By Melissa Kandel
It’s no secret Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Innovative Real Estate in Denver is a brokerage powered by the concept of innovation—the word appears in the very title of the company. But to hear Broker/Owners Scott and Lora Nordby speak about what innovation means to them, the term takes on a meaning all its own.
“When we were attempting to figure out who we wanted to be, innovation was the direction we wanted to go,” explains Lora Nordby. “There were so many agents who had lost the care for their clients, and so many consumers who had been manipulated by a real estate transaction; we wanted to be able to turn those potential home buyers and sellers around and make them realize we’re an industry of assistance and information sharing, which for us was a very innovative idea.”
This concept, what Nordby calls “co-opetition,” is an essential facet to the supremely collaborative and altruistic culture at Innovative Real Estate, a perennial market leader and a top-10 Denver brokerage. “It’s about supporting each other and knowing every one of us is heading toward the same goal: helping our clients,” said Nordby, who cites Scott’s participation on numerous local and national boards as reflective of this one-for-all philosophy.
Scott, a longtime real estate veteran, says that same spirit of selflessness can be seen within the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network, and helped convince him to join as a franchisee Jan. 18, 2017. “I now feel like Lora and I have a big family around the country of owners willing to talk about anything, from where they go on vacation to how they run their business,” he said. “I’ve never felt so supported spanning 25 years in real estate.”
The Nordby’s also credit the systems and tools offered by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices as enhancing not only their company’s business but also the careers of the more than 160 agents, spread across four Denver-metro offices, who carry the Innovative Real Estate name. “There’s a general consensus among our agents that the new brand, marketing, systems and recognition will take them to a completely different level of what was once possible,” he explains.
And less than three months into the affiliation, both consumers and agents are already responding in kind; the Nordby’s shared a story about a seller whose young daughter excitedly announced, “Hey look, mom, the sign is in the front yard!” They also recounted how a top-producing agent joined the brokerage because of the brand’s strong reputation; a new, international agent came aboard because she was drawn to the appeal of international sales and the large brokerage network.
“The brand is the perfect fit for our culture and our agents,” said Scott. “There’s a whole new, exciting energy around here.”
Lisa Chesney, an agent who joined Innovative Real Estate just four days before the affiliation announcement, agrees. “I’ve been really blown away by how many things are at my disposal now,” she explains. “I love that I can go on REsource Center and create a flyer that’s done in 10 minutes. It’s very organized and the painful parts of running a business are taken out for me so that I can focus on my clients.”
Chesney closed her first transaction as a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Innovative Real Estate agent last Monday and says though it was a complex deal; she had not only the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices products and systems but also the support of managers, brokerage leadership and even other agents as she completed the process. “That’s just the atmosphere of this company,” she says. “It’s a completely collaborative environment and every single person was willing to help me out.”
The vast generosity at Innovative Real Estate goes back to the concept of innovation not as some intangible ideal but as an actionable mindset for success. “It’s not me against you in real estate,” Lora says, “It’s us working together. And that’s what being a member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network family is all about.”
MELISSA KANDEL is the director of global communications, PR and digital media at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. You can follow her on Twitter, @misskandel.
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