By Emily Hassett

Published Aug 2, 2019

Updated Dec 21, 2023

Coldwell Banker Elite, the most successful Coldwell Banker Affiliate in Virginia for over a decade, is highly committed to agent success and client satisfaction. While the company has grown from a mom-and-pop establishment to a large corporation, it manages to maintain a supportive, personalized approach with each and every client. We sat down with Poppy Merrell, Realtor & Content Strategist, to learn how Updater supports CB Elite’s philosophy to deliver exceptional service to clients.

Tell us a little about Coldwell Banker Elite. You have a unique company culture, how does this set you apart from other brokerages in your area?

Even though we’re now quite a large company with several offices, we work really hard to preserve the idea that we are one big family that happens to sell a whole lot of real estate. Whether that’s through agents collaborating on projects within their office, sharing ideas and education with the whole company on our internal Facebook group, or showing up to support each other at our various charitable events, our agents know that they have a huge support network no matter what they set out to do.

It helps that we really seek out agents that embody our (admittedly high) standards: a commitment to excellence and doing the right thing, a willingness to go above and beyond for clients, and a drive to always be learning, growing, and improving. When you have 250+ talented people all working together, it’s kind of an unstoppable force!

Our agents are constantly impressing us — not only with their hard work for the company’s charitable efforts — like fundraising for Habitat for Humanity and volunteering at the SPCA — but with their own initiatives like organizing a river clean-up, collecting donations for a local food pantry and fundraising for local children with cancer. We love being able to give back to the community that we live and work in — and that commitment to doing the right thing shows up in how we do business.

What is your philosophy for staying ahead of the market in a time of so much growth and change?

Always be learning! We’ve put a huge amount of time and energy into agent education and that has really helped us stay ahead of the curve when it comes to new technology, new regulations, and new market conditions.

As an industry, real estate always seems to be a couple years behind the times. However, we’re really lucky to have a leadership team that understands and embraces change. We’ve invested in the latest technology and backed that up with a comprehensive education program so that when the market changes, our agents are prepared and confident in their ability to stay one step ahead.

How does Updater help you offer more to clients?

We love being able to go above and beyond for our clients and to really deliver outstanding customer service. Updater helps us make the moving process seamless — we love being able to take the extra stress off their plate! The discounts on moving services and supplies are also an awesome bonus!

 What value does Updater bring to your agents?

When our agents go into listing presentations or buyer consultations, they come prepared to really wow the client. Updater helps us seal the deal by showing one more way that we are making life better for our clients and taking great care of them. Our agents love having this “ace” in their deck. Not only does it set us apart, but it’s really a great way to alleviate some of that moving stress on our clients.

Emily Hassett

Emily is a Senior Marketing Manager at Updater leading all real estate marketing initiatives. Outside of work, you can find Emily traveling, trying new coffee shops and restaurants, or petting every dog she walks by.