Learn how this agent and owner left his job as a marketer for brands like Patron Tequila, the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Athletics to lead and grow a real estate company.
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Name: Mark McDonald
title: Owner and CEO
experience: 14 years
Place: Northern Texas and Southern Oklahoma
Full name of brokerage company: Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans
Ranking: Residential Brokerage Ranked 13th dallas business journal 2023
Team size: 210 agents
Parties to the transaction: 1399
Sales volume: $584,530,630 USD
What three things do you want readers to know about you and your agency?
- Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans is a family-owned and operated brokerage that has been serving the Dallas/Fort Worth community for 40 years.
- We pay close attention to the growth of our agents. This is the main reason agents join us and why we have had such low turnover over the years.
- I am passionate about helping people build and grow their personal and business lives. This passion is the reason I left my last career and entered the real estate industry. Real estate and brokerage allow me to do what I love every day.
How did you get started in real estate?
After graduating from college with a BA in Marketing and Advertising, I worked for a few years at a large advertising agency. As time went on, I realized I wanted something new and different. Specifically, I was looking for something in the small business world that could have a direct impact on the bottom line.
I started discussing the idea of working with my in-laws, David and Dana Winans, who own a small GMAC real estate agency. The brokerage may be small, but it has been around for over 25 years and has a strong reputation in the industry, especially in the field of corporate relocation. Their goal was to grow the business and asked me if I would like to join the company to lead the growth.
It wasn’t real estate that drew me to the industry, but the opportunity to create something and have a real positive impact on the lives of agents and employees. However, I soon fell in love with the real estate industry and especially the people in it.
Over the past few years, we have experienced steady and profitable growth, from 6 employees and 35 agents to 20 employees and 210 agents.
What aspects of working in real estate do you wish more people knew about?
I want the general public to understand how hard a real estate agent’s job is and how difficult it is to succeed in this industry. I greatly admire the skill, determination and perseverance of our agents and wish the world knew more about what it takes to be a successful real estate agent.
The Hollywoodization of our business makes it easy for anyone to get a license and easily make millions. The reality is that most agents are underpaid when you consider their time, expertise, and the value they bring to buyers and sellers.
As an industry and as agencies, we need to do a better job of showing our clients all the work that actually goes on behind the scenes. We always share our closings and key photos, but can we share the fact that we show our clients over 60 homes before they decide to make an offer? Or posting a picture of the hoarder’s house that we cleared out, just to make it look nicer and marketable.
Tell us about a high point in your brokerage career
I’m currently at the highest point of my career. After 14 years with the company, the last eight as President, my wife and I recently completed the purchase of the company and became owners of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Winans. We have long been committed to this goal and are excited to lead the brokerage into its next chapter.
Name 3 people you admire
my father: My dad taught me what it means to be a leader and entrepreneur. He had a successful career as an electrical engineer in the field of microprocessors and was an incredible father to my sister and me. He is one of the most thoughtful and generous people I know, and he always finds a way to put family first even while running a successful company.
David Winans: I am lucky to have David as my mentor and father-in-law. He is a visionary in the real estate world and I have been fortunate to work with him for nearly 15 years. He taught me how to inspire others and is still teaching me what it means to lead a brokerage the right way.
Our agents: This amazing group of people impress me every day with the way they approach their business. I admire their sales skills, their resilience, and the creative ways they handle unique and challenging situations while maintaining a positive attitude and a smile on their face.
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Email Christy Murdoch
