How Seaport Real Estate is Changing the Industry
Owner Ben Bluemle on marketing, growth, his agents’ quality of life, and transforming the real estate industry.
TAYLOR HAAS, ALLY WENTWORTH, BEN BLUEMLE / Photos / D. Paul Graham
Ben Bluemle started Seaport Real Estate in 2010. Since then, the business has grown exponentially, with 45 real estate agents and three staff members. Seaport opened a second location, in the Hilton Head/Bluffton area, and a brand-new office here in Savannah. In the following interview, Ben talks about how Seaport is transforming the real estate industry.
South: How important is marketing to Seaport?
Ben Bluemle: In this market right now, as we shift, we are first and foremost a marketing company, producing podcasts, interviews, marketing videos, and more. We have our own in-house studio production company, Seaport Studios. We’re one of the few real estate companies in the country with that.
FRONT (L-R): DONNA ABBOTT, GLENN JONES, MATTHEW WATERS BACK (L-R): WILL GROTTO, JOHN CARR
S: What has caused your high level of growth in the last 12 years?
BB: Marketing, training and support are the three pillars that have led to growth. Also, we’re hiring agents who take this business seriously and want to grow their business. We take those who have been in the business for a few years who are doing well. If an agent is doing three to five million in sales, we will take them to 10+ million in sales volume.
S: Tell us about your agents’ quality of life.
BB: When I started Seaport, I spent the first three years working every waking second of every day on this business. I failed in many different ways because I wasn’t efficient. Now, I work from 8:30- 5:30 every day. You can operate at a high level with the right amount of support. We provide that, by strategically supporting our agents with marketing, transaction support, management and so much more.
BEN BLUEMLE, KIMBER FULTON, AARON HOFFMAN
S: What’s your new office building like?
BB: SEAPORT HOUSE is a unique space where agents and clients alike can feel at home. Some of the words used to describe SEAPORT HOUSE are energetic, dynamic, and professional. This allows Seaport to live up to its mission of modernizing the real estate industry in the south.
WHITNEY BUTTLER, JENNIFER DAVIS
SEAPORT HOUSE
7301 Waters Ave, Savannah, GA
More at seaportrealestate.com
Socials: seaportrealestate
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