A culture of working together leads to high team-member retention for Preferred, Realtors

At Plymouth-based Preferred, Realtors Ltd., the top-ranked business among small companies in the 2023 Michigan Top Workplaces competition, team members have been known to work together, learn together and even throw axes together. The latter activity has taken place the past two years during an annual summer party, which is central to the company’s culture, as team members are bussed down to Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood for several hours of planned fun. 

“We are a family!” says office manager Pam Bartling with conviction about the company which was founded in 1989 by its current broker and owner Jim Stevens. “Sometimes people come in and they may think that what I’m saying is too good to be true, but I’m not going to tell our team members something that is not going to happen.”

Under Stevens’ leadership, the company has prided itself on customer satisfaction and serving the metro Detroit community. But Bartling says one of the best ways to determine if Preferred, Realtors is also meeting the needs of its team members is simply to check a listing of Preferred, Realtors’ team members through the years. 

“In our business, agents move around a lot, but we have high retention of our agents,” Bartling explained. “We have agents that have been here up to 20 to 30 years, and if an agent leaves and wants to come back we welcome that agent with open arms. It’s just a very friendly, supportive environment.” 

Bartling says that within Preferred, Realtors’ ‘friendly, supportive environment’ are many opportunities to learn and share regardless of a team member’s tenure.   

“We focus a lot on education,” said Bartling, who said her team will soon be gearing up for its annual holiday party, which is enjoyed as much as the summer party, in large part because the event has supported local charities in the past. “As an organization, we pride ourselves on making sure everybody is kept informed of the changes in the market and the real estate industry as a whole. We realize that no one is perfect, so there is no arrogance, not even from our most experienced agents; everyone helps each other.” 

Preferred, Realtors Ltd. 

Industry: Real estate agents/brokers

Top leadership: Jim Stevens, broker and owner

Home: Plymouth Township

Employees: 132 (115 Michigan employees)

Website: preferredrealtorsltd.com