Inside Imagine Homes: Standing Out in a Competitive Market

Standing out in real estate isn’t easy, especially when you’re entering a new market—but somehow, Imagine Homes has already managed to leave its mark after less than a year since opening its doors in St. Louis. We chatted up Lee Wilber, St. Louis Acquisitions Manager, on why he feels the market is thriving.

As a third-generation real estate broker here in St. Louis, I have lived and breathed real estate throughout my career.

Before I joined the company, I managed real estate portfolios for two large banking institutions. Additionally, I owned and managed a real estate brokerage.

Given the nature of the single-family rentals industry – I hadn’t seen a business succeed in that space the way Imagine Homes has. So, when a recruiter reached out to me and asked if I might be interested in joining Imagine Homes, I was initially apprehensive.

That said, what caught my attention was Imagine Homes’ compelling background. That same recruiter asked me to give the company an opportunity to tell their story – how they started, what their objectives are, and what they want to provide for the market – and after sitting down with Imagine Homes and hearing their story, I was excited to come aboard.

I joined Imagine Homes in December of 2020 and I kicked off the start of 2021 with a new opportunity opening the St. Louis market.

I’ve been living in St. Louis for the majority of my life – and I’m confident in my ability to determine the best areas for the Imagine Homes model.

I know this city inside out, and as the Regional Acquisitions Manager in St. Louis, I’m responsible for evaluating the openings in the market, identifying which neighborhoods and communities Imagine Homes would succeed in, and determining the appropriate rental rates for our properties.

Outside of deciding on whether the properties are for long-term rental or investments, my job is all about building relationships. The real estate industry is all about being connected. That’s why it’s also my role to communicate and connect with other real estate professionals in the community: real estate agents, wholesalers, investors, and contractors. Finally, I’m also focused on supporting our contractor and vendor networks, as they are the key to our success in the market.

One of the biggest challenges of what we do is providing a unique experience for each market.

Each market is unique – and so are their real estate characteristics. From different styles and types of buildings to their age of construction, it varies from city to city. That’s why Imagine Homes depends on local professionals to guide their markets.

Since we know the unique qualities of each city – specifically here in St. Louis – we focus on sharing those unique points and make them appropriate in a real estate manner. For example, we have buildings here that were built in the mid-1800s. How are we going to connect its style to the modern construction of today, making it appropriate for our overall portfolio?

The demand for real estate is also consistently booming, so it’s a challenge to stay competitive when it comes to purchasing and leasing properties.

One of the most rewarding feelings of this job is whenever we deliver a newly renovated property to a family or a new resident.

When people move to St. Louis for the first time, it’s gratifying to know that we can be a part of their journey here. Whether they’re renting on a long-term basis from Imagine Homes, or they want to move somewhere else in the future, we want to provide people with the opportunity to explore different neighborhoods. Ensuring our residents have a well-maintained and newly renovated home, and a good experience renting from us is very rewarding.

Here at Imagine Homes, great team collaboration gives us great results.

Helping people find a property that suits them is only the tip of the iceberg of what we do – we also do a lot of legwork in the background.

To help you grasp what we do internally, Jacob from our acquisitions team acts as our coordinator in terms of real estate transactions – from purchasing to closing. We also have a renovation team that delivers great properties for our residents. Last but not the least, we have our leasing team – who do an incredible job in getting these renovated properties leased out.

We’re incredibly appreciative of the opportunity to work with talented contractors and vendors in the field. Without them, we wouldn’t have the successful launch we have had.

People move into our St. Louis homes because they’re confident that every surface has been taken care of. We focus a lot on ensuring the quality and the condition of the properties that we provide our residents. From there, we also guarantee a smooth experience compared to traditional rentals.

We emphasize a homeownership experience for our residents. This affords them the feeling of treating these houses like their own homes. I take great pride in going out of my way to deliver properties that support the needs of our clients.

I am proud of the fact that we were able to open this opportunity in the midst of a highly competitive real estate market.

Despite cutthroat competition, we’ve been able to access over 100 homes – delivering a high quantity of rentals to new residents.

I’m proud to be a part of Imagine Homes and the impact they’re making here locally in St. Louis.

By providing the best rental homes on the market at a reasonable value, I am confident to say that potential residents are going to have a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood – and most importantly, they know they’ll be taken care of.

Experience all of the benefits and advantages of homeownership – in a rental.

Our residents deserve to feel truly at home. Beyond fully-renovated homes, our locations are also second to none. We make it so easy, all you have to do is come home.

Talk to our team – we’d love to know how we can help.

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