An entrepreneurial spirit drove Carol and Steven Apa to open the first Showhomes franchise in Charlotte, North Carolina. With more than three decades of experience developing various businesses, the duo is eager to apply their expertise to Showhomes.
“After decades of working for others, we decided to take all of our professional and personal life experiences and strike out on our own,” Carol said. “Showhomes is a unique opportunity for us to marry all of our real estate services, construction and renovation, rental property management, and general business and sales skills and put them to full use.”
Carol, Managing Partner of Showhomes North Charlotte, has been a licensed real estate agent for more than 15 years in the greater Hudson Valley area of New York. She also has experience working at Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 corporations and developing small businesses. Steven, a CPA in New York and North Carolina, serves as the CFO of Showhomes North Charlotte. Over the span of his career, Steven has worked for many Fortune 1000 companies and accounting firms and brings a variety of skills to Showhomes.
“We are a family that is not new to starting and growing businesses, having built startup businesses in the construction, electrical, landscaping and alarm systems fields,” Steven said. “I am excited to bring all of my entrepreneurial experience to Showhomes.”
The couple decided to get involved with Showhomes when a franchise broker introduced them to the company. Looking to start their own business, Carol and Steven decided that the Showhomes franchise model was a perfect fit for the next phase of their professional life.
“Because Carol and I both have backgrounds in real estate, we believed that Showhomes would be a good fit for us,” Steven said. “We were interested in franchising because it is a proven, established business model, and the Showhomes franchise offers a platform where we can be successful.”
Originally from New York, the Apas decided to come to Charlotte to open the area’s first Showhomes franchise because it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Charlotte added more residents in 2016 than all but 10 other cities in the country with more than 100 people moving to the area every day.
“We have positioned ourselves in an explosive marketplace,” Carol said.
As the company continues to expand to new areas, Showhomes COO Matt Kelton is looking forward to establishing a presence in Charlotte.
“Charlotte has been on our radar for a long time and is one of the last markets in the Carolinas for Showhomes to enter,” Kelton said. “We have a presence in Raleigh, Asheville, and Winston-Salem that are all seeing great success, and Charlotte has always been a major target.”
In addition to opening a Showhomes in a lucrative market, Kelton is confident the Apas will be successful franchisees because they have a diverse set of skills and extensive business experience.
“The Apas have a great professional background that leads us to believe they are going to be extremely successful franchisees,” Kelton said. “They have a mix of entrepreneurial and real estate experience, which is a great combination of what we are looking for in our franchisees. We have also seen a lot of success with our other husband and wife franchisee duos and see the same potential with the Apas.”
Carol and Steven believe it is their dedication and empathy that will help them become successful Showhomes franchisees and stand out from the area competitors.
“Sellers and buyers of residential real estate experience monumental emotions as they work their way through a real estate transaction,” Carol said. “We know that this is typically one of the biggest life-changing events they will experience. As owners of Showhomes North Charlotte, we will pour our heart and soul into each and every client that joins the Showhomes family.”
To learn more about franchising opportunities with Showhomes, visit https://showhomesfranchise.com/.