Engel & Volkërs opens in TCreek
Headed by broker/CEO Cindy Krauss, it celebrated the new office with a Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce-sponsored ribbon cutting July 15 for the business that opened its doors in May.
“I just appreciate all of you all being here,” Krauss said at the ribbon cutting.
“Cindy has a heart for service; she is an active member of our Farragut Rotary Club. Everything she does, she meets with her passion,” FWKCC president/CEO Julie Blaylock said.
“Engel & Volkërs’ whole premise is giving that white glove, luxurious experience, whatever that price point is of the home,” Krauss said. “So, if somebody is buying an $80,000 house or a $5 million house, we’re still going to treat them all with the same dignity and respect, and that spoke to my heart.
“Advisors can do all the things a brokerage can do, as far as set up searches for homes, but also show clients about the area,” she added.
“We really help our advisors specialize in an area.”
Additionally, “I like that they are a global company, so I can connect with people around the world,” she said.
Since her agency has a protected territory, which means there will not be another Engel & Volkërs agency to compete with her, “we get a lot of referrals from people from around the country for people moving to the Knoxville area, and a lot do,” Krauss said.
Krauss has lived in East Tennessee since 2006, first living in Westel, between Rockwood and Crossville, before moving to Farragut in 2015.
Before opening Engel & Volkërs, she was an independent agent with Realty Executives.
“So, this was a new brokerage and a new franchise, all at the same time” Krauss said.
“The reason I opened this brokerage was it really called to my heart,” she added. “I had looked at what I wanted to do as a realtor.”
Krauss decided to open her own brokerage because “I wanted something that would continue to bring in money, even if I wasn’t actively selling. I had been a principal broker for a couple other companies, and I really enjoyed it — I like working with agents and helping them to be better and work at a higher level, and I enjoy that a lot — (but) I thought ‘how do I facilitate that for the future?’
“I could have built a larger team, but I dissolved my team because I want everyone here to be independent agents,” she added.
Another draw for Krauss was the company’s legacy of giving. While her charity of choice is Emerald Youth Foundation of Knoxville, for which a portion of her agency’s closing revenues go toward that charity, the international company’s charity of choice is Special Olympics.
“Tennessee is one of those states that have been growing at a rapid rate, and a lot of times our network determines where we go next,” said Austin McCown, Engel & Volkërs vice president.
“Six months into COVID, we started to see there was a lot of activity coming out of California and New York,” he added.
The office is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and by appointment anytime. For more information, call 865-221-8601, e-mail knoxville@evrealestate.com or visit online at knoxvilleevrealestate.com
“This is a great area for not just tourism, but business, so when we came in and worked the market,” he said. “From the first time I met Cindy, I knew she had a heart to serve, and this was never about her; it was always about a team, a family, a community.
“We’re so excited to be here,” McCown said. “The shop is spectacular. The community is what drew Cindy here, and what will continue to drive this business. We couldn’t have a better partner (than Krauss).
“It’s really just a collaborative office,” Krauss said. “We all tend to work out in the open together and support each other.
“We are independent agents here, but we work together as a team and really support our clients that way, too,” she added. “That’s why the brand appealed to me. That’s the way I like to do business. You take care of that client.
“It’s not about the transaction; it’s about being their real estate advisor,” Krauss said. “You are on their team from day one going forward, whether they buy that house or never buy that house, it’s about helping them do what’s best for them.”
