Chad Schwendeman and his powerhouse team at The Chad Schwendeman Real Estate Group have been putting up eye-popping numbers in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Minnesota-based group topped $276,245,483 in 2020 and $266,766,201 in 2021.
But, after nine years as a broker/owner at EXIT Realty Premier in Baxter and Minneapolis, he took to his blog on Dec. 1, 2022 and made the exuberant announcement that he and his 16-agent team are moving to eXp Realty.
“After nearly 10 years with Exit Realty International, I’ve decided to make a move — and this wasn’t taken lightly. This has been on my mind for the past 12 months, and it’s hard because I love everybody at Exit. I love the corporate team, and I love the Exit family. However, it just felt like it was time for me to make a switch.
“Their rev share program is second to none, and their leadership’s incredible. What I’m most excited about is being able to collaborate with some of the very top-performing teams in the country. To have that under one umbrella is really exciting.”
Chad called the growth that eXp is experiencing in the last five years – going from 1,200 agents to 86,000 agents – nothing short of astonishing.
“As an outsider looking in, it’s impressive. I have different friends who went with eXp – team leaders and collaborating with the best teams in the country really excited me,’’ Chad said, adding that 16 of his agents are joining him at eXp.
Chad Felt Like a ‘Big Fish In a Small Pond’
Like some of the best agents and brokers who make the switch to eXp, Chad considered himself a “big fish in a small pond” with his previous brokerage where he closed over 800 transactions a year. Schwendeman was the only four-time winner of EXIT Realty’s Tri-Real-A-Thon Award, beating thousands of real estate professionals from across the U.S. and Canada. He was in demand at conferences and retreats and loved talking to other agents about his business model, but felt the returns were lacking.
“I would give a lot, but wasn’t necessarily getting a lot back in the sense of growing my business. So, I sensed it was time to find a new pond and new tribe. I’m super excited about all the great teams that are with eXp.’’
Schwendeman Eager To Tap Into Bigger Referral Network
Schwendeman sees a huge opportunity to expand his referral network with agents in the Twin Cities.
“We’re located two hours north of Minneapolis. Lots of lakes; it’s a prime vacation-second home area. And there’s just three eXp agents in our marketplace. So, to be able to control the narrative and build our brand is exciting.
“In Minneapolis, they’re going like gang-busters, so to be part of that and the referral network is huge for us. So we’re super-excited to be collaborating and sharing referrals back and forth with the Twin Cities agents.”
Covid Was a Blessing in Disguise
Schwendeman plans on continuing to work with buyers and sellers and estimates he alone will close 90-100 listings next year. He will also concentrate on coaching and leading his team as well as recruiting.
“Who would’ve thought during Covid that we would have our best real estate market in history? Having the ability to work remotely and use Zoom has really opened up our market. I think I’ve sold more homes to people from California in the past 24 months than in my entire career in real estate combined.”
Chad Schwendeman Brokerage History:
- eXp Realty (December 2022-current)
- EXIT Realty (November 2013-December 2022)
- Tower Real Estate – Weichert Realtors (December 1999-November 2013)
Chad Schwendeman Key Stats:
- Production in 2021: $266,766,201 closed sales on 896 units.
- Production in 2020: $276,245,483 closed sales on 1,073 units.
- Chad Schwendeman Real Estate Group was EXIT Realty’s #1 producing team for seven consecutive years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
- Schwendeman is the only four-time winner of EXIT Realty’s Tri-Real-A-Thon Award, which recognizes excellence in sales production, listings taken and introducing others to the company.
- Loves boating. Lives on Gull Lake.
- Big fan of Minnesota Timberwolves
- Enjoys spending time at his vacation home in Fort Myers Beach.
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