Lakefront Living Realty Pinpoints North Carolina’s Lake Norman as Prime Territory for Expansion

With its laser focus on lakefront living and the many benefits such a lifestyle entails, Lakefront Living Realty is poised to become the nation’s premier lakefront real estate franchise company. Now, the brand has identified Lake Norman in North Carolina as an excellent option for further expansion. 

“The potential market is big around Lake Norman and mirrors everything we look for in a growth opportunity,” Lakefront Living Realty co-founder and CEO Scott Freerksen said. 

Lakefront Living Realty focuses exclusively on the buying and selling of lakefront properties. The brand provides expertise on the specific lakes on which the buyers and sellers its franchisees work with are exploring properties. The company has carefully expanded since it was first founded, and since turning to franchise in 2016, has signed a new franchisee in every year since. Lakefront Living Realty serves the communities of many major lakes across the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Tennessee, and is now looking to expand its expertise into North Carolina—beginning with Lake Norman.

Located less than one hour north of Charlotte, Lake Norman is the largest body of manmade water in the Tar Heel State. Construction started in the late 1950s and finished in the early 1960s. At 34 miles long, the lake covers more than 32,000 acres and is a popular destination for lake lovers, with local towns such as Cornelius and Huntersville providing plenty of entertainment. 

“Lake Norman is one of the most well-known lakes in the Southeast,” Freerksen continued. “It’s also located close to Charlotte airport and is easily accessible via highway, making it an ideal destination for the many snowbirds who don’t want to live in Florida, but don’t want to live up north, either.”

Freerksen believes that Lakefront Living Realty will stand out among the local real estate competition close to Lake Norman due to its specialized offering that combines a catalog of exclusively lakefront properties, specific market expertise and a deep understanding of the lakefront lifestyle. 

“Lake Norman fits the size of markets we like,” Freerksen said. “It’s a market where there are hundreds of real estate agents trying to stand out, making it primed to benefit from our specialization. Lake Norman is well-known and popular, and establishing a presence there is an important step for us toward the national presence we know we can achieve. Due to the success we’ve already seen in the Lake of the Ozarks, we’re confident in the strength of our model and our ability to replicate those results here.”  

One thing that sets the brand apart from other big-box real estate franchises and independent brokers alike is the freedom it grants franchisees in relation to territory size. 

“We’ve taken a different approach than other real estate franchises—they deal with market saturation, while we want franchisees to be able to expand their market as much as they’d like,” Freerksen said. “When we enter into a new state, a franchisee’s territory is based on market size, but they have first right of refusal for the rest of the state, meaning a franchisee at Lake Norman has the chance to grow their business throughout North Carolina.”

The brand’s selectivity when it comes to franchisees will also aid it in its expansion efforts at Lake Norman.  

“We provide our franchisees with all of the necessary tools to dominate their market,” Freerksen said. “We’re very selective with who we bring on because whoever does get this lake, the opportunity for success is massive.”

To this end, a good personality and culture fit is also a major priority when screening prospective franchisees for the brand. A prospective Lakefront Living franchisee believes in the brand’s mission statement and understands how to connect with buyers and sellers that share their same passion for the lakefront lifestyle. This passion can be demonstrated by having owned a lakefront property at some point in their life, and brokers who love the lakefront lifestyle and want to work for themselves are especially desirable prospective franchisees. 

“We like to ask ourselves, ‘Can we spend a few hours around a campfire with these folks?’” Freerksen said of the brand’s franchisee evaluation process. “We want that emotional connection.” 

To learn more about franchising with Lakefront Living Realty, visit https://www.lakefrontlivingfranchise.com/.