By Jim Hirz
“See you at Beef’s!”
This is not just the slogan for a storied Brandon eatery. It is the rally cry for a group of local realtors and related vendors who gather weekly for the Brandon/Valrico Pitch Group. They meet each Wednesday morning, 9:30 a.m. at the Beef O’ Brady’s at 4330 Bell Shoals Rd in Valrico. The purpose: to connect buyers and sellers of real estate.
According to one of the group’s co-founders, Tim Ryan of Fidelity National Title, “This is a setting where business gets done. Realtors have the opportunity to share listings and discover buyer’s needs. And everyone has a good time and some laughs along the way.” And laugh they do. A light-hearted attitude prevailed as all the realtors in the room got a chance to stand and talk about their new or updated listings and entertain inquiries as they passed out information on their properties.
There is no cost to attend the meetings. Light refreshments are served, the cost of which is covered by a different local vendor each week who is then offered some time to share information about his/her business.
Keller Williams Realtor and group co-founder, Garth Jones, makes it very clear that the aim of the group was pointed specifically at helping realtors close more business. He was enthusiastic in describing the benefits of attending meetings: “It’s nice to be familiar with the realtor on the other side of the closing table. In this group we get to know and trust one another, along with having the opportunity to share our listings in a face to face setting; these are the keys to our success” said Jones.
The meetings are also open to business people that service real estate industry professionals in a variety of ways, from title insurance and mortgages to cleaning services and real estate photography and many others. Home Express Realtor Darrell Green feels it is a real benefit, especially to newer realtors, giving them the opportunity to build relationships with trusted service providers. Green said, “It helps them put together a tool belt of vendors to assist in taking great care of their customers.”
The success of this group has spawned a revitalized South Shore Real Estate Pitch Group. They meet each Thursday morning at The Alley at South Shore on Big Bend Rd. in Riverview at 9:30 a.m.
Same ‘rules’ apply.
