At Benchmark Realty, we take your success and our success very seriously. That starts with making sure were knowledgeable enough and experienced enough to give you the support you deserve. Our brokers are some of the most accomplished and educated real estate professionals in Middle Tennessee.

 

Phillip Cantrell, the owner and CEO of Benchmark Realty, hasnt always been in real estate but since 2001, hes been earning designations such as the GRI, e-PRO and CBR designations. He has also been accepted by the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers as a CRB candidate; thats the highest professional designation offered by the National Association of Realtors. The recipient of numerous education achievement awards, Phillip is a TREC certified instructor and has authored and delivers multiple CE courses through the local association.

Our Cool Springs office principal broker, John Giffen, is also a TREC certified instructor and is always willing to share his knowledge with others. John is a former principal broker with two other firms and holds numerous designations and certifications, including the CRB and CRS designations from the National Association of Realtors, as well as a GRI from the Tennessee Association of Realtors.

Our compliance broker, Diane Osowiecki is extremely tenured and holds many professional designations including being one of the first 50 Realtors in the US to receive the GREEN designation.

 

 

As an Accredited Buyers Representative, e-Pro, Senior Real Estate Specialist, RCS-Divorce, Diane is just the sort of expert you like to have looking over your docs to make sure everything agrees with TREC rules and state law.

Mike Nichols, principal broker at our Midtown office has over 25 years experience in the industry. He, too, has served as principal broker for two other offices prior to joining Benchmark and is a past President of the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors.Sheila Lunsford, principal broker of our Murfreesboro office is a 35 year native of the area and has been in our industry for 15+ years. She currently serves as chairman of the Grievance Committee for MTAR is active in BNI and is a past VP of the Womens Council of Realtors.

Benchmark Realtys business is built on the Total Freedom concept. With all of our combined experience, we learned that forcing agents tosign up for desk time, pay exorbitant fees for using the office, or attend rah-rah sales meetings when they could be out showing homes is the wrong way to do things. On the other hand, though, giving agents the reins and allowing them to control their own careers makes everyone happy and thats what we believe in.

A Word on Continuing Education

We believe strongly in continuing education for our agents. Here is a snapshot of some of the courses taught by John Giffen under the WCAR banner:

• TREC Core (6 hours CE). TREC CORE addresses legal issues as well as the rules and regulations of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission. Course content also includes state law, TREC policy updates, errors and omissions, advertising, contracts, escrow accounts and property management. TREC CORE is mandatory for every licensee who needs to complete CE for a license renewal.
• Accredited Buyer Representative Designation Course (16 hours CE). The ABR course covers agency, service delivery, marketing, negotiation and risk management.
• Unethical or Bad Judgment: An Overview of the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (3 hours CE). This course features issues that may cause a violation of the code and practical issues that can help Realtors improve their businesses.
• Managing Transaction Behavior: How to Successfully Survive Working with Clients and Realtors from Contract to Close! (3 hours CE). John wrote this class to teach Realtors to better understand todays real estate clients, to overcome obstacles, to improve client relationships, and to work with cooperating agents during a transaction.

Every month we host a Mastermind Meeting at each office where we take a look at the companys performance from the prior month,talk about legal issues, personal experiences and ways that we can help other agents avoid difficult situations. Its not a sales meeting but is instead a coming together and a sharing of Best Practices. We also offer Coffee With the Broker three times per month, once at each office- Cool Springs, Midtown Nashville and Murfreesboro. Attend all or attend none these opportunities are strictly to help you in your business.

Are you ready to tap into the depth of resources and knowledge available to Benchmark Agents? Wed love to talk to you. Just fill out the form below or call us at (615)371-1544 so we can set up a confidential meeting.