REALTOR® Natalie O’Dea Appointed Regional VP of Fort Bend County for Expanding WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Wayne Murray Properties

HOUSTON, August 5, 2015—REALTOR® Natalie O’Dea has been named Regional Vice President of Fort Bend County for WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Wayne Murray Properties. The announcement, made by President Wayne Murray, comes just one year after O’Dea was promoted to the position of Sales Leader/Manager of the agency’s Sugar Land office. In her new post, O’Dea will be overseeing the growth of the company’s Sugar Land and Katy offices while facilitating additional growth throughout Fort Bend County. “Our continuing expansion program includes positioning the best talent in leadership,” Murray said. “Natalie has proved her solid leadership skills in a very short time and is ideally suited to carry the company’s mission forward in the region.”

O’Dea’s vice president title is only the second such company-wide. In 2012, Steve Conway was identified as Vice President/Relocation Management and Business Development, responsible for managing and growing the company’s relocation business.

Murray describes O’Dea’s position as “a focus on the agents’ development and productivity at our current Fort Bend offices, leading into company growth there.” Her responsibilities are to recruit, train and retain agents, and to develop leadership in each office, toward adding offices and repeating the process.

O’Dea has recruited many new “professional” Realtors since taking the reins a year ago. There are currently some 70 sales team members at the two Fort Bend locations. However, she hires only a small percentage of applicants, she said, “only those who fit into the unique company culture.” The company culture built by Wayne and Realtor/Co-Owner Jackie Murray, is the key, according to O’Dea, who said that they create a true “team” environment. “‘Teamwork’” is the driving force here, more than a word on a poster and in speeches.” A strong mentoring program and solid infrastructure underscore the business.

O’Dea explains that they try to cap offices at 50 agents to ensure that agents are getting the attention needed to be trained the right away, to get help with new deals, to have their questions answered quickly and to meet company sales goals for them. Additional offices will be added to match the agent population growth.

Outside of the office, O’Dea takes advantage of every opportunity to talk about the company—to such people as waiters, and others she meets in her everyday. If she spots someone with what she thinks is the right personality, who might welcome a career change, she opens the subject. She is convinced that word-of-mouth is the primary source of interest in what Wayne and Weichert have to offer.

“It has been a blessing to work with Wayne and Jackie—they are solid, real people,” O’Dea said. “Wayne is a very generous broker, always thinking about how the agents are doing, and asking what can we do to make things better for them; he is also very accessible.” He is “on call” for agents and staff, no matter where or when. “And everyone looks forward to seeing him, a rare boasting right for a ‘boss,’” she added. “While we are customer centric, the agents are the first family.”

O’Dea “cannot think of doing this without Wayne.” She comes from a background as a mediator in the areas of family, employer/employee and elder care before entering real estate, joining the Weichert® agency in April 2014. With a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a mediation certification from Lakewood College, her experience also includes a six-year regional sales manager position with responsibilities that parallel those of the new Fort Bend assignment.

O’Dea holds membership in the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), Texas Association of REALTORS® (TAR), Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) and the Women’s Council of REALTORS® in Fort Bend. A resident of Katy, she is an active member in her church, with community events and as a volunteer at her children’s school.

WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Wayne Murray Properties has offices in Houston, Sugar Land, Katy and The Woodlands. The agency, now home to more than 120 professional Realtors, has served the greater Houston area for 28 years— first, as an independent company, and later (2004), as the first-ever Weichert® affiliate in the state of Texas. Web address is www.waynemurray.net.

Weichert’s new Regional Vice President of Fort Bend County Natalie O’Dea can be reached at 877-603-4500, natalieo@waynemurray.net. Wayne Murray can be reached for comment at Houston headquarters, tel: 713-728-2300.