Kelly Associates Joins Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate!

Houlihan Lawrence, one of the leading real estate firms serving New York City’s northern suburbs, announced last week that Darien-based Kelly Associates Real Estate will join the firm as the company’s first independently-owned broker affiliate, according to a press release.

Kelly Associates has been the number one listing and selling brokerage in Darien for 24 consecutive years. As a Houlihan Lawrence affiliate, Kelly Associates will now operate as Houlihan Lawrence, providing its team of nearly 75 agents and their clients complete access to the Houlihan Lawrence marketing platform.

In a first for Houlihan Lawrence, the Darien and Rowayton offices will remain independently owned and operated.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kelly Associates to the Houlihan Lawrence family,” said Stephen Meyers, President and CEO of Houlihan Lawrence in a statement. “In addition to expanding our presence in Connecticut, we are hopeful that our new affiliate program will enable us to grow in partnership with local market leaders like Kelly. We are looking forward to deepening our roots in these communities to better serve our clients.”

Houlihan Lawrence opened its first Connecticut office in Greenwich in August 2013, growing rapidly to become the number two selling office in the Greenwich in 2014.

“I have known and admired Houlihan Lawrence and its ownership team for years. It has always been a pleasure working with them, and I am thrilled to now become a part of their team,” said Jeff Kelly, Managing Broker of Kelly Associates in the statement. “Both Kelly Associates and Houlihan Lawrence are family-owned, with a similar culture and commitment to leadership in the markets we serve.”

Jeff Kelly has been appointed to run Houlihan Lawrence Affiliates, LLC, and will oversee the growth and development of the new Houlihan Lawrence affiliate program.

“The affiliate program is a perfect opportunity for my company and many other local firms to tap into the power of the Houlihan Lawrence brand,” Kelly said. “Their marketing platform is second to none – including sophisticated digital and print media strategies designed specifically for this market area.”

This week, Kelly told The Darien Times he’s known the partners behind Houlihan Lawrence for “ten years now.”

“They are personal friends of mine and people I admire from a business perspective — this is an outgrowth of that,” he said.

“The real turning point was when they opened a Greenwich office a year and a half ago. That office was very well received and exceeded everyone’s expectations — the idea of doing something in Darien became more real,” he said.

That Kelly will continue to operate independently within the Houlihan Lawrence structure is “a little unique — not in the industry, but for them,” he said.

As head of the new affiliate program, Kelly said he is looking forward to exploring more opportunities in the Fairfield County area to expand.

As far as the opportunity goes, Kelly said, “We’re psyched.”

“They are very forward thinking in the use of technology. All of that’s a plus,” Kelly said.

“We get to keep the same team in place, the same agents, and attach a huge engine to that,” he said.

Chris Meyers of Houlihan Lawrence shared Kelly’s enthusiasm for the future of their partnership.

“We are very excited about it, because the team at Kelly has been leaders in Darien for so long. We’ve actually known the Kelly family, Gino and Jeff, for many years,” Meyers said.

Chris Meyers

He said his business relates to Kelly because they are also a family business — Meyers owns Houlihan Lawrence with his sister and brother. Meyers said the two families have talked for a while about doing something together.

“In particular, Jeff, in the last five years or so has taken over the reins — looking to modernize some of the marketing. The way a customer buys real estate today is different than it used to be,” Meyers said.

“Marketing tools and channels can be challenging to access for single office firms, such as web sites and digital marketing strategies large companies like ours have access to,” he said.

The latest announcement means that desire to work together has “finally come to pass.”

“We just think Darien is a terrific market. And we see a lot of opportunity in Fairfield County and Jeff is going to be a great partner in Darien and markets beyond,” Meyers said.

As far as keeping Kelly’s Darien office independent, Meyers said it is “very much a tribute” to the success of the Kelly team.

Typically, Houlihan Lawrence wants to have direct control of the offices it runs.

“In this case, the team was so strong and aligned with ours, we were comfortable having it operate with our brand but continue to be independent. It’s a testament to the Kelly family, brand and team of individual agents,” Meyers said.

“They are deeply woven into the community,” he said, adding to try and recreate what Kelly has already built would “have been very challenging.”

Houlihan Lawrence ranks among the top 20 of all brokerages nationally, and is the long standing leader in the markets it serves, selling about one-third of all homes north of New York City, more than double the sales of its closest competitor in the region. Kelly said the community response has been excitement from agents and clients alike.

“This is nothing but positive,” he said.

I am very excited to join the Houlihan Lawrence team and share this blog with you! Please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. I am happy to help you accomplish your real estate goals!

New Contact Information:

Janine Vairo, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Houlihan Lawrence

780 Boston Post Road|Darien, CT 06820

203.273.3134| jvairo@houlihanlawrence.com