The Downing-Frye name has been around town for about fifty years. Since it’s inception, the company has grown to one of the largest independently owned real estate brokerages in the country.
The modern day history started in July of 1992 when David Frye implemented the current 100 percent commission concept. It should be pointed out that 90% of the Downing-Frye employees back in 1992 are still with the company today. This form of stability is very rare in real estate brokerage offices.
For many years, David Frye was the sole owner of Downing-Frye Realty, Inc. However, in 2005, David extended an invitation to Don Ross and Mike Hughes to become part owners of Downing-Frye Realty. Don and Mike had been friends with David for many years so becoming part owners was an easy decision. Each partner brings unique skills to the company. Don is a prominent local real estate attorney, Mike is a CPA and David has been a successful Realtor for most of his life.
In 2003, Jerry Bodart joined our company. Jerry set up a small branch office in Bonita Springs. The original location was a temporary site. In 2004, Jerry found a prime location on Tamiami Trail and Downing-Frye Realty signed a lease and started growing almost immediately. Today, our Bonita Springs office is home to over 130 real estate agents.
Over the years, Downing-Frye Realty has had a string of outstanding accomplishments. In 2004, Downing-Frye Realty was # 2 in the country for growth in sales volume. In 2005, our company was # 5 in the country for growth in sales volume. Considering that there are probably well over 25,000 real estate brokerages in the country, that is an amazing accomplishment. Since 2004, Downing-Frye Realty has been annually ranked in the top 100 real estate offices in the country based on closed sales volume.
Locally, Downing-Frye Realty has been voted Best Real Estate Office in the Southwest Florida People’s Choice Award contest for nine straight years. We have also been voted Best Real Estate Office in Bonita Springs by the News-Press readers for five straight years.
So why is Downing-Frye successful year in and year out? The answer really boils down to several factors. Downing-Frye is a large real estate brokerage that is run like a small family company. Our brokers are easy to reach and our employees are there to help you. All employees are cross trained to handle multiple positions within our company.
The technology that Downing-Frye has implemented is cutting edge technology. The products and tools that we incorporate into the Downing-Frye model are designed to give our agents an edge over the competition. We are constantly looking five years down the road to see where our industry is heading. Make no mistake about it, our industry will continue to change rapidly as more and more technology comes online. Downing-Frye will continue to embrace technology as a way of maintaining our competitive edge.
We have tried to give you a short picture of the history of Downing-Frye Realty.lnc. Even though we have been around a long time, we firmly believe that our best days are ahead of us!!!
