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Another day, another salvo in the ever-simmering recruiting wars of 2024.
Topher Rogers
This day brings news that TJ Lewis Real Estate, an independent brokerage based in Austin, Texas, has joined Keller Williams. According to a statement from the franchisor, TJ Lewis has done 81 sales so far this year, totaling $27.9 million in volume, and has 31 agents. Topher Rogers serves as the broker for TJ Lewis, and said in the statement that “with the backing of KW, we are excited to see where the combined road takes us.”
“Our team at TJ Lewis Real Estate works to build an environment similar to what KW embodies,” Rogers added.
Last year, TJ Lewis closed 141 sales, which amounted to $39.5 million in volume. As a part of Keller Williams, TJ Lewis will be affiliated with the KW Austin Southwest market center.
The indie joins Keller Williams at a time of intense competition for real estate talent. Though brokerages and franchisors have long been competitive, the slower market of the last several years has shifted the narrative somewhat away from sheer head counts and onto star performers with proven track records.
Case in point: Just in the last week, brands including Coldwell Banker and others have made multiple splashy announcements about the agents and teams they’ve managed to attract.
All of these various recruiting victories also come against a backdrop of an industry in flux, with a series of antitrust lawsuits over agent commissions raising questions about how industry professionals will get paid in the future.
In TJ Lewis’ case, however, the company was optimistic in this week’s statement about its agents’ futures.
“Like KW, we want to create confident agents, and we are here to gameplan and watch each and every agent find their success story,” Rogers said. “We are a place for new agents to start their careers and see continued growth, as well as a place seasoned agents can see their current market placement climb to new heights.”
