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The Denver-based Flourish Real Estate Network, led by founder Dave Umphress, has moved from Keller Williams to Real Brokerage, the network of agents and teams has informed Inman.
The $1 billion in career sales network, the first iteration of which Umphress launched in 2012, operates in most major Colorado markets and Austin, Texas, but has goals of ultimately expanding nationwide. When Umphress first created the group, it was part of a Colorado Keller Williams franchise that he also owned. Now Umphress is stepping away from the KW franchise and moving the roughly 30-agent network to Real.
Dave Umphress | LinkedIn
Umphress said he was departing Keller Williams with gratitude for the experience but did so because he believes Real will offer more robust expansion opportunities for the company.
“I have nothing but respect and gratitude for Gary [Keller] and the leadership at KW, many of whom helped me tremendously over the last 11 years,” Umphress said in a statement.
“Our commitment to seamless nationwide expansion for the sake of our causes has forced us to examine the model and explore opportunities. For a majority of agents, Keller Williams perfectly meets their needs and I would highly recommend, but for us, not having state-wide brokerage has become more difficult every day as we partner with more and more top-producing agents across several brands and brokerages. We’re really excited about the leadership and direction of Real, and feel confident that it’s the right company to partner with in order to see the type of world we dream of come to fruition.”
In addition to assisting homebuyers and sellers with their real estate transactions, the Flourish Real Estate Network has played a significant role in providing community service within their markets and through partnerships with grassroots organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. The company and its 501(c)3, the Flourish Alliance, aims to address issues like food insecurity, affordable housing, homelessness, human trafficking and, particularly in the African communities with which they work, clean water projects and HIV/AIDS relief.
Members of the network frequently also volunteer at their local “pay what you can” cafe, with Habitat for Humanity and packing up meals for families at Title 1 Schools (schools that receive federal funds based on student poverty rates).
“Our long-term commitment is to help address human flourishing needs in every major metro area in the country, through partnership with local agents, with an increasing focus on affordable housing,” Umphress said. “The Flourish Real Estate Network aims to partner with like-minded, big-thinking, empire-building agents in various markets to amplify their impact and collectively build the life and business they dream of.”
Sharran Srivatsaa | The Real Brokerage
Sharran Srivatsaa, president of Real Brokerage, commended Umphress’ commitment to both his real estate business and the network’s nonprofit initiatives.
“Dave’s business goals of building a nationwide real estate network, combined with his commitment to giving back through his nonprofit initiatives, are a perfect fit for Real’s business model and the company’s core values,” Srivatsaa said in a statement.
“We are excited for Dave to leverage Real’s ‘no-friction expansion model’ where real estate leaders like Dave can easily expand operations across states and geographies utilizing Real’s North American infrastructure without having to deal with corporate silos or franchise territories. We are excited to welcome Dave, his entire team, and the Flourish Network to Real.”
