'Good isn't good enough' at Century 21 Signature Real Estate
'Good isn't good enough' at Century 21 Signature Real Estate
Richard Lane, For the RegisterThu, September 24, 2026 at 10:01 AM UTC
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No. 1 MID-SIZE WORKPLACE
Since 2005, Century 21 Signature Real Estate has matured into a workplace passionate about success and providing the most beneficial environment for homebuyers and sellers and supporting employee growth, says Victoria Stefansen, the company's director of HR, care and connection.
“We're obsessed with better,” Stefansen says.
“Good isn't good enough,” adds Director of Marketing Abbie Dorwart.
Franchise co-owners Dylan de Bruin and Joe Schafbuch built on Century 21’s long-established national and worldwide stature to create an industry leader within Iowa. Despite high standards and a highly competitive marketplace, Stefansen is adamant that “this is a fun place to work.”
“We’re always looking to do better and serve the clients right ― what actually is better both for our staff, agents and the end consumer, as well," she says. "And we accept no opportunity unless we first create value, which is super fun.”
Customers approaching the organization to fulfill their real estate needs will quickly discover it is not interested in hiring hobbyist agents pursuing a second-career path, Dorwart says, but a full-time staff who describe themselves as “relentless go-getters who believe that we can accomplish more together than we can alone.”
Physical expansion plans across the state have been “a slower process,” she says, as the company prefers “finding the right people and not just going by pure numbers.”
In addition to being designated the No. 1 mid-size employer, Century 21 Signature Real Estate received a special Top Workplaces award this year for its internal communication, with one employee in an anonymous survey saying, “No ideas are bad ideas. We can talk collaboratively without things becoming contentious, and in that way it is more of a family feel. At the end of the day, we know that whatever is said, we still value and appreciate each other even if we may disagree on something.”
It is company policy to ensure there is no shortage of opportunities for employees to expand their professional knowledge base, Dorwart says. Each office holds weekly team meetings. A biweekly Zoom call addresses personal growth and Dorwart contributes to an email every Monday that features news, links to favorite webpages and inspirational podcast episodes.
Dorwart also is a regular guest on the company’s "More Than More" weekly in-house-produced podcast, where listeners have a ringside seat to the latest real estate insights and financial tips. She says it has become a motivation for Realtors across Iowa to consider joining the company.
“Especially in places where we don't even have any agents,” Dorwart says, “It’s like, ‘How do you find us?’ They're hearing me on the podcasts and going, 'Wow, you guys are doing something different.’ So, it's happening very organically. We don't try to recruit these people. They're just attracted to something good that they see.”
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Q&A with Victoria Stefansen, director of HR, care and connection, Century 21 Signature Real Estate
Q. What are some of the core values associated with working at Century 21 Signature Real Estate?
A: Relationships over transactions is one of our core values. That's something that always speaks to my heart. It's people over money. And we're always coaching our staff and agents that doing the right thing is always the right thing to do. That goes nicely with another of our core values, which is to take the high road. Sometimes that means a mistake is made, or a commission is off. We take the hit on that because the people are more important than the money, and it always pays out in the long run.
Q: How important is continuing education within the company?
A: Because we're passionate about raising the bar in real estate, we want our agents to share ideas, have that community inside our walls, but also be the best. We want them to be knowledgeable.
Q:Is teamwork an important component of your workplace?
A: We've worked really, really hard to establish an environment of trust, where there's an abundance mindset, and we share to make each other better, not to compete and take each other's clients. That's really, really cool to see in our agents, but also in our staff.
Century 21 Signature Real Estate
Iowa locations: Headquartered in Ankeny with 15 Iowa offices.
Founded: 2005
Ownership: Private
Iowa employees: 250
Top executives: co-owners Dylan de Bruin and Joe Schafbuch
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 'Good isn't good enough' at Century 21 Signature Real Estate
Source: “AOL Money”
