When Chattanooga real estate agents Wade Trammell and Austin Sizemore crossed paths over the years, it was often as competitors chasing the same clients or comparing annual production numbers with their shared lender. Both were known for running growing teams, and both were recognized for bringing fresh approaches to recruiting, marketing and support in an industry that rewards ambition.
Now, after years of healthy rivalry, their operations have merged. Sizemore has joined the Trammell Group while relocating to Atlanta to lead a Keller Williams office, leaving his Chattanooga-based team to continue its work under Trammell’s leadership. It’s a partnership neither man predicted but one they say makes practical sense – and one that reflects how collaboration, when grounded in shared values, can open doors to opportunities.
Building a business
The story of Trammell’s group begins a decade ago. A former insurance agency owner, he entered real estate in 2015 with modest goals. At first, he expected to sell just a handful of houses a year for extra income. But demand grew quickly, and by 2016 he’d left insurance behind. Within a year, he was building a team.
Unlike some who scale rapidly, Trammell’s approach was cautious. He describes the years that followed as a process of building a platform rather than racing to hit head-turning numbers.
“It’s been slow growth from our perspective because I wanted to focus on building a strong foundation,” he says. “We’ve spent years perfecting our processes, investing in marketing that works, staffing the right people in the right roles and putting together a structure that could support growth without breaking.”
That deliberate mindset has defined the Trammell Group. With Wade and his wife, Ashley, at the helm, the business grew into a well-supported operation anchored at Keller Williams Greater Downtown Realty. Their team has leaned heavily on staff support, with as many as six non-agent employees serving a group of less than 10. For Trammell, leverage has been key.
“I can only do so much myself,” he says. “You have to have other people around you to achieve bigger goals. What I’m most proud of is that as our team grows, the people around us grow as well.”
A route to expansion
If Trammell was methodical, Sizemore’s story unfolded with greater urgency. Entering real estate as a young agent, he struggled at first but found his stride in his second year. By focusing heavily on prospecting, he built a business pipeline that soon outpaced his capacity. That demand pushed him to hire his first agent and, before long, to expand into a full-fledged team.
Sizemore opened an office on Main Street, and at the height of the pandemic market had 33 agents working under his leadership.
“We grew very quickly in our heyday,” he recalls. “It was about finding the people first, putting them in place and then building the systems and structure around them.”
With growth came change. In recent years, Sizemore affiliated with eXp Realty, using its back-office platform to operate independently. Earlier this year, however, a new opportunity arose: Keller Williams invited him to manage an Atlanta office. That led Sizemore to close his Chattanooga building and consider how to keep his local team thriving in his absence.
“I needed support in Chattanooga to keep our sales team going,” he says. “Wade and I have always been in friendly competition, and when we started talking, it made sense. It was easy to integrate, and we’ve been very aligned in the way we operate.”
From competition to collaboration
The merger of the two teams was born out of years of side-by-side rivalry. Both worked with many of the same vendor partners, sometimes calling their shared lender to see who was ahead for the year.
“It was fun competition, but it also gave us respect for each other,” Sizemore says.
That respect laid the groundwork for serious talks this year. What began as a conversation about coverage for Sizemore’s team while he moved to Atlanta turned into a larger idea: combining strengths, not just for convenience but to create a stronger platform for both agents and clients.
Trammell notes the rarity of such a move.
“If you go back through our market’s history with top-performing groups, I can’t recall another partnership like this between two businesses our size.”
For him, the appeal was twofold: sustaining the Sizemore team’s legacy in Chattanooga and bringing Sizemore’s recruiting and training skills into his organization.
“Austin is a master recruiter,” Trammell says. “He can create influence and help us build a funnel of talented agents. That was a value to me. And beyond that, this gives us a chance to tee up higher-level conversations with agents who need a platform to excel.”
How the teams fit together
The transition, both leaders say, went smoothly. Staff from both organizations merged and agents shifted under the new structure. While change in real estate often brings attrition, the early signs here have been encouraging.
“Anytime there’s change, there’s fear about who will stay on,” Sizemore says. “But everything fell into place.”
Trammell agrees, and says morale has actually improved since the merger.
“This has ignited motivation across the board. Our support staff and sales team are working at a higher level than before we even started talking about it.”
The group now leans heavily on a model of support and leverage. By having staff handle paperwork, marketing and client follow-up, agents are freed to prospect and build business without stretching themselves too thin.
“Real estate agents don’t always do the best job with the details because they’re busy chasing the next client,” Sizemore explains. “By having people in seats to provide that support, the client gets a smoother experience and the agent has the bandwidth to grow.”
A broader reach
While Sizemore settles into his new leadership role in Atlanta – he can officially disclose which Keller Williams office he is managing later this month – the Chattanooga partnership continues to evolve.
For Sizemore, the move to Atlanta also fulfills a personal aspiration that dates back to his teenage years. Growing up, he would often travel to the city with his grandmother to visit Lenox Square. Those monthly trips left a lasting impression and made Atlanta feel like a second home long before he ever lived there.
“For me, this feels very natural,” he says. “Atlanta has always been that city I spent time in and imagined living in someday.”
For now, Sizemore’s focus in Atlanta will be on management, not sales. But both he and Trammell see expansion opportunities on the horizon.
“Once my feet are immersed in the Atlanta market and I understand the landscape here, I think it will be easier to have conversations about forming a team in Atlanta,” Sizemore says. He expects this could happen within 12 to 18 months.
Trammell views the move as a natural step for both of them.
“Keller Williams is expansion-driven,” he says. “They want agents to build big businesses, and the best way to do that is by extending your footprint. I think 12 to 18 months is a very reasonable timeline for us to be operating in Atlanta.”
Recruiting and development
Beyond market growth, both men are focused on attracting and developing talent. They see their combined operation as a platform not only for new agents but also for mid-level producers who want to scale without burning out.
“Whether you’re just getting into the industry or you’re producing $2 million to $5 million a year and want to do more without giving up more of your time, we’re the solution for that,” Sizemore says.
For Trammell, the mission is to offer more than a launchpad.
“We don’t want agents to feel like they have to join us just to get their feet wet and then leave to build something significant elsewhere,” he says. “We want them to build their world within our world. If we can help people grow and their world gets bigger, our world gets bigger.”
A shared philosophy
If there’s a common thread uniting Trammell and Sizemore, it’s a belief that real estate is less about guarding secrets than it is about consistency and collaboration.
“There isn’t a script in my folder that Wade doesn’t have in his, and vice versa,” Sizemore says. “At the end of the day, it’s about whether agents are willing to take action and follow through. We want to collaborate, even with people who aren’t ready to join our team.”
Trammell echoes that sentiment, hoping their story inspires other agents who feel stuck.
“I want people who feel like they’re taking one step forward and two steps back to be encouraged by this partnership,” he says. “If they’re curious, I hope they call us. For me, the most fulfilling part of this is knowing the impact we can have on others.”
For now, the partnership is still new, but both leaders say the early results – smoother operations, energized teams and growth opportunities in sight – confirm they made the right choice.
“We’ve unlocked our growth mode,” Sizemore says. “And we’re ready for the next chapter.”