The Porch Swing Collective is an independent group of Pittsburgh real estate agents focused on nurturing professional growth and opportunities.

  • Julie & Ted Block, Lillian Denhardt, & Zach Restelli

    AGENTS

Meet the Team

Our Story

 

From seed.

The Porch Swing Collective started with a simple conversation when we realized we—Julie & Ted Block and Lillian Denhardt—were reaching a turning point in our careers.

Although our individual businesses were successful, we all struggled to balance the administrative tasks of growing without losing sight of why we’d become real estate agents in the first place: to empower homeowners and build communities.

 

Growth.

While many choose to build a top-down team to streamline their processes, we realized forming a traditional team would strip us of our unique identities and cause us to lose the personal connections we forged with our clients.

We created a new approach that builds collaboration, community, and equity, and we called it the Porch Swing Collective.

At the Porch Swing Collective, we’re a community of independent agents—not a brokerage or traditional team. Our vision is to enrich the communities of real estate agents, homeowners, and aspiring homeowners by bringing people together to share time, knowledge, connections, and material aid.

"Julie and Ted are as genuine as people come. This dynamic couple is sharp-minded and hard-working. Real Estate is a natural fit. Julie had been negotiating deals worth millions for 5 years at 4moms, and Ted simultaneously juggled 3 kids, tutoring, and renovating their family home. No question about it, these guys can keep up. Young and motivated, they will give you the best real estate experience in Pittsburgh."

— T. Berna

Our Values

At every turn, we’re a values-driven community of real estate professionals. Here’s what’s most important to our mission:

  • We reframe how agents collaborate and manage their businesses. By investing in relationships and creating efficient systems, we empower agents to build a rewarding career that fits their way of life without the need to build a traditional team.

  • The place we live can define who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we connect to other people. When we recognize each person’s unique gifts, help them to find or create a place that fits their lifestyle, and connect them to others, we build stronger communities.

  • There are generations of inequity in the real estate industry. While we may not be able to solve systemic issues on a large scale, we are intentional about how we partner with people on their homeownership journey so we can educate, empower, and collaborate to foster equity.

Our Beliefs

  • Relationships, community, and profits matter most—in that order.

    We take a holistic approach to managing our business. We believe that when we focus on delivering outstanding value and building lasting relationships, profits will follow.

  • Building our businesses should also build communities.

    As real estate agents, the heart of our work is helping people match their homeownership goals with their way of life. The place we live can define who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we connect to other people. By helping people access homes they love, we build stronger communities.

  • We count on each other.

    We treat each other’s clients as our own and we trust that our clients will get a great experience whenever a different partner agent helps out.

  • Collaboration enhances competition.

    Win-win solutions start with understanding each person’s goals. We believe good competition is healthy, and it shouldn’t be adversarial. When we face conflict, we look for opportunities to collaborate first. For example:

    In a transaction, we know our clients get the best deal when we are respectful to the competing parties.

    When we have a good relationship with inspectors, lenders, and contractors, our clients get excellent service they can trust—and everyone wins.

    As a collective of excellent agents, sometimes clients have to face a tough decision about which agent they will work with. Regardless of who an agency agreement is signed with, we treat each other’s clients with professionalism and respect.

  • Homeownership is a powerful tool for building generational wealth.

    We constantly promote and explore resources that make homeownership more accessible for everyone. We emphasize:

    Education: Homeownership is more accessible than most people realize. We share our knowledge as broadly as possible to help as many people as possible.

    Programs: We connect aspiring homeowners with available grants, loan products, and other programs that help bridge the gap between available resources and homeownership.

    Tools: We create workshops to help educate and empower home buyers and sellers, as well as share tools that help illuminate current and future goals.

    Renovations: Sometimes the perfect home is an imperfect one. We help home buyers and homeowners understand the risks and rewards of houses that may need work.

“Lillian was friendly and professional, with vast knowledge of building inspections, the local neighborhoods, and the buying process. She wields an impressive network of recommendations for capable professionals, including contractors, engineers, lenders, and more. She answered our many questions with unflappable patience, and she explained our options at each step of the buying process so that we were able to make confident, informed decisions.”

— T. Straub