Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group
Expands to be the Largest Real Estate Brokerage in the Lowcountry and Coastal Georgia
story by JENIFER PUTNAM
To hear Broker-In-Charge Ken Willis tell it, you’d think managing to establish the largest real estate firm in the Lowcountry and Coastal Georgia was a matter of happenstance.
But for those who know Ken Willis and business partner of 35 years, David Hornsby—widely credited for putting Fripp Island on the map—the successful acquisition of not one, but two leading real estate firms in the last year is no surprise.
Ken Willis and David Hornsby, along with their partners Will Thurman and Todd McDaniel, had the foresight to align their company with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brokerage network in 2018. This gave the firm access to one of the most trusted names in the real estate industry. The network boasts 1,500 offices globally, with 55,000 across the United States.
“It has the power of a large corporation, but it has the values of a family-run company,” Ken said. “It exhibits the philosophy, culture, and professionalism of our founder, Warren Buffet. We all subscribe to those same attributes in our daily interactions.”
In 2019, the Beaufort-based firm expanded its footprint into Georgia by acquiring the Savannah-based Berkshire Hathaway franchise, South East Coastal Properties. Will Thurman became the managing broker of the Savannah firm with a focus on the Landings, a luxury community on Skidaway Island. The addition of Bob and Reba Laramy’s successful real estate company added 35 new agents to the firm.
That acquisition opened a conversation with Cora Bett Thomas Realty, a market leader in the Savannah/SC Lowcountry region for more than 26 years, with more than 50 agents working in Beaufort, Savannah, Pooler, and St. Simons Island.
“A lot of times, things like this happen by fate more than planning,” Ken said. “After we acquired the Laramy Group, Cora Bett Thomas asked them what they thought about our company, and she was convinced that both our company’s culture and the backing of the most powerful franchise in the industry would be a perfect fit for her firm. It was more fate and opportune timing than strategic planning.”
With 85 new agents, who collectively produced $291 million in sales in 2019, the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group is now the largest agency covering both the SC Lowcountry and Coastal Georgia. This gives the firm a distinct advantage over other firms to market the entire area to prospective buyers.
“The population of this area is seamless in terms of lifestyle from Beaufort to Bluffton to Savannah to the Sea Islands,” Ken said. “Ours is the first real estate agency with a regional presence for anyone looking to buy in any of those communities.”
Prospective clients can meet with agents in offices from Beaufort, Fripp Island, and Harbor Island to the newly renovated Savannah office on Chippewa Square, to sales centers at Coosaw Point, Dataw Island, Hearthstone Lakes, and Skidaway Island. Commercial clients are served from our state-of-the-art office located on East Bryan Street in downtown Savannah.
“No other company in this area has agents listed in three different MLSs (Multiple Listing Services),” Ken said. “Based on what the client or prospect tells us, we can take them anywhere in the region that best fits their profile or what location most interests them. We are extremely fortunate that we live in such a diverse area that can offer waterfront, oceanfront, and historic homes within just a few miles of each other.”
To better equip its current agents and any new real estate agents who join the Bay Street Realty Group team, the agency is renovating its historic Bay Street headquarters in the old Fordham Hardware building to add a high-tech, state-of-the-art career development center. The complex on the second floor of the building will allow agents a private space to collaborate with other agents and attend career development webinars offered by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ rigorous training program ensures that agents have a strong foundation to be successful in the industry.
“The support we receive from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is second to none,” Ken said. “Because it is a globally recognized franchise, it gives us a leg up and puts us at the forefront of the industry. The power of the brand is unparalleled.”
Bay Street has appreciated its connection to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, especially during the recent Covid-19 crisis, which instead of resulting in a downturn, has produced three straight months of record-breaking sales.
“There has been a huge influx of buyers from the northeast,” Ken said. “Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is dominant in the northeast, and we have seen strong referrals from our fellow brokerages.”
Social distancing requirements did not slow down the firm because they already had tools such as virtual tours and Zoom conferencing in place before the shutdown.
Ken expects this recent upswing to continue as buyers leave heavily congested, expensive, and populated markets for the comparatively less expensive, less populated South with its charming natural beauty and warm community feel.
“We are positioned in the best part of the country for the current real estate market moving forward,” Ken said. “There is not a lifestyle that a buyer wants that we cannot find a match for. We have such a diverse combination of real estate opportunities that really cannot be seen anywhere else in the country.”
With 40 years riding the waves of the turbulent real estate market, the business hasn’t always been easy, but this South Carolina native knows how to weather the storm and come out on top. Ken started his first real estate company in Myrtle Beach in 1984.
Ken sold that company in 1989 to join Bay Street partner David Hornsby in developing Fripp Island and turned it into one of the best amenity-based community developments with a marina, two golf courses, a 1,500-member club, and 450 rental units.
“Fripp was a sleepy little island,” Ken said. “Nothing had been done to it in over a decade. When we arrived, the island had maybe 500 residents. When we left, it had 2,400 residents in luxury homes and villas.”
After surviving the Great Recession, Ken and David reunited with longtime real estate associate, Todd McDaniel, as they purchased Island Realty, Todd’s company with three other partners, in 2017. Will Thurman joined the other three to form Bay Street Realty Group. Swiftly on the heels of that acquisition, Bay Street joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and bought Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Southeast Coastal Properties and Cora Bett Thomas Realty. The company is currently planning further expansion into Jasper County.
Forino Homes is planning to develop more than 1,000 new homes in the next few years in Ridgeland and Hardeeville. The company sees tremendous growth occurring in Hardeeville with the new exits opening along I-95. Bay Street is excited to partner with Forino Homes to add a model home presence and discovery center in Jasper County.
Ken said the constantly changing real estate landscape and the enthusiasm of the much younger staff and agents that have joined the firm continue to invigorate him. “Young leaders are an essential facet of our real estate industry, and we should foster their development at every turn. In fact, young professionals must be taken seriously because they are quite literally the future of real estate. The brightest young leaders today are all digital natives; they grew up with technology and a cell phone in their hands.”
“I don’t get bored in this business,” Ken said. “It’s incredibly fast-paced. It’s fun right now because business is so good. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how we continue the momentum and stay at the forefront of the industry.”
For more information, visit www.baystreetrealtygroup.com.
About Bay Street Realty Group:
Committed to offering professional services to all of our clients, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group is a full-service real estate company dedicated to providing the highest level of services to clients from four local offices in both GA and SC. Our central locations, dedicated agents, and seasoned leadership team with over 150 years of combined experience set Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group apart from our competitors and provide our clients with the best service possible. Visit www.baystreetrealtygroup.com for more information.
About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices:
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, based in Irvine, CA, is a real estate brokerage franchise network built for a new era in residential real estate. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability, and longevity. Visit www.berkshirehathawayhs.com.
