Breaking down barriers and fighting homelessness through innovative, market-based solutions and charity funding, Bolst Inc. makes home ownership a possibility for all. Co-founded by Justin Landis, Ashton Ernst, Jarrod Thomas, Rich Richardson and Erika Brown, the agent-owned benefit corporation prioritizes underserved communities within the metro Atlanta area. “We were all driven to real estate initially by the desire to help people and the desire to forge our own career paths,” they explain. “We like houses, but housing is just the medium through which we are able to help people.”
Harnessing their collective experience as agents and team leaders to launch a successful brokerage, Landis, Ernst, Thomas, Richardson and Brown provide their Realtors with practical training and easy-to-use technology, leading to high rates of production and minimal turnover. “We walk alongside our teammates and give them the opportunity to be successful,” they say, adding that despite selling hundreds of millions in volume in 2020, their biggest accomplishments are their yearly fundraising initiatives to fight homelessness. “Through engaging agents, attorneys, lenders, inspectors, insurance agents and other real estate professionals,” they note, “we’ve raised over $800,000 for local charities over the last three years.”
As agents, the Bolst founders have earned over 2,000 verified 5-out-of-5 reviews, and in 2020, they received more than 700 inbound referrals. In 2017, Ernst was named among Realtor Magazine’s 30 Under 30; in 2020, RealTrends ranked the Justin Landis Group No. 56 in the country by volume. “Our brokerage is designed for top producers who are equally passionate about transforming lives and empowering new homeowners as they are about delivering high-quality service,” the group members say. However, it’s their joint efforts that make Bolst strong. “Through combining our individual expertise, we’ve risen above the noise,” they proclaim.
