Since 1981, Kimberlie Barrett, has dedicated her real estate career to supporting the homebuilding industry by creating products and services that successfully guide investors, developers, builders, on-site salespeople, Realtors and buyers through the new home sales and building processes.

In the early 1980s, Ms. Barrett, a licensed real estate agent, recognized a need in the building community for qualified market research and professional on-site sales representation dedicated full-time to marketing new home developments.  Working out of the "Number 1" real estate office in Rochester, New York, in 1981 and competing against 50-plus seasoned professionals her first year in business, Ms. Barrett won "Salesperson of the Month" three out of 12 months and was named "Rookie of the Year."  She sold 22 new homes at interest rates that peaked at 19 3/4 percent.   Previously, she had neither sold, owned nor built a home.

In 1984, Ms. Barrett opened The Property Plaza Realty, a real estate company specializing exclusively in the marketing and selling of residential building communities. The company was created to better understand the challenges faced by builders in the current economy, the needs of those home buyers desiring to purchase and build a new home and the components that bring both parties together successfully.

In 1986, she created The Barrett Group, a marketing firm which provided marketing services to developers, builders, engineers, lenders and private investors associated with the designing, financing and construction of residential developments and who, otherwise, had no need for the specialty sales services provided by The Property Plaza Realty.   In less than three years, Ms. Barrett went from being the “new kid on the block” to being touted by local newspapers and interviewed by Rochester’s own TV Channel 13 as the "guru” of new construction

In 1988, Ms. Barrett, by now a multi-million dollar producer in new home sales for several years, realized that to maximize her sales potential, she needed a sales tool that could give her complete, consistent and up-to-date information on new home communities quickly and easily in the comfort of a buyer’s home or her office. Combining her superior knowledge of real estate, new construction and the needs of the new home buyer with technology, Ms. Barrett partnered with a systems engineer from Eastman Kodak.

That partnership produced Home Graphic Enterprises, Inc. d/b/a Future Graphics to create a software program named and copyrighted in 1989 as The New Home Explorer®. The New Home Explorer® was designed to organize a database of new home developments so that new home buyers could access information about what was available in the market quickly and easily, narrowing their search for a new home from months to minutes.

Unlike the regular multiple listing service in most real estate offices, The New Home Explorer® focuses on new homes exclusively. It advertises the entire building community rather than just one home offering builders a wider range of exposure and buyers a wider range of choices. Using The New Home Explorer®, building a new home finally became a viable option for every buyer rather than a last alternative.  It is believed that The New Home Explorer® was the first MLS in the country for new homes.

In 1994, the company retained the exclusive license to The New Home Explorer® and launched a very successful introductory campaign to test the buying public. The name of the company was changed to Magellan, Inc. and in essence, Magellan became “The New Home Explorer.”  History buffs may remember that Ferdinand Magellan was the explorer first responsible for the excursion that set sail around the world.

In January 2000, Ms. Barrett merged all three of her companies under the Magellan umbrella creating separate divisions within the company to serve developer, builder and Realtor clientele as well as the home-buying public.  Today, as in the past, the majority of the company’s resources are devoted to selling new homes.

In 2005, the company has plans to sail around the country exploring new opportunities for growth opening company-owned offices and creating joint ventures.

For more information about investing in a Joint Venture or Career with Magellan, call 1-877-3Magellan or Contact Us