Atlanta Brokerage Virtual Properties Realty Opens Daphne Office, Targets Gulf Coast From Mobile to Destin

DAPHNE, Ala. — A large Atlanta-based residential brokerage has planted its flag on the Eastern Shore, opening a Daphne office that it plans to use as a base for serving buyers and sellers from Mobile to Destin.

Virtual Properties Realty, known as VPR and part of United Real Estate, has opened the new office in Daphne. The company said the location expands its reach across Alabama’s Gulf Coast and Florida’s Emerald Coast.

Operating as VPR | United, the office will serve communities including Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, as well as markets stretching east to Destin. It is led by Principal Broker Jamie Mertz.

Who is behind the office

VPR is a major player in the Atlanta market. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, it was Atlanta’s largest residential real estate company by number of homes sold in 2025. The company has more than 5,500 agents serving Georgia and other Southeastern markets.

Its parent, United Real Estate, ranks among the 10 largest residential real estate companies in the nation. Before the Daphne opening, United’s Gulf Coast presence included affiliations with Allison James Estates & Homes in Port Charlotte, Florida, and Premiere Plus Realty in Naples, Florida. The company also has locations in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.

Mertz is a longtime VPR executive. The company named Mertz its chief operating officer in 2016, and Mertz has worked as a broker with the firm in Georgia.

“Consumers deserve a real estate experience backed by innovation, strong local leadership and a long-term commitment to helping people navigate major financial decisions with confidence,” Mertz said.

What the company says it brings

VPR said the expansion will give local real estate agents access to additional technology and resources, including:

• AI-powered productivity tools
• Property marketing systems
• A national relocation and referral network

A relocation and referral network can matter in a market like Baldwin County, where a large share of buyers move in from other states. Referral networks connect agents in a buyer’s home market with agents in the destination market, which can make it easier for families relocating to the Gulf Coast to find representation before they arrive.

Why Baldwin County

The company pointed to the region’s population growth as a driver of the expansion. Baldwin County grew from about 182,000 residents in 2010 to more than 260,000 today, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures cited by the company. The county has consistently ranked among the fastest-growing in Alabama, with new subdivisions spreading through Daphne, Spanish Fort, Fairhope, Foley and the beach communities.

The growth is not limited to Alabama. The Fort Walton Beach-Destin-Crestview metropolitan area in Northwest Florida recorded 26% population growth from 2020 to 2024, according to the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research.

That growth has brought both opportunity and strain. Local governments across the Eastern Shore have been working to keep roads, schools and utilities ahead of demand. Daphne, for example, recently landed an $8.1 million federal grant for safety upgrades on County Road 13, a corridor that carries about 9,600 vehicles a day and passes three schools.

A competitive local market

VPR enters a crowded field. Baldwin County is home to a long list of established local brokerages, independent agents and offices of national franchises. The arrival of another large, out-of-state company reflects how attractive the coastal Alabama and Northwest Florida housing markets have become to national players.

For agents, the addition of a new brokerage means another option when deciding where to hang their license. For buyers and sellers, it adds another firm competing for listings and clients in a market shaped by steady in-migration from other states.

What comes next

The company has not announced the address of the Daphne office, how many agents it expects to place there, or a timeline for adding offices elsewhere along the coast. Those interested in learning more about VPR | United can find information through the company’s websites.