Carrie Zeier grew up in the grocery business, as her parents owned a chain of supermarkets in South Georgia, and she always knew she wanted to be involved in the business world in some way. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Zeier opened her first business—a ladies’ apparel shop—and sold that five years later. She started a second successful business before deciding to try her hand at real estate.
“I dove right in and started in the luxury market in Atlanta and grew from there,” says Zeier. “Fast forward 12 years and I’m in Nashville with five offices, owner of RE/MAX Elite in Brentwood, Tenn.”
Considering her career started in Atlanta, with most of her sphere of influence in Georgia, what Zeier’s been able to accomplish in Nashville is all the more impressive.
“Keller Williams hired me as their team leader and I started recruiting agents and getting to know people one by one,” says Zeier. “My goal was to try and meet three new people every day. Years later, those relationships have held strong with my position at RE/MAX.”
It was in 2011 when she acquired RE/MAX Elite, which at the time was about a $300 million company; today, it’s a $925 million company.
“My new goal is to close the billion-dollar mark this year, and we’re on track to do that,” says Zeier. “I’m not looking to expand offices, but I always look to bring in great agents. I want great agents who do great business and a lot of transactions. It’s about adhering to the integrity of our company.”
Agents are attracted to RE/MAX Elite thanks to the marketing and technology tools offered. In addition to being a member of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, RE/MAX Elite is also the exclusive firm of the NHL’s Nashville Predators, which provides a lot of exposure.
Zeier also does her own radio show, the “Voice of Nashville Real Estate,” which has helped the company and her agents get recognition. She often brings some of her agents on the show to discuss hot properties in the local market.
“We have a lot of growth in Nashville,” says Zeier, who notes that the market has been fantastic so far in 2017. “We needed new construction, and it’s booming. Land is so valuable, and it’s very hard to get now. The perception is that it’s such a hot market, and it is within certain areas and price ranges. The biggest obstacle is setting expectations for the seller that not all properties sell in a day. With the right price point, though, some will not last the day.”
The millennial generation is also becoming more active in the city, and Zeier makes sure to do a lot of training on the trend, because selling to millennials is different than working with other generations.
Training is vital in Zeier’s opinion—and not just real estate training, but business training, as well.
“We show how to be the professional and lead the industry in knowledge, as well as grow the business and service sellers and buyers,” explains Zeier. “We stay on the cutting edge. I lead our monthly kick-off meeting with a different topic every month, which we do a lot of research on, and sometimes we have panels and brainstorm. In addition, some of our top agents with certain specialties are our mastermind leaders.”
It’s the overall culture, she says, that makes the company unique.
“We are more of a family of professionals,” says Zeier. “Our heart is to provide the best service to the consumer, but to also help each other drive to be the best.”
Vitals: RE/MAX Elite
Years in Business: 6
Size: 5 offices; 225 agents
Region Served: Middle Tennessee
2016 Sales Volume: $925 million
2016 Transactions: 3,478
www.remaxelitesearch.com
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