Agency Iowa, a small residential brokerage firm based in Ankeny, is looking to expand into the western metro with an eye on eventually adding commercial services to its portfolio, its owner, Mark Charter, said.

Charter, 47 and a married father of three, began Agency Iowa in the fall of 2023 after closing Charterhouse Realty, which he had operated since 2016. He began in real estate in 2005 and ventured out on his own in 2016 because he wanted more autonomy and wanted to explore what he said were new ways and models to sell real estate.

Charter graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in entrepreneurial studies. After college, he worked for a company that sold tickets for Nebraska football games and concerts in Omaha before managing a convenience store and eventually transitioning into real estate.

The decision to change from Charterhouse Realty to Agency Iowa, he said, was to distance himself from people automatically associating the firm with his name and to focus more on the agents who work there. Currently, there are 31 agents that work with Agency Iowa. He envisions that number growing to more than 60 after the agency expands.

The Business Record caught up with Charter recently to learn more about him and his plans for expansion. His comments have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Agency Iowa currently is focused on residential properties. Do you see yourself expanding into commercial with this expansion?

We can do commercial and that is something that when I view expansion and the future, I would love to get a commercial agent here. I don’t have a desire to take a residential agent and change them because commercial is a completely different world. The language is different. The contracts are different. The fees are different. I would love to have a commercial division. I won’t be the one to lead that so we would keep our eyes open for someone that is maybe established somewhere who knows their stuff who could come here and take the wheel and drive it.

Where are you looking for office space for the expansion?

Our office is in Ankeny, in the District at Prairie Trail. We’re renting this building, which is 7,500 square feet. I had this vision that we need to have a flagship and then see what happens when it comes to the western suburbs. I’d say we’re looking in the 2,000-square-foot to 3,000-square-foot range. More and more agents are saying they don’t need an office, a physical space for themselves. Many work out of their homes or they go to a coffee shop and when they come in only need a table to sit at. One of the things that makes it hard to find a space is if we find a space and there aren’t offices, and we recruit an agent who is someone who really wants an office, then we’re like, ‘OK, we don’t have one.’ If we go to a space that has eight offices and no one cares about that, that makes it tough. So, we’re not entirely sure what type of space we want because that will be somewhat based on the type of agent we get. It’s a little bit of what do you do first. Find the space and then recruit, or recruit and then find the space.

After working at jobs for a ticket reseller and managing a convenience store, what drew you to real estate for a career?

I knew I didn’t want to manage the store for the rest of my life, so while I was doing that I was getting my real estate stuff going and that led me into real estate in 2005. We happen to be helping people buy and sell homes and I was passionate about developing relationships with people. I like the contractual part of it and the negotiation. That appealed to me. Real estate success is about relationships. I’m passionate about making sure clients are treated well and that we do things honestly and ethically.

What do you look for when recruiting an agent?

I want to know what your sphere of influence looks like. How many people do you know? How active are you in the community? Are you a social person or not? It’s hard for introverts who don’t want to go anywhere to have a good real estate career.

What’s next in your career and for Agency Iowa?

As I’ve aged, I’ve gotten more and more interested in leadership, hopefully inspiring others. Doing something for 20 years you learn some tips and tricks along the way and every year I’ve aged it’s become less and less about me and more about what knowledge can I impart on others. How can I help them? I enjoy seeing them achieve and succeed. I’m really excited about that. That’s what really motivates me at this point, to lean into that mentorship role more and more. So, although I still sell, I want to be selling less myself and help others.

What is your management style?

I’m a big believer in autonomy. I want our agents to be making decisions for themselves under the umbrella that we call a brokerage. I am not somebody that micromanages. I set expectations up front.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I don’t want to sound too boring, but I’m most happy when I’m doing things that involve my kids. I coach my youngest son’s flag football team. The past couple of years I coached his basketball team. My other son just finished a six-year run on a travel baseball team. I wasn’t the coach but I pretty much made it to every game. My daughter is trying to find her passion. But basically it’s time with family, a little traveling. I’m happiest when I’m around my family and people I know. We go to Iowa State games and things like that.