Two Murney Associates Realtors teams merge

Two real estate agent groups under the Murney Associates Realtors banner have merged.

The five-member Martin House Team and four-member Team 24/7 joined forces and now operate under the Team 24/7 name. The merger became effective Aug. 26.

Martin House Team owner David Martin said the merger is a result of his desire for a “less than full-time” role in the real estate business.

“This merger will enable my business to continue to expand, our clients to be taken care of and for me to have some time to travel,” said the 70-year-old Martin. “Real estate is such a digital operation these days, I will be able to correspond with my clients, but still have the confidence of boots on the ground.”

Martin said the merger was not a sale of assets, but rather a combining of assets to form a partnership.

“No money changed hands,” he said. “We combined what she had with what I had and we’re moving forward as partners.”

Originally founded by Kim Gaisford in 2005, the new nine-member Team 24/7 is a full-service real estate group comprising agents and additional support staff serving the Springfield, Branson and Joplin regions.

Gaisford said of the more than 1,400 Greater Springfield Board of Realtors members, Team 24/7 would rank in the top 10 based on total sales volume. Both Gaisford and Martin declined to disclose 2012 sales figures.
 
Operating under the Murney Associates Realtors umbrella, Gaisford said real estate teams function as a sub-business, with Murney picking up the tab for office space, legal services, graphics, an in-house closing department and full-time receptionist. In return, agents pay the company a percentage of sales based on factors such as the agents' tenure and total sales.

Murney Associates Realtors is the largest residential real estate company in Springfield, with 470 active licensed agents, according to Springfield Business Journal list research.