There are so many reasons EXIT Realty Lake Country Broker/Owners Aaron and Christy Dwyer are driven, but, at the heart of it all, helping to grow their agents into the best versions of themselves while assisting them in building a real estate career of balance, freedom and security is at the top of their list.[caption id="attachment_4399" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
EXIT Realty Lake Country value statement.[/caption]
“One of the reasons I think we connect with our agents is they know we’ve been in the trenches. We’re just who we are,” says Christy.  “Everyone has a story, which is why they are who they are today.  We are building on these stories.”
“Adversity in our professional and personal lives, is part of our story”, says Aaron.  “When you come out of the fire and storm, you are a different person than the person who went in. I want to work with authentic people. I want to work with agents who want to grow both personally and professionally.  I want agents who have open hearts and open minds. Our agents see in us that we are authentic, transparent, and they believe in our message.”“We walk the walk”, says Christy.  “They understand we know this business and, in our heart, we want to help them grow. Their growth and success is changing their lives, their family’s trajectory, and the kids that are watching them, which means so much.”EXIT Realty Lake Country will have several agents earn over $100,000 for the first time in their lives in 2020.  This alone confirms to Aaron and Christy that they are truly operating in their purpose!
With previous experience working for an independent and another large franchise real estate company, Aaron joined EXIT in February of 2017 because he was intrigued by the residual income opportunity, which is unique to the real estate industry.“Yes, the model intrigued me, but what pushed me over the edge was hearing Steve Morris speak at the 2017 EXIT Southeast awards event at the Omni Hotel in Nashville,” Aaron said. “I had been studying the importance of mindset, affirmations, law of attraction and expectancy theory for a long time. He talked about all of these things and quoted authors I’ve been inspired by for years. This shared mind-set helped me know EXIT was the right place for me.”
Christy’s connection to EXIT was more personal.  With her mother having previously served as an EXIT agent in Florida, she encouraged Christy to check out the EXIT opportunities in Georgia early in her career.“I started my real estate career with another franchise company in 2005. My mom said I should look at EXIT, but there wasn’t an EXIT office close, so I joined another franchise brand in a nearby town.  My first year as a Realtor, I earned office rookie of the year and broke $100,000 in gross commissions within ten months. I accomplished all of that while really having no direction, coach or utilizing a database. I just did what made sense to me.  I knew nothing about franchises or the resources available. Ultimately, I knew I needed a process and structure.”As a High D, Christy says she isn’t big on researching options, she typically goes with whatever option makes sense at the time.  She was obviously drawn to EXIT, and in July of 2006 she purchased her first EXIT franchise and opened the Hartwell, Georgia location. Over the next decade, she established a strong presence as a top producer and built the EXIT name in the Northeast Georgia market area .“When Kenny and Stacy acquired the region of Georgia in 2017, they immediately starting impressing upon me the necessity of embracing the EXIT model and encouraged me to expand my footprint in order to start building something for the future,” Christy added.  In January of 2018, she acquired her second franchise with EXIT and the Madison, Georgia location opened in the spring of 2018.To do it right and build something that will have sustainability, you have to do the work. “It won’t grow overnight,” Christy explains. “Aaron and I have spent the past two years planting the seeds, heavily focused on attracting the right agents, embracing the EXIT model, and that is how we have experienced steady growth and low turn-over.”
The pair have been very strategic with agents joining their team and have learned that some just aren’t going to be a fit, because culture is key to what they are building.One of the analogies Aaron uses is the Grand Canyon. “If I visit the Grand Canyon and show you a picture, you’ll think it is pretty cool.  But, until you experience the grandeur yourself, you don’t realize the magnitude.  Our culture is the same.  Until you truly come and see how we do things, and look over the edge, you just can’t understand it.”Christy adds that words to describe the EXIT culture can be difficult. “You have to come here, experience it for yourself, and then you’ll realize what we are talking about.”
While Christy and Aaron say you have to experience the EXIT culture to understand it, their agents definitely say it best. Here’s a message they received from an agent who recently joined their company.“Love you guys! Thanks so much! I came home to work on my 2021 goals! IDK if y’all know how inspirational you are, but it’s life changing. Through the life you guys speak into your agents,  I KNOW I can create the life I want for myself and my daughter. Most brokers aren’t like this. EXIT is definitely a culture and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”[caption id="attachment_4415" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
EXIT Lake Country training with Angel Tucker.[/caption]
Whether you are thinking of buying a franchise or becoming an agent, you want to be surrounded by people who are making the same investment. This is the support they felt immediately from corporate leaders like Steve Morris, Tami Bonnell, Erica Nasby and Angel Tucker as well as regional owners, Kenny Lynn and Stacy Strobl.
“Kenny and Stacy encouraged involvement from the time I met them, emphasizing the importance of the EXIT culture, saying to be in the room, come be a part of it.  Stacy watched out for me and connected me with other EXIT Realty Broker/Owners who were all very welcoming and willing to share ideas and experiences with me,” Christy said.
“Definitely get involved and budget for training,” says Aaron. “If you are thinking of buying a franchise, you need to budget in every experience you can, beginning with Broker-Owner training in Canada.  Make that commitment in your business and you’ll attract agents who are committed to the same thing. These will be the agents who will grow your culture,” Aaron said.Christy says EXIT is the perfect hybrid real estate model.  It is the closest you can get to a smaller, independent company, both culture-wise and with the ability to run your business without the “big box” rules and requirements, while still having access to the vast amounts of training, support and resources that come with being part of a franchise.“EXIT is very agent-focused.  If you are focused on helping people, creating security, and developing your personal brand & business by design, EXIT is a good choice. This was the philosophy of the founder, Steve Morris. If all you want to do is to make as much money as possible, EXIT may not the place for you,” Aaron added.
With Aaron and Christy’s passion and commitment to growth by enhancing the lives of their agents, EXIT Realty Lake Country has grown over the past two years to five offices in Georgia, spanning from Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee to Lake Hartwell and Lake Lanier. They have also added agents in the Augusta, Georgia area and are licensed in South Carolina, as well.In Tennessee, their Mt. Juliet office location is slated to open within the next 30 days.  “We already have three agents on board, even before the buildout is complete and office opened. When that sign goes up on the building, we anticipate the same amazing growth in our Tennessee office that we’ve experienced in Georgia,”  Aaron said.Text “JoinUs” to 85377 to connect with Aaron, or text “LakeCountry” to 85377 to connect with Christy.
In 2019, EXIT Southeast earned #1 Region for EXIT Realty Corp. International as well as earned #1 in franchise sales and top Best In Business for the Nashville Business Journal. Across Georgia, Kentucky Tennessee and Florida, EXIT Southeast owners, brokers and agents are respected leaders in the real estate industry. If you are looking to join an award-winning team of professionals, contact EXIT Southeast Regional Owner Stacy Strobl at 412-LOVEXIT (412-568-3948).
