ARE YOU WORKING FOR THE RIGHT COMPANY?

Tory Graham and Kent Welch started GWA in March 2004. Their vision was to create a real estate company that provided services that were both unique and necessary for new home communities to succeed. The vision included eventually expanding services to the resale homes market.

With that vision and one development in western Wyandotte County, the pair set out to carve a niche in Kansas City's real estate industry.

GWA's marketing approach and work ethic were well received by developers and builders alike. "Our attention to the details of every aspect of new home development and our in-depth understanding of the market have been great assets in the company's success," stated Tory Graham.

Since the company's inception, GWA has grown faster than any other real estate company in the Kansas City area. GWA now markets close to 30 new home developments throughout greater Kansas City, and maintains a staff of nearly 60 on-site real estate agents.

The real estate industry is more challenging then ever, but GWA has excelled while others are shaking their heads wondering what happened.

"Success doesn't come from one person doing their part, it comes from everyone involved doing their part collectively", says Kent Welch. "We get developers, builders and sales associates to do just that, their part. Our motto is accountability with no excuses," Welch added.

"It's our constant desire to improve our processes in every facet of what we do," Graham said. "That's one of our principle beliefs, and it's evident in all of the work that we do."

"We understand that the selling process for new homes and resale homes are uniquely different," Welch says.

GWA understands that new homes marketing is more focused on the community itself than the homes being built within the community. Location, amenities and the school systems that support the community are the first factors buyers consider when looking for a new home. Choosing the home itself is secondary, according to Graham.

"Our focus is for our customers to remember what community they are in. We design individual community logos and complete marketing packages with unique community color schemes to visually imprint in the customer's mind the most important message: this is the community you want to live in. Now let's find a home that works for you," Graham said.

GWA's marketing plan for each community includes television, print and radio advertisements, as well as colorful, prominent signage in and around the communities. Each community also has a unique website which provides an interactive plat map, photos, building information, floor plans and more. "Our aim is to simplify the buying process," Graham said. "Our websites provide homebuyers the information they need to reach an informed decision when selecting their new home."

"Community branding is only one part of the new homes selling process. The other key element is a well-trained staff of on-site sales associates working at each of the communities daily. They assist prospective homeowners with the buying process and provide information about available homes and home sites," Graham continued.

GWA's marketing campaigns have received multiple awards for marketing excellence from the Kansas City Home Builder's Association.

"We strive to exceed our developers and builders' expectations," Graham continues. "It's this type of commitment that separates us from our competition," he continues.

GWA's philosophy for marketing resale homes is distinctively different than its new homes process.

The focus for resale homes places more emphasis on the real estate agent and the individual clients and their customers. The goal is to assist the agent in becoming more productive by offering services that will allow them to more easily and efficiently complete the wide array of tasks they are required to do.

"We have been planning the launch of our Resale Homes Division for more than two years now," according to Kent Welch, President of GWA. "In the plannin gprocess we consulted with business men and women from various industries including talking to many real estate agents who primarily sell resale homes," added Welch.

"One of the most interesting things we discovered was that many agents selling resale homes were uneasy about financial security because their only source of income is from their next transaction - and determining when that transaction will take place is difficult. All the agents we talked to were interested in a way of securing some type of income that was not derived directly from selling their next home," Welch continued.

"With that in mind we contemplated how to best assist the agent in accomplishing their many tasks, and how to provide them with another source of income that was not derived from such an unpredictable source."

A solution to creating another source of income for all the agents who work under the GWA banner emerged in the 100+ Plan. The simplicity of the plan is that the agents who assist in the growth of the company financially benefit from that growth. The plan allows the agent to eventually generate income that exceeds over 100% of the commission they earn by recruiting new agents to GWA.

The beauty of the plan is that an agent can continue to create income even after he/she stops actively selling! Simply by maintaining their license with GWA, agents continue to earn income from the agents they recruited. What a great idea!

The remarkable growth of GWA has been documented by The Kansas City Business Journal. GWA was ranked #25 in 2005 and #21 in 2006 on the list of Top 25 Residential Real Estate Companies in Kansas City. Based upon the data provided by the KCBJ in both 2005 and 2006, GWA grew faster than all other residential real estate companies in the Kansas City area.

The market of 2007 has squelched the growth of many real estate companies while GWA has produced results exceeding previous years. We believe this year's list will find GWA moving upward with an estimated selling volume greater than $100 million and projected $200+ million selling volume for 2008.

Success breeds success, and GWA is experiencing a level of motivation and excitement based on such remarkable growth and recognition in record time.

The future of GWA is exciting! The potential is immense, and the key to our future is grounded in our past. Our desire to improve our processes at every level and a strict quality control of the results we produce will undoubtedly allow us to maintain our edge for future growth and expansion.