A real estate firm recently opened its first local office. Images courtesy of United Real Estate.
A longtime local real estate agent has brought a new brokerage brand to Richmond.
John Finn Jr., former owner of Dominion First Realty and current president of the Richmond Association of Realtors, has opened the Central Virginia region’s first United Real Estate franchise.
Based in Kansas City, Missouri, United Real Estate provides training, marketing and technology tools to agents and brokers, as well as allowing agents to retain 100 percent commissions.
In exchange, agents pay the brokerage a flat transaction fee per closing and monthly technology fees.
Finn, who led Dominion First Realty since 1997, changed his business over to United about a month ago. He said the emphasis on technology was what drew him to the company.
John Finn
“From the brokerage standpoint, we build a better mousetrap,” Finn said. “Technology is such a huge part of what a Realtor does today. We decided to make this investment … so agents can be mobile and better serve their clients.”
With resources and training that is digitally based and available online, United saves on costs, can manage more agents and can move away from a heavy reliance on the traditional office approach, Finn said. Many brokerages, in addition to taking a percentage cut of commissions, also charge agents separate fees for access to an office.
“With the older business, we were a brick-and-mortar business. Agents came in, worked in the office. What I’m finding is everybody’s out of the office now,” he said. “This model suits the way real estate agents work today.”
Finn said his six-person Dominion staff has grown to 19 since he opened the United franchise a month ago. He said the new franchise is capable of managing as many as 100 agents.
He opened a new office in Chesterfield County to house the business. It is located at 9011 Arboretum Parkway, Suite 120, near the Midlothian Turnpike and Powhite Parkway interchange.
Finn said he signed a franchise agreement in January.
United is a division of the United Real Estate Group and United Real Estate Holdings. It has 25 other franchises in the country, including two in Virginia, in Fredericksburg and Great Falls.
Earlier this month the company announced in a release it had raised capital from McCarthy Capital Fund V to “more aggressively drive its rapid expansion.”
A real estate firm recently opened its first local office. Images courtesy of United Real Estate.
A longtime local real estate agent has brought a new brokerage brand to Richmond.
John Finn Jr., former owner of Dominion First Realty and current president of the Richmond Association of Realtors, has opened the Central Virginia region’s first United Real Estate franchise.
Based in Kansas City, Missouri, United Real Estate provides training, marketing and technology tools to agents and brokers, as well as allowing agents to retain 100 percent commissions.
In exchange, agents pay the brokerage a flat transaction fee per closing and monthly technology fees.
Finn, who led Dominion First Realty since 1997, changed his business over to United about a month ago. He said the emphasis on technology was what drew him to the company.
John Finn
“From the brokerage standpoint, we build a better mousetrap,” Finn said. “Technology is such a huge part of what a Realtor does today. We decided to make this investment … so agents can be mobile and better serve their clients.”
With resources and training that is digitally based and available online, United saves on costs, can manage more agents and can move away from a heavy reliance on the traditional office approach, Finn said. Many brokerages, in addition to taking a percentage cut of commissions, also charge agents separate fees for access to an office.
“With the older business, we were a brick-and-mortar business. Agents came in, worked in the office. What I’m finding is everybody’s out of the office now,” he said. “This model suits the way real estate agents work today.”
Finn said his six-person Dominion staff has grown to 19 since he opened the United franchise a month ago. He said the new franchise is capable of managing as many as 100 agents.
He opened a new office in Chesterfield County to house the business. It is located at 9011 Arboretum Parkway, Suite 120, near the Midlothian Turnpike and Powhite Parkway interchange.
Finn said he signed a franchise agreement in January.
United is a division of the United Real Estate Group and United Real Estate Holdings. It has 25 other franchises in the country, including two in Virginia, in Fredericksburg and Great Falls.
Earlier this month the company announced in a release it had raised capital from McCarthy Capital Fund V to “more aggressively drive its rapid expansion.”