max takes two-thirds and the rest goes to two tenants: Security First Title and ophthalmologist Frank Bowden.
There’s a wide entrance area flanked with two conference rooms. The first person you’ll see, receptionist Sue Johnson, uses her 12 years of experience to call up any agent.
Just across a hall is Office Manager Cheryl Greenwood’s office, and the hall then leads past the copier room and into a corridor lined with agent office.
The offices are on the perimeter of the first floor. In the mid-section are desks (because Re/Max agents pay fees, it’s cheaper to have a carrel than an office), the copier room and a kitchen. A door leads to Security Title’s office.
A winding stair takes you to the second floor, where you’ll find a large meeting room (it’s about 1,000 square feet and big enough for all agents to gather in) with a full kitchen, an office used by the property management team, and Ann McAfee’s office.
McAfee is the president and broker/owner. Son Mike is the vice president, daughter Kat is an agent and husband Bob, a retired airline pilot, runs the Property Services Division.
The McAfee offices — they also have part of Re/Max Coastal — either lead or place second in the area in listings and sales. They presently oversee about 2,000 listings and the year’s current volume is almost 10 percent of the area market.
“We’ve been proud of our growth and success,” said Greenwood. “The new building is more than just space. It gives us much more presence in the market. It’s a big investment but it’s worth it.”