VITALS:
The Funk Collection
Years in business: 13
Size: 1 branch office, 102 agents
Region Served: Central Florida
2021 Sales Volume (as of Dec. 1): $231 million
2021 Transactions (as of Dec. 1): 490 units
Renee Funk knows Central Florida real estate.
Having spent the past two decades in the Orlando area, and co-founding The Funk Collection brokered by eXp Realty with husband Jeffrey Funk, she’s been a key figure in the market for a long time.
“It’s the most amazing industry,” says Funk, “and it’s been such a blessing to be a part of it.”
Keith Loria: How did the Central Florida market fare in 2021?
Renee Funk: Home values were up more than 25% year-over-year. We’ve been running at about a month’s worth of inventory for the past six to seven months, so not as strained as some of the other markets in the U.S. We see many drivers that indicate that the market will continue to climb because we have open borders and foreign investors who have been on the sidelines for the last 18 months.
KL: What makes your firm unique?
RF: Our business focus is to create well-rounded business owners. We learned early on that people often come into the industry and are connected to one path or one source of business, and sometimes that becomes a trap. We look at each REALTOR® and set them up for success as business owners by helping them diversify their business.
KL: Tell us about your growth philosophy…
RF: We’ve built the business through organic SEO, our website, organic reach on social media and our personal network and sphere, which has given us a leg up as we help agents grow their business based on relationships. Success in the real estate industry comes down to “do we have consistency and good habits?”
KL: You recently had your agent count pass the 100 mark. What do you look for when bringing in new agents?
RF: When seeking talent, we are looking for those who have passion, grit and the tenacity it takes to be an entrepreneur. I look for all of these things long before I look at whether they have experience in real estate. I’m very bullish on newly licensed or newer agents. They have an incredible opportunity in the marketplace that can give them a competitive edge over more seasoned agents who have not experienced a marketplace like this before.
KL: How do you use tech to attract agents to the company?
RF: From a tech standpoint, we are focused on one thing: giving agents tools to improve the services they provide to the consumer, and not automating the consumer. We make sure our tech stack helps create efficiency for agents to elevate their customer service. For us, the tech and the human side of the equation should blend.
KL: What’s the best piece of advice you can offer agents?
RF: The best advice I can give to agents is to let them know they’re not alone. There
are agents and organizations who fully subscribe to authentic collaboration at the highest level. There’s no secret sauce. Those who are showing up and plugging in, absolutely yield the results.
KL: What is your favorite thing about being in this business?
RF: It’s not about the transaction. It’s about delivering the keys to a family who you’ve had the privilege to work with and you see they realize they are in the place they are going to build their memories. There’s nothing like it.
Keith Loria is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
Hello:
You mention “We’ve built the business through organic SEO, our website, organic reach on social media”.
What vendor / program do you use to drive traffic to your website, resulting in leads?