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FirstTeam Real Estate, an independent brokerage with roots in Southern California, is taking its success nationwide.
The firm recently announced the launch of its nationwide expansion, starting with new offices in Idaho and Washington. The Idaho office is currently operating, while the Washington location is expected to open in July.
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More markets in the pipeline — Arizona, Nevada and Oregon — are slated to launch by the first quarter of 2026.
Anna Bennett | VP of Business Development
Anna Bennett, vice president of business development, told Inman that the process in selecting these expansion locations came down to market trends and agent needs. “We take into account the state of the economy and housing trends, and look for locations where we know we can build and expand, and where our agents can be most successful,” she said.
Bennett continued with the origin story of the new Idaho office as a clear example of the company’s agent-first mentality. “It originated from a California agent’s long-term goal to retire in Idaho,” she said. “We did the research and found that expanding there not only supported his individual journey but also made strong business sense for the company overall. With a unified brand across state lines, he’s now successfully building a dual-state business.”
With 46 office locations and more than 100,000 clients served, FirstTeam is scaling its footprint beyond California, where it’s held the title of No. 1 independent brokerage in the state for nearly 20 years. In 2024 alone, the firm closed $6.13 billion in sales.
The expansion represents the first phase of a larger nationwide growth strategy.
At the heart of FirstTeam’s success is its agent-first philosophy, known as “Behind the Agent” — an approach that empowers agents with real estate coaching, personalized business strategies, and advanced tools and technology, including AI-driven marketing, CRM and broker-paid digital advertising.
FirstTeam goes a step further by partnering with agents to grow their businesses, offering brokers access to an in-house team for support with marketing, recruiting, accounting, and legal needs and providing both personalized and company-wide training programs, according to Lauren Henss, vice president of marketing and strategic initiatives.
Michele Harrington | FirstTeam CEO
“FirstTeam’s impressive growth is fueled by a robust ecosystem designed to nurture agents at every stage of their career,” FirstTeam CEO Michele Harrington said in a statement. “We are excited to expand our footprint and introduce more agents to the exclusive, game-changing benefits that come with joining FirstTeam.”
FirstTeam currently boasts more than 2,200 sales agents and is doubling down on what it views as the foundation for long-term success: recruitment, retention and revenue. Its ownership model helps agents transition from sales professionals to business owners, ultimately building long-term, transferable value beyond commissions.
“Our ‘Behind the Agent’ philosophy isn’t just a tagline — it’s our mission in action,” Henss said. “We believe successful real estate agents are made, not born.”
Lauren Henss | Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Initiatives
Bennett echoed the company’s commitment to agent growth: “This expansion allows us to deliver on our promise of building meaningful careers for more agents and teams across the country.”
Dave Archuletta of The Archuletta Team has seen the brokerage’s results firsthand, with his team scaling from $41.5 million to $155 million in sales in just two years. He attributed those numbers to “the masterminds, coaching and culture of collaboration at FirstTeam.”
