RE/MAX Brokerage Builds 10 Houses for 10 Families to Celebrate 10 Years

While celebrating a 10-year anniversary might typically involve cake, balloons and a party, RE/MAX Elite in Jamaica took a more meaningful approach. To mark this milestone, the philanthropic-minded office built on its own good fortune – literally. 

RE/MAX Elite and its agents committed to building 10 houses for 10 families to mark 10 years of serving the community. Even Olympic champion and Jamaica native Usain Bolt got in on the act, helping to fund one of the homes and volunteering during its October build. He shared the entire experience with his social media followers. With inspiring efforts like this, it’s no wonder RE/MAX Elite has been recognized as a past Office of the Year in the RE/MAX Caribbean & Central America Region.

“We deliver exemplary customer service and go beyond just listing and selling properties,” says Collet Kirkcaldy, General Manager of RE/MAX Elite. “We offer a free consultation to clients and walk them through the entire process, holding their hands from day one. We’re always one of the leading real estate brands in Jamaica.”

The seed for the home-building idea was planted back in 2015, when RE/MAX Elite supported the annual 5K run/walk fundraiser held by Food for the Poor in Jamaica (FFPJ). The charity helps change lives by providing homes for families in need. After the event, RE/MAX Elite set a goal of building at least one house every year in partnership with FFPJ. 

“Over the years, REMAX Elite has donated to several charitable organizations, but we wanted to do something more people-oriented, especially helping families,” Kirkcaldy explains.

After building four houses with FFPJ since 2015, RE/MAX Elite wanted to make a bigger community impact. They saw their tenth anniversary as the perfect opportunity to do just that.

With complete buy-in from leadership, including Managing Director Richard Oliver and Broker Newton Johnson, the team rallied support from their network. They tapped business partners, staff, agents, affiliates and clients to help raise the funds (and manpower) needed to build 10 homes. 

In September 2019, RE/MAX Caribbean & Central America Region Owner Ricardo Cardenas and Executive Director of Global Development Jan Repa worked side-by-side with the RE/MAX Elite team to build the first home. A few weeks later, RE/MAX Elite collaborated with donor (and Olympic gold medalist) Usain Bolt to build house No. 2. The very next day, RE/MAX Elite built a third home, this time with First Global Bank. Next up, they partnered with Creative Building Finishes to construct house No. 4 in early November. The next build took place at the end of November, with the remaining homes being built in 2020.

“We just finished building a house for a family of five who lost everything in a fire,” Kirkcaldy says. “It was very fulfilling to witness the sigh of relief, contentment, and sincere gratitude on the recipients’ faces. We are deeply humbled.”

According to Kirkcaldy, watching RE/MAX Elite CEO David Dixon hand over the keys to the new homeowners has never been more gratifying. 

“We’ve had tremendous support from everyone, and we feel more involved with and connected to the community,” says Kirkcaldy, noting the 42-agent office has 100% participation. “Each person gets a chance to help, with several agents, leadership and directors on every build. This cause is very dear to our hearts.”

As RE/MAX Elite likes to say, this is proof that “teamwork makes the dream work.”

With so many people around the world needing homes, Kirkcaldy urges other real estate agents and brokers to find a way to give back in their own communities.