Throughout his real estate career, Joe Maggio has only worked for two entities – the independent brokerage he started with when first entering real estate, and himself. Now, the owner of Joe Maggio Realty and his team are joining forces with Keller Williams.
As an indie broker, Maggio loves the freedom to be creative and set his own agenda, not to mention the flexibility of things happening on his timeline. In fact, Maggio took three years to come to the decision to unite with KW – and he nods to leaders like Matt Fetick, KW operating principal at Delaware Beaches, Delaware, and Ocean City, Maryland, and Delaware Beaches team leader Brigit Taylor, for having reached it.
“When I make a decision, it’s a thought-out process,” he says, lauding Fetick for his earnest approach, as well as the KW brand for its wide-reaching recognition. “If I want to continue to grow – and I do – I have to have the power of Keller Williams’ brand in front of me.”
For Maggio, that means still being able to operate and provide boutique-style service with the added advantage of having great tools available for his agents and their clients. “Being a part of Keller Williams is a great opportunity for my agents. The referral program, Contacts, Command – the tools are fantastic, and many will be able to use them and save themselves money,” Maggio says.
A highly successful boutique brokerage owner who boasts a diverse portfolio of new construction, resale, and luxury properties, Maggio’s first career stop wasn’t real estate. Instead, he spent 10 years working as an IT specialist for the government before purchasing his first investment property at his favorite vacation spot of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Maggio describes this as “a move to my happy place where tourism and real estate were just beginning to boom.” Around that time, Maggio’s younger brother, whom he had served as a legal guardian to, graduated high school. That, along with a government downsizing effort which led to job insecurity, led Maggio down the real estate path.
After, Maggio built out his database and joined a franchisee that ultimately closed, opening the door for him to build his own company 16 years ago. “This is when our demographic was around 12,500 full-time people. Now we get around 180,000 people on the Fourth of July,” Maggio says.
As one of the most knowledgeable Realtors with the largest collection of luxury listings in Sussex County, he has led his 50-agent team to results nearing $98.2 million per year in sales volume. As a boutique broker, he considers himself fortunate to be invited to interview for luxury new construction listings, but good fortune is not what keeps him top of mind with clients.
“I’m confident, I have a lot of experience, and I don’t sell myself short,” Maggio shares. “I think the way I build relationships and my technology background all come together, so someone could really grasp the vision of how I had foreseen selling luxury properties in what has been historically a college beach town.”
And, with Keller Williams as a partner, his business will only become stronger, even in shifting times. “As I have been watching the real estate industry evolve, I saw partnering with Keller Williams as a way to survive and thrive in this market,” Maggio says. “Some small mom-and-pop shops will not be able to survive this. This partnership will put us in a good position to push through.”