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

Dawn Bradley, senior vice president for the Richmond area, suggests the company’s good results is tied instantly to its dedication to placing people to start with — buyers and brokers alike.

“It goes appropriate back to have confidence in, spouse and children and excellence,” she states. “Truly, that is the basis of our company and how we run. As aggressive as this small business can be and is, Extensive & Foster agents aid every other. The culture we have developed is true.”

Bradley states Extensive & Foster has worked by means of the pandemic to assistance brokers and team by featuring enhanced technology, specifically via cellular phone applications, to make their employment simpler. Online meetings and training also retained persons connected until eventually in-individual meetings could resume.

“We desired to get men and women back again in the business office for common [in-person] profits meetings, and we also preferred to supply persons what they have been at ease with, by means of Zoom conferences,” she says.

With a booming actual estate market place, Extensive & Foster is on the lookout to preserve existing brokers and employ new staff members to meet up with customer demand from customers and offer outstanding service, Bradley claims.

“Through the final 12 months, we’ve worked as tough to keep our agents as we have labored in recruiting,” Bradley states. “We provide a in depth coaching collection of classes to aid build [their business] and create functions to make them productive. You have obtained to maintain the back doorway closed and keep individuals folks happy.”

Bradley points to autonomy across offices, with specific administrators in a position to figure out what’s best for their crew, as one way of keeping associates engaged. An additional strategy is more common: foodstuff.

“If you feed them, they will appear,” Bradley claims. When she’s out checking out workplaces, she generally brings treats together: doughnuts, pizza, barbecue — “whatever I’m hungry for,” she laughs. “Sometimes, the most effective way to build that household atmosphere is just sitting at a desk breaking bread jointly.”

Department professionals are also encouraged to host standard agent panels, exactly where associates from each individual degree — recognized producers to individuals who are reasonably new to authentic estate — converse about their activities.

“Agent panels are really popular, and we never aim on just our major agents,” she claims. “We’ll talk about how [participants] got began, and they’ll share their activities so other brokers can overcome predicaments that are not as beneficial as you want.

“It will take our whole family to preserve us shifting ahead. It warms my heart to wander into an office and see a seasoned agent sitting down up coming to another person who has not been with the enterprise for really extended, just possessing a dialogue.”