Real estate has always been DC Dergham’s passion. Even while he was working his way up the corporate ladder in a traditional nine-to-five job, he ran a real estate business on the side. So when Dergham decided to turn his passion into a full-time career, he was only interested in breaking into the housing industry.

He started out by becoming a franchisee with HomeVestors, the number one home buyer in America. Dergham bought old, ugly houses in Westchester County, New York, and renovated them to then be sold or leased. But he soon recognized that there was room to do more. That’s when he reached out to the Showhomes team.

“By the time I decided to invest in Showhomes, the brand was already on my radar. I met them a few years ago at the International Franchise Expo, and I knew that it was something to keep in mind as I grew my HomeVestors business,” said Dergham. “I couldn’t be happier with my decision to diversify my portfolio with Showhomes. Everything about the brand—from its comprehensive training process to its corporate support team—puts you in a good place to launch your business and really be able to hit the ground running.”

Dergham is preparing to open his Showhomes franchise in April. The nation’s leader in professional home staging services serves as a perfect complement to his HomeVestors business—the homes he buys with the brand are all in need of staging services before they’re renovated and put back on the market. And because he’s already involved in Westchester County’s housing industry, Dergham has a solid base of potential clients that he can tap into when getting his business of the ground.

“I’m confident that my Showhomes business will take off without a hitch. Not only has the brand prepared me to handle any situation that comes my way, I also have a lot of contacts in the industry that I’m definitely planning to use to my advantage,” said Dergham. “Beyond that, Showhomes is a nationally recognized name with a proven track record of providing the best home staging services in the industry. I’m excited to be a part of its rapidly growing system.”

Dergham is far from the only franchisee fueling Showhomes’ momentum in 2017—the brand is positioned for record breaking growth this year. With 58 locations currently open for business and another 10 expected to open their doors by the end of the year, Showhomes is well on its way to crossing the milestone 100-unit mark. In addition to Dergham’s New York franchise, the brand is also actively looking to expand in key development markets like Southern California and Southwest Florida.

Showhomes offers franchisees the unique opportunity to either break into the rebounding real estate industry or add another revenue stream to their bottom line. Affordable start-up costs also make it easily accessible to aspiring entrepreneurs—initial investments for franchisees range between $45,300 and $78,000.

“Our goal as a corporate team is to set our franchisees up for success. Showhomes is a one of a kind company, and we’ve proven time and time again that we know how to make the most of it,” said Matt Kelton, Showhomes’ COO. “We’re looking forward to welcoming even more owners into our system in 2017. Franchisees like DC are fueling our expansion efforts from coast to coast, and we’re excited to build on that impressive momentum going forward.”