Steve Belluomini has been a licensed broker for 23 years and joined the JF Finnegan management team in 1999. Today, he serves as president of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate JF Finnegan REALTORS®, and is one of Northern California’s top real estate managers.
“I was looking for freedom in creating my own schedule so I could do what I wanted to do and have no limit on my financial future,” he says about choosing real estate as a career. “We have a very competitive market and the local ownership is what makes us stand out.”
In 2017, the firm is experiencing a lack of inventory by well over 1,000 homes compared to the same time last year, while the days-on-market is steady at about 20, with multiple offers on most properties.
“Average sale price went up from around $800 a square foot to $875 a square foot, with homes coming in around $1.8 million,” Belluomini says. “Offers continue to get over asking, with about 9 percent over asking, so even though the number of sales are down, the volume is up.”
The firm recently grew from three offices to seven, and is planning to grow those offices organically, projecting a 12-month growth of about 200 agents.
“When the opportunity came up to expand, we jumped at it,” Belluomini says. “We’re looking for full-time agents; someone who wants to make a career out of it. When someone is going to spend over $1.5 million, it’s hard to do with part-time agents.”
Agents are attracted to the firm because it’s one of the oldest independent companies in the area, and it’s grown from a 10-person organization to a sizeable, productive firm that gains marketshare each year.
Training is very important to Belluomini, who also acts as a Tom Ferry coach, helping other brokers and agents.
“I like to stay on the cutting edge of what’s happening across the country,” he says. “I’m also part of the Founder’s Circle, which Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate put together with 14 owners of franchises across the country, and we meet twice a year for that.”
When new agents join the firm, they go through a ramped-up monthly training program. From there, they participate in Ninja Selling, Tom Ferry’s Breakthrough by Design training, and Buffini & Company’s 100 Days to Greatness, as well as weekly accountability check-ins. “Our goal is to get them productive in the first 90 days that they are here,” Belluomini explains.
Vitals: Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate JF Finnegan REALTORS®
Years in Business: 38
Size: 7 offices, 425 agents
Regions Served: San Francisco to San Jose
2016 Sales Volume: $1.005 billion
2016 Transactions: 1,125
www.gobhg.com
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