Every time people ask Toxey Ha​as, creator of the Mossy Oak brand, why his company decided to expand into the real estate business in 1999, he’s quick to answer.
He tells them that Mossy Oak is about more than just the camouflage brand that gave the company fame – it embodies living your best life outdoors. When it comes to buying and selling rural land, that aspect of the outdoors lifestyle is handled by Mossy Oak Properties.
When Haas and close friend Chris Hawley, a veteran land broker from Alabama, decided to open the first Mossy Oak Properties office, they had a hunch. Both were confident the Mossy Oak brand – one of the most trusted and recognized outdoor brands in the world both back then and today – would give brokers a competitive edge. They just didn’t know how right they were.
Today, the Mossy Oak Properties franchise network encompasses more than 75 offices in 22 states, and boasts an inventory of more than 2,000 listings and over $1 billion in total listings. Coming off a year that saw an increase in sales of nearly 25 percent and with a new corporate website, the West Point, Mississippi-based company is poised to take its business to the next level.
Building relationships with a trusted brand
So what has been Mossy Oak’s secret for success? Without question, it’s the ability for the Mossy Oak brand to create opportunities and relationships for the Mossy Oak Properties network.
“In Ohio, the Mossy Oak brand can be seen from logo stickers on trucks, seat covers, t-shirts at ball games – it is everywhere,” said Brian Bauer of Mossy Oak Properties Land Sales and Services in Rockbridge, Ohio, which was the 2013 Mossy Oak Properties Office of the Year. “In 2011, we knew that the timing was right, due to the brand recognition, to launch a Mossy Oak Properties office. I just do not know if we were ready for the overwhelming response that we received.”
J​.J​. Keeth of Mossy Oak Properties of Louisiana joined the Mossy Oak Properties network in 2004, and he further explained the competitive advantage the Mossy Oak Properties affiliation affords.
“When a hunter is driving down the road and sees a Mossy Oak Properties sign on a tract of land, it more than likely catches their eye, whereas an independent land broker would not have that advantage,” Keeth said. “So just the emblem itself brings value.”
Additionally, the Mossy Oak Properties network boasts land specialists who can identify with the lifestyle their clients live.
“We were outdoorsmen long before we got into the camo business or the land brokerage business,” Hawley, who still serves as CEO and president of the company, said. “This is a way of life for us, and we strive to give the consumer land specialists that not only uphold our commitment to service and values, but that also have a deep appreciation of the land.”
Mossy Oak knows how important relationships and the quality of people in an organization are for long-term success in the land business.
“Because we do have the best network of land specialists, we have no question that we will continue to grow and continue to be the preferred land brokerage network for people looking for their own rural or recreational tract,” Hawley continued.
Visit our official website for more information on the Mossy Oak Properties network.
