Future Home Realty opened a Jacksonville office about six months ago at 12443 San Jose Blvd. Bob McDugald is the founder of the company, which has four offices in Tampa with over 600 agents. Jim Schanz is the director of operations/associate broker and Kevin Hicks is the local general manager.
McDugald and Schanz were running the new office from Tampa, but decided to bring Hicks on a little over a month ago to make sure there was a local presence here for Realtors and customers to meet with.
McDugald and Schanz still commute from Tampa to help training and support with the Jacksonville office, but Hicks is the main man here.
"I support our agents and answer any questions they have," said Hicks. "We do a lot of training here and I try to help the agents actually implement what they learned. Agents love training, but they are not real great implementers, so we actually try to see it through."
Hicks and his wife, Emily, owned Realty Advantage and then worked at Prudential before joining the Future Home Realty team.
Why open an office in Jacksonville?
"We see a huge opportunity in the Jacksonville area because we believe our model that combines a training system that is cutting edge along with the most agent-friendly compensation plan out there," said McDugald. "The area is dominated currently with ultra conservative 'old school' models that are broker-centered and our 'agent-centered' model provides a huge differentiation from these models."
How did you come up with the name?
"We thought the name fit because of our focus on our agents futures at the forefront while still providing a great name that appeals to the public in helping them find their next home," said McDugald.
How many agents?
They have 10 but are actively recruiting more.
Goals with the new office?
Hicks said he would like to grow this office and really get the name out there. "The Future Home Realty name is not that well known in Jacksonville, where everyone knows it in Tampa," said Hicks.
What makes your office different?
"We offer a very aggressive 100 percent commission split," said Hicks. "Our agents pay a $35 a month fee and then a commission of $250 per transaction up to a $4,000 cap a year. Top producing agents can cap out pretty quick."
Training?
They have training classes every Tuesday in the office. "Our training is different because it's not only the training, but the implementation of the training," said Hicks. "We are training people how to do it and then I am showing them step by step how to implement it."
They have recently had training sessions on listing presentations, social media and lead generation.
Who is in the office?
Ashley Avery, Tameka Britton-Brideau, Bridget Carter, Wes Dumas, Carolyn Lovelady, Hector Munoz, Corey Rose, Ike Scott and Avanta Williams are agents.
Current real estate market in Mandarin?
"It's turned into a seller's market overnight," said Hicks. "We have low inventory and a lot of buyers. We have more buyers than sellers right now. Prices are going up, but interest rates have started to jump up, so the affordability factor is going down for some people. If buyers are on the fence, we encourage them to get off the fence because interest rates are going to steadily trend up."
Type of agents?
They hire new and established agents with an entrepreneurial spirit. The Future Home Realty model reflects that agents are self-employed and own their own business. "Future Home Realty really gives you the platform to expand on that," said Hicks.
Future of Future Home Realty?
"Our goal is to make it come into conjunction with our stated mission, which is to provide real estate agents the most profitable, effective, efficient place to run their business," said McDugald. "The results would look like our Tampa offices with over 600 agents that are focused on reaching their personal stated goals. We teach our agents to make themselves better people including physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial health. We also focus on giving back to the community by taking our eyes off ourselves."
Website?
www.Joinfhrjax.com or futurehomerealty.com.
—by Michele Gillis