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The Real Brokerage has received a boost to its Midwestern and Southern contingent with the addition of 400 agents from Amerivest Realty led by Joe Ballarino, the firm announced on Monday.
Ballarino has been operating in the real estate and technology space for nearly 30 years, starting as an agent at Winfield & Associates, the predecessor of Amerivest Realty, in 1994. In 2016, Ballarino took over full ownership of Amerivest and made the company into an online brokerage that now spans across Florida, Colorado, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“Joe’s commitment to technology and education equips agents with the tools to elevate client service,” Real President Sharran Srivatsaa said in a statement. “This aligns seamlessly with Real’s mission of innovation and excellence, and we’re excited to support Joe and his team as they continue to push boundaries in the industry.”
In addition to his leadership at Amerivest, Ballarino has also served as president of the Naples Area Board of Realtors and held leadership roles at Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors during the course of his career. Ballarino also served at COO of Real Estate IS, a tech subsidiary of Florida Realtors, and helped launch the association’s transaction management platform, Form Simplicity.
Under Ballarino’s leadership, Amerivest has grown to a force of agents that have closed nearly 5,000 sales adding up to nearly $2.5 billion. The brokerage closed roughly 1,000 sales across more than $500 million in 2023. Now the team will aim for more of the same with Real’s resources backing them.
“Amerivest was built on the foundation of empowering agents with the tools and technology to succeed,” Ballarino said in a statement. “Joining Real allows us to take our platform even further, providing agents with unparalleled resources while tapping into Real’s collaborative culture.”
The Real Brokerage surpassed 20,000 agents over the summer as the firm celebrated its 10th anniversary. Real will be reporting its third-quarter earnings on Thursday morning.
