In a world of social media buy and sell groups, online classifieds and digital communication, people have become increasingly more comfortable with selling online even with something as big as a house, says Mallory Whitty, owner of the local PropertyGuys.com franchise.
Her franchise has tapped into that growing trend by offering online marketing assistance and supports for people trying to sell their homes.
“We’re definitely seeing a shift in the county of people really kind of jumping on the PropertyGuys.com bandwagon,” she said. “People are becoming more comfortable with the idea of doing it themselves and it gives them a little bit more control over the process.”
Over the last couple of years Whitty said she has seen growth to the point it became more than she could handle on her own, so in late February of 2017, she brought on a new teammate, Kristian Hawboldt.
“Bringing on a strong player like Kristian really allowed me to double our business,” she said. “We doubled our business growth from 2016-2017 and I essentially feel like I doubled myself.”
2017 specifically was a very successful year for the local franchise, which was recently awarded four national industry awards including Franchise of the Year for Canada. Hawboldt was awarded the national MVP Award as the top PropertyGuys.com team member in Canada. The team also won the award for Top Net Promoter Score in Canada for their customer service skills and Top Franchise in Eastern Canada. There are more than 120 active franchise locations in Canada with PropertyGuys.com.
“Last year, Mallory made the commitment to take her business to the next level. She certainly did that and more. The results speak for themselves,” said PropertyGuys.com President and CEO Ken LeBlanc in a press release. “She really blew all expectation out of the water this year, by building her team, providing award winning customer service, rising to 55 per cent market share in one market, and of course doubling her revenue.”
Whitty said another helpful aspect is that she’s been able to lease space at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Hub. The Chamber Hub is designed for small business owners and people who work from home to be able to have a formal place to work.
For the PropertyGuys.com team it’s allowed them a space to meet with each other and clients when needed.
Jack Kyte, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said it’s great to see a local business like this grow and succeed, particularly since they’ve made use of the ChamberHub space.
“It’s beyond what we might have wished for to have an organization using our facility and winning national awards,” he said. “ It certainly gives us a lot of energy.”
Whitty is confident there’s a lot more growth to come in the years ahead.
“I feel like we’ve just scratched the surface of what we can achieve,” she said.
Her goal is to grow the team even more in 2018.
