The company is opening its first franchise in the Central American country amid an ongoing push to expand in new global locations.
Whether it’s refining your business model, mastering new technologies, or discovering strategies to capitalize on the next market surge, Inman Connect New York will prepare you to take bold steps forward. The Next Chapter is about to begin. Be part of it. Join us and thousands of real estate leaders Jan. 22-24, 2025.
The world is apparently Keller Williams’ oyster, with the company announcing Thursday that it is expanding into Guatemala.
In a statement, the company announced that Rodrigo Garcia will serve as the regional operating principal over a new franchise in the Central American country. Operations for the franchise are currently “initializing,” the statement notes, with a market center (KW’s term for an office) expected to open sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.
“Our vision for KW in Guatemala is to become the choice brand for investors, real estate entrepreneurs and agents who want to level up,” Garcia said in the statement. He added, “We chose KW as our alliance partner in Guatemala because they have proven systems, models and technology that accelerate results within our real estate industry.”
Prior to his new role, Garcia was with RE/MAX, where he served as a commercial real estate director and broker.
The statement goes on to note that Guatemala represents Keller Williams’ sixth “master franchise in Central America.” Other countries in the region with a KW presence include Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras. The company has 576 agents working out of seven market centers in Central America.
Globally, the franchisor operates 292 market centers outside the U.S. and Canada. Those market centers serve 17,569 agents, the statement notes — adding that the number of international agents has risen “0.7 percent since the end of August 2024.”
International expansion has become an important frontier for Keller Williams, with recent years seeing announcements about new market centers in exotic locales such as Sint Maarten, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, and elsewhere. The pressure to grow globally has become particularly pronounced in the post-COVID era, when high rates and slow home sales have left the U.S. housing market with a case of intense malaise. Those conditions have diminished American companies’ ability to grow on their home turf, pushing them to — among other things — seek opportunities elsewhere.
The company’s statement Thursday noted that it’s also currently exploring future expansion in “Africa, Central and South America, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia.”
Bill Soteroff
Regarding the expansion in Guatemala, Keller Williams Worldwide President William E. Soteroff expressed excitement in Thursday’s statement.
“We are excited to welcome KW Guatemala to our global family under the leadership of Rodrigo and his talented core team,” Soteroff said. “Rodrigo’s passion for innovation and entrepreneurial spirit will drive rapid growth and elevate the real estate experience in Guatemala.”