Broker Spotlight: The Secret to Good Recruiting

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Thomas McIntosh

President

ERA Trend Realty

Gainesville, Florida

Years in real estate: Since 1988. ?The greatest thing about real estate is that you are in absolute control of your time and what you do. The worst thing about real estate is that your are in absolute control of your time and what you do!?

Career path: ?From the time I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to own my own business. In 1992 there was a merger between the firm I was working with and an ERA company. I had the opportunity to become the owner of the company. We had four owners at the time and we consolidated the ownership. Now there are two of us. I?ve been an owner since 2000.?

Number of offices: Four serving Alachua County?Gainesville and the surrounding areas and the neighboring Putnam County.

Number of associates: Around 100

Keys to success: ?You have to be disciplined and keep your goals in front of you and know what it is you want to accomplish.?

Originally from: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Regarding growth: ?Every year I?ve been involved with the company, we?ve grown. This year is turning out to be the best year ever.?

What?s fueling success: ?Good interest rates mean that real estate is still a very attractive investment. The Baby Boom generation is letting its presence be known in this market. We?re getting people retiring here and people who are buying a lot of second homes here. There are people who are taking advantage of this market and stretching and buying a bigger house?we?re getting a lot of local trade ups and out-of-towners coming in as investors.?

Average area sales price: ?The average in the MLS is around $170,000; our average is slightly above that.?

We understand that you have a good track record in recruiting and retaining good employees. What?s your secret?

Our firm is recognized as being very good at training, so any person who?s looking to get into the business as a new licensee knows that they want to come and talk to us. This is not a message that we?ve really promoted, but that has kind of evolved by word of mouth.

What?s your approach to training?

There are so many different types of people that you have to be able to help each different type of personality. If you?re dealing with a reserved personality, you have to help them get the confidence to make contacts and talk to people. If you?re dealing with someone who is naturally outgoing, you have to support them with knowledge, so that you have given them the right techniques to ensure that information is being delivered properly. You have to try and really help the individual understand who they are and what their strengths are and craft a business plan that plays to their strengths.

What role has ERA played in your success to date?

ERA has focused on helping us, the brokers and the agents, control the transaction. We?re a big supporter of ERA Mortgage because ERA Mortgage acts as our partner and not as a mortgage provider. They keep our agents in the loop.

What do you consider to be some of your greatest challenges?

Training. There is an influx of licensees. Our local association of Realtors has grown at a very rapid pace. Getting these new people trained is a challenge. Brokers must make a very diligent effort to maintain the quality of service.