Company

Keller Williams Expands into Panama

Austin, TX | February 15, 2016

Real estate leader doubles international market centers 

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 15, 2016)– Keller Williams Worldwide (KWW), the international division of Keller Williams, signed its latest franchise agreement to open market center locations serving homebuyers and sellers in Panama. Operating Principal David Bayliss will lead a strong team of principals to manage and grow operations in the country. 

KW Panama joins a quickly expanding Keller Williams presence in Latin America, including regions in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. 

“We’re excited to have found the right people to lead our Keller Williams’ franchise in Panama,” said Bill Soteroff, president, Keller Williams Worldwide. “David and his core group of leaders have a strong vision for growing and maturing Panama’s real estate and will make an excellent addition to our worldwide family.” 

An influential leader and entrepreneur in Panama, Bayliss works with a range of investors and local and international clients interested in buying and selling Panamanian real estate. For more than a decade, as an entrepreneur and business owner, he served in management roles with multiple leading U.S.-based residential and commercial mortgage lenders. 

“Through training, we’re going to mature the agent community and transaction processes in Panama,” Bayliss said. “We aim to make it more agent-centric and agent-driven. “We’re really excited to adopt the proven models and systems of Keller Williams with our team of great agents we are already in business with.” 

Bayliss and his team have focused marketing efforts in place to capture American expatriates and retirees looking for lower cost of living solutions. As part of a long-term growth strategy, Bayliss and his team plan to leverage Panama’s tax free zones to provide corporate relocation services to multinational corporations. 

Bayliss said. “We aim to make it more agent-centric and agent-driven. “We’re really excited to adopt the proven models and systems of Keller Williams with our team of great agents we are already in business with.” Bayliss and his team have focused marketing efforts in place to capture American expatriates and retirees looking for lower cost of living solutions. As part of a long-term growth strategy, Bayliss and his team plan to leverage Panama’s tax free zones to provide corporate relocation services to multinational corporations. 

Keller Williams Worldwide Momentum 

Last year, KWW doubled its overseas office count, growing from 35 to 70 market centers. Worldwide associate count also grew a net 1,483 to reach 2,273 associates across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia in 2015. 

KWW continues to explore expansion opportunities across Central and South America, Central and Eastern Europe and throughout Asia. 

The criteria for new franchises starts with having a qualified leadership team grounded in Keller Williams culture; the company also strives for government, banking and judicial system stability and a higher maturity level for a real estate market. 

“On average, we spend more than eight months in extensive training before officially launching a franchise. It is a complex process for a reason as each new leader becomes the standard-bearer in their country,” said Soteroff.” 

Keller Williams has awarded master franchise agreements with leaders covering 21 countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. 

About Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

Austin-Texas based Keller Williams Realty, Inc. is the largest real estate franchise by agent count in the world with more than 790 offices and 134,000 associates across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. In 2015, Training Magazine named Keller Williams the No. 1 training organization across all industries in the world.

Since 1983, Keller Williams has grown exponentially and continues to cultivate an agent-centric, education-based, technology-driven culture that rewards agents as stakeholders. The company also provides specialized agents in luxury homes, commercial and farm and ranch properties. 

For more information on Keller Williams, visit www.kw.com. (www.kw.com). 

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