Having built a strong foundation of luxury agents and clients, the brokerage was emboldened to launch a luxury arm on the heels of its partnership with Howard Hanna, executives told Inman.
Flexibility and nimbleness are often touted as the top advantages of independent brokerages. All this November at Inman, we’ll explore what indies are doing to meet the moment as the market shifts. And we’ll consider how alternative brokerages are impacting the landscape. It’s Indie Broker and Alternative Brokerage Model Month!
The Indianapolis-based brokerage F.C. Tucker Company has launched its own luxury division, Tucker Luxury, the company announced this week.
F.C. Tucker, Indiana’s largest independent brokerage, was founded in 1918 and serves consumers in Indiana and select parts of Kentucky. In the past year, the company has been a leader in home sales in the markets of Carmel, Downtown Indianapolis, Fishers, Geist, Greenwood/Bargersville, Meridian Hills, Meridian Kessler and Zionsville, a press release noted.
“With a 100-year legacy in Indiana residential real estate and seasoned agents who have years of experience, F.C. Tucker has long been the preferred brokerage for those seeking to buy and sell luxury properties,” Jim Litten, president of F.C. Tucker Company, said in a statement.
“The Tucker Luxury branding formalizes the existing expertise and superior service our luxury agents are already providing their clients who seek to buy and sell high-end real estate. Packaging our offerings allows Tucker Luxury specialists to provide new ways to further streamline the homebuying and selling experience.”
With the launch of the new luxury brand, Tucker Luxury agents will have access to several new resources tailored to the specific needs of a luxury agent. Those resources include a specialized Tucker Luxury listing on the company’s website, TalkToTucker.com, affiliation with Luxury Portfolio International, networking and exposure opportunities through an affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, single-property websites on luxury homes, access to the Tucker Luxury Instagram channel, high-end print and digital marketing materials and Tucker Luxury signage.
Connor Simonson, the brokerage’s corporate marketing manager, told Inman in an email the company’s long-term goals for the luxury division are to provide the best tools and services to luxury agents and consumers.
“By enhancing our existing tools and marketing through Tucker Luxury, we are continuing to expand on our leadership position in the luxury real estate market in Indiana,” Simonson said.
After the brokerage forged a strategic partnership with Howard Hanna in June 2021, Simonson said an opportunity arose to bolster a luxury presence in the marketplace even further.
At that time, the two companies forged an agreement whereby they would work together to increase F.C. Tucker’s reach and footprint, but the brokerage would still retain its independent status and brand. Now, F.C. Tucker is co-owned by Jim Litten (who was sole owner prior to the agreement), F.C. Tucker Presidents Donna Kreps and Pat Purdue, and Howard Hanna Real Estate Services.
“By aligning our luxury brand with an industry leader like Howard Hanna, we are doubling down on our commitment to serve our luxury clients and agents,” Simonson said.
The luxury division will service properties in the brokerage’s market that are listed at $799,900 and above. Tucker Luxury agents said the tools now available to them through the new division will help them serve luxury clients better than they were able to previously.
“As an agent with F.C. Tucker for more than 30 years, I have benefited from its rich history and strong presence in the market at all price points,” F.C. Tucker agent Matt McLaughlin said in a statement. “With the expansion of benefits and refined design the new Tucker Luxury platform provides, I can now improve upon the level of service I provide my clients at every price point, including the luxury market.”
“F.C. Tucker really is the best of both worlds, especially when it comes to luxury homes,” F.C. Tucker agent Melissa Webb said in a statement. “As a local brokerage, we have the ground level experience and ability to tailor our services to these unique properties. As the largest broker in the state, as well as a founding member of several international real estate networks, we make use of our global reach and exposure to get high-end properties in front of the right audience. It’s no surprise to me that F.C. Tucker represents more luxury clients than anyone else.”
Simonson told Inman that the luxury market in Indiana is well-outperforming the market at-large, with sales volume in Q3 up 12.6 percent year over year compared to the overall market’s 1.4 percent decline during the same period.
“In addition to sales, we are continuing to see a shift in our clients’ expectations for the homebuying and selling experience and level of service, especially with this echelon of homes,” Simonson said.
“Clients and agents alike are seeking a more personalized, refined and expert-level of attention and service. At F.C. Tucker Company, we are not only continuing to provide the high level of service and expertise that has made us leaders in the luxury space, but we are always looking for innovative ways to elevate the homebuying and selling experience.”
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