US agency opens third office in UK - and pledges more in 2018

Keller Williams UK is launching its third office in the UK.

It’s in Glasgow and the new market centre - the term used by the company for each of its hub offices - follows up the first two UK centres in London and Leeds.

The Glasgow branch will be headed by Gary Wardell, currently managing director at estate agency Realter, and will serve as a hub for agents in Scotland. It will provide office co-working facilities, training and mentoring for agents as they set up their own estate agency businesses within the Keller Williams model.

Keller Williams, which appointed former John D Wood managing director Ben Taylor as its new UK managing director back in March, operates a model that allows its agents to set up their own businesses and keep most of their commission.

Keller Williams agents pay a monthly fee which gives them access to training, listings on Zoopla, Rightmove and the Scottish portal S1 Homes, as well as access to the market centre’s co-working facilities, a CRM system, and other support.

The Glasgow centre is the first to open in the UK since a team led by operating principal Diane Griffin took over the UK franchise in January 2017.

“Scotland is a significant growth market for us, and the new market centre will further underline our position as a national brand with UK-wide reach. Our ambition is to transform the UK market by building an estate agency that empowers its agents” says Ben Taylor. 

“There is now huge momentum behind Keller Williams in the UK, and we expect Glasgow will be the first of several new market centre openings in the New Year” he adds.

Diane Griffin says 2018 will be “a landmark year” as the firm opens “several new market centres and recruit many more new agents.”

Last January Keller Williams UK said it was hoping to have 5,000 agents operating in around 50 market centres within five years.