Berkshire Hathaway Home Services | Texas Realty Doing Business the Right Way in Austin

from February 2023

Level Up 2023: WCR Is Ready, Are You?

Navigating the real estate industry under the same ownership for more than forty years, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Texas Realty (BHHSTx) embraces what Chairman and CEO Warren Buffet defines as a “Forever Brand.” Positioned as “Forever Agents,” this highly respected and trusted brokerage team is more like family than coworkers, sharing decades of experience and knowledge with their clients.

Located in the thriving city of Austin and affiliated with the Berkshire Hathaway brand, this Texas Realty Homeservices company has the unique advantage of being owned by the same experienced and responsible owners since 1980, Dede and Rick Jenkins. Austin has transitioned from a sleepy college town to a more robust, dynamic, multicultural city built on the technology and research of prestigious local universities. The Jenkins have been along for the ride as the real estate market has made the transition, catering to the thirty-year-old first-time homebuyers the area attracts. From the temperate climate of the Austin area to enormous job and education opportunities, people flock to the region and most certainly need the experience of real estate professionals with the longevity and knowhow Berkshire Hathaway has to offer its clients.

Since the company’s inception, employees have been committed to doing business the right way with an unwavering commitment to success. They remain focused on four core, longstanding pillars: trust, integrity, stability, and longevity. This longevity and vast experience bring significant leadership skills in coaching, technology, education, marketing, social media, and client-centric services.

Rick Ellis, chief operating officer, has been with the company since 1996, starting as a new agent like many others. He chose this brokerage because it was a strong learning environment with big brand recognition. After four years, he was asked to manage the office, leading to becoming General Manager and later the (COO) Chief Operations Officer. Having been in the Austin real estate industry for 27 years, he shares, “the experiences I’ve had can be shared with others not only to help them make their businesses more successful but also to draw a distinction between other real estate agents in Austin and our Forever Agents in order to meet the needs of communities, consumers, and clients.”

He says, "education is a part of the (real estate) business that's sometimes overlooked. It can be an expensive process within a brokerage. Having a training director and more classes and more people involved in sharing their experiences and opinions and guiding the agents who are often in a new career is a huge undertaking.” He believes it is critical to have “some sort of education in process as a thoroughfare of introducing people to new ideas and methods accomplishing things.”

But education is more than simply teaching professionals how to sell homes. “I believe when families are putting a responsibility on the shoulders of their real estate professional, it is a pretty big responsibility. Buying a home is typically a family decision, and a lot goes along with it, including what is often the determining factor in buying a home…the schools.” The education system available to homebuyers and their families is an important part of the real estate conversation.

“Agents and brokerage firms need to have a learning environment where people can be a part of a productive environment, but also a place where they can feel comfortable and safe and get a learning experience to help them sell more real estate, which is what we do.”

For the last eight years, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Texas Realty has placed in the elite circle of Berkshire Hathaway's approximately 700 real estate companies in the United States. According to Ellis, it all starts with leadership, the core group of people which drives the success of the agents themselves and demonstrates to clients that they have made the right choice in choosing a Berkshire Hathaway agent to represent them.

The Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Texas Realty team are strong supporters of Sunshine Kids, sponsoring an event each year, the Teen Lake Escape, raising funds and awareness for teens with cancer. Community service is an important foundation of the Forever Brand's longevity and is not only necessary but expected from successful companies like BHHSTx, and the giving does not end with this one event. The homeless of Austin are generously supported with an annual sock drive, providing much-needed toiletries and necessities to the area’s less fortunate.

The real estate business has changed in the Austin area, as we have seen it change before, and it will in the future. RealtyLine Publications has always been a premier resource to identify, educate and report on such changes, and sharing these ideas can help provide solutions to them. Rick sincerely hopes to meet more real estate professionals in Austin and surrounding areas to help each other grow their respective businesses. Contact Rick Ellis at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Texas Realty at rick. ellis@bhhstxrealty.com to stay in touch!