Valerie Mitchener opened a real estate brokerage in 2006, just before the housing recession. Twenty years later the firm she built has more than 150 brokers and offices from Charlotte to the coast. A paid Partner Spotlight.
When Valerie Mitchener launched what would become Corcoran HM Properties in 2006, she was not simply opening another real estate brokerage. She was building the kind of company she wished existed, one centered on relationships, professional growth and a culture where agents could thrive.
"I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to start something from the ground up," Mitchener says. "Life kept getting in the way until I had a moment where I realized life is short. If I kept putting it off, it would never happen."
That moment came after she lost both of her parents within two years. A single mother, she found herself weighing what mattered most. "Ultimately, I believe my children inspired me the most," she says.
From a dozen agents to 150
After nearly six years at a local brokerage, Mitchener partnered with agent Patty Hendrix to launch Hendrix Mitchener Properties. In 2009 she became sole owner, and HM Properties was born. Today, as Corcoran HM Properties marks its 20th anniversary, the company has grown from fewer than a dozen agents to more than 150 brokers serving Charlotte, Lake Norman, the mountains, the coast and select South Carolina markets.
Some milestones still stand out to her: the company's sign going up outside its first permanent office in Piedmont Town Center, and 2015, when she and her husband bought and fully renovated the firm's current headquarters on Fairview Road. "I worked closely with the architect and builder to create a space that was specifically designed for our agents and staff," she says. Since then the company has opened offices in Waverly, Charleston and Wilmington and bought a building in Wrightsville Beach.
"When we opened our doors in 2006, Charlotte's luxury market was far more localized," Mitchener says. "Today, it is a national and increasingly international destination." The firm answered with investments in technology, marketing, relocation services and agent development.
Culture over competition
Ask Mitchener what sets the company apart and she talks about people. "Culture is where we stand out," she says. "One of the things we're most proud of is that while our company has grown, our core values haven't changed." Those values, she says, are trust, integrity, collaboration and putting clients first. "Our firm is family."
"Rather than competing, our agents share market intelligence, expertise and opportunities because we believe our clients benefit when the entire organization works together."
Joining the Corcoran network in 2021 gave the company a global brand while keeping local ownership. Larger companies had approached her about selling; that never fit. "Affiliating with Corcoran was a compromise and a solution to a problem I saw coming," she says. "We receive the benefits and resources of a global brand without any change in ownership or control."
The recession years
Mitchener says she is proudest of the firm's perseverance through the housing recession. "It was a struggle, but with the support of our agents and staff, we didn't give up," she recalls. Many agents have stayed since the earliest days; others have spent well over a decade there.
The plan for the third decade is organic growth, attracting agents who fit the culture. "As we celebrate 20 years, I want to simply say thank you."
Corcoran HM Properties can be reached at 704-552-9292 or hmproperties.com. A paid Partner Spotlight.
This story appears in the August 2026 issue of Stroll Dilworth.