January 29, 2008, Chevy Chase, Maryland

It has been astonishing and wonderful these past twenty years to watch this office grow.  The 37 agents with me, the new manager ,made the decision to look forward to see what we really wanted the office to be in ten years.  We knew the office needed to grow.  They wanted to have a high tech office with all the tools available for them to do their job.  They wanted to be proud of their fellow agents.  With this in mind they developed the criteria for any agent who joined us. I was charged to be sure that all agents  cared about ethics, professional standards and productivity.  In addition, and perhaps the spirit that binds us together, we wanted to have agents who were connected to the community.  We did not want agents who lived and breathed real estate. And that is how we got from there to here.

But the really remarkable thing about these agents is that all though they are in truth competitors, they help each other get better at their job.  The whole extensive training program is run and taught by the top agents.  All agents at one time or another have taught a class, or chaired a panel or run the whole new agent training. Each agent is pulling along every other agent.  It is truly a wonder to behold. If a new agent meets a new wrinkle, another  agent in the work room will help out with the issue.  And an expert in one subdivision will help another agent price a new listing in that area.

The result of this shared responsibility and expertise  was a 1.33 Billion Dollars in 2007 beating 2006.  I is a wonder.  But it is really not.  Because this was all planned out, many years ago. And bit by bit like minded agents joined us, and we merged with another like minded office, and here we are now.It is amazing when you start at the end, and then work backwards.