June 12, 2019

Amy Stockberger is out to change the business model of the real estate industry.

Later this month, she and her husband, Adam, will launch Amy Stockberger Real Estate, an independent brokerage that she says creates a model unlike any she has seen.

“We want to blaze a trail and see where it takes us,” said Stockberger, who began in the industry in 2000 working in the back room of her father’s Coldwell Banker office. She has spent the past six years as part of Hegg Realtors.

“We’ve gotten to a point where we wanted to make a whole different model than we’ve seen anywhere, and it only made sense to do it on our own. The elements really came to me at the beginning of the year, how we wanted to mold it, and I wanted to be very intentional about those pillars.”

Her model involves four elements: being client-focused, using a team approach, implementing what she calls a one-roof solution and community dedication.

The one-roof solution represents a particularly unique new element. Stockberger will move her team to an office at 610 W. 49th St. In addition to agents and support staff, the “one-roof solution” will include an in-house lender, in-house insurance agent, in-house title company representative and an interior designer.

“So we can do closings right there,” Stockberger said. “We’re going to have everything a buyer or seller needs before, during and after the homeownership journey. They can come to one space and do everything.”

Additionally, she’s building out 30 climate-controlled storage units that will be available to clients for free.

Stockberger’s model also includes what she calls a VIP Club for clients. Buy or sell a home once, and it’s a lifetime membership, she said.

Clients then can access shared equipment Stockberger has purchased – everything from a moving truck and trailers to equipment for parties, such as inflatables and commercial-grade food warmers, to a toolshed with ladders and tree branch trimmers.

“We have people who we sold houses to 18 years ago who use the party and toolshed equipment,” she said. “People don’t want to buy those things or store them, but they’re going to need them throughout their home journey.”

Other programs include a guaranteed-sales program, a trade-up program and a moving concierge to assist with address and utility changes.

“There’s zero risk,” Stockberger said. “We’re going to put our money where our mouth is and work so hard to find you a home that if you don’t love it in 12 months, we’ll sell it for free and help you find another one.”

Stockberger also is adding an “instant offer” program to compete with what Zillow and other tech companies are starting to do nationwide, offering to buy homes at a reduce price from owners who need a fast, uncomplicated sale.

“I wanted to be groundbreaking here in town offering the same thing because there are people who need that solution,” she said. “They want to skip the prep and the updating and cleaning, or they don’t want people through their home or to wait on the uncertainty of a buyer’s financing. Our instant offer allows that. They skip the prep and stress and pick their close date and can stay in their home for three days after closing.”

The goal with her new model isn’t to see how large the firm can become, she said.

“Our vision with this is not to get any bigger than a few dozen agents,” she said. “We want to continue our culture. We want to get quality agents to grow with us whose goals are the same as far as servant leadership and the work-hard-be-nice philosophy we live by.”

Agents will be supported by staff to help with behind-the-scenes work, “so our agents are getting to do what they love best, helping clients meet their real estate goals,” she said. “We pay for the photography, the signs, the lockboxes, the marketing, everything they need, and we have an inside sales department that gets leads for them. Plus, we set up accountability meetings, one-on-one training and a mentorship program … so they’re going to be successful.”

Stockberger’s team currently includes 15 licensed agents and nine employees.

“I really feel we have the best agents and the best staff,” she said. “They’re out there hustling every day.”

The final element of the business model, community dedication, will involve multiple service projects and ongoing support of CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates.

“I worked at Children’s Inn in college and saw firsthand how children in the abuse and neglect cycle need a voice,” Stockberger said. “CASA is amazing. We’ll be giving a portion of every closing back to them.”

The new brokerage launches June 27. Stockberger plans to move into the new office this fall.