Fort Hood’s Top Real Estate Brokerages in 2016

Takeaways

• Fort Hood grew a lot in 2016, and the number of real estate transactions grew with it
• While there are several major brokers in the area, no one dominates and the landscape is always changing
• This is not a list of the “best” brokerages – just a snapshot of their 2016 production

For resale homes (e.g. not multi-family, resale, land, commercial, or builder sales), 2016 saw a lot of growth in the Fort Hood area. There were 4960 “sides” in 2016 (side = half a transaction – either buyer’s or seller’s agent), a massive 25% increase over the 3965 sides in 2015.  That is a lot more business to be spread around the local brokerages (and some not so local brokerages).

It’s not enough to be treading water in 2017! 25% growth is the standard if you want to keep up.

Note on criteria. These are homes sold on the FHAAR MLS in 2016. Only brokerages with at least 10 resale sales in both 2015 and 2016 were evaluated.

Biggest and Baddest

Highest number of transactions.

Coldwell Banker sits firmly on top of the pack in terms of transaction volume in the Fort Hood area – not a surprise with perennial top producer Jean Shine at the brokerage, not to mention other prolific agents like Vernon MacHardy, Grace Sanchez, Jacquie Braas, Francine Stanton, and many others.

Newcomers to the list include the Salas Team and Better Homes and Garden / Bradfield Properties (more on those later).

*Non-Member Sales – transactions completed by agents who are not members of the FHAAR MLS – often agents from Austin, Temple/Belton, or Waco. They are exclusively on the buyer side of the transaction, since you have to be a member of the FHAAR MLS to have your listing displayed and counted here.

Hottest Upstarts

Biggest percentage increase in transaction quantity versus 2015.

These guys aren’t doing the 25% growth thing. They are doubling, tripling, and more. The biggest standout is obviously Better Homes and Garden / Bradfield properties, which grew at an astronomical 267% after a solid start in 2015, already catapulting it into the positions as 9th most prolific residential brokerage in the Fort Hood area.

“Upstart” may be a misnomer. Some of these guys like Jim Wright are local institutions, not newbies. But they certainly have grown since 2015.

Another standout is the Salas Team – already on of the area’s top brokerages. Growth is especially difficult after you’re already a big player, but Shelly Salas and her crew made it happen in 2016.

Top Buyer Brokerages

Highest number of buyer transactions.

Of course, many on this list will be familiar from the “Biggest and Baddest” category, but there are several brokerages whose business is very buyer heavy like EXIT Homevets and The Real Estate Marketplace.

Top Seller Brokerages

Highest number of seller transactions

Buyer brokerages are fairly democratic, but not so much with the sellers. Two brokerages dominate the listings in our area – the aforementioned Coldwell Banker and ERA Colonial. ERA Colonial features well known, top producing listing agents like Eva Keagle, Lilo Carrol, Kathy Ruiz and Lee Nash.

But Wait, There’s More!

This is not all the sides these brokerages did in 2016. Remember, these are just single family residential sales. Not included are 2016 builder sales (691 on the MLS, but many more in actuality), foreclosure sales (546), multi-families (253), raw land (211), farm and ranch (59), and commercial sales (27).

Also many builders and commercial sellers do not include their listings on our MLS, and it doesn’t include business these brokerages did on other MLSes like the Central Texas MLS, Austin, Waco, Highland Lakes or beyond. It’s just a rough look at the core of most real estate brokerage’s businesses – single family residential resale homes.

My Brokerage – StarPointe Realty

CJ Rogers is my broker, owner of StarPointe Realty, the 5th largest brokerage in the Fort Hood marketplace and growing at a hefty 39% in 2016. A newer company, StarPointe has grown a lot since it’s inception in 2012. StarPointe has been a great place to work, contributes disproportionately to our local association’s board membership and committee involvement, and has a property management wing that is among the best in the area. It’s the only brokerage I’ve ever belonged to, the only one I plan on belonging to, and am excited to contribute to its future success in the Fort Hood market and beyond. If you are an agent (or aspiring agent) looking for a brokerage or a landlord looking for a property manager, I encourage you to include them among your interviewees! Contact StarPointe at (254) 213-3290.

 

ALL qualified brokerages (at least 10 resale SFH sales in 2015 and 2016 on FHAAR MLS): Coldwell Banker United REALTOR, ERA Colonial Real Estate, The Salas Team; LTD, EXIT HOMEVETS REALTY; LLC, StarPointe Realty Central TX, RE/MAX Homestead, Realty Executives of Killeen, Better Homes & Gardens/Bradfie, Century 21 Premier REALTORS, Century 21 Diamond Realty, The Real Estate Marketplace, KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY, CLOUD REAL ESTATE, RE/MAX First Choice, RE/MAX Family, RE/MAX RedZone, Texas Real Estate Sales, Bear Real Estate Services, Jim Wright Company, Gore Real Estate Group, Linnemann Realty, Exit Heart of Texas Realty, That Realty Place, New Homes Market Center LLC, Vista Real Estate, The Kuker Company, Covington Real Estate; Inc., Lone Star Realty & Property Ma, Donlie McMullin Realty, TEJAS REAL ESTATE, Shaw Properties, Jiles Realty, Heights Discount Realty, Texas Heritage Real Estate, Prestige Real Estate, Heights Properties, Keller Williams, RE/MAX Brigade, Pepper Creek, Berkshire Hathaway TX Realty, First Texas Brokerage, United Country Premier Propert, Centroplex Investors; Inc., Real Smart Realty, ERA Colonial Real Estate – Austin, Harrell & Associates Real Esta, Casa Realty, Gold Key Real Estate, Centex Sunshine Realty, Kristis Properties, John Reider Properties; LC, Entire Real Estate, Blessed Properties, RE/MAX TEMPLE-BELTON, Ashmore Group REALTORS; Inc., Morrison Expert Realty, Bentwood Realty, Seidler Realty, Showplace Homes