by Fred Seely, Editor
Twenty-six years ago, Ann McAfee decided to buy into the Re/Max philosophy. She was a top producer at Watson Realty and decided to go out on her own, and Re/Max’s ideas mirrored hers.
Today, she owns the state’s top producing office and the philosophy is still the same.
“It works for us,” she said. “This is the way I hoped it would come out.”
McAfee and her husband, retired Delta pilot Bob McAfee, own Re/Max Specialists’ two offices, one in Orange Park and the other in Mandarin.
“The company reflects Ann,” said her general manager, Nathan Miller. “She is very generous, she understands real estate, she understands the needs of professional real estate agents, and she creates a professional environment for agents to succeed.”
And her role?
“I’m the coach, the cheerleader and, occasionally, the in-house therapist,” she said with a laugh. “Nathan keeps things in line; I’m here to help.”
The company led all Florida Re/Max offices last year in transactions per agent. That’s no small feat, as there are 194 offices in the state.
If you spend any time with McAfee, she’ll talk more about Re/Max’s success than hers. The company was founded in 1973 by agents who wanted more control over their commissions and has grown to an international giant in 80 nations and every state.
“We embrace the program that Re/Max developed,” said McAfee. “It is an ‘agentcentric’ company, started by agents for agents. It is built on the idea of teamwork and Re/Max has numerous web-based programs to help agents sell.”
The company recently was named the nation’s best in customer satisfaction by the JD Power Company, better known for rating cars but expanding into other areas.
McAfee’s offices emphasize the company’s ideas with in-house training, mentoring and marketing. Re/Max Specialists also has its own IT team.
It is a family by blood, marriage and feeling. Bob McAfee stays close to the action, Miller is their son-in-law (his father’s company, The Fred Miller Group, is a competitor) and agents tend to stay because of the atmosphere.
The company also has a “family” of services: mortgage, title and insurance, along with real estate sales.
The two offices: the main one on Park Avenue in Orange Park and the other at the Julington Creek bridge. They have about 125 agents.