Just as many homebuyers think about what remodeling work they would like to do after purchasing a home, real estate broker Jason Farmer thought about that for his own business career over the last couple of years.
So he sold his ReMax franchise in late 2016, and last year he opened The Group Real Estate Brokerage along with fellow owner Kadi Brown in a historic and remodeled brick building at 2646 Broad St. in the Southside.
The changes involved some actual physical labor as well as professional re-shifting. That included some branding, such as trendy neutral colors on his business cards, signage and even the paint on the greatly remodeled building. It is a move he hopes gives his business a bright image figuratively.
A lot of thought also went into the seemingly simplistic name.
“It took me six months to come up with that,” Mr. Farmer joked of the name. “It’s not about me.”
At the same time, father and son Realtors Charlie and Nathan Walldorf were doing an inventory of sorts with their own work, and they decided to approach Mr. Farmer about joining him.
Charlie Walldorf said The Group had several advantages that they did not have, such as more technology, including a very good website presence. And Nathan said he and his father wanted to concentrate more on what they enjoy about real estate.
“We wanted to focus on people buying and selling instead of managing,” he said.
They joined The Group on March 1, and Mr. Farmer said his firm is glad to have them.
“The Walldorf name in Chattanooga is synonymous with real estate and customer service,” he said. “It was a huge compliment for us to be their next stop.”
They point out that Charlie Walldorf’s brother, Rudy Walldorf, still owns and operates Herman Walldorf Commercial, Inc. and is not part of the change. He will continue to work out of the firm’s longtime office at 109 E. Eighth St.
The family’s long involvement in real estate started when Charlie’s and Rudy’s father, Herman, opened his firm in 1926. He remained active until his death in 1992. In 2011, the surviving brothers split the companies into separate commercial and residential firms.
Mr. Farmer said part of the reason for wanting to start a new company was to be involved with helping a client all the way through the home-purchasing process.
“There’s a trend of individual real estate companies gaining market share,” he said. “Many are growing uncomfortable with the franchise model. With this you have more flexibility to serve clients.”
Mr. Farmer has been selling real estate since 1999 and loves that he is now able to focus even more on the art of working out a deal to the satisfaction of the buyer and seller.
“That’s what I love most, and the harder the deal the better,” he said with a smile, adding that he had such mentors as Lois Killebrew and George Kangles.
Nathan Walldorf said he likes the people aspect of real estate work. “I enjoy getting to know the folks I’m working with, whether showing people around or seeing them all the way to closing and being happy.”
For Charlie Walldorf, being a detail-oriented person makes showing houses to clients fun, whether it is pointing out numerous details in a house or what is behind the walls.
The veteran broker has a few stories behind his own smile as well. He jokingly recalled the days when real estate contracts were one page, multiple listings and key boxes by front doors did not exist, and books on homes were published weekly before the Internet.
And then there was the period when real estate agents had CB radios to make communication easier when out showing houses in the pre-cell phone days.
“I was 585 Unit 2,” he said of his handle. “You could tell a Realtor by a hole in the car” where CB radio equipment went.
All three say they are enthused about their work and the new firm they are involved with, and add that their philosophy will be to have a spirit of cooperation and open communication with each other.
All are also excited about the future for Chattanooga in real estate terms. While a low inventory of available homes has existed in the area and elsewhere for months, the city continues to draw a few out-of-town homebuyers. That is due to job opportunities and because those who simply can live anywhere want to move here, he said.
The city’s medium size with plenty of room for expansion also helps.
“You look at other cities, and look at the future, we have a lot more growth opportunities here,” said Mr. Farmer.
And the Walldorfs point out that home prices here are not bad, either.
“It’s a whole lot cheaper than in Nashville and Atlanta,” said Nathan.
Jcshearer2@comcast.net