5 minute read
Humans Over Houses
Real estate brokerage focuses on the human aspect of buying or selling a house.
Story by Pamela Spradlin Mahajan
Photography by Molly Kuplen
For Kansas and Missouri residents looking to buy or sell a home, the NextHome Gadwood Group offers a friendly, hands-on approach that clients rave about. With a cheerful orange French bulldog logo, the 40-agent real estate brokerage has locations in Shawnee, Overland Park, and Lake of the Ozarks.
The team takes their hashtag #humansoverhouses to heart.
“We really focus on the human and how we can help them get to the next chapter,” says owner Julie Gadwood. Regardless of whether clients are selling their home because of positive or negative circumstances, Gadwood and her team strive to make the process as smooth as possible. “I think that is what sets us apart and makes people want to be around us. We have all kinds of client events. Our brokerage is kind of like a little family.”
The NextHome Gadwood Group prides itself on partnering with clients from beginning to end, as opposed to passing them off to someone else along the way. “People really feel that care and that difference, we hear that a lot,” Gadwood says. “My approach has always been (that) it’s not about the number of sales; it’s about how many people we can help.”
A lifelong Shawnee resident, Gadwood attended Shawnee Mission North High School and graduated from Kansas State University before returning to Shawnee, where she and her husband purchased a home. In addition to a business location, Gadwood owns several rental properties in the city. “We’re pretty deeply rooted in Shawnee,” she says. She cites the hometown feel as one of the best parts of living and working in this area of Johnson County.
The NextHome Gadwood Group recently transitioned to a new location at 11212 Johnson Drive in downtown Shawnee. Gadwood is excited about the growth possibilities and the energy and convenience of the spot: “I just love the walkability. It’s fun to see all the activity now that we have this new location.”
We really focus on the human and how we can help them get to the next chapter.
—Julie Gadwood
Gadwood began her career as a real estate agent in 2005 after her youngest child started kindergarten. In 2012, she decided to open her own brokerage.
“My whole goal was to do the business I was doing, but to be more in control of it as far as not having to charge extra fees that were implemented by the franchise or the brokerage that I was with,” she says. “So really I intended to do the same thing that I was doing, just under my own umbrella. And the beauty of it was so many wonderful people called and said, ‘I’d love to work with you,’ and so it just very organically grew into this great group.”
The business continued to blossom and, in 2019, Gadwood purchased the NextHome franchise. Since becoming the NextHome Gadwood Group, the company has been in the top 20% of their franchise and wins premier sales awards each year.
Perhaps an even bigger sign of Gadwood’s success is that each of her three children earned their real estate license when they turned 18. “My middle son, Nick, has made this his career,” Gadwood says. “He graduated from (University of Kansas) and he is now a full-time, top-producing real estate agent.”
Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest challenges facing Gadwood and her team is a lack of available homes. “We need more houses to sell. There are a lot of buyers out there, and it’s very low inventory at the moment.”
With a 30-year fixed interest rate currently at over 7%, another difficulty facing homebuyers is obtaining affordable financing. As much as possible, the NextHome Gadwood Group agents do what they can to help clients get creative with managing it all.
Giving back is also something that the NextHome Gadwood Group values. With every transaction, they donate to Eden Village of Kansas City, a community nonprofit that constructs tiny homes for the chronically homeless. “If we can sell homes and help them buy a home,” Gadwood says, “that’s pretty cool.” The team has a day each June where they come together and work on projects that help the community.
Because Gadwood is both a producing agent and a managing broker, her days are full and varied. She helps her agents as needed and has sales meetings, workshops, and certification study groups throughout the week. Some of the education she provides focuses on diversity and military relocation.
Gadwood relishes helping people sell their homes and find the house of their dreams and feels each client becomes a friend. She enjoys her packed schedule. “I love it. My kids are all grown, so I pour myself into this,” she says.
Those interested in buying or selling a home with the NextHome Gadwood Group can call, text, or visit their website at www.gadwoodgroup.com for more information.
Julie Gadwood (in the orange jacket) discusses the day’s agenda with a few members of her team.
Forty agents work for Nextome Gadwood Group at its Shawnee office.
By the #’s
2005: The year Gadwood became a real estate agent
3: The number of Gadwood’s children who earned their real estate license when they turned 18
2019: The year Gadwood purchased the NextHome franchise
40: The number of agents at the NextHome Gadwood Group
40: The number of agents at the NextHome Gadwood Group
2: States the business is licensed in (Kansas and Missouri)
12: The approximate height, in inches, of a French bulldog, the NextHome Gadwood Group mascot
For More
NextHome Gadwood Group
11212 Johnson Drive
Shawnee, KS 66203
913-372-3621
