Local agents start new residential real estate agency

Real estate broker Jamie Holt-Doty and her broker-husband, Steve Doty, have started a residential real estate brokerage that will have no main office for its agents, who instead will work from their homes.

By eliminating the expense of maintaining a brick-and-mortar office, Holt-Doty hopes to keep Integra Real Estate’s costs nominal and agents’ compensation better than average.

“With the way things are anymore, you don’t need it (an office),” Holt-Doty said Monday.

The way the 30-year residential real estate veteran sees it, smartphones, tablets and software such as DocuSign have taken away much of the need for a broker to provide that for agents.

Instead of splitting a commission with the brokerage on a house sale, Integra agents will pay a fee of $200 per sale to the brokerage.

“They’re empowered, and we don’t have the overhead,” she said. “They are independent contractors. We’ll manage the processing, audit their files to make sure they are up to par and file the tax (paperwork) at the end of the year. We will have training and standards of practice they have to adhere to.”

Holt-Doty said the agency will probably limit its size to 20 agents.

“Right now, we have seven,” she said.

“We truly want agents that are experienced and ethical,” Holt-Doty said, adding that they would be selective about who they bring on.

She said the agency is independently owned and not affiliated with a national franchise.

Last week, Holt-Doty was named the Realtor of the Year by the Kansas Association of Realtors at its annual convention in Wichita. She is a past president of the association and the Wichita Area Association of Realtors. Steve Doty has more than 25 years of experience in the residential real estate business.

This story was originally published October 13, 2014 at 10:39 AM with the headline "Local agents start new residential real estate agency."