Jason Neapolitan
If ever there stood a quintessential embodiment of a self-made man, it’s Jason Neapolitan. Self-employed from the age of 20, he began his decades-long entrepreneurial journey in real estate, pivoted to found a string of successful businesses—from tobacco and convenience stores to pizza shops and restaurants—and then returned to his roots in 2014 with the launch of a real estate investment firm, US Buyers Group. Four years later, Jason merged his entrepreneurial insight with his passion for real estate to found More Options Realty, LLC, a real estate brokerage with an innovative business model that focuses on agent development and growth. As a successful business owner, he’s flipping the script on an industry that too often fails the very lifeblood of their companies—the agents themselves. Designed to help them thrive, the company partners with the agents and franchisees who work under their brand and broker license, providing leads, conversion education, cutting-edge technology, and everything they need to succeed. “As our slogan says, “We don’t recruit top agents, we build them,” Jason explains.
Licensed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, More Options Realty has seen a remarkable rise, with rapid growth in multiple markets with large national brand brokerages, doubling its total sales volume in 2020 alone, and expansion underway into West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Maryland. And they’re racking up industry accolades in the process. Featured on the cover of Top Producer Magazine in January 2021, More Options ranks among the top 50% of companies in Mercer County, PA—having just entered the market in 2021—and is consistently named among the Top 10 Companies in Northeast Ohio by The Youngstown-Columbia Association of Realtors. We sat down with Jason to discuss the brokerage’s unique “agents first” business model, national expansion, and prospects for the future.
Let’s begin with a bit of background. What compelled you to start More Options Realty?
After the 2008 financial crash, I took a break from real estate and pursued other ventures. When I opened US Buyers Group in 2014, the response was huge, and the inspiration for More Options Realty came from the demand from clients for brokerage services. We quickly realized that other brokerages weren’t doing anything for their agents—marketing, providing leads, or nurturing their talents—and we were. We began focusing more on that unmet need, and we’ve continued to grow ever since.
How is your business model different from that of other brokerages?
The beauty of our business is that it’s based upon agent number and company number, and we can see the rankings. Within six months, brand new agents are ranking among the top 50 in our areas because we’re providing them opportunities that other companies don’t. I like to say, “We’re a marketing company that does real estate” because we funnel leads, teach our agents how to convert, and provide licensing. The marketing is just as important as the real estate. We help them increase their conversion rates, we have a CRM program that we train them on, and we’re always adding innovative tools, including AI, into our lead system. Because of this, agents come to us from other firms, and within the first year, they’re reaching higher levels of success than they ever have in their careers. If agents have their own book of business, they can include their licenses. However, if they don’t have enough business or funds to market themselves or to drive leads, that’s where we come in. We have an entry-level split for agents—where we provide them leads—and then we help them graduate to higher commissions.
Will you share some memorable success stories of your agents?
One that comes to mind is an agent who came to us in late 2018. He was with a large national firm for five years and did about $500,000 during his last full year there. After his first year with us—in a NE Ohio market where the average sale price is $100,000—he did $2.6 million in revenue and made the President’s Club for the Ohio Association of Realtors. He was a great agent when he came to us, but they weren’t feeding him any opportunities to succeed. Another new agent just joined us in February 2021, and in the first six months, in this same market, she did $5 million.
Tell us about a few of your exciting real estate development projects in Southwest Florida and Roatan, Honduras.
I’ve purchased a few pre-construction projects in the Fort Myers area of Southwest Florida. They were very lucrative, and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge through the process of those builds. As for Roatan, Honduras, it’s a beautiful island. I had the pleasure of building a home there, and what an experience it was! All these experiences have helped me to become well rounded within the real estate industry.
What does the future look like for More Options Realty?
We are very excited about where the company is going. We’re looking to grow nationally by expanding our corporate territories as well as partnering with others who want to purchase territories under our brand. We have already been approached by multiple large brokerages wanting to merge for expansion. We’re looking forward to welcoming all our new franchisees across the country and helping them flourish just as we have.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I enjoy building the business and seeing it grow, but, importantly, witnessing lives change through our company. Seeing agents who were punching a clock and struggling financially transform into making their own schedules, improving their financial positions, and getting to spend more time with their families—those are among my favorite things to see at More Options Realty.
Jason is a licensed Florida realtor as well as an acquisition specialist for US Buyers Group. He also coached Jr. High and High School wrestling for 20 years and is a member of the 2015 Eastern Ohio Wrestling League Hall of Fame and the 2019 Boardman Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Contact:
Jason Neapolitan
Founder and Director of Operations
More Options Realty, LLC
Website: https://moreoptionsrealtyus.com
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