1st Class Real Estate is one of the leading and the only virtual Real Estate franchises.
An entrepreneur is always looking for an opportunity or an idea to start a business and this does not imply that one should wait for an idea or a problem to present itself for them to start a venture. There are a lot of existing industries and domains where one can start a business or a start-up, as a business or a start-up does not mean it is supposed to bring new and innovative products and services into the market, it also means providing the existing products and services in a much more efficient, affordable and scalable way. One of the most trending industries of all time has been Real-Estate.
A person no matter at what place in time or life, will always look for a place, for a house, office, investment purpose, etc. and this ensures that the Real-Estate business will always be on the table and will always get the numbers rolling in the bank. The main questions arise as to handling a Real-Estate office, the manpower, and other tedious tasks but what if there is a way where you can start a Real-Estate venture online without any hassle of physically opening one and other related issues.
1st Class Real Estate is one of the leading and the only virtual Real Estate franchises. They offer innovative services as they are a virtual Real Estate franchise with more than 50 offices and all this at the luxury of having a virtual office infrastructure, saving the costs, efforts, and time of a physical office, managing a workforce, and also keeping tabs on the expenditures, revenue, etc.
They are not only providing a breakthrough service, but also an opportunity to all those looking forward to starting a business venture and are waiting for the right time and the right idea because, in reality, it is all about the start and once the ship sets sail, the ideas and other opportunity comes along the way. 1st Class Real Estate is truly unique in its domain and successful in its services, enabling the people to reach out and become a part of their virtual brand and masters of their own business.
In conversation with the Founder and CEO of 1st Class Real Estate, Rhyan Finch. Let’s hear more about the only virtual Real Estate franchise, their offerings, and the CEO’s professional journey.
Please tell us about 1st Class Real Estate, the initial challenges, and the factors leading to the growth of the company:
We are a Real Estate Franchise and the only Virtual Real Estate Franchise. We started Franchising in April 2019 and as of April 2021, we have 50 offices opened. One of our mottos is Changing lives and selling a few homes along the way! We had such a new approach in the real estate franchise world and not a lot of people knew about us. Getting our message out there and making sure it was noticed and understood was one of the challenges.
A triggering point in the growth of the company was finding people that were just as motivated as me. I wanted to find people who were motivated in opening a franchise. In 2.3 Years we’ve opened 50 franchises. Our first franchise was opened in April 2019 and since then we have grown tremendously. I am excited to see the growth of 1st Class Franchising 10 years from now. God has blessed me with a clear vision and purpose and that has allowed for my continued success.
Tell us about the offerings of the virtual Real Estate franchise, new additions, and how these services are at pace with the changing times:
We offer a cap 100% model, and we’re the first-ever Virtual Real Estate Franchise. You do not need to have a staff or an office to start your real estate business. Like I said above we are the only virtual real estate franchise. If you want to open a franchise with us you do not need staff or office space. Everything can all be virtual. Our Resource Center, where our in-house staff works, helps generate leads, provides marketing material and provides our franchisees and agents with 1st Class swag.
A triggering point in the growth of the company was finding people that were just as motivated as me.
Rhyan Finch
We base our decision on needs and feedback we have received from other agents and franchisees. I love hearing the feedback and always think about what would I want.
Tell us about your professional journey.
I am the broker, owner, and founder of 1st Class Real Estate and 1st Class Franchising. In 2005, I became a licensed real estate agent with a nationally known franchise firm in Virginia Beach and quickly exploded as I gained 100+ listings on the market after finding his niche in short sales. I became certified in Distressed Properties, Short Sales, & Foreclosures. As a new agent, I had great success and earned the Re/Max International 100% Club in 2007 and 2008.
In 2008, I gave myself a promotion and started my Real Estate Team – The Rhyan Finch Real Estate Team. I began with 1 agent (myself) and quickly grew to 5 agents within just a few months. At the time, I recognized what was going on with the real estate market and when the bust came, I quickly became an expert on distressed properties. In five years, I had taken his newfound real estate career in a crashing market to the number one team in Hampton Roads after joining forces with my sister Rhendi.
In 2012, the team grew to sell over 900 homes and consequently was named the #7 Real Estate Team in the US by the Wall Street Journal and the #1 Platinum Mega Team in Hampton Roads by the Realtor Association. After this track record of success, I decided it was time for the team to branch out and founded 1st Class Real Estate, an independent real estate firm located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Now in 2020, as CEO and Principal Broker, the company ranks in the top 4% of real estate companies in the Hampton Roads area, with over 700 agents, and 50+ locations nationwide. My knowledge, and desire to excel have proven a track record of success for exponential growth. I started this company with one goal in my heart – to change lives so here at 1st Class Real Estate, our mission is to “change lives and sell a few homes along the way”.
Tell us about the work culture at 1st Class Real Estate and your views on the competition in the market.
I’m always asking myself what I would want. I think it’s good to not have too serious of a work environment. I am very transparent with everything that happens so that do not leave any unanswered questions for my staff.
We do not have the mindset telling us that it is “competition”. We believe all of it belongs to us and they are in our space. I would not call it a motivating factor but I would say that we know it is coming, which in return drives us to push harder.
