Real estate firm's secret to success? Treat everyone like family
Founded in 1929 in downtown Detroit, the Real Estate One Family of Companies is family-owned and Michigan-based. The headquarters have been in Southfield since 2005 and will be moving to a new location on Evergreen Road in 2022.
A family business conducting business with a family approach describes Southfield-based Real Estate One, which earned a top-five ranking (No. 2) among large companies in the Free Press Top Workplaces competition.
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"Dan and I are third generation and three of our children are in the business," said Stuart Elsea, president of financial services. "We believe we treat all of our staff and agents as family. We work hard to create a wonderful environment where they can excel and grow."
Data provided by Dan Elsea supports the company's commitment to team members. He reported that 493 of his agents had their best years in 2020 and that the majority of the agents are ahead of that pace in 2021.
The Elsea brothers, Stuart (left) and Dan (right) are the third generation of their family to own and lead the Real Estate One Family of Companies. With Stuart as the President of Financial Services and Dan as the President of Brokerage Services, together they have built Michigan's largest and leading real estate company and network.
"We are a service provider for our sales people," Dan Elsea explained. "They hire us to manage their businesses and we handle their business needs, which drives their individual businesses."
The Elsea brothers said an important part of handling team members' business needs in 2021 involved tailoring the best possible work setting and schedule for each person.
"We have a lot of people who are still working remotely," Stuart Elsea said. "We had to rethink space and office needs and determine how we could bring people into the office for specific purposes. Many of our folks love working from home and we want to allow that flexibility."
The Real Estate One Charitable Foundation was established in 2004. Over the past 17 years, $6.1 million has been raised to support Michigan charities. From volunteering to fundraising, the foundation helps to create opportunities for our sales associates and employees to grow and care for the communities they serve.
Whether working from home, in the office, or out in the field, the Elsea brothers say their 92-year-old firm offers its team members opportunities that are unique to the industry.
"We're full service," Stuart Elsea said. "We have people who may start in real estate sales and then go into other areas of the business. We encourage our people to move around and grow their careers, which really benefits the company and the individual."
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Dan Elsea added: "We have it all under one roof. We're the only broker that has all of the integrated pieces together, including commercial and residential real estate brokerage; relocation management; mortgage banking; title insurance; property and casualty insurance; as well as real estate investments, and that benefits our clients and team."
Real Estate One
Industry: Residential real estate and affiliated services
Top leadership: Dan Elsea, president, Brokerage Services; Stuart Elsea, president, Financial Services
Home: Southfield
Employees: 2,200 (Michigan); 2,300 (U.S.)
Website: www.realestateone.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Real Estate One found success treating everyone like family
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