“People notice it’s no longer called ‘Helgeson Platzke Real Estate Group.’ It’s ‘Platzke Real Estate Group’ now – a change I expected to happen one day, and one that I believe will ultimately work out for the best,” said Brace Helgeson.
The renaming of Eden Prairie’s number one home seller marked the passing of a torch. Having built up his company since the early ‘80s, Brace was finally ready to enjoy the full fruits of his labor.
“There will probably never be a retirement party for me. I have built a reputation and a brand, and I just love selling homes too much,” said Brace. “Leading this company for 41 years – with Ryan as my partner for the past 15 of them – has been an honor. I spent that time building what I believe to be the most effective and professional real estate team in the country. When new agents join our team, it’s not uncommon for them to double, triple, or even quadruple their business. Creating an environment where our 38 agents’ full talents shine will always be the crowning achievement of my career.
“But at the end of the day, my passion is selling real estate. I wanted to spend every remaining minute of my career laser-focused on my clients, many of whom become great friends. Moreover, I wanted to continue to experience selling homes in every price range in all the new markets this company has expanded into over the years. The entire west metro now knows and trusts our brand!
“As a full-time agent, I can now take full advantage of the powerful marketing engine I helped build. We invest more into marketing than 99 percent of all other agencies in Minnesota. That’s why we maintain a vast network of buyers with over 42,000 email subscribers, which allows many of our clients to sell their homes without even having to list them. It’s why Platzke Real Estate Group has monopolized every single Eden Prairie zip code on Zillow, which makes us the first to pop up whenever people search online for houses here. It’s also why our team closed 423 transactions totaling $247 million in sales during last year alone.
“I made my transition at an opportune time. Sure, the historic low 2.65 percent mortgage APR is now three years behind us. But we’re still below the historic average of 7.5 percent, and well below the 14 percent I sold houses for when I was first starting out. In addition to low inventory, that has turned the western suburbs into a red-hot seller’s market. And as one of our area’s most experienced listing agents, I’m posed to make sure my clients get the absolute most of it.
“I may no longer run the company, but I have full confidence Ryan will continue growing it in the right direction. I’m excited to see what the future holds in store for Platzke Real Estate Group!”
If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the western suburbs, always remember: experience matters, and no one has more of it in your area than Brace. Contact Brace at bhelgeson@cbburnet.com or (612) 310-4300.