Bailey & Co. Real Estate claimed several awards in November. Principal broker Justin Bailey attributes it to “momentum, I guess.”
Bailey himself was selected as one of Knoxville’s 40 Under 40 honorees by the Knoxville Business Journal. He founded the company Feb. 1, 2016, after having worked with his parents, Larry and Laura Bailey, at Knoxville Realty for several years.
Justin Bailey is Internet and social media savvy. He’s dedicated to his volunteer work with Young Life. And he’s a real contributor to the Powell community where he lives. He and wife Kristin have two kids, Ev and Liv, with another on the way.
In Cityview Magazine’s reader-selected competition, Justin Bailey was named Knoxville’s best commercial Realtor. Laura Bailey was named best female residential Realtor and best female commercial Realtor – the first time one person won both categories.
In the New Sentinel’s Best of … promotion, Bailey & Co. was named best real estate company. That’s the first time a non-franchise has ever made the top three, much less No. 1. Bailey & Co. agent Stephanie Bushore was named favorite female Realtor.
Disclosure: Bailey & Co. was an early supporter of Knox TN Today, joining as one of seven strategic partners when we launched in May 2017. Justin and this writer worked for four years as co-chairs of Enhance Powell, responsible for developing Powell Station Park and disc golf course among other projects.
Justin really appreciates the specialness of Powell. He bought and lives in the house of his grandparents, Allan and Hilda Gill. And when the railroad announced plans to close the crossing on Commerce Street at Depot Drive, Justin rallied to purchase and renovate the old JE Groner store building. It now hums with four active businesses and Knox County is planning to widen and stripe Depot Drive.
As a fourth generation in real estate, he has firm ideas about how he wants to operate his business. Bailey & Co. has grown from four agents to 30 in less than two years. The agency serves Knox and surrounding counties with an agent strategically serving each community in Knox, Anderson and Union counties. “It’s old-school, community and neighbor based real estate,” he says.
Bailey does not recruit agents. “I am extremely selective in who I allow to represent our brand, and our agents are very grateful for that,” he says. New agents come by referral from existing agents and must reach out to Justin. “I refuse to have one of these giant brokerages that will take anyone who can fog a mirror.”
The team operates with an internal mission statement: People over Profit. Justin says it’s not an advertising slogan. “It’s the criteria by which I interview every agent who comes here. I tell our agents that every decision we make out in the field should be run through those three words … whether deciding how to interpret a home inspection or negotiating on your client’s behalf.”
Bailey acknowledges his agency beat out several larger ones for the recent honors. He says he tries to do four things really well:
- Refuse to be swayed from his initial vision of creating a company (regardless of size) of great agents who offer the best consumer experience;
- Offer an extremely competitive compensation menu tailored to each agent, but remain selective in who I allow in the door;
- Offer great training coupled with the market’s newest/best software;
- Flip the traditional brokerage model upside down. As the broker, I work for my agents. Not the other way around.
We’re expecting great things from Bailey & Co. Real Estate in 2018. Info: Justin Bailey, 865-947-9000, 865-599-2208 or www.baileycorealestate.com.