Primary Office: Ellicott City

Meet professional fireman, enthusiastic realtor, and true local, Casey Franz.

Casey Franz was born and raised in Maryland. In 2007, he achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a fireman. “As soon as I had the opportunity to take the test, I did,” he says. But firefighting isn’t his only profession. Casey is also a full-time real estate agent. It’s an open question how he finds time for it all, since real estate is a 24/7 job and his firefighting shifts run 24 hours on, 48 hours off, but Casey says, “it’s pretty good, actually.” Every third night he sleeps in the firehouse and there’s certainly an emotional toll to the work, but “the good far outweighs the bad,” he says.

It’s hard, at first, to find the similarities between such disparate professions, but they’re definitely there. “With real estate, every transaction is different. And with firefighting, every call is different. They’re both dynamic careers,” he says, “No day is ever the same.”

Casey also sees the camaraderie he feels in the firehouse mirrored in The Bob and Ronna Group office. “It’s very rare to have that kind of camaraderie in an office,” he says. “The dynamic is very similar to the fire department. There are no shades of grey; everything is by the book.”

Career firefighting has also bolstered Casey’s knowledge of building construction, a valuable skill in the industry. “I’m aware of the different parts of a house, which ones wear more or less than others,” he says. Beyond that, Casey just finds homes interesting. “If I could see the inside of every house in Maryland, I would definitely take that offer,” he says, “It’s fun!”

As a lifelong resident of the state, Casey also knows a whole heck of a lot about Maryland’s counties and their housing markets. In fact, his involvement in local housing has earned him the nickname ‘Mayor of Shipley’s Grant.’ When Casey got involved in the covenants committee of his neighborhood, it became his job to enforce the rules. It didn’t take long for him to become something of a sheriff about town and earn his own titular nickname.

In his rare spare time, Casey loves playing with his yellow English lab (a frequent visitor to the office) and spending time with his wife, Lauren. He also enjoys reading non-fiction books about architecture and engineering.