European elegance met the beauty of the Beaches when Engel & Völkers hosted a grand opening party last Thursday, Aug. 16 for its new office in Jacksonville Beach.
More than 100 people dressed in fine suits and dresses attended the event to celebrate the occasion and tour the sleek, modern office with white walls and wood floors. Located at 758 3rd Street South, the new “shop” is the first for the German company in Northeast Florida.
Fitting of the boutique brokerage, event attendees enjoyed sipping wine, tasting hors d’oeuvres and listening to swanky music. Guests had the chance to bid on a raffle for a $200 gift certificate to the Spa at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, with proceeds benefiting Special Olympics Florida – Duval County. The event ultimately raised $1,580 for the organization. Attendees at the event included friends and family, clients, executives and staff of the Engel & Völkers, representatives of the JAX Chamber and others.
“It means a lot to all of us to bring this brand to Jacksonville and bring this brand to our clients,” office Owner/Broker Corey Hasting said at the party. “We are so excited to see where this next step goes for all of us.”
Hasting’s team currently includes 12 real estate advisors and one full-time office administrator. He said his office includes advisors who specialize in multiple areas of the First Coast, including the Beaches, San Marco, Mandarin and more. Everyone on the team, said Hasting, sells more than $3 million per year.
“We have a very strict criteria for who we bring on and who we don’t bring on,” he said. “We want to be held to a higher standard in everything we do.”
Hasting’s goal is to attain the highest average sales price per agent in the office. For example, he said he’d rather have 12 advisors make $150 million per year, with each agent making $7.5 to $8 million, compared to an office of 300 agents making $300 million per year.
Another differentiating factor for his team, said Hasting, is that the company as a whole is a worldwide brand with a worldwide network. Engel & Völkers has 900 shops worldwide, he said, 140 of which are in the U.S. and 30 of which are in Florida.
“If one of my advisors has a client who vacations in Capri, Italy, we can call the Capri, Italy shop, know them personally and have them put our client’s listing in their shop window,” he said. “No other brand in the world can offer you that.”
