Troy and Jenifer Funk Open Allison James Branch Office in Sarasota, Florida

SARASOTA, Fla. - July 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Troy and Jenifer Funk, formerly with RE/MAX, have opened their own branch office with Allison James Estates & Homes, an Internet-based real estate company where agents can earn 100 percent commission for a small monthly fee.  

Troy Funk has assumed the role of Branch Manager and Recruiter for Allison James’s operations in Sarasota, located in the Troy Funk Team’s existing office at 665 S. Orange Avenue, Suite 2, Sarasota, Florida 34236.

“This is the present and future of real estate,” said Funk, a Broker-Associate who has been active in the Sarasota real estate market since 1986.

“Technology has changed our business completely. We no longer need MLS books, rolodexes, fax machines or the bricks and mortar of an office to sell real estate. We can run a company more efficiently without the unnecessary expenses that traditional real estate brokers carry, which they have to pass on to their agents by taking 20 to 50 percent of the commissions they earn.” In comparison, agents who affiliate with Allison James can receive 100 percent of their commissions.

“Having been in the Sarasota real estate business for 26 years, I have seen a lot of changes in the industry.  However, an Internet-based real estate brokerage is the biggest change yet!” he said. “Adapting to change quickly and being proactive has been the basis for some of my biggest successes. Simply stated, it’s positioning yourself to be at the right place at the right time in real estate.”  

As an example, Funk points to his current successes in getting short sales approved.  Because of the big correction in real estate property values several years ago, as well as having to sell his own properties quickly when the market soured, he became heavily involved in helping sellers avoid foreclosure or get out from their underwater real estate liability with a more beneficial short sale.  

To be proactive, he started traveling across the United States meeting lenders eye to eye to establish personal relationships with various key people at many lending institutions.  Today, he maintains relationships with lenders across the United States, which gives him a huge advantage in getting short sales approved.

In the course of establishing these relationships, Funk was introduced to Allison James by a lender-client for whom Funk sold a house on Bird Key. The client later became a National Recruiter for Allison James Estates & Homes. “What convinced me to join the company was the fact that Allison James is currently the fastest growing Internet-based real estate company in the United States, and I foresee that growth continuing at a rapid pace,” Funk added.

According to a Real Trends survey released recently, Allison James was among the top residential sellers locally, with $1.14 billion in closed sales, up 68 percent from $662.8 million the year prior.

As Branch Manager and Recruiter for Allison James’s operations in Sarasota, Funk plans to continue with the rewarding work of helping sellers with short sales. However, he said he is also excited to help his fellow real estate agents earn more money working smarter and not harder. Funk and his team can be reached at (941) 957-3737 or online at AllisonJamesFlorida.com.