Emrix Realty a growing force in NFM
John Giddens is the kind of guy who always dreamed of working for himself. So when the opportunity came for him to start his own real estate business, he seized it.
That was in May 2012, when Giddens launched Emrix Realty at 5783 Bayshore Road, Unit 114. He couldn’t have chosen a better time to start, as the real estate market had just started to recover.
Today, he has seven people working for him and he said many of his offerings are in and out of the market in quick fashion.
Giddens has an impressive resume. He started in construction when his family built houses in the Cape in the 1980s. His grandmother was a broker, which helped allow him to go to real estate school and earn his license in 1995 and set up shop in a model home.
“We were going real good. We were selling 17 homes a year. Family members started going their separate ways and we disbanded the business,” Giddens said.
Giddens worked at numerous agencies, but said his heart had always been to start his own business and his name on the front door. He started one in Lehigh in 2008, with property management being the only thing that kept him afloat.
“We successfully managed a lot of businesses, which kept us going, but me and my partner parted because it wasn’t going the way we wanted it to,” Giddens said.
When the market improved and another opportunity presented itself, Giddens got help from his mother and stepfather to get another business off the ground.
“That’s how I chose the name. My mother’s name is Emily and my stepdad is Rick. They gave me a lot of help,” Giddens said, adding Rick works for him and is a contractor.
Business has been strong from the get go, he said, adding most properties get calls soon after the sign is put in the yard. Emrix currently has seven open listings in North Fort Myers, Cape Coral and southern Charlotte County, and three under contract.
“Within 30 days we’re getting offers, after that, it’s a process of moving toward closing,” Giddens said. “We can close on a house in 60 days or less.”
With the good times come more people wanting to get in on the action. Many who walked away from the industry in 2008-09 are coming back. Giddens said he’s continuing to hire.
Emrix Realty is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.
For more information, contact Emrix at 543-0828.