Portside Real Estate Group, an independent real estate brokerage based in Falmouth, partnered with Pittsburgh-based Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the country’s largest independently owned and operated real estate brokerage.
“We were intentional about finding a partner who believes in the same things we do,” said Dava Davin, Portside’s founder and CEO and a 2018 Mainebiz Women to Watch honoree.
The relationship provides Portside with expanded resources, enhanced technology, broader marketing capabilities and more referral opportunities for agents, she said.
The new resources include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance for agents, along with a 401(k) retirement plan. Those benefits have historically been difficult for independent brokerages to offer agents working as independent contractors, according to a news release.
Established in 2012 and specializing in residential real estate, Portside has grown from a single office into 12 offices in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts with over 225 agents and more than $1.5 billion in annual sales.
The company recently wrapped up its strongest 12-month stretch on record, capped by its best month ever and the top spot for residential sales volume in Maine for June. It is an affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and Luxury Portfolio International. Its nonprofit sister company, the Portside Foundation, has donated over $1.5 million to local nonprofits through its 1% Back program.
Established in 1957, Howard Hanna provides real estate, mortgage, title and insurance services across 18 states, operating more than 500 offices with 15,000 sales associates and staff. The company’s proprietary Hanna Success System helps its agents achieve 53% more business than agents at the top 1000 brokerages nationally, according to the release.
Equity partner
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, led by CEO Hoby Hanna, isn’t in Portside’s footprint, “but after several conversations, we realized how aligned our values are: relationship-driven, community-invested and independently owned,” Davin told Mainebiz.
The relationship makes Davin an equity partner in the dual-branded company, as opposed to sole owner of Portside, “and I remain actively involved in leading it day to day,” she added.
Advantages of the partnership for Howard Hanna, said Davin, include gaining an established, top-performing presence in a market it hadn’t operated in before — northern New England.
As one of the first moves following the partnership, Portside announced a new partnership as the official real estate partner of Hearts of Pine, Maine’s professional soccer club and a founding sponsor of Maine’s women’s soccer league launching next season.
The partnership comes a year after Portside merged with Swan Agency Real Estate in Bar Harbor.
