In 2016, Mark Spain Real Estate, founded by its namesake and University of Georgia Terry School of Business graduate Mark Spain, wanted to venture beyond its metro Atlanta reach. This reach, while not insignificant, with more than $3 billion in career residential real estate sales over  approximately 20 years and sales in 2016 averaging 5.2 homes per day, Spain’s Athens ties made the city the clear first choice for expansion.
 
In August 2016, the Mark Spain Real Estate office opened on Meriweather Drive, in front of the Jennings Mill Country Club off the Oconee Connector. The office launched with just two agents and has multiplied to 12 sales associates since opening. This is an experienced team of agents comprised of Athens natives who know the area extremely well and are very knowledgeable about the local real estate market. Every month, the Athens team is posting a new record high for sales, showing revenue growth.
 
In late April, the Mark Spain Real Estate Athens office crossed the 100-closing milestone for its branch office since opening. Now in its ninth month of operation, the office is approaching the $30 million mark for total gross sales and closed its 121st transaction last week. As Director of Sales for the Athens office, Heather Pitts says they are making steady improvements every month, such as adding three agents to the team this month, and will eventually nearly double the current staff of 12 to a total of 20 real estate agents.

The current Athens team already has more than 75 years’ combined real estate sales experience. This is then backed up by Mark Spain and the 115+ team members in Atlanta who have already laid the groundwork of customer service, marketing, social media and numerous other systems in place to be a full-service agency while remaining an independent, locally based and owned real estate company.

 “We have quickly made our mark and impact on the Athens market. We bring a level of knowledge and experience unmatched by most agencies,” explains Ms. Pitts. “Agents know that if a Mark Spain Real Estate agent is on the other end, we will get the deal closed and it will be a professional experience.”

The team atmosphere, instead of the internal competitive structure of the typical real estate agency, must be working. Mark Spain Real Estate was honored in March of this year with the AJC Top Places to Work award. The top 150 small, medium and large metro Atlanta workplaces were selected based upon employee feedback, recognizing those employers who have invested as much in their employees' well-being as they have in tangible company perks, thereby earning the loyalty and respect of their employees in the process.
 
“I am so pleased Athens was our first expansion location and that we have received such a positive reception from both the real estate community and the general public alike,” says Mark Spain, who is based out of the company’s headquarters in Alpharetta. “It’s given us the feedback we needed to continue with our expansion plans. We just opened a much-needed office in Henry County to serve the counties immediately south of Atlanta.”