Keller Williams expanded its franchise operations to Chile and Ireland and will soon launch in Italy, the company announced on stage Monday morning at its Keller Williams Family Reunion event in New Orleans.
In Ireland, Castle Estate Agents’ more than 20 agents, led by Paul Allen, will adopt the Keller Williams model and systems and incorporate them into their day-to-day operations.
“Paul Allen and his regional director, Darren Darcy, are a perfect fit for our KW family – agent focused with a proven track record of building a business by agents, for agents,” William Soteroff, president, Keller Williams Worldwide, said in a statement. “In a market like Ireland, they are exactly the kind of broker owners we look for. They empower and incentivize their agents and will naturally attract top producers who have been waiting for an agent-led business model to arrive in Ireland.”
Claudia Guzmán, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Chile, has already begun establishing the company’s presence in Chile, having collected commitments from more than 50 local agents. The company plans to center its growth near Santiago, Concepción and both city’s associated suburbs.
“[Guzmán] and her team understand that Keller Williams’ model is highly disruptive and attractive to the local agents and they are maximizing that opportunity in one of Chile’s most important markets,” Soteroff said.
Keller Williams has also awarded a new, forthcoming franchise in Italy, led by Mario Sipione.
“With Keller Williams’ proven models and systems, we will free the entrepreneurial spirit of real estate agents across Italy,” Sipione said in a statement. “The real estate profession in Italy is currently ripe for disruption and we plan to use Keller Williams’ best-in-class training and technology to show agents there’s no ceiling to their achievement. It’s an exciting conversation.”
At the event, Soteroff, outlined what the company looks for in an expansion office. First, it looks for strong investors, regional directors and operations managers.
In choosing a country, Keller Williams looks for a stable government, economy and judicial system.
As of Nov. 19, 2018, Keller Williams expanded into six new regions with 31 market centers and a net gain of 1,812 agents in 2018. The company now has more than 7,400 agents operating outside of the United States and Canada.
