Jabin Norris
Founder/Owner
PROACTIVE Real Estate, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®
Holden Beach, North Carolina
https://proactiverealestate.com
Region served: Brunswick County, North Carolina
Years in real estate: 18
Number of offices: 1
Number of agents: 22
Favorite part of your job: The daily opportunity to help brokers grow their careers and meet their goals.
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What are some of the current trends you see in your market right now?
Our market has stepped back into what would be seen as historically normal. Not only do we still have very low inventory, but year-over-year, the days on market have gone up 162%. And while the rise in interest rates affected the days on market, it has yet to put downward pressure on the average sales price. Trend-wise, we’re on pace with last year. That works simultaneously with our vacation rentals as well because we’re a strong destination market. Year-over-year, sales transaction rates and vacation rental occupancy rates are down, in line with each other on a percentage basis, about 30%.
How does your company make its agents’ jobs easier?
At PROACTIVE, we believe it’s critical to understand what today’s consumers want and need and how those things coincide with how we support and train our brokers. We provide our brokers with unparalleled support and contextually relevant training. We work daily to ensure that PROACTIVE aligns with the current consumer’s values and needs. We understand that the broker is the brand. PROACTIVE is a vehicle, an educational institute, a tech stack, a support system, a network. We’re here to enhance the broker’s daily operations. We’ve proven that our support and training are effective given our company’s per-person productivity rate of 25. In 2023, 90% of our listings sold with a sales-price-to-list-price ratio of 97%.
Is now the time to pursue expansion—in terms of offices and/or number of agents? Why or why not?
It’s a great time to expand, as today’s market challenges are helping brokers remember the importance of support, training and marketing. These are the areas we’re focused on providing brokers at an elevated level. We’re currently opening our second location this summer on Oak Island. Just like our current office, we’ll offer real estate sales, vacation rentals and mortgage all under one roof, providing an unmatched end-to-end consumer experience.
What is your best piece of advice for agents looking to advance into leadership positions?
The first thing would be to sit back and look at industry veterans in your market who have chosen the path to leadership and analyze whether it’s something you really want to pursue. If you do pursue that path, remember that the well-being of the broker’s career comes first. Keep them focused on where they are and where they want to be, and your company or your team will be rewarded for that. It’s that old saying, “You succeed by helping others succeed.”
What ultimately attracted you to Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE)?
We had interviewed several franchises, and what was attractive about LeadingRE was the resources, connections and network. But more importantly, they give you independence and strength—two words that have stuck out to me since we joined. We were proud to be nominated for the LeadingRE Diamond Award in 2023, the network’s top company honor. Another great thing about LeadingRE is their relocation management company RELO Direct® and luxury arm, Luxury Portfolio International. Both resources have helped us with market growth and ancillary income opportunities.
For more information, please visit https://www.leadingre.com.
