Dean & Brandi Melton, The Melton Team RE/MAX-The Woodlands & Spring

“Spouses Selling Houses”
By Woodie Stephenson

Tucked away in the cozy family-friendly community of the Woodlands, The Meltons—Dean and Brandi—have quietly assembled a real estate super team that has cracked the top ranks in the Greater Houston Area and Texas for the past 12 years. While many other teams operate on a high profile, Dean and Brandi have allowed their reputation as community-minded and family-oriented Woodlands residents to sell their services to those who live in and wish to join their community. Throughout their 15-year marriage, Dean and Brandi have been blessed as their family and business have grown. Always fair and compassionate to those who they work for and work with, The Meltons are two passionate spouses selling houses.

Born in the Texas-Panhandle town of Dumas, Brandi grew up in a quite town with her parents and older brother before moving to the burgeoning community of The Woodlands where she has lived for the last 27 years. After attending college at The University of Houston and Texas Tech, Brandi went straight after her real estate license, attending classes at the Spencer School of Real Estate and attaining her credentials in May of 1991. Settling into the real estate community in The Woodlands, which Brandi both knew and loved, the aspiring agent worked under Ted and Debbie Bates.

Dean, meanwhile, a native Houstonian all his life, was raised along with his two older sisters by a hard-working entrepreneur father and loving homemaker mother. Growing up, Dean learned valuable management and people skills from his father who owned various gas stations, car washes, and storage facilities among other things. Eager to learn from his father, Dean took on managing his father’s businesses as soon as he had the opportunity. Dean’s father always taught him to be kind and fair to those who work for you and to always instill a sense of trust in them.

“My dad was very trusting,” Dean says, “He bought his first gas station at the age of 17, and went on to own 12 more. He built his own team of employees and he taught me not to micromanage the people who work for you, but to be fair, respectful, and to always trust them.”

After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Dean was browsing the help-wanted section of a newspaper when he came across an ad that read: Want to make a $100,000 selling real estate? Intrigued by the proposition, Dean met with current RE/MAX of Texas CEO Richard Filip, about joining a RE/MAX franchise in the 1960 area. Within 2 years of starting with RE/MAX, Dean quickly prospered with real estate earning his Broker’s license and becoming part owner of the RE/MAX 1960 Group at the age of 24. Although young and successful, there was still something missing in Dean’s life: a wife to share in his success and happiness.

In February, 1992 , at a RE/MAX state convention in Galveston, Dean and Brandi were introduced to each other by several enthusiastic friends and colleagues, many of whom to this day continue to argue over whom rightfully deserves the credit for hooking up the couple. Dean says, “When I met Brandi, I said that I would marry her one day.” After less than a year of courtship, Brandi and Dean were married in December of 1992.

After being convinced by Brandi that the Woodlands would be the ideal place to raise a family and work together, Dean sold his share in the 1960 office and joined Brandi at Ted & Debbie Bates’ RE/MAX office in The Woodlands. Although working together in The Woodlands was like a dream come true for the newly married Meltons, Dean found that leaving his old office wasn’t the easiest path at first.

“The Woodlands was an up and coming place to go to build a real estate business,” Dean recalls, “but it was tough in the beginning. Brandi really helped me with all the connections she had developed, and I’ve never looked back.”

Building their connections in the real estate business, and in the community has been a passion for Dean and Brandi, who are very actively involved in their church and community along with their three daughters, the killer B’s: Brittney, Brooke, and Breanne. Dean and Brandi’s daughters, who each have their own rental properties, share their parents’ fervor for real estate, which is very much a family business for The Meltons.

“God has truly blessed us,” Dean says, “Our faith and family have always been our highest priorities. The Woodlands is a great place to live, work and play, and a lot of great things have happened to us over the years. Whenever we can welcome somebody to our community by selling them a house, we go out of our way to treat them like family.”

“It’s unbelievable,” Brandi adds, “We have gained so many longtime loyal friends through the business.”

Incorporating their daughters into their business model is a telling aspect of how passionate The Meltons are about their family and community. Dean and Brandi’s three daughters are featured in their promotional photos and advertising supplements that clients receive, not to mention, the girls have a quite a knack for real estate themselves.

“It’s really in the genes,” Brandi says, “Our girls can pick a house apart and tell us what it needs to be updated to appeal to today’s family. They are really keener than a lot of licensed agents. They love to help us and see us succeed. They are always actively involved in the business, helping us prepare our mail-outs among other things.”

Dean and Brandi’s strong bond and sincere approach over the 15 years they have worked and raised their family together have propelled their real estate team to the top of the ranks as one of the most-successful and influential in Houston, Texas and the United States. The Melton Team has been ranked among the top 10 in the Houston Business Journal for the past 12 years, the top 10 in Texas for RE/MAX and recently cracked the Top 100 for RE/MAX in the United States (there are over 115,000 RE/MAX agents worldwide). The RE/MAX Hall of Fame agents have also achieved Platinum, Chairman and Diamond status on their way to being inaugurated into the hallowed Circle of Legends.

Despite their list of superlative achievements, The Meltons are an extremely humble couple who prefers to let their personalities and principles sell themselves to potential clients.

“All of the awards are a great honor,” Brandi admits, “but building a lifelong friendship with our clients is the best honor we can be given. Knowing that our clients have 100% faith and trust in us is the true reward we work for. Many of our clients have bought and sold multiple homes with us.”

“Brandi and I really compliment one another in work and life,” Dean says, “Her strengths are my weakness and vice-versa. We totally respect one another and put each other up on a pedestal. Real estate is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash. A lot of people burn themselves out, but we keep each other going.”

Dean’s most powerful tool is his comprehensive knowledge of The Woodlands’ history, development, and layout, which have earned him the Prism Award for his outstanding service to builders not only once, but twice in the last 7 years. The Prism Award is given to only one of Houston’s 23,000 Realtors and is voted on by the Greater Houston Builder’s Association. He has also been awarded honors as “Realtor of the Year” for four years which is given by The Woodlands Development Company. Dean has also been awarded the status of “Realtor of Distinction” for his continuous role in selling new homes and his community involvement in The Woodlands.

“Dean is very knowledgeable when it comes to knowing The Woodlands,” Brandi says, “He knows almost everything there is to know about the community, builders, and floor plans of homes. He can drive down any street and tell you who built a particular house, when it was built, and what it sold for.”

In order to continue their success in the real estate business, Dean and Brandi have stressed the importance of their presence in their profession, doing whatever they can to reach out and help other agents. Whereas many markets foster a competitive and sometimes even cut-throat atmosphere among agents, the Woodlands is a place where the agents who survive are those who are honest, helpful, and sincere.

“What’s wonderful about The Woodlands is all the agents know each other and work together,” Dean says, “Agents really focus on having good relationships and working together. Whenever we run into other agents, there are hugs all around. Having such great friends working with us in this business really makes real estate a lot of fun. I really need my fellow agents helping me because we can’t sell over 150 houses a year by ourselves.”

Brandi says, “The Woodlands has grown to be a big place, but it is very tight. It has a small-town atmosphere even though it’s part of a big city. The best compliment we can get in this business is to go to a closing and have another agent say that they love working with our team because we return their calls and emails, and our listings always show so well.”

Dean and Brandi’s real estate peers and clients have a true respect for their professionalism and integrity.

Rocky DePapa, renowned real estate guru and part-owner of RE/MAX-The Woodlands & Spring, has watched as Dean and Brandi have risen through the ranks to the top of their profession.

“Dean and Brandi are outstanding agents who exemplify true real estate professionals,” Rocky says, “They work hard, they are organized, and they treat their clients in a way that generates a lot of repeat business. Although the volume of their business has increased, they are organized enough to consistently provide quality and maintain their standards. They are the benchmark for quality in their real estate community.”

Longtime clients Bob and Nancy Taylor found The Meltons to be extremely supportive and helpful in working with them and their family in over the years.

“It’s hard to believe that our family has used your team for 13 real estate transactions. We totally trust your expertise when it comes to real estate and your integrity is of the highest regard. We can always trust you to lead us in the right direction because of your incredible experience and knowledge of The Woodlands. We look forward to using your services again and we will continue to refer all our family and friends your way. ”

Clients Randy and Lisa Reeves, who were dreading the sale of their home, were surprised at how easy The Melton Team made the whole process from the sale of their home to the purchase of a new one.

“Honestly, we were dreading the sale of our home and searching for a new one,” Randy Reeves says, “but Dean walked me through the process and answered all my questions up front. He gave me a to do list of strategic steps to selling our home, and after my wife and I followed his instructions, our home was sold in 5 days! Within a few days, Dean and Brandi found the perfect home for us. They guided us through the mortgage-lending process and timed our closings to meet our schedule and needs. Our entire experience with Dean and Brandi’s team was not only painless, it was downright enjoyable!”

Kelly Malatesta of Chase Manhattan Mortgage values the working relationship she has established with Dean and Brandi in which they routinely refer clients to one another.

“Dean and Brandi are extremely helpful and responsive, not to mention they are great Christian people,” Kelly says, “They really know the market and every time we work together they are very involved and responsive in our client interactions. They always have the client’s best interest at heart. Just about every client they refer to me has used their services several times.”

Dean has worked with RE/MAX of Texas CEO Richard J. Filip since joining his first RE/MAX office. Richard believes Dean and Brandi are a true benchmark for real estate professionalism due to their strong commitment to client service and charity work.

“Transitioning from another business, Dean came to a RE/MAX career event right out of licensing school, joined us immediately, and has enjoyed outstanding success,” Filip says, “He and Brandi exemplify the RE/MAX spirit of professionalism, community involvement, and excellence in all that they do. While at the top of their industry, they're continually searching for ways to increase their level of service to clients. Their charity work has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Children's healthcare locally, and we couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments both in and outside of real estate.”

Dean and Brandi’s RE/MAX team consists of four members working alongside the agents to ensure their clients receive the utmost service and response time. The extremely family-oriented Meltons consider their team to be a family, although they understand that for their team members, just like themselves, family comes first.

“We treat our team members as equals,” Brandi shares, “We are all fair to each other and we stress honesty. Most importantly, we let them put their family first. If they need to be somewhere for their children or spouse, they know we will always be understanding.”

Diana Vance, the longest member of the Melton team since 2001, she has over 15 years of experience in real estate and brings the creative force to the team through her expertise in marketing, graphic design, proposals, listing and selling documents, and title processing. The Meltons like to say that there is nothing out of the realm of possibility for Diana.

“Diana is phenomenal,” Brandi says, “she has been with us so long that she can read Dean’s mind.”

Tory Hearn, a real estate partner in The Melton Team, is a full-time licensed Realtor who has lived in The Woodlands for over 25 years. Tory, whose mother has worked in real estate selling new homes, practically grew up in the business. Much like Dean and Brandi, Tory stresses the importance of developing relationships with his clients and generating referrals and repeat business. Although Tory generates much of his own business, he also works closely with Dean assisting clients and teeing it up on the golf course.

“Tory was my right hand man the first few years we worked together,” Dean says, “but he has grown into a strong agent and creates so much of his own business. We work hard and play hard together, making our team successful and playing golf whenever we can.”

Michele Goldman, a licensed assistant to Dean and Brandi, relocated to The Woodlands along with her family after working for over a decade in the North Texas real estate market. A specialist at handling all the important details that make each transaction a success, Michele communicates thoroughly with clients to keep them updated on the status of their deals.

Sandy Petermann, who helps in assisting buyers and sellers, met Dean and Brandi when they sold her a home. After working as a part-time assistant for the team, she realized her love for the business and became a licensed agent.

When not assisting their clients, Dean and Brandi are actively involved in their church, Fellowship of the Woodlands, where they attend service with their daughters and teach Sunday school classes. The Meltons have been members of the church since 1993 when they assisted in leasing the pastor a home. At the time the church started with only 9 members in his congregation; since then, they have watched their fellowship grow to over 14,000 on a weekly basis! It is one of the fastest growing churches in America and they are glad to be a part of it.

The Meltons also dedicate their time to the RE/MAX Children’s Miracle Network where they help raise money and partake in the annual golf tournament which over the past 4years has raised close to $200,000 for children in need.

For those who wish to achieve their level of success, Dean and Brandi advise agents to be honest, friendly and persistent if they want to achieve their goals in real estate.

“If real estate is really what you want then don’t give up,” Dean advises, “It takes persistence to succeed. The first three years are the hardest and if you can make it that long, you can succeed.”

They also recommend that agents make friends with their industry peers and have a sincere love for the job.

“Part of our success is that we have made so many friends and we really respect and like the owners of our office and the people we work with. We learned a long time ago from our mentors that if you really enjoy what you do, you’ll never feel like you work hard.”