Best of 2021 at Keller Williams: Growth, Community, and Culture Take Center Stage

With less than one week to go until we enter 2022, many of us are taking inventory of our year, and it was anything but ordinary. Across the globe, Keller Williams agents, associates, and leaders have experienced moments of surprise and moments of uncertainty, but also moments of joy, excitement, and optimism. This year, they have come together to create communities, opportunities, and tools that will serve the real estate professionals of today and tomorrow. Most importantly, they have listened and understood each other, creating synergy across the KW ecosystem and relying on the power of partnership between leaders and agents to innovate and disrupt the industry. The list of accomplishments this family has achieved is extensive, but here are nine Keller Williams 2021 moments that have us beaming with pride.

Nine Keller Williams Moments That Sweetened Our 2021

The Command App keeps agents plugged in on-the-go.

Surveying our agents and the general needs of their businesses has revealed that they spend more than half their time on the go, away from their desks. This knowledge served as a catalyst for the Command App: a powerful tool which provides agents with immediate access to their database and daily task list, allowing them to interact with and manage their contacts without the need to sit down at a desktop. The app was developed in partnership with a select group of Keller Williams agents, which served as beta testers and provided invaluable feedback ensuring the app’s business-enhancing features. Since being launched in early December, the app has been downloaded by tens of thousands of agents, whose lives are made easier with the help of four business-changing features: Dashboard, Contacts, Tasks, and In-App Notifications.

KSCORE puts education front and center.

Keller Williams has partnered with Kaplan Real Estate Education to make entering a career in real estate affordable and accessible with the Keller Williams School of Real Estate (KSCORE). With prelicensing education provided by Kaplan Real Estate Education through the KSCORE training program, aspiring real estate agents no longer have to worry about the financial constraints or confinement of a physical classroom**. So far, the program has seen overwhelming participation from market centers, with thousands of individuals participating in KW Prep; a program with modules focusing on balancing the practical elements taught in the prelicensing curriculum with real-world application; and four times as many students enrolled in the prelicensing curriculum provided by Kaplan Real Estate Education.

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Keller Williams focuses on community with the help of segments.

2021 saw an enhanced focus on communities with the help of segments – affinity groups focused on agent representation and relationship-building based on common interests. These communities not only serve agents, but make sure their voices are heard. The effort kicked off at the start of 2021 with the relaunch of Keller Williams’ luxury division. Now an earn-in model, KW Luxury comes with expanded benefits including striking marketing assets and training opportunities.

With KW Military, Keller Williams shows its support for the active duty, veteran, and military spouse communities by providing tools, training, and networking to build businesses. The recently launched Sports + Entertainment segment provides an exclusive application-based sector to empower members to grow and refine a unique skillset, catering to the upper echelon of clients, including professional athletes, musicians, and artists. And, with the introduction of the KW New Homes community, Keller Williams agents can capitalize and succeed at the highest level in the new homes market segment.

KW Worldwide welcomes growth with open arms.

This year, KW Worldwide is the proud home of more than 16,000 associates outside of the United States and Canada, with agents closing 56,595 transactions by the end of November, and $10.8 billion in sales volume by the same time frame. That is a 59.4% increase in transactions and 93.9% increase in sales volume from 2020 YTD. Even more reason to celebrate? In 2021, KW Worldwide welcomed five new countries to its international region roster: Albania, Mongolia, Suriname, Sint Maarten, and São Paulo, Brazil.

KW culture shows itself loudly and proudly time and time again.

Throughout the year, Keller Williams received a plethora of industry recognition. The company was named on Forbes’ America’s Best Large Employers, America’s Best Employers for Diversity, Best Employers for New Graduates, America’s Best Employers for Women, Best Employers by State, World’s Best Employers, and World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies lists. In addition, it received additional honors and recognitions from the likes of Glassdoor, Entrepreneur, LinkedIn, and Inman.

In May, agents across the world came together to give back during RED Day – an annual tradition started in 2009 which shows agents filling their communities with care. The global KW family beamed with RED Day pride as they collected food donations, cleaned up local parks, revitalized public spaces, and much more.

Keller Williams paves the road to an integrated homeownership experience.

Keller Williams’ ancillary properties spent ample time crafting the future of the integrated homeownership experience. The Keller Mortgage team had a busy year improving client experiences while serving thousands of Keller Williams agents’ clients on their homeownership journey. Keller Covered successfully transitioned its business model to a full agency, offering home, auto, and commercial insurance – and already began issuing new policies held within its book of business! At Keller Offers, the word of the year is partnership – the team reached its expansion target of partnerships with agents in 35 markets to offer services that are improving agents’ ability to meet their clients’ needs.

KWEN and Livian expand opportunities for agents throughout.

Agents interested in expanding now have access to the Keller Williams Expansion Network, set to support the business operations of U.S.-based KW real estate expansion teams by offering a simplified, standardized compensation plan and efficient and cohesive operational structure.

And, continuing the theme of partnership expressed throughout the year, the inception of Livian, a Keller Williams affiliated company founded by Adam Hergenrother, offers additional resources for agents. Livian is a real estate platform that brings everyone together in harmony – principals, leaders, agents, and clients – to deliver exceptional, repeatable results.

KW Cares gives back.

It is no secret that the KW community comes from contribution and care. In 2021, there were no plans of slowing down. With the partnership of agents and associates, KW Cares has accomplished a tremendous amount this year and made a huge difference within KW family members’ lives. In 2021, KW Cares was able to provide 593 grants, helping families find relief and peace of mind during their most troubled times. KW associates and their family members received more than $3.6 million in grants, easing the burden of accidents, cancer and other debilitating illnesses, and devastating natural disasters.

The social equity task force celebrates wins.

After a historic 2020 vote to include ‘Equity: Opportunities for All’ within the Keller Williams Belief System, the Social Equity Task Force – which includes associates from every Keller Williams region across the U.S. and Canada – was built and charged with creating long-range strategies to uproot racial disparities within Keller Williams.

This year, the task force has worked hard, bringing representation at large-scale events such as Family Reunion and Mega Camp, and teaching 4,000 agents to be more inclusive within their business through “The Color of Real Estate” and “Unconscious Bias in Real Estate” courses, among other wins.

What has been your favorite KW moment of 2021? Let us know in the comments section.

**Keller Williams Realty, Inc., has an agreement with Kaplan Real Estate Education to promote online course information to consumers and real estate licensees. KSCORE, Keller Williams School of Real Estate, KW School of Real Estate, KW Prep, Keller Williams Realty, Inc., and Keller Williams market centers and franchisees (collectively “KW”) are not the developers of these prelicensing (PL) and continuing education (CE) courses; they are simply providing a referral. This program does not apply in Minnesota, New York, and elsewhere prohibited. PL and CE instruction will be provided by Kaplan Real Estate Education, a state-approved education provider (PL approved in: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, KY, MI, MO, NC, NM, NV, PA, SC, TN, TX (TREC Provider #4546), VA, WA, WI; CE approved in: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL, KY, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NM, NV, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX (TREC Provider #31), VA, WA, WI). KW offers nonvocational training to help individuals become better real estate agents. KW is not an approved provider of state real estate PL or CE. Any questions regarding PL and CE course content or technology should be directed to Kaplan Real Estate Education.

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Ramon Cruz says:

December 30, 2021 at 9:21 am

Good information Thank You Ramon Cruz 30 Dec. 2021 Roanoke VA.

Ada Ciuca says:

January 4, 2022 at 11:13 am

Thank you for commenting, Ramon! Here is more information that you may be interested in as you dive into 2022:

Market Update: The Main Factors to Keep an Eye On in 2022

Roxanne V. Whitaker says:

December 30, 2021 at 9:22 am

I’ve been a part of SETF since the beginning and this year watching it grow, change and evolve has been wonderful. Putting Julia LaShay in charge has made a huge difference in bringing all the regions together for common goals. Now that we have an ALC playbook I will be able to guide and grow SETF in a whole new way.