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After more than half a century, Long & Foster Real Estate opened its first office in South Carolina.
In the fourth quarter, Chantilly, Virginia-based Long & Foster held a soft opening of its new office in Summerville, a town just outside of Charleston in the Lowcountry region, but had an official launch on Wednesday, Long & Foster spokesperson Suzanne Pilcher told Inman via email.
“We have 12 agents that have joined our team and we have ongoing recruiting efforts to build our team,” Pilcher said.
“Our all-inclusive approach to real estate (mortgage, title, insurance, moving, inspection, etc.) has been attractive to many agents in the area.”
Long & Foster is part of The Long & Foster Companies, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway affiliate HomeServices of America, the largest real estate brokerage in the nation by transaction sides. The Long & Foster Companies also includes Prosperity Home Mortgage, Long & Foster Insurance, Mid-States Title, Long & Foster Vacation Rentals, Insight Home Inspections, Tailored Move, Urban Pace and HomeServices Property Management, according to a company announcement.
The brokerage was founded in 1968 and has more than 9,000 agents in more than 200 offices in Washington, D.C., and seven states along the East Coast, from South Carolina to New Jersey.
The company expanded to South Carolina because it “recognized an opportunity to both grow its business and support the steady housing and vacation market in the Charleston area,” according to the announcement.
Lonnie Plaster, who has been a Charleston area resident since 2007 and currently supervises Long & Foster’s Agent Services Group, will lead the brokerage’s expansion into the state as senior vice president and regional manager.
“In addition to being a recognizable brand that’s well-known for its integrity and innovation, Long & Foster has innumerable benefits for both real estate agents and consumers,” Plaster said in a statement.
“For Realtors looking to grow their careers, we provide tremendous training and mentoring programs, plus invaluable marketing and technology tools to simplify the day-to-day business.
“For consumers, the company’s all-inclusive approach — bringing together everything from mortgage and title to insurance and moving and even inspection and vacation rentals — simplifies the complex real estate process, plus saves you time and money.”
