Senior Real Estate Specialist Expands Service with Senior Care Authority Franchise

Husband and wife Christopher and Daryl Lyboldt make the perfect entrepreneurial team. Daryl is a senior real estate specialist and owner of Burton Home Group. More and more, her clients were asking her questions that were better suited for an Elder Care Advisor than a real estate specialist, so she and her husband decided that is exactly what they would become: Senior Care Authority franchisees.

Chris, who has a background in education (with a specialization in experiential learning) taught at New York University for 12 years. He then transitioned to a career in the corporate world, working in training, sales and marketing for 17 years. 

Daryl started out as a designer contractor, often moving because of Chris’s job. She also earned a real estate license and became an agent with Keller Williams in 2017. However, it wasn't until she and Chris became caregivers for her father that she discovered her real passion for serving seniors.

“I was always spending time in the senior care community, serving coffee, talking to everybody and spending time with my dad and his friends. I discovered that I really do have a heart for seniors,” she said.

The marketing director at the senior living community noticed Daryl’s warmth towards the seniors and, knowing her expertise in real estate, he saw an opportunity for her to serve them in a new way. 

“A lot of seniors needed help with selling their homes so they could take that money and invest in the care solution they required for their later years,” she said. “It worked out so perfectly; I started getting a lot of referrals from this marketing director within the senior community and it just took off from there.”

When the questions about various senior care arrangements started pouring in, Christopher and Daryl realized it would be handy to have the input of a senior care advisor; however, it took them a little while to explore the option of franchising. While Chris had a background in business, he hadn’t really considered franchising before. He had assumed it would be incredibly expensive. However, after speaking with Senior Care Authority, he realized it was a very financially viable option, and the Lyboldts opened their franchise in Atlanta in 2020.

“It has exceeded our expectations in terms of annual gross proceeds,” Chris said. “I didn't think that we'd achieve the revenue level we have as quickly as we did.”

Moreover, becoming business owners allows the couple a lot more freedom and a more flexible lifestyle.

“I own my business and I don’t have to report to anybody,” Chris said. “I work as hard as I want to work or take time off whenever I’d like. In my life, I’ve been a visitor in my neighborhood and now I feel like I’m a citizen of my own town and I participate in it. And I get to spend a ton of time with my wife and I get to walk my dog in the morning. You can’t always do these things when you’re working for somebody else.”

Since becoming franchisees, Daryl and Chris have reaped the benefits of the overlap of their roles in both senior real estate and senior care. There are constant referrals from one concept to the other, meaning they always have clients and those clients’ needs are met in a very holistic way.

“The two concepts work well together because both services are in demand for the clients we work with,” Chris said. “For example, I just drove over to a gentleman's house who is 67 years old and has recently lost his vision. He has a hard time hearing and he is struggling to get around his condo. He requires a lot of help. I discussed care options with him and he is considering assisted living, but he doesn’t have any income. The only way that he is going to be able to transition to assisted living is by using the equity in his condo. I referred him to Burton Home Group, and Daryl can help him by conducting an estate sale and getting the best price for his condo so he can live out the rest of his life comfortably and receive the care he needs.”

Senior Care Authority already offers a very holistic approach to senior care, providing guidance in placement decisions, navigating healthcare and more. The Lyboldts have found the ability to offer additional services to seniors through real estate incredibly effective and rewarding.

“Every Senior Care Authority owner should have this relationship — not necessarily a marriage — with a senior real estate specialist,” Chris said. “There is such a back-and-forth flow of demand for each other’s services which always results in referrals and allows us to better serve the senior community.”

To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/senior-care-authority/info.