How Weichert, Realtors Welch & Co. became a top KC real estate firm
This Overland Park-based residential real estate firm topped $750 million in local sales last year, rising to be the metro area's No. 7 firm.
The Kansas City area has a new contender among the top residential real estate firms.
Overland Park-based Weichert, Realtors Welch & Co. rose to No. 7 on this year's List of top firms, its highest position ever.
That's one of several areas where its year-over-year growth is visible. In 2024, it recorded about $755 million in local sales, a more than $200 million increase from the previous year. It had 1,361 transactions last year, a jump from 921 in 2023. And it had 217 agents, up from 162 in 2023.
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It's a far cry from the firm's two-person beginning, President Kent Welch said.
"I started our company in 2004 in a three-car garage in Wyandotte County, believe it or not," he said.
At first, the firm was an independent brokerage focused on selling new homes. It joined Weichert, Realtors in 2009 and slowly became a full-service firm selling existing homes, new-builds and commercial properties, plus handling property management.
In 2023, it began pursuing more intentional growth by increasing its agent count, primarily through referrals from current agents at the firm.
Welch said he has a "common-sense approach" toward running his business. The firm doesn't charge agents a monthly fee unless they use a private office, and it doesn't charge them for basic services like color copies. He described the commission split between agents and the brokerage as competitive, and the firm offers a retirement program.
Weichert cuts agents a check right after they sell a home, when other firms often pay agents only once or twice a week.
"An average agent may have six closings a year, so they get six paychecks a year," he said. "You think they're a little antsy if they close the house today and they don't get paid till next week?"
The firm does not hire agents based on a certain method of productivity, such as gross commission or transaction volume. It's more about whether that person fits the culture, he said. That's why referrals have been so valuable.
"We weren't just taking any agent," he said. "We were taking agents that were producing or that we felt had real potential to do to grow their business or produce more than they currently were."
Weichert recently opened a new main office at 7035 College Blvd. in Overland Park. It has four offices throughout the metro area, with a fifth close to opening.
Here are the 37 largest residential real estate firms in Kansas City
Local residential sales, 2024
Rank Prior Rank Name / Prior rank (*previously unranked)
1
1
ReeceNichols Real Estate
2
2
United Real Estate Group
3
3
Keller Williams Realty Partners Inc. View this list
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