18A» WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 2021 B DENVERPOST.COM B THE DENVER POST
West + Main gets creative to help homebuyers 2 | West + Main Homes
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Team members at West + Main. Photos provided by West + Main
Years ranked: 3 Founded: 2017 Headquarters: Lakewood Employees: 170 West + Main is an independently owned and operated boutique real estate company that specializes in residential properties in Downtown Denver and Front Range communities. West + Main has innovative storefront locations in Applewood, RiNo, Littleton and Louisville.
By Sara B. Hansen Special to The Denver Post
When COVID-19 shut down Colorado businesses in March 2020, Stacie Staub feared her company might never sell another house. But the founder and CEO of West + Main Homes didn’t need to worry. Instead, 2020 was the boutique real estate firm’s best year. “Every month was the best month throughout the year,” Staub says. “We didn’t think real estate would be pandemic-proof, but it was. We were so grateful for every person we were able to help.” Still, the pandemic forced the company to make changes. Although the West + Main operates six offices, agents aren’t assigned desks. “That made it pretty easy to set up work from home,” Staub says. “We consider ourselves lucky that we were ready.” But to ease the change of not regularly seeing co-workers, West + Main started offering all of its educational offerings online,
West + Main team members during a video call. created accountability teams, and added a mentor program for new agents that provided one-on-one training and support with a seasoned agent. “The enthusiasm of the new agents is contagious. The seasoned agents got reinvigorated,” Staub says.
Promoting safety
COVID-19 also created new regulations for showing properties, including strict times for showings and requiring agents and customers to wear masks and gloves. Colorado’s tight housing market also makes it challenging to help buyers find their dream homes. “We are trying to be very creative to make sure we know about the newest listings. We look for
coming-soon signs and monitor specific neighborhoods,” Staub says. West + Main also had to shift its marketing focus from community events such as homebuyer classes, First Friday art exhibit openings, and Pop Up Shops to more online promotions and its West + Main lifestyle magazine. Agents are encouraged to nominate their favorite nonprofit organization during the company’s weekly Feel Good Friday virtual event. A winner is drawn randomly from the nominees at the end of a meeting, and the company then donates in the agent’s name to the winning nonprofit. Recent winners include Culinary Care, Colorado Homeownership Coalition, Judi’s House and Doctors Care.
Looking forward
Despite the pandemic, West + Main added 60 new agents in 2020 and anticipates hiring more this year. The company is also excited about a new partnership with the Home Builders Foundation of Denver that will help raise money to make homes accessible for people returning home after staying at Craig Hospital. West + Main has been a top workplace since the company opened in 2017. “That’s one of the greatest honors we receive because it comes from our agents. It goes straight to my heart that they took the time to fill out the survey,” Staub says. “It shows they are happy to work here.”