ABOVE Winter 2012 by Alive Publishing Group

WHAT MOVES YOU NEW AD CAMPAIGN HITS HOME PAGE 16

THE RE/MAX MAGAZINE WINTER 2012 • REMAX.COM/ABOVE

GLOBAL

ADVANTAGE U.S. and Canadian agents are working together to close cross-border sales. PAGE 31

… With global.remax.com, agents all around the world can easily do the same. PAGE 28

CONNECTED

Barbara Vance (left) of Orlando, Fla., and Kim Marr of Mississauga, Ontario

PLUS SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES | WORKING WITH INVESTORS | MAKING THE MOST OF RE/MAX R4

REMAXJan12Mag

OPENING REMARKS

ABOUT THIS COLUMN Opening Remarks features the thoughts of top RE/MAX leaders, speaking on major themes within ABOVE.

IN THIS EDITION Frank J. Polzler and Walter J. Schneider co-founded RE/MAX Europe in 1994 and continue to lead that entity as Chairman of the Board and President, respectively. Their RE/MAX careers began in 1980 when they co-founded the RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic Canada region. They also own three U.S. regions – RE/MAX of New England, RE/MAX North Central and RE/MAX of Indiana. More than 17,000 Sales Associates work within their operations.

Tap Into the Brand’s

GLOBAL POWER

Frank J. Polzler and Walter J. Schneider

BY FRANK J. POLZLER AND WALTER J. SCHNEIDER, CO-FOUNDERS OF RE/MAX EUROPE

UCH HAS CHANGED AT RE/MAX over the years, but the formula for individual success remains remarkably constant: Be professional and bold, learn everything you can, perform at the highest level, and use the unbeatable competitive advantages built into the RE/MAX brand. One primary competitive advantage to employ is the brand’s worldwide presence, which rests on a foundation of quality. Having the best and most productive Sales Associates made RE/MAX No. 1 in Canada and the U.S. It’s also the key to continual expansion in Europe – where we’ve grown to a sales force of more than 11,000 in nearly 1,500 offices – and in places like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Surges in newer locales such as Brazil and India have fortified the network’s global strength even more. With skilled, capable agents all over the world, RE/MAX is well positioned to serve consumers and investors interested in purchasing property internationally. One example is the wave of referrals and cooperative sales involving RE/MAX Associates in

Canada and the United States (page 31). An increasing number of Canadians are buying homes in Arizona, Florida and other states, and enterprising Associates on both sides of the border are finding creative ways to secure this business. The new global.remax.com website (page 28) provides additional opportunity. The site has its roots in a platform that has worked well for us in RE/MAX Europe, boosting referrals, generating leads and giving Sales Associates a critical edge in listing presentations. That vision is now being realized on a worldwide scale, with incredible potential for big results. The global advantage we all enjoy didn’t happen overnight. The groundwork began in the 1990s, and progress depended upon regional leaders with the entrepreneurial drive to take RE/MAX into new countries, and brokers and agents with the courage to climb on board. Because these individuals were professional, bold and resilient, we all benefit – today and beyond. Everybody wins. So enjoy this edition of ABOVE. And do all you can to make 2012 an amazing year for yourself and your clients.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

features

BORN INTO THE BIZ

Canadian agent Greg Hamre followed his family’s footsteps into the real estate business. Now, he is leading his team to the top of the charts.

A G LO B A L F O C U S

CONTENTS

2012 R4: THE EVENT OF THE YEAR RE/MAX R4 will draw agents from around the world to Reignite, Reconnect, Recognize and Rediscover exactly what it means to be part of the world’s No. 1 real estate brand.

ALL THE WORLD OVER With the launch of global.remax.com, RE/MAX Associates can serve buyers and sellers everywhere.

YEAR OF THE INVESTOR Opportunities in the housing market have the full attention of investors. Are you giving these motivated buyers enough of your attention?

GO DIGITAL

An e-version of ABOVE becomes available on RE/MAX

Mainstreet shortly after the publication of each quarterly print edition. It’s a fun, interactive way to experience and share the magazine, with

RE/MAX GIVES US THE TOOLS. WE JUST HAVE TO MAKE THEM WORK. 2

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

enhanced video content throughout. Between editions, keep up on all things RE/MAX via the RE/MAX Weekly, Facebook and Twitter.

ON THE COVER: Barbara Vance and Kim Marr photographed in Orlando, Fla., by Scott Cook.

IN EVERY ISSUE

01 OPENING REMARKS A global powerhouse 52 IN CLOSING Ask Margaret

ABOVE

WINTER 2012, VOL. 2, NO. 1 ABOVE, a quarterly publication (January, April, July, October), is the official magazine of RE/MAX, LLC, the international real estate franchisor serving the industry’s most productive Sales Associates.

INSIDE STORY

05 SPOTLIGHT

Dave Liniger honored with prestigious industry award

FULL SPECTRUM

31 NO BOUNDARIES

U.S. and Canadian agents team up on cross-border transactions

06 SNAPSHOTS

By the numbers – fun Q&A – bite-sized videos for customers – new RE/MAX Commercial apps – and more

40 CHAIN REACTION

Why nine California agents returned to RE/MAX

41 4X4: TOP PRODUCER TIPS

12 MARKET INSIGHTS

Stay positive and focused all year long

Enlightening results of a RE/MAX agent survey

42 A LEARNER FOR LIFE

Ten minutes with CRS President Mark Minchew

13 DISTRESSED PROPERTIES

44 A STRONG FOUNDATION

Education is critical for meaningful results

The ACP course primes agents new to commercial

14 12 FOR ’12

Prepare to have your best year yet. Sven Andersen can help.

16 FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT MOVE YOU

46 MASTER MARKETER

When it comes to marketing houses, New Jersey’s Sam Joseph puts on a real show

New ad campaign connects on a personal level

ABOVE & BEYOND

48 BACK ON TRACK

Breast cancer survivor inspires women all over the world

49 ONE PENNY AT A TIME

N.Y. Associates creatively support a local children’s hospital

50 IT’S A GREAT LIFE

When the hard work is done, it’s time to have some fun

RE/MAX World Headquarters 5075 S. Syracuse St. Denver, CO 80237-2712

RE/MAX, LLC P.O. Box 3907 Englewood, CO 80155

remax.com®

RE/MAX, LLC CHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER Dave Liniger VICE-CHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER Gail Liniger CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Margaret Kelly PRESIDENT Vinnie Tracey EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, U.S. & INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT William Soteroff EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS AND BRANDING Mike Ryan

ABOVE DIRECTOR, CHIEF NEWS EDITOR George White CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Collin Meek EDITOR Amanda Okker EDITOR Deborah Ball Kearns AD COORDINATOR Tracey Loper AD SALES Sarah Blankman,

Kelly Tracey, Rich Foristal To reach ABOVE, call 303.796.3403 or email above@remax.com. To order additional copies, call the RE/MAX Order Desk at 303.796.3672 or visit www.remax.net. Copyright © 2012 RE/MAX, LLC. All rights reserved. The material herein may not be duplicated, copied or reproduced – in whole or in part – in any way without written permission. ABOVE magazine is provided to RE/MAX Affiliates as one of many benefits. The opinions of guest contributors and interviewed guests are their own and not necessarily those of RE/MAX, LLC, or its Affiliates, or any of its owners, officers, employees or agents. Legal Notice: RE/MAX, LLC, is not responsible for the content of advertisements and assumes no liability for any claims arising therefrom. RE/MAX, LLC, is an Equal Opportunity Employer and supports the Fair Housing Act. Each RE/MAX® Office is independently owned and operated.

BUILDING BLOCKS

18 RE/MAX PRESENTER

Creating iPad presentations with impact

20 SOCIAL SCENE

The pros weigh in on the value of social media marketing

22 WINNING STRATEGIES

Tips to succeed in any market environment

www.hungryeyemedia.com 800.852.0857 PRESIDENT/GROUP PUBLISHER Brendan Harrington ART DIRECTOR Lindsay Burke CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Cessna PROJECT MANAGER Susan Humphrey ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Sandy Haworth ASSOCIATE DESIGNER Astrid Storey

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

SPOTLIGHT

INSIDE STORY

Real Estate’s ‘Most Influential Leader’ RE/MAX CHAIRMAN EARNS NOD IN ONLINE POLL

N THIS ELECTION, THE VOTERS definitely got it right. In early January, Inman News named Dave Liniger its “People’s Choice” Most Influential Real Estate Leader. Based on results of an online poll conducted by the news organization, the award was presented to Liniger Jan. 12 at the Inman Connect conference in New York City. It’s a fitting honor for the RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder, who has spent nearly every day of the past 40 years living and breathing real estate. Liniger, often the first to arrive at the office, is as active as anyone. He advocates for streamlined short sales. He speaks out on behalf of all Realtors. He travels to RE/MAX regions throughout

Dave Liniger speaks to a RE/MAX Europe audience in Vienna last September.

the world and encourages professionalism, high standards and great customer service. And he sets the tone for a sales force of nearly 90,000.

The RE/MAX organization is coming off one of the most robust and dynamic years in its history. Among the highlights: earning two J.D. Power and Associates awards, launching the global.remax.com website, growing its worldwide presence, boosting its commercial standing, helping thousands of distressed sellers, and upgrading its programs in training, technology, social media and brand marketing. Liniger credits the network’s top-producing agents for its ongoing success. “For 39 years, the key to RE/MAX has been the quality of its Sales Associates,” he told Affiliates in a New Year’s video message. “Individually, you are the best at what you do. Collectively, we’re a force that can’t be stopped.”

Celebrate 20 Years of Miracles! Join us at the 2012 RE/MAX R4 to celebrate $110,000,000 raised for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® since 1992

• Stop by our booth to get the Limited Edition 20-year Pin! • “Tee It Up For Kids” at Bali Hai Resort voted one of the best resort courses in America Golf Week Monday, March 5. Sign up when you register for the 2012 RE/MAX R4 • Donate $20 for a chance to win $10k in chips/cash at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals booth in the MarketPlace • “The Big Give” Join us for this year’s exciting live auction beneﬁting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

INSIDE STORY

SNAPSHOTS

DIRECT RESPONSE

Intriguing Answers to Interesting Questions 1

What would you do if you found an extra $100 bill in your pocket?

What would you say to your 20-year-old self today?

When do you feel most confident?

What’s your favorite way to keep in touch with clients?

What’s the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?

What were your parents right about?

SCOTT HOLLINGER

CRYSTAL TOST

BRENT LAUINGER

PAT WATKINS

SHAWN OWENS

RE/MAX of Bigfork Bigfork, Mont.

RE/MAX Realty Professionals Calgary, Alberta

RE/MAX First Calgary, Alberta

RE/MAX Tri-Star Montgomery, Ala.

RE/MAX All Stars Cypress, Texas

1. T ake my wife on a date

1. Wonder who’s been wearing my clothes

1. Wonder how it got there

1. Scream!

1. Pay some office fees forward

2. Borrow less

2. B uy more real estate

2. M otivation and hard work equal success

2. Follow your dreams

2. Seriously, get your real estate license!

3. When asked a real estate question

3. C ompeting against other agents for a listing

3. I ’m good to go with tech and real estate

3. After the closing

3. G uiding a client through a tough situation

4. P hone, if not in person

4. E mail – it’s fast and efficient

4. I like to talk to my customers

4. Email

4. E mail is easy, but I prefer talking

5. Thank you

5. M y husband: I’m proud of you

5. Two words: I do

5. I love you

5. W ow, you’re getting better and better at this

6. B e happy, kind and grateful

6. E verything, but I still walk to my own beat

6. T hen, nothing; now, everything

6. W orry doesn’t solve a problem

6. Y ou cannot live on $30,000 a year

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? E M A I L R E S P O N S E S TO A B OV E @ R E M A X . C O M A N D WATC H T H E W E E K LY F O R F O L LOW- U P S .

by the numbers

73.1

PERCENTAGE OF MALE SALES ASSOCIATES IN RE/MAX SWITZERLAND, the highest figure among regions with more than 100 Affiliates.

PERCENTAGE OF FEMALE SALES ASSOCIATES IN RE/MAX TEXAS, the leading region in that regard.

63.2

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

96 Increase, year-overyear, in 2011 RE/MAX franchise sales within the U.S., Canada and Europe (through November).

Percentage of surveyed U.S. Sales Associates who say they are proud to be affiliated with RE/MAX.

Percentage of survey respondents who say the RE/MAX brand is important to their ability to sell real estate.

ESPN, TSN Viewers Catch INCREDIBLE Finals A 459 -YARD DRIVE? AND IT WAS STRAIGHT? REALLY ?

ith tailwinds at a sustained 20 mph and gusting higher, the finalists at the 2011 RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship registered drives longer than 440 yards fairly routinely. Although as any golfer knows, the words “drives longer than 440 yards” and “routinely” really don’t belong in the same sentence. In a monster display of skill, brute strength and the power of Mother Nature, the 2011 Finals – especially during the Senior Division battle – proved once again that Long Drive is the king of power-golf events. Millions of TV viewers enjoyed the action over the Christmas weekend, as the 90-minute finals program

premiered on ESPN Christmas Eve and encored on ESPN2 Carl Wolter celebrates Christmas Day. SubDavid Mobley, another forhis victory in the finals. sequent ESPN intermer champ, returned to the national airings delivered the show throne in the Senior Division, defeating to Australia, Africa, Israel, Latin his finals opponent 459 yards to 452. America and beyond. In addition to the worldwide TV In Canada, TSN began airing the show coverage, the 2011 Long Drive – the in early January, with very good ratings. 17th year of RE/MAX title sponsorViewers weren’t disappointed. In ship – generated incredible brand the Open Division, Carl Wolter, the exposure in major magazines (includ2002 world champion, recaptured ing Sports Illustrated and a prominent the title with a 409-yard blast in the golf publication in Japan), online and finals. Earlier, Wolter launched drives through social media. of 446 and 459 yards to oust 2008-09 Most importantly, the event keeps champ Jamie Sadlowski and 2010 the RE/MAX brand in the minds of winner Joe Miller. golf fans throughout the year.

Payroll can be distracting; let us take care of it. Eliminate the time-consuming chore of payroll and benefits administration with expert, confidential services from Paychex. Our cost-effective payroll and HR outsourcing solutions allow you to focus on what you’re an expert at—your business. CALL 800-729-2439 FOR MORE INFORMATION. MENTION CODE 5388

RE/MAX Affiliates receive 15% off Paychex Payroll Processing Services and HR setup fees.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

INSIDE STORY

SNAPSHOTS

Legendary L.A. Broker Honored at NAR

1 + 1 =

E RY WIDE SMIL

The Smile video is the series’ most popular clip so far.

VIDEOS DELIVER BITE-SIZED BITS OF FUN

Sales Associates in the U.S. can thank thank their clients and customers via five whimsical videos that highlight the two J.D. Power and Associates trophies presented to RE/MAX in 2011. The 15-second clips all feature the two trophies – one for ranking highest in satisfaction among buyers and one for doing the same for sellers – along with fun, friendly messages and a pleasant acoustic song. The videos are on the RE/MAX YouTube Brand Channel, so TV SHARE OF VOICE they can be easily Percentage of total ad impressions shared through by national real estate franchises for ads purchased through nationwide buys email or during a presentation. Century 21 4.5%

55.5% Coldwell Banker 40.0%

Adults 25-54/Q1 - Q3 2011 Source: Nielsen Monitor-Plus / A25-54 GRPs Unequivalized Source: Nielsen Monitor-Plus / A25-54 GRPs Unequivalized

RE/MAX Remains the Loudest Voice on TV

A LONGTIME R E / M A X BROK ER /OW NER received major recognition at November’s 2011 National Association of Realtors Conference in Anaheim, Calif. Sandra Sanders, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., was honored with RISMedia’s 2011 National Homeownership Award. Sponsored by Bank of America, the award honors a member of the real estate industry for extraordinary contributions toward increasing homeownership and building better communities. Among the past recipients: RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger. Sanders, a RE/MAX Hall of Fame member, leads 12 offices and 600 agents serving the South Bay Sandra Sanders accepts of Los Angeles and West her award. Los Angeles. In addition to running the largest independently owned real estate company in Los Angeles County, Sanders is deeply rooted in the community, serving on the Executive Committee for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. At the same event – the 16th Annual Power Broker Dinner – coach David Knox received the On the Shoulders of Giants award, which is sponsored by RE/MAX and presented to invaluable industry contributors.

RE/MAX has dominated national TV Share of Voice for many years.

H E THIRD-QUARTER U.S. TV SHARE OF VOICE

results show that RE/MAX remains the country’s dominant real estate advertiser. Through Q3 2011, RE/MAX has a 55.5 percent Share of Voice in television advertising among adults 25-54, compared with Coldwell Banker’s 40 percent and Century 21’s 4.5 percent, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. A chart depicting the No. 1 position is one of the network’s most popular marketing materials. Associates can download it from Mainstreet (search term: Share of Voice).

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

BEST OF THE RE/MAX WEEKLY The RE/MAX Weekly email delivered articles, links, graphics, videos and resources every Tuesday during Q4. Here are some of the most clicked-on items of the quarter:

1 5 Ways to Ace a Listing Presentation Don’t Underestimate the RE/MAX Name Badge 7 Prospecting Tips to Ignite Your Business 5 Ways to Simplify LeadStreet ‘We Were Tired of Competing with RE/MAX’

Balloon Draws Crowds, Builds Excitement

NE OF THE BIGGEST EVENTS on the ballooning calendar, the RE/MAX Ballunar Liftoff Festival at Houston’s NASA/Johnson Space Center, treated hundreds of thousands of spectators to a three-day celebration of human flight in late October. The RE/MAX of Texas region has hosted this hallmark event for 18 years. Ballunar features more than 80 balloons and combines education, competition, a carnival atmosphere and huge doses of fun. The 2011 The RE/MAX incarnation may brand burns well have been the brightly during best one yet. a nighttime inflation at Other major the RE/MAX RE/MAX balloonBallunar Festival ing festivals in in Houston.

communities such as Midland, Mich. (in its 22nd year!) and Casper, Wyo. – and many more – build similar excitement on an annual basis. Whether it’s part of a large event, flying overhead, providing tether rides, or helping schoolchildren understand some basic science, the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon creates an enduring image that doesn’t fade. It also provides immense marketing power to whomever is hosting the appearance – be it a region, a brokerage or an individual Sales Associate. People just love seeing the balloon, and with the largest corporate hot air balloon fleet in the world (more than 110 aircraft), RE/MAX is able to oblige. To schedule an event, contact your region.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

INSIDE STORY

SNAPSHOTS

What Will $300,000 Buy? WITH GLOBAL.REMAX.COM, BUYERS AND THEIR AGENTS CAN FIND RE/MAX LISTINGS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WITH EASE. HERE ARE SOME PROPERTIES THEY MIGHT FIND FOR ROUGHLY $300,000.

Modern Mediterranean Retreat LISTING PRICE 227.000 Euros ($311,263 USD)

You don’t get the whole complex at this price, but your sleek, modern apartment provides access to many amenities. The development, built in classic Mediterranean style, is located near the bustling port of Estepona on Spain’s Costa del Sol, famed for its stretches of golden coastline.

LOCATION Estepona, Málaga, Spain LISTING AGENT Leonardo Cromstedt, RE/MAX Eralia, Marbella, Spain

SQUARE FOOTAGE 1,065 BEDROOMS/BATHROOMS 2 beds/2 baths

LISTING PRICE LOCATION

Portland, Maine

Laura Byther, RE/MAX Absolute, South Portland, Maine

SQUARE FOOTAGE

LISTING PRICE $310,000 AUD ($317,415 USD)

LOCATION

Kangaroo Point, Queensland, Australia

LISTING AGENT

Ben Mak, RE/MAX Profile, Bardon, Australia

SQUARE FOOTAGE

818

BEDROOMS/BATHROOMS 1 bed/1 bath An ideal property for first-time homebuyers or investors, this sleek apartment is minutes from Brisbane’s Central Business District. There’s a large bedroom with built-ins and a generous floorplan.

NEW ENGLAND CHARMER

LISTING PRICE

$299,000 CAN ($296,095 USD)

LOCATION

Blackfalds, Alberta,

Canada

LISTING AGENT

Gordon Steinbach, RE/MAX Real Estate Central, Sylvan Lake, Alberta

SQUARE FOOTAGE $300,000

LISTING AGENT

STYLISH AUSSIE APARTMENT

TRANQUIL SUBURBAN HOME

3,552

BEDROOMS/BATHROOMS 5 beds/3.5 baths

This contemporary Cape Cod offers a picturesque retreat from the city. Relax by a Rumford fireplace with beautifully crafted woodwork, and marvel at the dual staircase. A Jacuzzi, wood-burning stove and walk-in attic give this expansive home captivating buyer appeal.

1,570

BEDROOMS/BATHROOMS 3 beds/2 baths This detached, single-family home is nestled in a quiet neighborhood and has upgraded features throughout. With a family room that’s perfect for entertaining family and friends, the home also has an ultra-chic kitchen with rich merlot oak cabinets and a large, sun-filled living room.

LISTING AGENTS LISTING PRICE

$310,000 USD

LOCATION

Playa del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

LISTING AGENT

Michael Mills, RE/MAX Prestige Properties, Playa Panama, Costa Rica

SQUARE FOOTAGE

1,780

BEDROOMS/BATHROOMS

DREAMY PACIFIC VILLA

2 beds/3 baths An escape to the Pacific Coast never looked so enticing. This new home, called “Casa Bella Luna” (or “Beautiful Moon House”), comes with modern amenities, a private Jacuzzi, splash pool and a 400-square-foot rooftop terrace offering unobstructed ocean and jungle views.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

THE PROPERTIES DISPLAYED ARE LISTED BY (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT): Laura Byther, Leonardo

Cromstedt, Ben Mak, Michael Mills and Gordon Steinbach

R E/ M A X COMMERCIAL

WO NEW SMART-

goes mobile

phone apps put the power of RE/MAX Commercial

in the hands of agents and clients alike. The RE/MAX Commercial listings app

– is a marketing tool that allows RE/MAX of-

(powered by LoopNet) is a free app that

fices to promote their

instantly locates nearby commercial real

agents and listings. Bro-

estate properties. The app, available

ker/Owners purchase the app

on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch devices,

for a special discounted

gives commercial buyers mobile access

RE/MAX price and distribute

to search all properties listed for sale

it to agents and their clients

or lease by the RE/MAX Commercial

for their free use. It includes

network, which comprises 3,000

a social media component

practitioners in more than 45 countries

that lets users follow on so-

and over 380 commercial offices and

cial networks like Twitter and

divisions. Results can be filtered by price,

LinkedIn, as well as numer-

size and property type, and users also

ous analysis tools.

can plot properties on a map and email driving directions.

For more details, visit the

A second app – the RE/MAX Commercial Brokerage app developed by Blyncc

Commercial Resource Center on RE/MAX Mainstreet.

Best Prices Guaranteed! NOW valid on all 300+ Sign Products.

$20 Off Your Order

Valid on our entire line of RE/MAX sign products & accessories

Sign Panels

Directionals

Riders

Frames

& More!

www.oakleysign.com/remax or call 800-373-5330

How to save. Use promo code REMAG20 to receive $20 off your next order of $150 or more. Offer not valid on rush orders, past orders, open orders, recently placed orders or in conjunction with other offers. Valid through 03-31-2012.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

INSIDE STORY

Housing Outlook Brighter The stormy housing conditions of recent years are giving way to calm. THE FORECAST FOR 2012: improving prices and sales, RE/MAX agents say.

2011

10.7

“There's a lot of cash in our market and it will show strong improvement as soon as jobs start being filled.”

% 29.3

% 62.1

2012

62.1% of agents predict good to very good sales in 2012.

Nationwide, RE/MAX agents reported a 10.7% increase in their home sales in 2011, and project an increase of 29.3% in 2012.

Carl Phillips RE/MAX Professionals Glendale, AZ

“Our market is active with a terrific interest rate and good inventory. However, buyers are still tentative...” Kevin Lomen RE/MAX 1 Duluth, MN

“I believe we are at a leveling-off time in our market. There seems to be less inventory and more stable pricing.” Robin Gilman RE/MAX Executive Realty Holliston, MA

The West has the brightest outlook for home sales in 2012, while the South posted the biggest increase in 2011.

39%

OF RE/MAX AGENTS

34%

OF RE/MAX AGENTS

“Buyers and sellers who couldn't or didn't want to buy or sell in the last two years will buy or sell in 2012.” Lee Ann Thomas RE/MAX Town & Country Allen, TX

believe that prices ALREADY HAVE hit bottom

believe that prices will bottom out by the end of 2012

Nearly three-fourths of agents say their markets will have emerged from declining home prices by the end of 2012.

MARKET INSIGHTS Survey methodology: U.S. RE/MAX agents with residential as their specialty were selected at random and asked in December 2011 to complete a RE/MAX Market Insights questionnaire online. Total surveys collected: 1,004. ©2012 RE/MAX, LLC. Each office independently owned and operated. 12 ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Percentage of agents per region who predict housing prices will increase in 2012.

1/2 OF CLOSINGS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DELAYED (REPORTED BY AGENTS)

1/3 OF POTENTIAL SALES WERE CANCELED (REPORTED BY AGENTS)

22.7% Bank procedures 14.5% Financing 8.7% Appraisals

10.6% 8.0% 5.8% 4.4%

Bank procedures Financing Sales price Appraisals

Offering Real Solutions Survey Provides Market Insights A DECEMBER SURVEY OF MORE than 1,000 RE/MAX residential agents provided the foundation for a press release and infographic distributed to major news outlets in January to increase brand visibility. Survey participants offered their thoughts on market conditions and consumer behavior in 2011, as well as their outlook for this year. The result is an interesting mix of informed optimism and realistic expectations. Conducted by the Public Relations team at RE/MAX LLC, the survey is the first in a quarterly “RE/MAX Market Insights” series that will gauge the opinions of RE/MAX professionals and leverage them with the media. The initial press release, as well as the infographic, is available as a download on both RE/MAX Mainstreet and remax.com.

RE/MAX LEADS THE WAY IN SHORT SALE EFFORTS

VERY INDICATOR SUGGESTS THAT foreclosures and short sales will continue to be major factors in the U.S. housing industry throughout 2012, accounting for more than half the activity in some communities. RE/MAX remains the market leader within the distressed property arena, and RE/MAX Sales Associates are increasingly well positioned to capture a significant share of this business. More than 3,200 RE/MAX agents earned the Certified Distressed Property Expert designation in 2011, widening the gap between the network and all other competitors. Over 14,000 RE/MAX agents have successfully completed the intensive, two-day CDPE course, three times more than any other franchise. When you add Five Star courses and Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource (SFR) designees, the RE/MAX edge grows even greater.

RE/MAX leaders have been vocal, active proponents of streamlining short sales since the very early days of the housing crisis. In countless meetings with government officials and major lenders, the RE/MAX leadership team has pressed hard for reforms that improve the system and offer meaningful solutions for struggling homeowners. The effort has led to many changes within the industry, and servicers have become far more willing to accept short sales as a costeffective alternative to foreclosure. That leadership and organizational commitment, combined with a uniquely qualified sales force – which leads the field in experience, education and production – has attracted the attention of major lenders such as Bank of America and CitiMortgage. Several proactive short sale initiatives have helped RE/MAX agents connect with distressed sellers who need them the most.

The All New Custom Branded Lockbox for Get Yours Today! 1-7 ..................... $18.99 8-31 ................... $17.99 32+.................... $16.99

Ann Conti, National Account Manager 800-607-0541 ext 5013 www.mfssupply.com/remax

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

INSIDE STORY

DEVELOPMENT

M A K E TH I S YO U R B ES T Y E A R Y E T Making the right moves can help you secure more leads and close more business this year. Sven Andersen, a Hall of Fame and Chairman’s Club member with RE/MAX Leading Edge in Winchester, Mass., offers 12 ideas on things to do right now.

AVE A H BUSINESS PLAN

It seems obvious, right? But many agents either don’t create a plan or ignore the one they have. Your plan should be based in measurable metrics – total sales, price points, etc. If you have a plan, stick to it. If you don’t, put one in place before the end of the month.

ASK CLIENTS FOR ONLINE REVIEWS

Consumers use online reviews to make decisions about everything they buy or services they choose. That includes real estate agents. Create accounts on LinkedIn, Google and Yelp, and ask clients to write positive reviews for you. I create an email signature that includes a client testimonial page link, which lists all of my business profiles. Online reviews are instrumental in driving new business your way, so don’t be shy – ask for ’em!

Sven Andersen

UPGRADE TO AN iPAD

The iPad is simply amazing! It really is. Use the RE/MAX Presenter app, as well as Keynote, to create stunning buyer and seller presentations. A few other useful apps and programs for iPad: Open Home Pro (for open houses); Sun Seeker (finds sunlight direction); Prompster (creates video scripts); and Docusign (e-sign listing and buyer contracts on the go).

GIVE YOURSELF A TOTAL MAKEOVER

This might sound odd, but make it a priority to present yourself more professionally – both in your expertise and your appearance. Work with a coach and learn something new by earning a few designations through RE/MAX University. Also, treat yourself to an image makeover. Get a new haircut, spruce up your wardrobe and make your appearance more of a priority. You know what they say about those first impressions.

BUILD YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK

Social media is a free, easy way to generate new leads. Don’t have time to update multiple pages and profiles? With Hootsuite, you can push photos, posts, videos and more to all of your profiles from one place. In addition to having a personal Facebook profile, it’s also smart to have a business page. Keep followers engaged by hosting contests and giveaways, and posting valuable local updates. Avoid making it all about real estate. If you do, you’ll lose fans quickly.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

ROLL WITH VIDEO

Invest in a decent camera like the Kodak Playtouch with an external mic, and start shooting client testimonials and community tours. Make your tour videos purely informational; don’t push your business. Always sign off with a quick invitation for viewers to contact you for more information. The key to making video work is tagging the places, towns and people in the clips so they appear on Facebook. That way, your videos will have a much wider audience, instantly.

STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE

If you’re an REO specialist, try going after luxury buyers or sellers using The RE/MAX Collection. This is also a great way to elevate your price range if sales volume is down. Also, consider farming different neighborhoods or towns so you get your name known outside of your traditional farm area. The more places people see your marketing and find out who you are, the fuller your pipeline will be.

BEEF UP YOUR MARKETING

You need to constantly generate new leads to keep the pipeline full. There’s no better way to do that than investing in your marketing. Your web presence has to be huge, and don’t forget that high-end photography, listing brochures and other print materials are still golden with sellers (and they impress prospective buyers). If you’ve cut back on marketing in recent years, 2012 is THE year to step up your game in order to stay competitive.

BECOME THE MEDIA EXPERT

WORK WITH INVESTORS

Investors are a major source of business, and will be in the next few years. Get training, such as the Certified Investor Agent Specialist designation offered through RE/MAX University, so you can gain the specialized expertise needed to work with this group of clients. Send out a press release to the media and post it on your social networks to let your sphere and the community know that you’re trained to work with investors. Also, create a page on your website geared specifically toward investors.

You want to be seen as the local real estate expert, right? Get out there and prove it! Take classes on how to give interviews and intelligently pitch stories to reporters. Your RE/MAX region’s public relations team can help you find the right contacts at TV stations and newspapers. They can also assist with press releases. If consumers see you quoted in housing stories and hear your insights enough, they’ll come to see you as the goto expert.

CREATE A CLIENT LOYALTY PROGRAM

Do something for clients every month of the year to accomplish two goals: staying top-of-mind and building longterm client loyalty. For instance, Leslie McDonald, a RE/MAX agent in Illinois, gave me the idea of giving out Thanksgiving pies to past clients in November. The pies cost me $1,700, but I closed four transactions from that gift program alone last year. In March, I give away lottery scratch tickets for good luck. These types of touches give you a strong return on investment.

SPREAD SOME GOOD WILL

Show your community that you care about more than business. Join church groups, volunteer on community committees, sponsor your kid’s sporting team, or graciously sponsor a charity event or fundraiser. Incorporate the RE/MAX Balloon in every sponsorship and activity you participate in so that people will connect your business back to your good deeds. Giving back to the community that has helped shape your success is always the right thing to do.

HAVE AN IDEA?

Email your thoughts to above@remax.com and watch the Weekly for a follow-up.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

INSIDE STORY

ADVERTISING

2012 ADVE RTI S I N G CAM PAIG N

For All the Things That Move You SM

MESSAGES BUILD A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO BUYERS AND SELLERS

IFE INVOLVES A SERIES OF pivotal moments. It’s when you say “I do.” Or when you find out you’re having a baby. It’s when the kids leave home and a house feels empty and big. And, sometimes, it’s when unexpected loss or sudden illness hits. These kinds of moments drive the decisions of homebuyers and sellers, and RE/MAX agents understand this. That’s the message of the 2012 RE/MAX ad campaign, which speaks to consumers on a more personal level than ever before – through web, radio, print, outdoor and TV. “The campaign is about those ‘aha’

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

moments that trigger the decision to buy or sell a home; these moments resonate with viewers,” says Collin Meek, RE/MAX Creative Services Director. “Everyone can relate to these situations on a personal level, no matter who they are or what country they’re in. “The goal of this campaign is to build loyalty with consumers, and to let them know RE/MAX agents can help. People move for all sorts of reasons, but RE/MAX is always the best choice.” The campaign’s themes and elements will appear in varying degrees beyond the U.S. and Canada. Four new TV ads, available as 10-,

15- and 30-second spots, will appear on major network and cable programming. The commercials will start airing in February. A fifth TV ad, a 30-second spot in the U.S., features CEO Margaret Kelly, who thanks buyers and sellers for helping RE/MAX earn its two trophies from J.D. Power and Associates.

COMPETITIVE EDGE After the campaign rolls out, Design Center templates and YouTube video links will help Affiliates use the images and messages in their own marketing.

P R I N T C A M PA I G N

The TV ad campaign centers on moments people relate to, such as a proposal (page 16), a departure, a homecoming and a growing family.

T V C A M PA I G N

IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT HOUSES

A variety of print ads – and Design Center templates coming in March – will complement and reinforce the themes built through the TV commercials.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

BUILDING BLOCKS

TECHNOLOGY

Create Listing Presentations That Sizzle on Your iPad THE NEW iPAD APP, RE/MAX PRESENTER, IS HELPING RE/MAX AGENTS AROUND THE GLOBE WIN BUSINESS. IT’S THE VEHICLE FOR MAKING THEIR CUSTOMIZED DESIGN CENTER iPAD LISTING PRESENTATIONS SING.

PUT THE APP TO WORK FOR YOU IN JUST TWO STEPS! Log in to the RE/MAX Design Center and select the RE/MAX presentation located in the “iPad Designs” folder in the RE/MAX Library. Click “Select” to get started.

STEP 1 Customize your iPad design in the RE/MAX Design Center

You’ll find customizable pages specifically for your service promise, marketing strategy and more. Here is a sampling of pages, plus some quick tips.

Here is your chance to make a connection and promote your expertise. The open field is perfect for a personalized letter to the client.

Make an immediate impression by personalizing the cover page with the listing address and five photos of the property.

The presentation is preloaded with valuable branding messages to help you show a seller the various unique tools and advantages you have as a RE/MAX agent.

Build a dynamic CMA with photos and information about three comparable properties.

Add client testimonials and photos to help show your commitment to service and results. Once all pages are updated, click “Done.”

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

STEP 2 Download the RE/MAX Presenter app to view your presentation

Voila! You'll have a customized iPad marketing proposal – like this one created by Vincent Clark – to show to the prospective seller using the RE/MAX Presenter app.

Once you’ve finalized your presentation in the Design Center, simply download the RE/MAX Presenter app and you’re on your way to wowing prospective clients. Follow these instructions (just once!) to add the app to your iPad:

In the RE/MAX Design Center, roll your mouse over the Profile tab, and click on “iPad Access Key” in the Profile menu to retrieve your access code.

Make sure your iPad is connected to the Internet, then tap the App Store icon on one of your home screens.

In the “Search” field in the upper right, type “RE/MAX Presenter.”

In the search results, tap the RE/MAX Presenter icon and follow the prompts to complete the installation. Once the app has been successfully installed, the RE/MAX Presenter icon will be visible on one of your home screens. Tap the RE/MAX Presenter icon to launch the app.

Enter your iPad Access Key, then tap the enter button (black circle containing an arrow) to validate your access key.

Tap the “All Presentations” tab to view all iPad-enabled projects you’ve created in your RE/MAX Design Center portfolio, including those already downloaded to your iPad.

For support, email eCare@remax.net.

“The RE/MAX Presenter App is truly leaps and bounds ahead of the competition. I love that I can show listing presentations and other Design Center projects to anyone at any time on my iPad! We just added one more reason RE/MAX is the No. 1 real estate brand in the world!” – Vincent Clark, RE/MAX Dynamic of the Valley, Wasilla, Alaska

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

BUILDING BLOCKS

SOCIAL MEDIA

“It’s viral word of mouth,” says Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert and author of Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future. “If you do good by a customer or you’re putting out great content and people are enjoying it, they’re going to share it with their networks online. And you could potentially earn more business because of that.” So how can you, too, start using social media to generate more leads?

START SMALL AND STICK WITH IT

SOCIAL SCENE HOW TO GENERATE — AND MAINTAIN — BUSINESS USING SOCIAL MEDIA BY MICHELLE GOODMAN // ILLUSTRATION BY CARRIE CALVIN

BEFORE JUDE GALLIGAN BEGAN PUBLISHING HIS DOWNTOWN Austin Blog in 2007, most of his sales leads came from his broker. Within two short years, the majority were coming directly from the blog, which covers neighborhood news, businesses and events. With 30,000 to 50,000 unique page views on the blog each month, Galligan doesn’t worry about the lead well running dry. “People search Google for downtown Austin restaurants, and my blog comes up,” says Galligan, who’s now the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Downtown Austin. “If they visit my blog, I might convert them into registering for a property search, which ultimately leads to business.” The blog also leads to free publicity on other blogs that link back to it, interviews with local news media and invitations for Galligan to join various boards and commissions.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Between Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, WordPress, Blogger and all the other social media tools out there, it’s hard to know where to start. Galligan’s suggestion? “Pick a horse and run with it.” If you decide to blog, Galligan suggests posting five times a week during the first year to build readership. Keep your posts short – 200 to 300 words is plenty. And don’t worry about producing prize-winning writing; your material needs only to be concise, engaging and spell-checked. Promote your posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and via your business card, email signature and more. For Don McDonald, a Manager at RE/MAX Gold Elite in Fairfield, Calif., Facebook – where he has 1,500 friends – is the social media tool of choice. It’s also his office’s top source of leads. “Our business has increased every year without exception because our marketing moves where the audience moves,” says McDonald, whose team of 22 has used Facebook’s pay-per-click ads and personal profile pages since 2008. “I can’t do anything about the price point, but I can still grow my market share. There’s business out there; you just have to Blogger Jude Galligan has become know where to get it.” the go-to source for information on How long does all Austin, Texas. Check out his site at downtownaustinblog.org. this take? Galligan and

McDonald recommend spending one hour a day growing your online community. Don’t think of this as five extra hours of work a week, though. “It’s just taking the time you would normally spend on old marketing methods and applying it to new ones,” McDonald says.

SHOW PERSONALITY FIRST, INVENTORY SECOND Resist the temptation to use your blog or social media account to repeatedly broadcast that interest rates are low and now’s the time to buy. “I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to force-feed real estate chatter,” Galligan says. “Nobody cares about that. You need to have a voice and be an advocate for something, whether it’s a piece of geography or a lifestyle. By writing primarily about downtown Austin and only occasionally inserting something regarding real estate, I became known as the face of downtown Austin.” McDonald, who generally posts to Facebook three to five times a day, agrees with this strategy. “You need that fine line between business machine and local personality,” he explains. “I can’t just show houses to people and not talk about my personal life, whether or not I have kids, what I did over the weekend. They’re going to run away like crazy if all I’m saying is, ‘I don’t want to tell you what I’m doing for Halloween. I just want to sell you the house.’ This is what we do in person. And now we have that opportunity to do it 24/7 online.”

Beyond Facebook

Postlets.com lets you easily advertise properties across numerous websites.

THREE WAYS SOCIAL MEDIA BOOSTS BUSINESS “If people can’t find you online, you’re nobody,” says Jude Galligan. Social media: Makes you easier to find. Your blog, Twitter account or Facebook page gives prospects — and search engines — a central place to find you online.

Lands you free PR. People who like your tweets, blog posts or Facebook updates can easily share them with their own online followers.

Improves your Google rank. The more you blog and the more others link back to your posts, the better your Google rank will be.

AIM FOR QUALITY OVER QUANTITY Cultivating 1,000 dedicated blog readers, Facebook friends or Twitter followers who are interested in your specific territory will get you much further than building a global audience of Don McDonald, 25,000. That’s where who says Facebook nurturing a niche is his office’s top comes in handy, be source of leads, cohosts an in-house it downtown Austin, news program that uptown Manhattan appears on YouTube or the North Shore and his brokerage’s video-rich website of Oahu. (goldnewsnetwork.tv). “Instead of trying to hit the masses, you need to become the go-to person for a specific area,” Schawbel says. “Once you do that, you’re going to attract the right people.” To target the right readers, Schawbel suggests following the blogs, Twitter feeds or Facebook pages of influential people in your region. Link to their blog posts. Retweet their Twitter insights. Comment on their Facebook updates. The more you interact with them, the more likely they’ll promote you online, too. Don’t expect your followers (and sales figures) to increase overnight. Schawbel warns. Social media marketing is a longterm strategy, so patience is essential. “Not everyone needs to buy a home tomorrow,” he explains. “But five months from now, if they’re looking to buy, you’re going to be the first person they go to.”

Websites and tools to maximize your social media efforts abound. A few favorites:

Stik.com allows you to collect client recommendations in one place.

WordPress is an invaluable and easy-to-use blogging platform.

Twellow.com helps you find influential people to follow on Twitter.

HootSuite.com helps you manage your social media accounts.

TweetDeck.com offers another way to keep social media streams organized.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

XXXXXXXXXXX BUILDING BLOCKS

BUSIN ESS STR ATEGY

YOU CAN FIND WAYS TO PROSPER IN ANY SORT OF MARKET. TOP PRODUCERS OFFER IDEAS.

Kim and Brian Tienken

BY TAR A SWORDS

RE/MAX EQUITY GROUP, BEAVERTON, ORE. Lifetime Achievement Award recipient (Brian)

WINNING STRATEGIES lthough real estate markets have changed significantly in recent times, RE/MAX agents have the skills, support, experience and independence to stay successful. Here are three examples: »

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

WHEN BRIAN TIENKEN ENTERED the real estate business 27 years ago, he worked with his father, a veteran agent who was incredibly good at building trust and loyalty among clients and friends. Tienken has taken the same tact in his career. “Real estate is a relational business, not a transactional one,” says the Platinum Club member. “There’s so much stress in the market right now, and people want to know you care about them. If you want to create a steady stream of referrals, be as consistent and personal as possible.” More than 80 percent of Tienken’s business comes from repeats and referrals, thanks to his loyal following of Brian Buffini principles. For example, he and his wife, Kim (who’s also his marketing manager), host frequent clientappreciation dinner parties at their

home, as well as quarterly luncheons with service vendors. “I budget up to $20,000 every year for client appreciation items and events,” Brian says. “You don’t have to be extravagant to show gratitude; it could be as simple as dropping by with a pie during the holidays or writing thank-you notes.” Tienken especially likes to thank people who refer business to him, a staple of the Buffini model. These “A” clients get the most attention, but he also reaches out to those in the “B” and “C” groups. Tienken sends monthly mailings and notes, and invites past clients to barbecues and paper-shredding parties. “You shouldn’t be pushy, but you also can’t be afraid to let people know what you do,” Tienken says. “Never shy away from asking for referrals when you’re thanking someone for their business.”

“Never shy away from asking for referrals when you’re thanking someone for their business.”

Craig Mitchell-Dyer; Chris Hinkle; Jeff Blake

BUILD REFERRAL RELATIONSHIPS

ADAPT TO CURRENT TRENDS

Molly Sims RE/MAX REAL ESTATE CONSULTANTS, CHAPIN, S.C. Hall of Fame member

IN A SMALL SOUTH CAROLINA TOWN WHERE

Marsee Wilhems RE/MAX MAJESTIC, TUCSON, ARIZ. Lifetime Achievement Award recipient

AT THE PEAK OF ARIZONA’S housing boom, Marsee Wilhems attracted customers with a guaranteed sale program: “I’ll sell your home or I’ll buy it.” Everyone who called to learn more represented a chance to start a dialogue and earn new business. As the Tucson market turned, however, the guaranteed sale proposition became ineffective. A huge adjustment was in order. “You have to stick to the basics of business, but when things change, you have to change with them,” says Wilhems, whose team ranked No. 10 in the U.S. through November 2011. “Hopefully, you foresee the shift and are one of the first to adapt to it.” While some agents hung on to their tried-and-true tactics, Wilhems and her husband Jeff shifted their attention to distressed properties early on. “We’ve positioned Marsee as an REO and short sale specialist, someone who can negotiate with the banks and get people out of their troubled

situation,” Jeff says. The Wilhemses reach out to potential buyers and sellers via Facebook and Twitter, and use an online service that offers pay-per-click advertising, lead

“We know what’s happening in the market, and that gives us a big edge.” capture and training resources. “We had a huge year in 2011, with about 700 sides total,” Jeff says. “Despite the market, it was a very good year for us.” These new techniques complement the old ones, which are still in full force: radio and television ads, signage and plenty of exposure. The other component: a direct link to REO properties. “At the end of the day, we have listings and information coming to us through our relationships with the banks,” Jeff says. “We know what’s happening in the market, and that gives us a big edge.”

everybody knows everybody, Molly Sims understands that personal touches mean the world to her clients. That’s why she calls or meets faceto-face with sellers when relaying important progress updates. “Clients and other agents will remember you if you actually pick up the phone and call them instead of sending emails.” Thanking past clients for their business is crucial. One chilly fall day, Sims and her partner drove house-to-house handing out pork shoulders to past clients who referred business her way. At about $5,000 a year, these types of personalized popby goodies are well worth the investment, Sims says. The pathway to any RE/MAX agent’s success, though, starts with the brand and the leads it generates. When Sims has the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon at the town’s annual Labor Day parade, it gets a lot of attention even if no one knows her name. “I’ll never have deep enough pockets to make the impact that RE/MAX advertising has around the globe, so I take advantage of it. The balloon calls attention to your business; the rest is up to you.”

“The balloon calls attention to your business; the rest is up to you.”

THANK CLIENTS AND USE THE BRAND

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Go all in during RE/MAX R4, March 5-8, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The premier real estate event for RE/MAX Associates worldwide, R4 is four powerpacked days of education, networking, referrals and fun. There’s no other real estate event in the world where you’ll see a gathering of the best professionals from dozens of countries all in one setting. At RE/MAX R4, there’s a contagious energy and a constant exchange of ideas that makes this gathering remarkable. »

CHOOSE YOUR PATH

rom its dynamic speakers to the countless learning opportunities, everything about R4 is world-class. One highlight: the Global Referral Exchange on March 6, where hundreds of RE/MAX Associates will gather to exchange leads and discuss what’s happening in their respective global markets. Another huge draw at R4: the RE/MAX Approved Supplier MarketPlace. More than 100 companies in the Approved Supplier Program will be on hand to unveil the latest real estate technologies, systems, services

More than 100 hours of education await you in Las Vegas. Select sessions from seven learning tracks:

GENERAL INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIAL BROKER/OWNER

and products that can help Associates boost business and work smarter. For attendees looking for training beyond the four-day offerings, there are eight pre-convention courses to choose from. Visit the Events page on Mainstreet for complete details and registration instructions. The advance-purchase registration rate for R4 is $525 and is available until Feb. 29, 2012. Onsite registration in Las Vegas will be available at the rate of $600.

DISTRESSED PROPERTIES

WAYS TO WIN

The first step is making it a priority to go every year. It’s an investment in your business – and your future.

TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR

Bring a ton of business cards. Your cards should have a recent photo of you (so people can put a face to the name) and complete contact information.

Go to the fashion show luncheon. You’ll meet agents you can exchange cards with and get to know more intimately.

RE/MAX R4 experience, it’s good to have a plan. Duane Duggan, a Lifetime

Take a lot of pictures with other agents throughout the week.

Go to Awards Night and walk across the stage to get your award.

Send the photos to them after convention via email and Facebook; they’ll love it!

Everyone – especially those you’ve just met – will see that you’re successful and going as strong as ever.

Achievement Award winner and Chairman’s Club member with RE/MAX of Boulder in Boulder, Colo., has rarely missed a convention in 30 years. Here are his tips for maximizing your time in Las Vegas:

Become an expert on a topic and offer to speak about it at a future convention. This is a great way to build visibility and credibility among other agents.

Attend the Global Referral Exchange! You’ll network with agents from all over the world. When I travel abroad, I love visiting the offices of agents I’ve met at R4.

Update your Web Roster profile on Mainstreet with a bio and photo. Include designations and detailed interests, because that’s where agents will go to find more information about you.

Duane Duggan and his R4 friends from RE/MAX Estonia. ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

THE CAMARADERIE IS AWESOME EVERY YEAR,

BE INSPIRED

AND IT’S ENERGIZING TO

THE R4 FEATURED SPEAKERS WHO WILL HELP YOU STAY ON THE RIGHT TRACK THIS YEAR:

MEET PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD IN ONE PLACE. IF YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO R4,

Tony Hsieh

Tom Ferry

David Bach

Brian Buffini

Dewitt Jones

As CEO of online shoe and apparel retailer Zappos, Tony Hsieh grew the company from virtually nothing to more than $1 billion in annual gross sales. He’s most famous, though, for his management style – which is focused on fun and creativity.

Ready to grab the brass ring? Tom Ferry will cheer you on and coach you up. His upbeat presentations, videos, books and coaching programs push real estate professionals to reach beyond their expectations and aim higher in their careers.

David Bach has written 12 bestsellers on “finishing rich.” One big idea: Using his “Latte Factor” calculator, add up all the money you’ve spent on items such as coffee and bottled water – and realize how it could have grown in your savings.

Rather than follow traditional lead-generation methods, Brian Buffini developed a powerful, 100-percent referral-based system to grow his business. With insight and Irish wit, he’s trained hundreds of thousands of real estate agents over the years.

Dewitt Jones is a photographer (20 years with National Geographic), author (nine books), and two-time Academy Award-nominated director (for “Climb” and “John Muir’s High Sierra”). At every turn, Jones seeks to “celebrate what’s right with the world.”

DID YOU KNOW? Here’s a glimpse of some RE/MAX R4 facts that might just surprise you:

100+ HOURS OF EDUCATION OVER FOUR DAYS

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

480 Gallons of coffee consumed during R4

56 Number of countries represented at R4 in 2011

1976

YEAR OF FIRST RE/MAX CONVENTION

YOU NEED TO GO FOR YOUR BUSINESS. –P ATRICIA SCHWARTZ, RE/MAX PREFERRED, MADISON, WIS.

$200,000 Funds raised for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at the 2011 event.

HEADED TO R4? THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT! Experience RE/MAX R4 in a whole new way with the R4 Mobile App, the handy little smartphone app that does it all. This free mobile application was a hit at last year’s convention, and it’s back again this year. The app delivers real-time R4 information to the palm of your hand so you never miss a beat. There are multiple versions available so the app will work

on most smartphones. In addition to having access to convention alerts, education session schedules and event highlights, the app also lets you rate and comment on sessions, download session handouts, chat about R4 via a built-in Twitter feed, share photos and search for Approved Suppliers exhibiting in the R4 MarketPlace. Search “RE/MAX R4 Mobile App” in your device’s app store to download it today.

WAIT, THERE’S MORE: Looking for the 411 on all the dining, attractions and amenities that the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino has to offer? Download the Mandalay Bay App.

The “Tee It Up for Kids!” Tournament will take over the Bali Hai Golf Club on March 5.

HAVE FUN Here’s a list of the optional R4 social events (some events require advance-purchase tickets):

“Tee It Up for Kids!” CMN Hospitals Golf Tournament March 5 $200 RE/MAX Appreciation Reception March 5 $50

The Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino is a perfect fit as the RE/MAX R4 host hotel.

included in base registration

“The Big Give” CMN Hospitals Live Auction March 6 $30 included in base registration

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Luncheon and Fashion Show March 7 $45 “Best of RE/MAX” Awards Dinner & Dance March 7 $80 Party With a Purpose featuring Barenaked Ladies March 8 $50

FOR CANADIAN Associate Duncan Fremlin (right), seeing the Barenaked Ladies perform at the R4 Party with a Purpose will be a highlight. That’s because Fremlin is friends with drummer Tyler Stewart; both men play on the same Toronto amateur hockey team. They also have music in common: Fremlin is a five-string banjo player and vocalist who toured with his own band, Whiskey Jack, in

VIVA LAS VEGAS

120,000 NUMBER OF MARRIAGE LICENSES ISSUED EACH YEAR BY LAS VEGAS

the ’70s and ’80s. It’s no wonder he and Stewart became fast friends; the pair have even jammed together at variety shows for the hockey league. “The Barenaked Ladies are a Canadian institution and if you haven’t seen them in concert, you’ll enjoy serious laughs and an upbeat, energetic show,” Fremlin says.

VISIT MAINSTREET TO REGISTER TODAY!

H ER E AR E SO M E FU N TI DB ITS ABO UT YO U R H OST CIT Y

$832,500 CELINE DION’S WEEKLY PAY FOR PERFORMING AT CAESARS PALACE IN 2004

$50,000

1.6 million

Liberace’s weekly pay for performing at the newly opened Riviera in 1955

Gallons of water (and 2,000+ creatures) in the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

12,000 P O U N D S

WEIGHT OF 75-FOOT-TALL VEGAS VIC, A LANDMARK NEON SIGN ERECTED IN 1951

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

all the world WITH TH E R EC ENT L AU N C H O F G LO BAL . R EMA X .CO M ,

“The volume of data alone – listing descriptions, photos, agent profiles – makes global.remax.com one of the largest listing databases in the world.” – CAR LOS M ATIAS, GRYPHTECH FOUNDER AND M ANAGING DIR ECTOR

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

| G LO B A L |

Across the Globe or Across the Street, RE/MAX is Everywhere A DECADE AGO, RE/MAX EUROPE LAUNCHED A

over BY DEBOR AH BALL KE ARNS

centralized listings site that laid the framework for global.remax.com. The new site is poised to become the future of global property search. In the few short months since its launch, global.remax.com is gaining steam – and visitors. More than 4.7 million page views were recorded on the site from September to early January, a number that continues to grow rapidly. An industry first – no other real estate brand has a site like it – global.remax.com will ultimately include RE/MAX listings in more than 70 countries and territories, translatable into over 30 languages. The site features news from the World Property Channel and a currency converter. “This is a major step forward for everyone in RE/MAX, and for consumers around the world,” says William Soteroff, RE/MAX Executive Vice President of U.S. and International Regional Development. “Associates benefit from the heightened exposure for their listings, as well as more opportunities for cross-border RE/MAX referrals.”

T H E N E T W O R K T R U LY K N O W S N O L I M I T S

The functionality and vision for global.remax.com isn’t new, Soteroff notes. It has evolved in the past 10 years from a project called iList created for RE/MAX Europe in 2002. Soteroff, who was head of RE/MAX Europe operations at the time, worked closely with Carlos Matias, Founder and Managing Director of GryphTech, to develop iList. Matias’ company powers global.remax.com, as well as a host of other RE/MAX regional websites.

Soteroff’s vision seemed grandiose to some at the time, but to him it was simple: Develop a centralized MLS site that gives consumers the ability to search for properties in other countries, in their own languages.

Early success stories

RE/MAX Argentina was one of the first regions outside of Europe that was introduced to the iList platform. Since then, RE/MAX agents in Argentina have received more business leads for their properties, which are being scooped up by American and Canadian buyers, says Dotti Peñate, Co-Owner of RE/MAX Argentina. With global.remax.com, Peñate sees even more opportunities for agents to get

high-quality buyer leads and to better assist locals looking to buy in South Florida, the top second-home destination for many Argentinians, Peñate adds. “The new site reaffirms to the world that RE/MAX is a major force in global real estate,” Peñate says.

Future of global

The success of iList created the framework for global.remax.com, which will soon include 700,000-plus listings. What makes global.remax.com unique in the marketplace is the quality of the data, because it comes directly from RE/MAX agents, Matias says. “The volume of data alone – listing descriptions, photos, agent profiles – makes global.remax.com one of the largest listing databases in the world,” Matias says. “In three clicks or less, a user can see listings in any country, so

it’s also easy to navigate and use. This is the vision we had for iList, realized on a global scale.” RE/MAX Associates reap countless benefits from the global site. For example, U.S. Associates who are trying to expand the international side of their business can advertise their properties to global buyers and investors, says Larry Oberly, RE/MAX Vice President of International Development. “Consumers want to do business with people who understand them and speak their language, and RE/MAX agents now have this amazingly powerful tool that helps them reach out to those clients,” Oberly says. “Now is the time agents should be building cross-border referrals with other RE/MAX Associates. With global. remax.com, there’s no longer a gap to bridge. It’s all in one place.”

A N OT H E R G LO B A L AV E N U E

F YOU HAVE LISTINGS YOU WANT TO EXPOSE to a global RE/MAX audience through print – or if you want to build your worldwide referral

network through a glossy, full-color publication –

LEVERAGE THE POWER Put global.remax.com to work for you with these resources:

you should know about MAXiRED Homes Around the World magazine. The quarterly publication – developed by Leonardo Cromstedt, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Eralia in Marbella, Spain – is designed as a marketing tool for RE/MAX agents, Broker/Owners and regional franchisors. Each

S ix informational videos for RE/MAX Affiliates

edition includes listing advertisements – in multiple languages – as well as a

R E/MAX Design Center fliers and postcards

MAXiRED provides another excellent way for RE/MAX Associates to

A shareable consumer video on YouTube

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

wealth of RE/MAX content and branding in English. leverage the network’s global reach by collaborating with international colleagues. For more information, or to read the latest issue, visit www.maxiredmagazine.com.

| G LO B A L |

noboundaries Market conditions are drawing Canadian and other

international buyers to the U.S. in droves. RE/MAX agents are working together across borders to capture this growing client base. BY DEBORAH BALL KEARNS

// P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T C O O K

HEY LIVE 1,000 MILES APART, BUT KIM MARR and Barbara Vance enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. The RE/MAX agents exchange frequent referrals, with each doing her part to ensure a smooth closing and, most importantly, a satisfying result for their buyers. And they do it all from different sides of the U.S./Canada border. Marr, a Hall of Fame member with RE/MAX Professionals in Mississauga, Ontario, and Vance, a Sales Associate with RE/MAX Properties SW in Orlando, have worked together since 2010, assisting Canadian clients in the purchase of Florida properties. Over time, both women have built a strong cross-border referral base that positions them nicely to meet the growing demand of Canadians buying second-home and investment properties in the U.S. Other agents would be wise to follow their lead. International clients purchased $82 billion in U.S. real estate from March 2010 to March 2011, up from $66 billion in the previous year-over-year time period, according to the National Association of Realtors. Canadians accounted for 23 percent of those purchases.

Barbara Vance (left) and Kim Marr work together regularly to close cross-border transactions.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ WINTER 2012

WHERE THEY’RE BUYING Here’s a look at the most popular U.S. states where international buyers purchased second-home or investment properties*:

31%..........FLORIDA 12%..........CALIFORNIA 9 % ..........TEXAS 6% ..........ARIZONA

WHERE THEY’RE FROM Get a breakdown of international sales by country*:

23% ........CANADA 9 % ..........CHINA 7%............INDIA 7% .......... U NITED KINGDOM 7% ..........MEXICO 5% .......... A RGENTINA & BRAZIL 4% ..........FRANCE 4% ..........GERMANY 1%.............JAPAN 1%.............RUSSIA Source: National Association of REALTORS Profile of International Homebuying Activity 2011. *Numbers are based on a random survey of Realtors based on their experiences over 12 months ending March 2011.

The uptick in international buyers scooping up U.S. real estate shows no signs of slowing, and RE/MAX agents are in a prime position to capture the business.

The upper hand RE/MAX Associates have several advantages if they want to expand the global side of their business. In addition to global.remax.com, they have RE/MAX R4, which attracts thousands of attendees from around the world each year. One session in particular – the Global Referral Exchange – provides a unique

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

opportunity for Associates from any RE/MAX region to generate global business leads. R4 aside, agents are finding all sorts of innovative ways to connect. Take Marr, for instance, who has built an agent referral program for RE/MAX Associates in Canada and the U.S. It includes cross-border ancillary professionals and dozens of agents who work together in assisting Canadian buyers. With so many Canadians heading south to purchase properties, agents who are not taking advantage of the growing cross-border business are “leaving money on the table,” Marr says. “Dealing with Canadian buyers takes unique expertise,” she says. “I highlight potential issues they need to consider when purchasing in the United States. I also introduce them to independent

cross-border professionals who can advise them on key legal, tax, estate and financial issues before they buy. All the U.S. agent has to worry about is finding the right property. The business comes gift-wrapped.”

Concierge service In Orlando, before the clients ever meet her, Vance puts them on automatic drip emails so they receive customized information showing only the listings that interest them. Florida buyers are waiting for the economy and job situation to improve before taking the plunge, and sellers are reluctant to sell because of downward pressure on prices, Vance says. Her best chance of finding buyers for her luxury listings is marketing the properties to international buyers. “When I’m in listing presentations, it’s a huge advantage when I explain

| G LO B A L |

Canadian clients are in ‘good hands’ with RE/MAX

anadian couple Michael and Joanne Osatiuk are inching closer to retirement and decided to buy properties in the U.S. to build a bigger nest egg – and have a little fun. The couple met Barry Giles of RE/MAX Saskatoon in their native Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and told him what they were looking for. Giles, who had met Kris Anderson of Arizona during her many sojourns to Canadian RE/MAX events, immediately referred the Osatiuks her way. The couple purchased a vacation home in Chandler, Ariz., through Anderson in 2007. In 2010, they

that RE/MAX has No. 1 market share in Canada and that I receive a steady stream of leads from Canada,” says Vance, whose median listing price is about $700,000. She refers to herself as a “concierge” for her Canadian agents. Special touches, like arranging hotel stays and car rentals during their initial visits, to stocking the refrigerator before arrivals and setting up lawn or pool services, make Vance’s clients understand that she’s truly looking out for them.

Seizing opportunity Florida isn’t the only state attracting Canadian buyers. In Arizona and elsewhere, RE/MAX agents are assisting international clients. A leader in the field is Kris Anderson of Scottsdale, Ariz., who eight years ago decided to take advantage of the industry-leading RE/MAX presence in Canada. She began traveling north to RE/MAX events to meet Canadian agents, resulting in buyer referrals that have expanded her business and

called on her again to help them buy two investment properties, and now they rent those homes out to locals. Each step of the way, Anderson anticipated issues the couple might encounter as Canadian nationals, and she had a top-notch list of people to assist them: an attorney, accountant, insurance agent and a Canadian monetary exchange firm. All three transactions were seamless and smooth, leaving the Osatiuks with an indelibly positive impression of RE/MAX. Now, they’re soaking up the sunshine in Chandler (and playing a lot of

increased her sales volume. At the time, it might have seemed like an odd idea, flying all that way to generate new business. Not these days. “Sixty percent of my business right now involves Canadian buyers,” says Anderson, a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and Platinum Club member with RE/MAX Excalibur Realty. “And the key is knowing the agents who work with them. I’ve tried marketing directly to consumers in Canada, but it doesn’t work nearly as well as setting up a booth at RE/MAX conferences up there and meeting with Canadian agents face-to-face.” Arizona, California, Florida and Texas accounted for 58 percent of all international real estate purchases in the U.S. from March 2010 to March 2011, NAR reported. If Anderson’s recent sales are any indication, U.S. Sun Belt states will see even more of their northern neighbors flocking south. And you can bet Anderson will be among the agents who are ready to work with them.

golf), as well as earning income on the other two properties. Kris Anderson “Buying a property in another country is no easy feat, and I wanted to make sure we were completely comfortable with how everything was handled,” Michael Osatiuk says. “Not only was Kris knowledgeable about the market and the cross-border issues, she also listened to what we wanted and gave us options. We were in good hands the entire time.”

Common cross-border issues for Canadians buying in the U.S. Canadian buyers have a number of considerations when they purchase a property in the U.S., Kim Marr says. They include: H ow to title a property (U.S. estate planning) Substantial presence test (time spent in the U.S.) U.S. health insurance Tax filing on rental income C urrency conversion rates Property insurance

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

R • QUANG HO • PAUL LANGROCK • GREG BRYANT • JUDY SMITH • TRACI THOMAS • KENT MASON • CAPRI D’AMARIO • MATTHEW BULLOCK • CINDY LANGDON • PATRICIA OHLING • IVANA HANACEK • JOE TOLSCH • RONALD BREESE • HADI ATRI • VEL THURBER EVERETT • AMY YOUNGERMAN • LAURIE HELDERLE • DAVID MCCONNELL • DAVE CCONNELL • DONDI PHELPS WILSON • THOMAS EVERETT • SCOTT RODGERS • TH’RESANN GANNON • SHERYL LYNCH • CHRIS LEVNO • JANE CRUDER-JOHNSON • JEANNETTE UBER • CYNTHIA RANKIN • ANTHONY DENITO • JOHN O’DONNELL • LETICIA HIXSON • KAREN HODGE • JANINE WILSON • BETH MCKINNEY • MATTHEW RIDGEWAY • LARRY LLEY • JEFF RIEGLER • JEFFREY DARR • MARTY MATHIS • PATRICE COLLINS • CHRISTOPHER ROSSMAIER • GRETCHEN BIVENS-TRENDEL • OWEN MEALS • LISA WAY • CHUCK OGH • BARBARA HELLER • RYAN DANHAUSER • DAN C. CRITCHER, JR. • ALBERT OROZCO • JOSH FRETZ • BILL EVERETT • JOANNE JARVIS • PAULINE KATSOUDAS • MITCHELL ELBAUGH • WENDY MASSAGEE • KIMBERLY PARKER • JEFF BOALS • CHRISTIE JACKSON • CARLA LUCA • CHARLOTTE SIEBERT • LAURA SORIDE • ROE MILLING • BRADLEY CKER • KATIE BRADLEY • MARCIE PARRISH • TRACY HESS • BUTCH FEHR • GARY ETTINGER • DEBORAH STEWART • DANIEL MARKS • RYAN ANDREWS • IRENE TANIS • ELLEN ICHEL • JUNE CASTELLI • RONALD HOWARD • BRENDA WILLIAMS • MARK MOZINGO • REBECCA HARRINGTON • RICKIE FARRIS • BRIAN SIVAK • WILLIAM CAMPBELL • DANL SWING • ANTHONY MORETZ • CARLOS RUIZ • KNIGHT BARTON • MATILDE AGUIRRE • TONI WIELAND • TIMOTHY LITTLE • ELLEN J. BECKER • JIM SIEBERT • JENNIFER KING TRISHA HECKENDORN • LEIGH BROWN • JACK STARNES • GARY VASQUEZ • STEVEN PETERSON • JIM PAVLICA • LYLE NEVINS • CANDACE PRATT • JOANNE SPANO • YOSELYN OLLOW • DANA HAMILTON • CHRISTOPHER SKRIP • SUSANNE BIEDLER • JAMES CAMPBELL • CAROL MCCANN • PAUL WENGER • BRAD DAVIS • PAMELA JOHNSTON • BILL CKWITH • KATHLEEN KELLEHER • SUSANNE BRENNAN & ASSOCIATES • VERA HOGNER • SUSANNE BRENNAN • JONATHAN MODENE • JOYCE DALTON • JOHN PRIDGEN • ANE LEDBETTER • ROSS HAMILTON • JERRY STOFFER • J MICHAEL ADLER • JUDY GANG • ROBERT PRATT • KAREN PANHORST • EDWARD HAYWOOD • DONALD CRUMP & MANDA CLINE CARPENTER • JAMES MURPHY • TRACY WHISNANT • MICHAEL XIAO • DARRELL WEST • BOB BROWN • GEORGE WOODS • KEN WALKER • ANNA NORRIS • RENT MORRIS • CHRISTOPHER COOKE • THOMAS MANOLAS • TOM MANOLAS • EDWARD TURNER • MICHELLE DANIELS • SCOTT SUFAK • JENNIFER DORBISH • LEA CHITOOD • SHEILA STUPKA • CHRISTINE NOHR • DOUG WEITEN • JAMES WALSH • JIM WALSH • PAUL CULLEY • HEATHER O’BRIEN • CARMEN OSBORN • STEVE MCVAY • PAMELA ORN • REBECCA SMITH • SALLY RENKEN • EDDIE BOYD • RANDY ADKINS • STEVE LUKACENA • AMY REED • SUE LEASE • STEVEN HASLEY • WILLIAM DUMEYER • CINDY ENDERSON • WENDY STEINER • MATUOS MATTI • RAMONA MITCHELL • DEBORAH DANIELSON • THOMAS SKIFFINGTON • KEVIN WEACHTER • MICHAEL WALLACE • CINDY ABCOCK • MIKE WALLACE • BRIAN SEGEL • FRAN FUNDERBURG • JAY WOJCIK • JOSEPH BANICK • SUSAN MAINHART • WALTER MARCHOWSKY • ERIC ORTIZ • GARY SPIES • DY AVENSON • KIMBERLY JOHNSON • SHERRY RICHARDSON • PHILIP TWITCHELL • ANNE PALLISTER • JAMES BUTTERWORTH • MARILYN AVIS • PAKRAD MARKARIAN • SON SINCLAIR • EDITH HAWLEY • NATALIE WILSON • FAY NIXON • SHARON RIGGS • TERRY FISCHER • VICKIE GALLIMORE • RAY BRASIER • LAKESHIA NELSON • LISA BORERS • DANNY BABB • ANTHONY TODORA • HOWARD REAMER • JOAN WALMER • MARY F. (FRANKIE) KENDALL • SCOTT TONEY • KELLY MARKS • LINDA REIBENSTEIN • ASHY STEWARDSON • JEFFREY CROSS • SHELLY HARTMAN • BERNARD ACREE • KIMBERLY SIMPSON • SANDY WILSON • DENISE MADAN • JAMES HAMILTON • RAYMOND BERNER • CHARLES TODD • ALLAN ACKERMAN • GEORGE IRVIN • DAVE COURTNEY • JUDITH SHOUSE • BRENDA REYNOLDS • KAREN SUMNER • PENNY BURLISON • KATHY BOND ALEX “DICKSON, MBA, CDPE, CIAS, EPRO” • KATE MONK • JUDY RUNION • JAMES EGAN • KERRY KATHLEEN FINN • M. ODETTE GODIN • ELTON E. DAVIS, JR • TRISHA WHITAER • DEBBIE CUSHMAN • SARAH BUNS • SHARON HASTY • CYNTHIA STEINEMANN • JIM MOORE • RYAN POAG • BETH HINES • CLAY CLAUSSEN • HEATHER HOPKINSON • ATTHEW DAVIS • JIM WILLMSEN • JUSTIN BREWER • DAVID GOLDBERG • JARROD CHRISTOU • CHAD COSTA • CYNTHIA SNYDER • JUNIE SEWARD • SUSAN ROBERTSON • LEE LLEN • BETH LUBE • EDWARD RAE • JAMES KENDRICK • TRACI RICHARDSON • WILLIAM BURGESS • CAROL SJURSEN • BUD KINNIE • SHAWN BARCK • GLEN MITCHELL • AL ONARD • ALICIA LEJEUNE • JOHN BIANCHIMANO • GEORGE NEESMITH • BRIAN BAUCOM • DAN MAIDMENT • SUSAN SHERIDAN-GARLITTS • TIMOTHY STOOPS • ALAIN DIAZ ANGELA CARD • CYNTHIA LLOYD • TRACY KABLE • GAIL EYE • RENEE DALESANDRO-LIZER • RICHARD CREO • TONY ALTIERI • MARILYN JOHNSON • TREVOR TAEFI • ANNE TRIDER • DAVID GOFFE • KEN WOODS • YVETTE REAVIS • TERRA KING • KEITH LAWSON • TIM MEAGHER • KIMBERLY CAMERON • JODI MUSGROVE • LISA NICKEL • MICHAEL DDESSI • DON MATHESON • JIM ZANARAS • LUCIA VULAJ • KIM JONES • TOMOKO OKUMURA • CHRISTINE KALLIO • JAY STANLEY • CORRIE ROBINSON • SUE ALLEN • MIHELLE CONWAY • RICK WILSON • ANNE STALKER • ROBERTA HOUSE • CHERYL POWELL • LINDA FAUCETT • CARMEN GONZALEZ • VERONICA URIARTE • LORI CONNY • MARN VARGAS • MERRY ANN CUTLER • MICHAEL MEEHAN • CHARLES HUDSON • DEBORAH GEIST • EMCEE ARAH • JERRY AND WENDY STEINER • DEBBIE GODWIN • EVELYN NN • MANFRED BRENES • STEVEN BEAVER • BARBARA SLAUGHTER • NAZIH BANNA • TINA BRABANDT • KATIE BARONE • MARIO SIMONE • MATTHEW SHAFER • NITA HAYES ROBERTO CASTILLO • ESPERANZA THOMAS • CHRISTOPHER KAISINGER • HOPE WIX • JODI GOLTSCHMAN • SHAWN PEACHER • DENNIS FALVEY • JULIE DANIEL SCHMIDT PA LLOYD DICKERSON • SHARON BRENIMAN • JENNY PAVLOVICH • VINNY STEO • CASEY BERDINER • CHRISTINE SNYDER • IDAROUSSE CHARIF • KIMBERLY SCHREINER • MYSHA HOMPSON • STEPHEN TOLMIE • BONNIE LOVINS • NYLA YOUNG • ROBERT ALLPHIN • LIZETTE CONOVER • CALVIN WILLIAMSON • DIANA BARTH • EMILY GRAEVE • MARC OLOTOROFE • DIONIS PERDOMO • JOSEPH “BONDI ABR, GRI” • KENNETH WICKHAM • RIU MURPHY • BRIGITTE SHULTZ • JONATHAN MENDYS • MATTHEW JOHNSON • TRACY RGUSON • PATRICIA GONZALEZ • AMY COLLINS • WANDA BURGESS • AMY DOLL • ELIZABETH SPENCER • LAURIE CURTIS • ALEXANDRA GROSSHOLZ • LYNNETTE POTTER • HAR WINCKOWSKI • FAWN COMBS • WILLIAM ANDERSON • ELIZABETH GALLEGOS • JASON QUICK • LARRY REVIER • D. BARRY SECHRIST • JUAN ARDILA • PATRICIA DILLON NICHOLAS ABBADESSA • TERRI HENRY • ABBY NELSON • PAULA KOSKO • RICH BAK • VINCENT CARD • DAVID JAMES • KEVIN WILLNER • MARILYN VOREIS • CHRISTOPHER TRAIN • DAVID WESTPHAL • MIKE PROFFITT • SEAN K. LANGSTON • CASSONDRA BIRNIE • CHRIS MURPHY • FRANK RUSSO • LAUREL KELLETT • JASON HARRISON • JOAN ARTIN • WALTON BANKSTON • CHRIS GODKIN • KATHY PRINCE • LORI ANN GIOVINCO • SCOT DRAPER • KAY NEWTON • TIMOTHY BRINKMAN • TRUDY HOFF • ANGELE ARLSON • KATHLEEN PERKINS • NICHOLAS CHILLEMI • NICHOLAS J. CHILLEMI SR. • JOSEPH SARDO • KEVIN STOVER • FRED GIBBONS • ERIKA WEBB • MICHELE GRAHAM • NE WYATT • KAREN YOSHIKAWA • KEITH MYERS • LAURA CANNY • NICHOLAS JORDAN • VENUS FIORAVANTI • APRIL STEPHENS • DIANA EYINK • ESME RYAN • VINCENT LLEGAS • JEANNIE BUTLER • RUSS TAYLOR • MEREDITH JOHNSON • RICHARD TAYLOR • FLO WATSON • JENNIFER KARBER • SHERI RAY • WENDY THOMPSON • PATRICIA ANGUM • RIGOBERTO GUTIERREZ • W. MARK AHNEN • DAVID SIROCHMAN • DENNIS PERKINS • NANCY DEICHMAN • JUSTIN ROBERTS • KIM GARY • MELODY DAVIS • RENEE OARK • JACK J. SIMPSON • NATALIE BARONE • BRENDA PRIVETTE • MICHAEL RAY • RANDY SMITH • SANDRA MITCHELL • NANCY DUMEYER • DON SHIPPEY • GINA FRATTINI LEE HARDMAN • NICOLE RAFFERTY • CHARLES VAN SWOL • ROBERT HAMILTON • SCOTT PROCTOR • ALICIA VAZQUEZ • ANDREW BRYAN • JIM LYONS • CHRISTOPHER OMERS • ANTHONY CHILLEMI • EARL SANDERS • RHYAN FINCH • ALAN DALTON • DEBORAH PARKER • DENNIS MARTIN • NANCY BELMAR • THOMAS GISH • DANIEL KELTNER DIANNA DOYLE • EDWARD BARBER • PAUL KITCHEN • LARRY DEMARCO • JOSEPH POOLE • MAURICE LISTA • REBECCA JOHNSON • SANDRA VIGIL • DORIS TAYLOR • LARRY CGUIRE • LISA KRUGER • MICHAEL GOLDSTEIN • RICHARD RILEY • STEVE DOUGHERTY • TRACY HOLT • CONNIE TYLER • RANDY STOLTZFUS • JENNIFER KARASZ • LORI HOMPSON • PATRICK TOLE • CECILE ANN CLAYTON • LOUIS WRIGHT • PAUL FOLMSBEE • GINA TUZZOLINO • BRIAN MANN • DENNIS BURGESS • DONNA SHEPPARD • GIOVANCARPINO • LINDA KAUFMAN • MIGUEL MELENDEZ • SHIRLEY TERRY • ANGIE ZENGILOWSKI • ARMANDO D. RUIZ • DEAN EADES • MARK WILKES • CHAD VANINGER • DAVID AREW • JAYME M. SANDY • JOSE PASTORA • KIM PERKINS • LARS HEDENBORG • CARMEN TROIL • DELENA CIAMACCO • ROBERT SECHRIST • SCOTT MULLENNIX • SHARON TRODE • STEPHANIE WILLIAMS • CHARAY BREWER • DEBORAH CLARK • NICK AND CINDY DAVIS • ROSE LOTZ • DEB SULLIVAN • DIANA EARNST • JON NEWTON • YVONNE GHLEY • DEBBIE CRAIG-BANDUCCI • JOHN HOLLADAY • KEYVAN KOHAN • ROXANNE CARPENTER • SUZAN ROGALSKI • CAROL KABLE • KEVIN SPICER • LYNN RAY • MICHAEL ONERGAN • ARI GERZOWSKI • DAVID BRUSH • JULIA PACIFICO • RICK HERRON • SANDY KING-ELLER • ALICIA PORTER • CAMERON CLEMENT • JACK GOWAN • PAM CARRIGAN PAT NEAGLE • BRADLEY FRICKE • ESTEBAN SOLANO • K.C. MCLAUGHLIN • JAMES NEIPRIS • LINDA WEBER • ROGER FARMER • CARLOS SILVA • LINDA INNELLA • LINDA WATT RUSTON WILLIAMS • CHRISTINE CLARK • DAN HOVGAARD • MICHAEL YINGLING • BEN WILSON • GWEN RADER • MICHAEL YINGLING • STEPHEN KRAMER • THOMAS ARPER • WILLIAM REDDINGTON • BOBBY HILL • LOLA AFFLECK • MONICA FLORES • ROY FIZELL • DONALD GEBHARD • KATHLEEN HAGIN • BRANDY L. FABRY • DEBBIE LEE • AREN KILLEN • RON TALPERS • TODD BROWER • CRYSTAL CARLSON • DAYNETTE ORR • JOE GOLDIAN • KURT WEBER • SUSAN CORONEL • DAN WANNER • DOLORES CAPRITTI • JEANNIE RAY • KIMBERLY HUNSTIGER • WEESIE LOWDER • JAQUIE ROSENTHAL • PAMELA KIELKUCKI • ANDREW LEHR • BOB BAUCOM • CYNTHIA STRATIFF • MATT CKEE • CHUONG VAN TRAN • DENA GIBSON • DOMINIC TRIVERI • LAURA GALLAGHER • MARK MOHN • CONNIE BARNHART • DON KEETON • JEFFREY PETERS • KATRINA AINES • LAURA RAPP • LEVI SALMANS • MARY WILSON • MICHAEL ARLETH • MICHAEL MCCUSKER • SHERRYL BRECKMAN • DIANA MCKEE • JOHN GOODWIN • MICHAEL CNULTY • SHARON BRACKINS • CHRISTENA WICKWIRE • JEFF BOWERS • LOURDES FERNANDEZ • CRAIG DUCKWORTH • DANIEL BOENSCH • KEITH EL-BAKRI • RAY GUIM • LLA BJORKSTEN • BOB, ROB AND BRAD HAMILTON • FRANCES THEO • RANDY PULHAM • BRYEN MCHENRY • JASON DANIELS • JOE MILLER • JOHN MANGAS • LISA FUNK • USSEL GOODMAN • JEFFREY HALLIN • KEITH MALONE • PETE TRAYNOR • TERREY GIAUQUE • VINCE PACE • ANGELA BRIGGS • ANTHONY LAUDADIO • DARRELL THOMAS • ERB BALDWIN • VIRGINIA RUDOLPHI • WENDY TANSON • KATHRYN CROSS REECE • LU SESSA • DESIREE BURGOS • HEIDI FRANKLIN • JEFFREY BOCKRATH • RAND RUBIN • CHARD CALDWELL • ROBERT RICHARDS • DON NEWTON • JUDY FOSTER • KRIS ANCONE • ROBB SPEARMAN • SPEARMAN ROBB • AURELIA HUTTON • CARLOS CARDO • JAN APPIELLO • LINDA SCHREIBER • MICHAEL DRIVER • AMY BIDDLE • JIM CLEVELAND • KATHY EZZELL • SIBYL RUSS • TAMMY COLEMAN • AL STASEK • ANNE FITZGERALD • NNE JACKSON • ERIC PAKULLA • JOHN POLTROCK • LYNN BASILONE • PATRICIA DYKES • ANA ATKINS • DANA FAIRCLOTH • DANIEL DE LA PORTILLA • CINDY ROSENBLOOM DAVID FOX • H R GALLIMORE • JAMES PRESS • JEFF LYNCH • SARAH RUTKOWSKI • CHERI TOBIN • DEREK MARKOVIC • FRANCES MARKOWITZ • JOHN WELCOME • JONATHAN RANLUND • MARIO CASTANHAS • RAYMOND BROWN • SHAWN MURRAY • ADELAIDE DAVIS • CARRIE ELSWICK-SALM • JOHN DONAWAY • JUDY PFEIFFENBERGER • LARRY INER • BRIAN DANIELS • ERIC PERRELL • SANDI BURR • CELESTE FRANK • JAMES GILLILAND • JANICE GELBAND • JOHN GIBES • RUDY LUCERO • DENNIS REINEKE • JOHN IKESH • STEPHANIE CLARK • JAMES HEATH • KENNETH MYERS • LINDA GLASS • MARTY MANKAMYER • JANIE SCHRIEWER • PATRICIA HOLTE • PETER MARTIN • WENDY NNETT • CHRISTINE KIRSINAS • GLENN KRUMENACKER • JENNIFER COLAHAN • JOHN ALSPAW • KENNY HAYSLETT • CHRIS HANLON • DIANE MERGARD • JERRY SUN • RRY AND BEV HOUSE • JOHN MUCCIGROSSO • KEMP ROSE • KENNY TRUE • LISA COLEMAN • NICHOLAS SAAVEDRA • ROBERT MORAN • SCOTT MILLER • ANNE MOHR • OROTHY SCHLOSS • JOSEPH DISALVO • JUAN PEREZ • LEO TURISSINI • ROBERT DOUGLAS • BARRY GROOMS • DAVID WITTMAN • JOHNNY ODOM • RACHEL SVENMAN • RACI LEWIS VAN CAMP • JASON VANDYKE • LOUELLA VENABLE • NANCY RIZZO • BILL PLANES • LINDA HARPER • PATRICK NOONEY • WILLIAM HOOPER • BRENDA BATES • SH CLOUSER • MARILYN EMERZIAN • ROBERT DUNLAP • RODGER JESSOP • ALYCE DAILEY • BRIAN PETERS • CHRIS HICKMAN • CHRISTOPHER HICKMAN • JAMES SCHRECK • ATHY HANSON • MARC TERRY • MARK RUCCO • MELISSA WOODLEY • PATTI JACKSON • UTE BELLETETE • BOB WERT • CARL L MCKNIGHT • JANET FULLER • MARY COLBERT STEVEN WASIELESKI • CHERYL A. STEWART • JAMI TURNER • JUDY BURTON • KELLAR LAWRENCE • NATHAN MARTINEZ • SUSAN CHOQUETTE • TERESA KLOPFER • BRUCE URMAN • CARL MITCHELL • GIUSEPPE NAPOLI • JEFFREY NIDER • PAOLA LORENA MIGDALSKI • CINDY ROYSTER • LARY DAVIS • MICHELE TENNYSON • RANDALL FERGUSON DANIEL LOZA ESQUIRE • DARRYL DEIGHTON • FREDERICK VIENER • GUY BENNETT • NEERAJ JASSAL • TERESA POOLE • ALONSO LLANO • BILL PORTA • CAROLE SHARKEY • HRISTOPHER JONES • JODY JESSUP • KENNETH MOCK • EDWARD MARCINKIEWICZ GARNETT FALLS *TOTAL AS•OF NOV. 30, 2011• LESLIE DALE • ROSEMARIE HUGHES • SCOTT RINGER • ANN HARRIS • OBBI WOJEWODA • DANA SMITH • DEBRA GRIES • HELENA DAVIDSON • KEN BOWEN • KENNETH BOLAN • NANCY HAACK • NELL ROSE • JEFF HART • JOSE TAVARES • KEITH MBRES • LILA LOPEZ • MADISON BALLAGH • MARTIN PRESSLEY • MARY CORRIGAN • WES GRAHAM • AMY WENGERD • BRENDA CHARLSON • BRIAN LEWIS • CHARLA FRANK PEGGY ROMINE • BETH EDDY • JORGE TALAVERA • WILLIAM LANDAY • BARRE MULLIKEN-BRIGGS • CHRISTOPHER RICHARDS • CHRISTOPHER TOPPING • JOYCE KIRKLAND • EREN “BOYAN, CRS, GRI, CDPE” • MARTY FINCH • PAUL SHOREY • GRANT SINGLETON • LESLIE PANKEY • MARK HAMILTON • MAURICE VENEDICTO • MICHAEL HARDIN • CHARD SNIDER • STEVEN POWELL • TERRY FEEHELEY • BETH BLEVINS • JEANNE KOZAK • SCOTT BLISS • BILLIE DAVIS • DEBRA DEROUSSE • DONALD BELL • MARK RATTI

10,804,634

NEARLY 11 MILLION REMAX.COM LEADS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED THROUGH LEADSTREET. NAMING ALL OF THE AGENTS WHO’VE RECEIVED THEM WOULD TAKE EVERY PAGE IN THIS MAGAZINE. (BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.)

the

Born Into Biz Greg Greg Hamre grew up immersed Hamre, in the world of real estate. His mother, Shirley entered the industry in 1980 and with his Hamre, built her personal brand on the strength of mother her reputation and a network of community and contacts she’d developed through many years brother of volunteer work with her church. She joined in 1991 and became one of the top on his RE/MAX agents in Ottawa and the country. Shirley team, has worked hard. She found success. And Greg had become a front-row seat. “We ran out of room in the house for all of one of the her trophies and plaques,” Greg says of his brightest mother. “She loves dealing with people. She stars in loves making sure that people find the right Ontario home, the right lifestyle and the right neighBy Rob Thomas Photography by Tony Fouhse

borhood setting. She really cares.” That genuine connection with people, and the community, is one of the most important

The Hamre Team – Steve (left), mother Shirley and

lessons Greg learned from his Team Leader Greg mother. But an open heart and a – is a major force way with people aren’t enough. in Ottawa. The Successful professionals need to Associates with look the part as well. Greg says his RE/MAX Metromother “always looks like a milCity Realty are lion bucks” and, now that they’re a fixture in in the business, she expects Greg, the Canadian and his brother Steve, to create Top 100, ranking the right impression too. No. 53 through “You’ll see me with a suit on at November 2011. early-morning hockey practice, because when you’re in your neighborhood and you’re not looking like a Realtor, people start thinking maybe you aren’t working or maybe things aren’t good,” Greg says. “I learned that from her: You dress for success every day.” It sounds like the perfect education for a

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

team leader like Greg. He’s a RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award recipient whose team has made the Chairman’s Club for the past three years. But Greg’s path to real estate was not a direct one. He always admired his mother as a natural salesperson and pioneer, but Greg saw his own future in business, where he could apply his marketing degree and his talent for strategic and creative thinking. “I’ve always been very proud of my mom, but I never thought I would get into real estate,” Greg says. That changed when his father, Ross Hamre, died unexpectedly. It was a pivotal moment that would eventually draw the entire family into the business.

Change of Plans After graduation, Greg moved to Toronto, where he started a family and launched a successful career as a marketing manager with RCA Canada – called Thompson Consumer Electronics at the time. His career mirrored his father’s, an electronics sales manager who

Greg Hamre's work ethic and productivity help him create down time as well.

“My mother has constantly looked for better ways of doing things; we’re always trying to raise the bar.”

helped bring the Panasonic brand to Canada. “When my dad passed away it was a big turning point in all of our lives. We didn’t expect it; my mom was having some difficulty and I decided to resign and help her,” Greg says. Ross’ death, following a kidney infection, was a huge blow to the tight-knit family. “He was the glue that held everyone together,” says Greg’s brother, Steve. “My mom had built this huge empire, and it would have been a shame to see it go.” “Greg said ‘Mom, we’re coming home.’ He came back with his two children and his wife and he got into the business with me,” Shirley says. The circumstances were unfortunate but the timing was good. Greg’s former employer hit some hard times, while real estate began its long boom, even in a relatively conservative market like Ottawa. At the time, though,

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Greg was leaping into the unknown. “I came into real estate on September 11, 2001. The towers were falling down. That was my first day. And I was like ‘Oh my gosh. Here we go,’” he says. Steve joined the family business three years later, leaving his own marketing career with a database company in Ottawa’s high-tech sector. He and Greg became partners in 2008. As the mother, Shirley felt it was important to take a step back and allow her sons to bring their own talents to the business. That hands-off approach extends to her unofficial title at work. “They call me ‘Shirley’ at the office,” she says. “Sometimes I’d just like to be ‘Mom,’ but it’s the way they want it, and that’s fine.”

New Direction “My mother built the family name in real estate by constantly looking for better ways of doing things,” Greg says. “That mindset continues, and we’re always trying to raise the bar.” That meant taking the technologies and business strategies that had been key to Greg’s success in Toronto

and applying them to the real estate market in Ottawa. The approach is simple: Know your business, understand your customer’s expectations, use technology to deliver your message at low cost and get the right kind of exposure. It’s an approach that matched the marketing philosophy he found at RE/MAX. “In some respects, I’m successful because I’m with RE/MAX,” Greg says. “RE/MAX University is excellent, the technology is great and I never miss a chance to get together with RE/MAX people. We teach each other a lot – not just about real estate, but about business trends and many other things.” His affiliation with the most successful brand in real estate gives him the edge in a competitive market that is being split down the center. “There’s no middle style agent anymore,” Greg says. “There’s a discount agent and there’s a high-quality service agent. The agent in the middle is disappearing, because people either want to try it on their own or they realize they want good professional help.” Clients are smart, and they know what they want. For Greg, “good” customer service isn’t enough. The experience has to be “magical.” “Every one of our listings looks like a model home. Staging is important to us. We understand that you have to pay attention to detail,” Greg says. That attention to detail has paid off, and the Hamre Team has the highest average sales price among the top 10 Realtors in Ottawa. Repeat customers and a strong referral network are essential to the team, and technology is key as well. “I spend 30 minutes every morning looking at my website. My customers are looking at it every day. Why wouldn’t I?” Greg says. “When someone lists with us they should have 1,000 eyeballs looking at their listing within the first 48 hours.” It isn’t hard to see why the Hamre website – www. weknowottawa.com – attracts traffic. Videos and original blog posts boost the site’s Google ranking, while embedded maps detail schools, restaurants and parks from the surrounding neighborhood. Web traffic data is an invaluable tool, Greg says. “When I have a house for sale and I’m sitting in front of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I want to be able to tell them what the heartbeat is on their listing. I can tell them day-by-day if their listing has a heartbeat or has flatlined,” Greg says.

When it comes to marketing philosophy, Greg mentions a recent talk at the RE/MAX Canadian Conference. Ken Schmidt, a former communications director with Harley Davidson, advised attendees to never do what is expected, and to make themselves as noticeably different as possible. “I was just sitting there at the edge of my seat saying ‘This is exactly the way we are.’ We don’t follow. We like to cut the course ourselves,” Greg says. That approach, and his willingness to share his insights, has made Greg a popular convention speaker in his own right. But that success hasn’t gone to his head. “I want other people to be successful too,” he says. “RE/MAX gives us the tools. We just have to make them work. You can’t be lazy in this business. Everything is there, and more.”

“When someone lists with us they should have 1,000 eyeballs looking at their listing within the first 48 hours.”

Home Team

It might be a family operation, but it’s a business first, Greg says. Greg and Steve were very close growing up, and maintaining a business focus while working with family has not been a challenge. “My brother and I are pretty competitive with each other. That helps, for sure,” Steve says. “The customer comes first, but we know who gets the most deals on the board per month.” Shirley says she’s always encouraged her kids to set and achieve goals. “I think you have to be goal-oriented in life. When the children were young I used to set goals for them. I would say ‘If we achieve these goals, then we’re going to do this.’ So they would be out delivering fliers for me,’’ she says. Greg agrees that real estate takes a full commitment. “It’s not my hobby. It’s not my honeymoon. It’s my job and my career,” he says. When Greg isn’t working, you’ll likely find him near the water or on a boat, and probably at the helm of that boat. He recently earned his Class Four sailing license, achieving near perfect scores on all three of his exams. Greg shares his passion for boating with the whole clan. In fact, Shirley, Greg, Steve and their families spend much of their downtime together. “When we’re relaxing away from work, it’s a dining room table, not a boardroom table. That is so important. You have to be able to switch it off,” Greg says. And, yes, at the dining room table, Shirley goes by another name. Mom.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

FULL SPECTRUM

EDUC ATION

2012

The Year of the Investor THE INVESTOR SEGMENT IS THE LARGEST, MOST MOTIVATED MARKET IN REAL ESTATE TODAY, AND IT’S GOING THROUGH DRAMATIC CHANGES IN 2012 AND BEYOND. NEW TYPES OF INVESTORS ARE EMERGING, AND THEY NEED YOUR HELP. BY GREG RAND

here are still scores of investors who can’t let go of their business plan to buy foreclosures at 50 cents on the dollar. It’s amazing how old habits die hard, but this stereotype of the residential investor is about to be challenged by other emerging groups of investors. It’s crucial to understand that the get-rich-quick types are not the only investors out there. It’s possible to make money with investors like this, but they are not the best ones to seek out. Here are two groups you need to focus on:

1. THE INDIVIDUAL INVESTOR The emerging individual investors want to get rich gradually, and they: o not approach buying investD ment property like a day-trader approaches the stock market. ave jobs, own businesses and H are approaching this as a wealthmanagement pursuit.

OWNAMERICA INVESTMENT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The key to cultivating the investor segment of your business, Rand says, is equipping yourself with the knowledge, tools and confidence, and then marketing and selling the same way you’ve always done. You can gain that knowledge through the OwnAmerica Investment Certification Program, now available to RE/MAX Associates through RE/MAX University and the RE/MAX Approved Supplier program. The program has three components:

ant to secure high-quality propW erties in high-quality markets.

Training – Video-based lessons available online

re blue-chip investors who have A plenty of cash, want to set realistic expectations of returns, want to accumulate and not flip, and will appreciate a professional real estate agent who can help them formulate a plan and implement it.

Business development – A four-tiered program that takes the guesswork out of building your investor business

How do you find these blue chip investors? It turns out that most of the strategies that work to develop a book of business of loyal homeownership clients also work to develop a clientele

NEW FROM

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Tools – Cutting-edge resources include a property analysis tool, marketing center, case study calendar, investor center and more

of loyal investors. In fact, oftentimes they are the very same people who are already in your sphere of influence! What would happen if you sent a mailing to your sphere, and instead of reminding them to turn their clocks back, you informed them of the fantastic investment opportunity hiding right in their hometown? A few things would happen: veryone who read your mailer E would be intrigued. This is a topic that interests the masses. ome of them would respond S because they are, in fact, thinking about this very subject (they heard there is a housing crisis going on and they know this means opportunity). hey would be impacted by your T positive message. “Yes, there is a housing crisis taking place, and yes I still believe housing is a great investment.”

2. THE INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR Another very significant category of investor that is coming our way is the institutional investor. There are hundreds of Real Estate Investment Trusts registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but guess how many own single-family homes? Almost none. But that is changing dramatically. In 2012, single-family housing REITs will begin acquiring their portfolios. The reason they are converging on the single-family segment

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU SENT A MAILING TO YOUR SPHERE, AND INSTEAD OF REMINDING THEM TO TURN THEIR CLOCKS BACK, YOU INFORMED THEM OF THE FANTASTIC INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY HIDING RIGHT IN THEIR HOMETOWN?” is very simple: Housing is currently experiencing downward pressure on prices, while simultaneously seeing upward pressure on rents. We know why: Homeownership is declining, creating new demand for rentals. REITs, which traditionally play the housing market through large multifamily buildings, have realized that single-family homes – unlike multifamily buildings – are valued based on comparable sales, not rents. The formula of lower prices and higher rents Have you ever held applies only to an open house? Of the single-famicourse you have, ly segment. but how about Families who an investor open lost a home to house? Almost foreclosure, sold no one has. Take in a short sale, a guess who will or can’t buy show up when you because they do host an investor don’t qualify in open house. That’s today’s stringent right – motivated lending environinvestors! ment still want a backyard and a good school. They need to rent, and they want to rent a house. More institutional investors will become their landlords this year. Capturing this group of investors is as simple as learning the vernacular of real estate investing. Learn the formulas. Learn the tools. And

when the opportunities present themselves, you will be among the only ones qualified to service the business. Oh, and it could be huge.

Another RU Training Option At more than 20 percent of the buyer’s market, investors will be looking for agents who are experts in real estate investing. The Certified Investor Agent Specialist designa-

QUICK TIP

tion can unlock a world of real estate wealth. The CIAS course is taught by Alex Charfen, whose company is also behind the popular Certified Dis-

Greg Rand on Investors Greg Rand is CEO of OwnAmerica and author of the book Crash Boom: Make a Fortune in Today’s Volatile Real Estate

tressed Property Expert designation and STAR POWER program. Explore how earning the CIAS course can prepare you. Visit www.remaxuniversity.com.

Market. Don’t miss his session on investors at RE/MAX R4, March 5-8 in Las Vegas.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

FULL SPECTRUM

A FFILI ATION

“When you pay to be somewhere, you want to be with people who are the best,” he says. “There’s a reason RE/MAX agents have higher numbers than most; the structure is designed for producers, and it gives us a real advantage.”

‘I CAN MAKE CONNECTIONS’

RE/MAX is the ideal fit for these California agents

Chain Reaction NINE AGENTS RETURN TO RE/MAX AFTER THEIR FORMER RE/MAX OFFICE CONVERTS TO ANOTHER BRAND. THEY COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO BE BACK. BY AMANDA OKKER

t took Roger Beltran just a couple of days under a new brand name to decide he didn’t want to run his business anywhere but RE/MAX. The California agent left his longtime RE/MAX office less than a month after the Broker/Owners converted it to a competing brand in 2009. “They made their business decision, and I respect that. But I had to make mine, too,” Beltran says. “I closed all of my open escrows and left.” What Beltran didn’t realize was that his move would help start a two-year chain reaction. Over time, eight of his former colleagues have joined him at RE/MAX Premium in Downey, just south of Los Angeles. His Broker/Owner has eagerly welcomed them. “I’m proud that they chose to join our team,” says Jose Garcia-Yañez, Broker/ Owner of RE/MAX Premium. “They’re all producing; they’re all happy. And I’m glad to be providing the support they need to continue growing in their careers.”

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

‘IT’S ALL ABOUT NUMBERS’ Beltran, who first joined RE/MAX in 2008, has been a successful agent in the Downey area since 2004. “RE/MAX made perfect sense then, and it does now, too,” says Beltran, who closes about 20 transaction sides a year, the vast majority of them short sales. “It’s all about numbers for me. If you close even one lead from LeadStreet, for instance, your office fees are covered. On top of that, I couldn’t see paying fees for a lesser-known brand,

For Cynthia Reinis, RE/MAX offers a powerful brand name and valuable connections. “Some agents say brand name isn’t important, but when a top-producing agent aligns with a top brand, the result is amazing,” Reinis says. Reinis especially appreciates that her market expands exponentially at RE/MAX because of remax.com and global.remax.com. “I can connect with people from across town or across the globe,” she says, adding that she’s received seven remax.com leads through LeadStreet since returning to RE/MAX last year. “I love to show sellers pie charts comparing remax.com traffic to other franchises. If I’m up against somebody else, a seller’s going to choose me, in part, because of these advantages.”

‘WE DO MORE TOGETHER’ Claudia Arriola and Lucy Popolizzio are a team, and they were discouraged from working together after the conversion. “Lucy brings in the dinner, and I cook it,” says Arriola, who works primarily with short sale clients that Popolizzio finds by knocking on as

“ Some agents say brand name isn’t important, but when a top-producing agent aligns with a top brand, the result is amazing.” fewer referrals and inferior tools.” RE/MAX has helped Beltran close more transactions, because he is surrounded by professionals and high achievers.

many as 100 doors a day. “We do a lot more together, and at RE/MAX we’re free to do what we need to do to be successful. We’re in a great environment to meet all of our goals.”

INSIGHTS

4x4

A L L - S T A R

INSIDE STORY

P A N E L

FOUR QUESTIONS FOR FOUR TOP AGENTS KEEP THE ENERGY GOING FOUR TOP PRODUCERS TALK ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO STAY POSITIVE AND FOCUSED ON YOUR GOALS ALL YEAR LONG.

Q A

FROM LEFT: Melvin Broadous, Beaverton, Ore. (Hall of Fame); Mehdi

Jamal, Saint-Eustache, Québec (Platinum Club); Chelsea Nevius, Winter Park, Fla. (Hall of Fame); Holly Pratt, Strongsville, Ohio (100 Percent Club)

HOW DOES MINDSET AFFECT SUCCESS, OR CONVERSELY, FAILURE?

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO CAREER LONGEVITY, MINUS THE BURNOUT?

HOW DO YOU STAY POSITIVELY MOTIVATED ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS?

HOW DO YOU KEEP TOUGH TRANSACTIONS FROM GETTING OFF TRACK?

Melvin: I equate mindset to discipline. Once your mind has been trained and focused on doing the little things necessary to be successful, it becomes second nature to do what is needed to accomplish larger things.

Melvin: Like the song says, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy!” I don’t see problems; I see opportunities to learn new things, enhance my expertise and help more people. And, it’s important to hire good, competent help.

Melvin: I promised my mother she would never pay another bill for the rest of her life. She does what she wants to do and lives her life 100-percent cost free. Make a promise to yourself or someone special in your life and pledge to never break it.

Melvin: First, understand the terms of the agreement. Second, never become emotional. Third, come up with a plan that makes sense for all the parties. Remember, it’s business.

Mehdi: Your outlook drives your success. I meet with each client believing that I can help them achieve their goals. Doubting yourself is the first step toward failure.

Mehdi: View each new transaction as a chance to meet new people, learn new things, and build a business relationship. Longevity in any career means finding new challenges so you don’t get bored and lose your edge.

Mehdi: It’s not hard. I am lucky to work in an incredibly challenging and exciting environment. Wanting to be the best at what I do motivates me to be creative and find new challenges.

Chelsea: Attitude is all of it. Clients invest big money in a transaction, and they don’t need it managed by someone who considers real estate a hobby. You can’t control the market, but you can watch spending, work harder, prospect more and focus on business-boosting activities.

Chelsea: Long-term, you must have a business plan. Set goals and focus only on the things that generate revenue. And it’s important to put your money away. Always set aside a few months of working capital.

Chelsea: This business can beat you up and spit you out. People scream and yell at you some days. Be sure to schedule “you” time to de-stress. I stay sane by doing Bikram yoga. Try to have some fun.

Holly: Mindset really has to be about serving others as opposed to our own agendas. It’s not about being a superstar, but a super servant. I also don’t watch the news much; I don’t want to hear the negativity.

Holly: Do what you love and wealth follows. Early in your career you may wonder at times if you’re going to survive. Once I received some coaching and reached a certain production level, the thought never crossed my mind again. I’m in it for the long haul.

Holly: First, prayer. Second, I love what I do, and I love to give back and help others. That means sometimes volunteering in the community, and even simply showing gratitude to people around me every day.

Mehdi: Finding what’s putting the transaction in jeopardy is the key. You might think you know, but you also might be completely off. Ask the client outright so you can start focusing on a solution. Chelsea: Stay neutral, and remember that it’s not personal. The usual gut reaction is to be defensive, but if you stop and figure out what’s motivating someone to react a certain way, you can usually defuse the situation. Holly: I prepare my clients upfront for the kinds of problems that can arise, so they’re not surprised or overwhelmed if something happens. From the start, I express my commitment to problem-solve.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

FULL SPECTRUM

EDUC ATION

SHARPEN YOUR RESIDENTIAL SKILLS RE/MAX University has updated two Certified Residential Specialist designation courses: CRS 200 and CRS 201. They’re great for anyone interested in keeping up with the latest strategies and techniques in the residential arena.

Mark Minchew (center) was joined at his installation dinner by RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly and RE/MAX President Vinnie Tracey.

10 Minutes with the CRS National President MARK MINCHEW, A RE/MAX LIFEtime Achievement Award winner and Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Austin Associates in Texas, was recently installed as the 2012 National President of the Council of Residential Specialists. He succeeds Past-President Frank Serio, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX By the Sea in Bethany Beach, Del., and precedes President-Elect Mary McCall, a Broker Associate with RE/MAX ACR Elite Group in Tampa, Fla. A longtime educator, Minchew (ABR, CDPE, CIPS, CRB, CRS, GRI, I.R.E.S., SRES, TRN) believes in learning for life and shares his perspectives on the importance of Realtor education.

times: A person decides they’ve “arrived,” they quit learning and begin leaning on their past reputation. They start moving backward – and don’t know why. We’re in a business that’s always evolving. You could go away for three months and come back and see many changes. If you’re not staying informed, you’re going extinct; the moment you stop learning, you start dying.

IF YOU’RE NOT STAYING INFORMED, YOU’RE GOING EXTINCT.”

Q: WHY DO YOU PURSUE EDUCATION SUCH AS DESIGNATIONS? A: I’ve seen this grim story too many

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Q: ARE THERE ANY PITFALLS OF EARNING DESIGNATIONS? A: Sadly, some agents get designations for the sake of the designations but then don’t put them to use. Even after they get a designation, they should continue taking courses. Knowledge is power! The more you know about something and the more you apply the knowledge, the easier it is to speak about it

CRS 200: Business Planning & Marketing for the Residential Specialist (16 credits, $225) Topics: • Business plan development • Prospecting techniques • Budgeting and cost analysis • Personal promotion techniques CRS 201: Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist (16 credits, $225) Topics: • Conducting an effective listing presentation • Providing seller guidance and counseling • Pricing a home to sell • Closing techniques • Marketing plans and servicing systems • Sellers’ needs and motivations Register online at www.remaxuniversity.com

CRS Social Fusion (8 credits, $145)

Does social media intimidate you? Don’t let it! Take the CRS Social Fusion course Monday, March 5, 2012, in Las Vegas – right before the kickoff to RE/MAX R4, March 5-8. Advance registraton and payment are required. Visit the Events page on RE/MAX Mainstreet to register.

CRS DESIGNEES intelligently, get results from it, and earn the respect of other agents and potential clients as the expert you trained to become. What is the value of knowledge if our actions and behaviors are not changed as a result of that knowledge? Q: WHY SHOULD AGENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE DESIGNATION GROUPS? A: Every new designation you earn can become a new referral network, and the best way to create those referral relationships is to interact with people face-to-face. This requires participating in classes, meetings and events presented by local designated chapters, and joining (maybe even creating!) networking groups of agents who hold that designation.

Q: WHY IS CRS TRAINING SO VALUABLE FOR RESIDENTIAL AGENTS? A: All of the training is based on what CRS instructors experience and are hearing and seeing in the field. We hear our instructors say things like “We need to get something going on this new trend,” or “Agents aren’t proficient in that area and should be” and “They’re spending too much money on this, and we can show them how to do it for less.” Core content comes from what it takes to be successful in the residential real estate market right now, and our instructors are on top of it. And there are always new workshops, online learning and webinars being offered to CRS members, among other great benefits.

RE/MAX 5,385

Prudential

1,604

Keller Williams 1,572

Century 21

1,129

RE/MAX has more Certified Residential Specialists than any other real estate franchise. Source: Council of Residential Specialists, December 2011

SERVING REALTORS ® FOR OVER 35 YEARS!

We Make America’s Badges, Signs, Awards & Promotional Products.

NAME BADGES

Coldwell Banker 3,582

NEW YEAR SPECIAL!

Enter the code: RMAGJ12 to receive 10% OFF your next order!*

Order Online @ http://recognitionexpress.com *Offer good through 3/31/12.

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS

g On! n i l B r Get You NEW Rhinestone Badges!

AWARDS

JEWELRY ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

FULL SPECTRUM

COM MERCI A L R E A L ESTATE

A STRONG Foundation THE ACCREDITED COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION SERVES AS A GOOD PRIMER AND A HELPFUL REFRESHER FOR UNDERSTANDING COMPLEX COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS. BY DEBORAH BALL KEARNS

t was about three years ago when a client looking to sell a strip mall approached Dan Andrews and asked him how to value the property. A residential agent who had just begun to transition into the commercial “ AT THIS realm, Andrews was stumped. POINT IN MY There were cap CAREER, MY rates, net operBUSINESS ating income, IS 75/25, risk factors and several other WITH MORE considerations to EMPHASIS ON calculate. That’s COMMERCIAL. when it hit him: I THOUGHT There was a large gap between adTHE OPPOSITE vanced commerWOULD BE cial real estate TRUE.” training (such as -CHUCK WESTRUM the Certified Commercial Investment Member) and more fundamental education, especially for brokers coming from the residential side. Andrews wondered how many other agents might have questions about understanding and working commercial transactions. Leaning on his love of coaching and teaching, Andrews spent 18 months developing a program aimed at solidifying the foundational knowledge base for any agent. That’s how the Accredited Commercial Professional certification – an exclusive training program for RE/MAX agents – was born. The new course would provide a pathway to CCIM training. “I didn’t attempt to replicate what’s already out there, namely what the CCIM Institute offers,” says Andrews, Director of Commercial Business Development

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

with RE/MAX New Image, Commercial Division, in Saginaw, Mich., and President of Commercial Real Estate Advisors. “The goal is to explain, in simple terms, how to price properties and look at all the different research and factors commercial agents need to consider to arrive at the right values.”

SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE Earning the ACP gave Chuck Westrum – a Broker Associate with RE/MAX Momentum in Brighton, Colo. – the knowledge to acquire eight commercial deals in 2011, with more in the pipeline for this year. “At this point in my career, my business is 75/25, with more emphasis on commercial. I thought the opposite would be true,” Westrum says. “One of the important things I learned from the ACP was how to develop a buyer due-

diligence process, which helps me think beyond the scope of the transaction.” So far, Westrum is making great strides in using what he’s learned from the course. On a four-property listing appointment in mid-December, he impressed the seller with market knowledge and action plans he gleaned from the ACP materials. The result: He wound up with six total listings at a higher fee rate. The ACP gives David Smith (CCIM), Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Commercial Midwest in Omaha, Neb., a way to ensure that his agents have a strong foundation and understanding of complex commercial transactions. “Newer agents need this type of training so they can stand toe-to-toe with the veterans who know the ins and outs,” Smith says. “The ACP gives you the ability to speak the commercial language fluently.”

STAY THE COURSE Available on demand via RE/MAX University, the ACP is $399 (valued at $600). Registration includes 24/7 access to the video course online through RU, as well as a user-friendly, 250-page training and resource guide. The ACP course teaches RE/MAX agents how to: ACCURATELY ESTIMATE PROPERTY VALUE TO SELL LISTINGS BEFORE THEY EXPIRE CREATE LISTING PRESENTATIONS TO GET SELLABLE LISTINGS USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO MARKET COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES PROPERLY EVALUATE PROPERTY FOR BUYERS CONDUCT DUE DILIGENCE/COMMERCIAL DATA RESEARCH FOR BUYERS

Keep your short sales moving With an escalation web tool for RE/MAX®agents When you’re working on a short sale, communication between the agent and the servicer is critical to success. That’s why Bank of America has provided a convenient escalation web tool for RE/MAX agents that can help resolve short sale issues quickly and keep the process moving. Understand when it may be appropriate to escalate. Resolving an issue always begins with contacting your assigned Short Sale specialist through Equator.® The welcome page of the escalation web tool provides guidelines to help you understand when it may be appropriate to submit an escalation as well as how to use the tool. Connect to a dedicated team. If an escalation is appropriate, simply complete all required fields on the escalations form and click Submit. Your escalation will be sent directly to the RE/MAX Escalations team, who will contact you within two business days. Actual resolution of an issue can take up to 30 days depending on the situation. A resource for buyer’s agents. Buyer’s agents may also submit escalations that will be reviewed and acknowledged. However, to protect the seller’s privacy, specific transaction information will be provided only to the listing agent. This escalation web tool is just one more way Bank of America is working to make the short sale process easier for RE/MAX agents. To learn more, please visit the REO-Short Sale Initiatives page on RE/MAX Mainstreet.®

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED OR AUTHORIZED FOR CONSUMER DISTRIBUTION. All trademarks are the property of Bank of America Corporation or their respective owners. Bank of America and other advertised companies are separate entities; each is independently responsible for its products, services and incentives. Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. ©2011 Bank of America Corporation. AD-11-11-0203 11-2011 AR53C704

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

FULL SPECTRUM

M ARKETING

MASTER MARKETER NEW JERSEY’S SAM JOSEPH GOES FAR BEYOND THE NORM TO MARKET HIS UNIQUE LISTINGS BY TARA SWORDS // ILLUSTRATION BY ALITHEA DOYLE

HEN NATHANIEL SINGER AND HIS

wife were ready to sell their 14,000 square-foot, 1920s house in West Orange, N.J., they worked with a real estate agent who specialized in luxury homes. Nothing happened. Many months later, they switched to a second agent. Again, nothing. That’s when they contacted a third agent: Sam Joseph of RE/MAX Village Square in Upper Montclair. “We noticed that Sam’s listings in our neighborhood were getting quite a bit more traffic than ours, and we wanted to know why,” Singer says. “We spoke with him and realized that his knowledge of the area was better than anybody else’s – and his marketing approach was quite different.” “Different” is putting it mildly. Joseph, a RE/MAX Hall of Famer who works in the $800,000 to $4 million price range, was about to hold a medieval jousting match on the lawn of a sprawling, castle-like home down the street.

TAKING CUES FROM THE HOMES Joseph entered the real estate business in 2005 after spending 12 years as a creative director at Macy’s in Manhattan, where he was in charge of the store’s elaborate and legendary Christmas window displays. When he came to RE/MAX, he didn’t leave his creativity behind. That’s one of the qualities his Broker/Owner, Roy Scott, first noticed. “Sam’s idea of marketing is way outside the norm,” Scott says. “But when you’re promoting a castle with a turret, a medieval joust fits.”

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

The key to Joseph’s approach is realizing that no creative idea is off limits. “I go into a house and let it talk to me,” Joseph says. “I know that sounds hokey, but it really helps me set my brain on what I’m going to do to market the house differently than the next one.” When Joseph first saw the Singers’ home, a colonial mansion, his reaction was immediate. “I thought, ‘Wow, it looks like Daddy Warbucks is going to live here,’” he says. Calling some theater friends in New York City, Joseph arranged to stage a mini-production of “Annie” in the grand foyer. The performance would take place during a broker open house. Invitations were sent out, more than 50 brokers attended the event, and the home sold soon after. “Sometimes I get 75 or more agents to come out for an

open house,” Joseph says. “And because I have entertainment and really good food, they tend to stay longer than usual. That may seem unimportant, but it’s not. They remember the house, and that helps it sell.” Joseph’s methods work. He sold 22 homes for $28 million in volume last year. Creativity drives everything. Joseph once put live turkeys on the lawn during a Thanksgiving-themed open house. He hosted an “I Love Lucy” event in a home that resembled Desi and Lucy’s vacation abode. And he tucked a valuable 1927 gold coin inside one of the golden lunchboxes at the Little Orphan Annie open house. At the joust, brokers also enjoyed a banquet feast, sword fighting and trumpet fanfare. Such techniques are effective, Scott says, because they’re memorable. “If you have three Tudors for sale on the block, but one of them has the Queen of England standing outside serving finger sandwiches and telling English jokes, which one do you think people are going to remember? Obviously there’s more to it than that, but being memorable is the first step in finding a buyer.”

THE FREEDOM TO BE HIMSELF Joseph values the autonomy he enjoys as a RE/MAX agent. He’s able to market himself and his properties as he sees fit, while also taking advantage of the brand power and support that come with affiliation. “RE/MAX is the real deal. It was designed for people like me who are achievers – who want to sell great houses, make money and have a good time doing it,” Joseph says. “I can do things without having to go to corporate something-or-other to bless everything I do, and that’s a big reason why I chose RE/MAX.”

DELIGHT YOUR AUDIENCE Not everybody has friends on Broadway who can pull together a professional-quality “Annie” production in the foyer of a beautiful home. But some of Sam Joseph’s tactics can apply to any market and price range:

Upgrade the details. “Don’t go to Costco and buy cookies in bulk for three open houses. At Williams-Sonoma, I bought a cookie cutter in the shape of a house, and I have my baker make house-shaped cookies with the address on them. It’s a little thing that pays off in big ways.”

Focus on the brokers. “I don’t believe in public open houses. The people who are going to sell your house are the Realtors. Get them excited.”

Be selective. “I don’t try to get everything that comes up. I turn down listings when I know they’re not right for me, and many agents are reluctant to do that. They take a bad listing and then regret it.”

Be a great host. “I took a course on how to entertain, believe it or not, and it’s been very helpful in my real estate career.”

Don’t skimp. “I’m not afraid to spend money as an investment in my business. I hire professional photographers, professional designers, and professionals in all sorts of other areas. The quality of their work sets me apart.”

Take risks.

A true showman, Sam Joseph (center) hired synchronized swimmers for an Ethel Merman-themed open house.

“I think people need to quit complaining because the economy’s awful. You know what? You can do something about it. Just stick your chin out there and take a chance. You might be surprised by what happens.”

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

ABOVE & BEYOND

CITIZENSHIP

Back on Track A MARYLAND AGENT PUTS CANCER WHERE IT BELONGS – IN HER PAST AT SOME POINT IN LIFE, WE’RE ALL FACED WITH THE QUESTION: “WHY?” For Mary Wiley Wagner, that question came from her 10-year-old daughter. “She asked me, ‘Mommy, why did God let you get cancer?’” recalls Wagner. “And then she said, ‘I know why. So you can show everyone else how to beat it.’” BY BRENDAN HARRINGTON

ary Wiley Wagner of RE/MAX Advantage Realty in Severna Park, Md., has a special, and personal, appreciation for the RE/MAX network’s support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Wagner is a former professional jockey. She started racing horses in 1986, becoming one of the few successful female jockeys of her time. Over 10 years of riding, she won nearly 300 races and $3 million, putting her on top of the horse-racing world in Maryland. She raced professionally until 1997, when she was three months pregnant with her first child. “A couple years later, our second child came along and I began my real estate career. Life was pretty normal until October 2008, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she explains.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

Wagner started chemotherapy immediately, continuing treatments for one year, until November 2009. The chemo decimated her body. But when she was invited by the Maryland Jockey Club in October 2009 to race the following spring in the People’s Pink Party benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure, she just had to say yes. “I was so weak I couldn’t cut my steak,” she recalls. “It was a little crazy.” A little crazy indeed, but the decision to ride again would not only fuel her recovery; it would inspire women around the world.

WAGNER RIDES AGAIN Riding a 1,200-pound horse at 30 mph takes a tremendous amount of strength, conditioning and practice. Wagner had not raced in 12 years, so she was clearly out of shape, never mind her yearlong battle with cancer. “My plan was to finish chemo first and then get back to the gym,” she says, adding that she could not walk one mile at the time. “I went into the cancer knowing that there was life on the other side, that it would just be an inconvenience. That race gave me a deadline to get in shape, back to the track.” Wagner started working out, taking small steps to recovery, eventually going to the track six days each week and riding three to seven horses each day. She rekindled her passion for riding and focused on that race, in May 2010, as her goal. She made the race, and finished fourth. “It was very inspirational,” Wagner says of the People’s Pink Party. “But I wasn’t satisfied. I had to prove to myself that I could ride against the current riders, the kids.” And so, in November 2010, one year out of chemotherapy, she raced again … and this time she won. “That was what I needed.” Cancer free, Wagner had the racing bug again. When she was invited to ride in the Legends Race for the

Cure in May 2011, she couldn’t say no. Wagner had joined RE/MAX just two months before, and the encouragement she received from her new company was overwhelming. Her new colleagues came out in full force to support her. “The personal support from RE/MAX was wonderful,” she says. “I felt a part of the family, like I was part of something bigger.” She won that race too – on a horse named Mass Destruction, no less – and hung up her helmet at the age of 48. “It was really incredible,” she says. “It was a Maryland race, with a Maryland girl, on a Maryland horse, with a Maryland trainer. When I won that race I said, ‘I’m done.’ And I haven’t raced since.” “It all came together to give the cancer a purpose.”

TAKING THE TIME As word spread, Wagner was contacted by women all over the world who were inspired by her story. “They saw what I was doing and it raised the bar “ IT ALL CAME for them,” she says. “I’m TOGETHER thrilled to help people, TO GIVE THE and now the cancer is in my past. I won’t have CANCER A my life revolve around it PURPOSE.” anymore.” Wagner still rides, galloping four to seven horses most days of the week. It’s good for her real estate business, she says, given the networking opportunities and connections she’s able to make at the track. But more importantly, it keeps her engaged. “Breast cancer is especially difficult,” she explains. “You can eliminate the lump, but it can spread. And when it comes back, it can grow anywhere. By the time you have pain, it’s typically very advanced.” “The doctors tell you to live life to the fullest, because you just never know,” she says. And what does living to the fullest mean to Wagner? “It means not wasting time; not missing opportunities to tell people I love them. Life is just too short to not take my time in everything I do.”

One penny at a time A New York office supports the local children’s hospital in so many ways – for so many reasons BY AMANDA OKKER

WHAT BOB MIGLIORATTI says about supporting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals in his office is powerful, but what he doesn’t say about it is even more so. “We’ve had close family members treated at children’s hospitals,” he says. “But if I talk about it, I won’t be able to get through this conversation.” Personal connections motivate many RE/MAX Associates who engage in the systemwide RE/MAX relationship with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. But as Miglioratti so poignantly explains: Whether or not we ever need the expertise of a children’s hospital ourselves, the kids they help deserve our care and support. “Anyone who has toured one of these facilities knows how heartbreaking, and heartwarming, it can be,” Miglioratti says. “We love seeing the kids being treated as princes and princesses, as they should be.” Miglioratti is a Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Plus in Rochester, N.Y., where agents have raised over $50,000 for Galisano Children’s Hospital by hosting fun networking events, such as chili cook-offs and raffle dinners. Their current campaign to collect 1 million pennies recently surpassed the halfway mark. Jars live around the office, and graband-go containers are available for agents to take to open houses or other get-togethers. The group also is part of a

multioffice pledge to raise an additional $100,000 for Galisano that combines their efforts with those of agents from two other Rochester-area offices: RE/MAX First and RE/MAX Realty Group. RE/MAX Plus Sales Associate Rita Freling feels a responsibility to give back. “Unless you’ve actually seen a sick child with an IV in his arm and a smile on his face, it’s hard to know what that world is like,” says Freling, whose close friends recently lost their 2-year-old son to cancer. Nancy Semal, a Broker Associate with RE/MAX Plus, makes regular donations to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals after helping her The clients buy or sell office’s a home. campaign “My daughter Sara had a heart to collect condition, and we 1 MILLION spent a lot of time PENNIES at Strong Memorial Hospital. She’s recently grown and healthy passed now, but we will the never forget the care and support halfway we received there.” mark.

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

ABOVE & BEYOND

LIFESTYLE

It’s a Great Life! WH EN TH E WO R K I S D O N E , IT ’ S TI M E FO R FU N Real estate success provides the flexibility and opportunity for RE/MAX people to do pretty amazing, or simply enjoyable, things with their personal time. Here are a few examples.

BY DEBORAH BALL KEARNS

Lynn Foulke reaches the summit with RE/MAX.

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

LYNN FOULKE HAS the heart of an adventurer, and she loves overcoming challenges. Last summer, she faced one of the world’s most formidable physical and mental gauntlets: trekking the 19,341-foot-tall Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Foulke, CEO of RE/MAX Results in Eden Prairie, Minn., was among a group of seven climbers accompanied by a caravan of 21 porters and three guides during the sixday mountain trek.

Despite below-freezing temperatures, rugged terrain and dangerously thin air, Foulke kept trekking. Along the way, she encountered fire ants, blue monkeys and flowing, white-tailed Colobus monkeys. It was worlds away from Minnesota. On the morning of the fifth day, she reached the mountain’s crater rim at 18,638 feet. Moments after the sun broke over the horizon, Foulke proudly flew the RE/MAX Results flag on the “Roof of Africa.” “Muscle cramps, blisters and calluses were all souvenirs of

the journey, but I’ll never forget the intensity of the experience,” Foulke says. “It was more beautiful, more difficult, more vibrant, more raw, and more wonderful than you could ever imagine. I’ll definitely do it again.” True to her vow, Foulke is building a larger trekking team to return to Kilimanjaro in June 2012. “I’m taking the RE/MAX flag to the top again, and I invite other adventure seekers to join my team. Kilimanjaro will transform you.”

SHARE YOUR STORY

What do you do with your time away from work? Whether it's adventurous, constructive, unique or just plain fun, share your story with the network. Send a brief description to above@remax.com for a possible future feature.

1 W I L L I S (S E A R S) TOW E R

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

2 S H A N G H A I WO R L D F I N A N C I A L C E N T E R

How tall is it? 3 BURJ DUBAI

4 M O U N T K I L I M A N JA R O

HE’S ALL IN

Heather Unger began belly dancing to relieve stress and found a spiritual connection to the art.

WHEN EVERYTHING FLOWS

Beauty. Confidence. Empowerment.

Heather Unger finds these things – and much more – in belly dancing. The Sales Associate with RE/MAX Central Realty in Lake Mary, Fla., has enchanted audiences with her shimmy for a decade. You could say belly dancing runs in Unger’s blood. Growing up, the Middle EasternAmerican beauty saw many performances at family weddings and gatherings. Unger began taking belly dance classes in 2001 as a way to relieve stress after long days of working with buyers and sellers. It didn’t take long for the student to become a confident performer, and she’s still going strong. When Unger performs on stage or at festivals, she wears intricately designed and vivid costumes adorned with crystals and beading, as well as vibrant makeup. Beyond the physical metamorphosis you see on the outside, Unger feels an inner transformation take place when she dances. “I love that belly dancing is inclusive; women of all shapes, sizes and ages can do it, and you don’t have to be an amazing dancer,” Unger says. “It’s a great bonding experience that makes you feel comfortable in your own skin and connects you to your femininity. “When I perform, there’s something electric about it. You get this build up of nerves and excitement, but once the music and the lights go on, you move and everything flows through you.”

POKER IS ABOUT READING people, and Harold Wasson is a master at it. “Everyone thinks it’s a matter of luck, but skill is everything in poker,” says Wasson, a Co-Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Partners in Corona, Calif. Wasson’s skill has landed him on the international poker-playing stage. In 2010, he finished 96th out of 7,000 competitors in ESPN’s World Series of Poker, and he

Harold Wasson keeps his cool on a possible straight flush.

ranked 68th out of 700 players on the World Poker Tour. Wasson’s climb to the national stage began in 2008 when he visited Corona’s poker rooms to compete in local tournaments. Wasson, who had played for fun for

years, started winning – a lot – and eventually, his skill took him to bigger and better venues. And that meant more handsome payouts, like the $64,000 he cashed in from the ESPN tournament. So how do you become a poker pro in a game where winning depends on a mix of strategy and attention to detail? “It’s about survival; playing a tournament is like being in a minefield, so my style is cautiously aggressive,” Wasson says. “The dead giveaways are body language; I watch for changes in facial expression and the length of time it takes someone to play their hand. You pick up these nuances after playing the game for some time.” Wasson relies on trusting his gut to win. And, so far, it seems luck is on his side. “Playing competitive poker keeps my mind focused and sharp,” Wasson says. “You never know what hand you’ll be dealt, and that makes it exciting.”

EVERYONE THINKS IT’S A MATTER OF LUCK, BUT SKILL IS EVERYTHING IN POKER.”

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

IN CLOSING

Ask Margaret! ?

HAVE QUESTIONS?

CEO Margaret Kelly has answers.

YOU HAVE H E R U N DIVIDE D AT TE NTION! S EN D YOU R QU ESTION S TO ABOVE@REMAX.COM, AND RE/MAX CEO MARGARET KELLY WILL A N SWER THEM IN FUTURE ISSUES .

Q: What innovations are in store for RE/MAX technology? –J ack McSweeney, RE/MAX Execs, Redondo Beach, Calif.

We have great momentum on the technology front with the recent launch of global.remax. com, and I assure you, Jack, that we’re going to ride it right into another exciting year. Work on the remax.com redesign is moving ahead with great energy and vigor, and the site is going to be a huge upgrade over what we have now, which is already the top site among franchise competitors. It will push the envelope, serve the interests of consumers, and generate even more valuable leads for RE/MAX Associates. Q: What impact does the IDX debate have on remax.com? – Robb Spearman, RE/MAX Real Estate Concepts, Des Moines, Iowa

The short answer: No impact at all. We are still in compliance with the policy, and will continue to be compliant. I’m disappointed, though, that the policy at the core of the issue – which would have allowed franchisors to index and display IDX listings on their national

ABOVE THE RE/MA X MAGAZINE • WINTER 2012

sites – went through an approval process and was voted on, only to be overturned like it never existed. I question whether we can count on votes being official going forward. But the most important point, Robb, is that the system RE/MAX has had in place for years still provides an efficient, effective solution. We are still able to show all IDX listings on remax.com, and we haven’t lost any ground on our big plans for the site.

exact term, Mitch, but I can tell in an instant when someone realizes they’ve seen me somewhere before. That happens all the time. It’s usually at places like the coffee shop or the salon. Every now and then someone musters up the courage to ask me if I’m that lady from the RE/MAX commercials. I sometimes kid them with “I have NO idea what you’re talking about.” But it’s usually followed with a wink. I have a lot of fun with it!

Q: How can we boost agent participation in Realtor action groups?

Q: How can we get more agents engaged in LeadStreet?

– Jane A. Quill, RE/MAX Presidential, Fairfax, Va.

I would love to see more people get involved in their local real estate boards, Jane. You and I both know that the real work happens on the grassroots level. Every action counts – whether that means serving on a board, joining an organized NAR or CREA group, or writing letters and taking a vocal position on an important issue. I’m proud that RE/MAX Affiliates have been active over the years – we’ve had many leaders on the local, state, provincial and national levels. So I’ll say this to anyone reading this column: Could you be doing more? Can you think of a way to start right now? Q: Are you ever recognized on the street from the TV commercials? – Mitch Gilbert, RE/MAX Masters, Greenwood Village, Colo.

Ooh! I love the fun questions! I don’t think “recognized” is the

– Holly Fogel, RE/MAX Center, Duluth, Ga.

I understand you’re a trainer in your office, Holly, so you already know just how valuable LeadStreet can be. The thing about any prospecting or lead-generation system is that agents get out of it what they put into it. If they’re patient, ready to respond quickly, and willing to nurture relationships to create clients for life, they’re positioned to see their efforts pay off. If they ignore all leads that come their way, they have no chance. How do we convince agents of that? First is training – they have to know the system. Second is belief that the system delivers; literally thousands of RE/MAX Associates have closed transactions that began with a LeadStreet lead. Third – and this is the clincher for most – is experience; once they’ve received a great lead that results in a closing, they’re fans for life.

Dan Bertelson RE/MAX Preferred

Bill Ryan RE/MAX Infinity

Patrick Wiebusch RE/MAX Lakes Area Realty

Amy Lessinger RE/MAX Realty Affiliates

Chris Duff RE/MAX Associates

Michelle Rizzo RE/MAX Diamond Realtors

Larry Holmes RE/MAX Real Estate Concepts

Gary Brown RE/MAX Excalibur

Mark Parris RE/MAX Renaissance

James Wanzeck RE/MAX Masters

Mark Wolfe RE/MAX DFW Associates

Dinesh Dadia RE/MAX Capitol Properties

Jay Blessent RE/MAX Experts

Ellen Ing RE/MAX Allegiance

Michael Banks RE/MAX By The Bay

Cathy Norman RE/MAX Centerstone

Lee Ann Canaday RE/MAX Fine Homes

Bill Butler RE/MAX Heritage

RE/MAX Escarpment Realty

Conrad Zurini

Heather Holliday RE/MAX Elite

Steve Jamieson RE/MAX Crest Realty Westside

Matthew Jackson RE/MAX Swift River Valley

David Brenton RE/MAX Select

Tim Brown RE/MAX Corridor

Quay Fuller RE/MAX Central Realty

Blair Taylor RE/MAX DFW Associates

Michael Coburn RE/MAX Town & Country

Sandy Wing RE/MAX Leading Edge

Mark Bastorous RE/MAX Professionals

Adrienne Lake RE/MAX Hallmark Realty

Nick Nekoo RE/MAX Showcase

Julie Cleary RE/MAX Properties

RE/MAX All American Real Estate

Robyn Burdett RE/MAX Allegiance

Jennifer Skuce RE/MAX Metro-City Realty

David Colbeth RE/MAX Realty South

Mike Lince RE/MAX Equity Group

Cindy Haggerty RE/MAX Finest Realty

RE/MAX Garden City Realty

Jack Lafleur

Jimmy Dulin RE/MAX Ability Plus

Kathy Kuyoth RE/MAX Preferred Associates

Chris Hammond RE/MAX Real Estate Centre

Jose Garcia-Yañez RE/MAX Premium

Mike Zuccato RE/MAX Realty Services

Laura McNab RE/MAX Town & Country

Bob Smolko

THE FACES OF

SUCCESS!

Thousands of RE/MAX professionals have ignited their production and enhanced their SALES POWER! “Using Tom Ferry’s Sales Power System, my agents had a 32% increase this year in production with 51% more listings taken!” - Jennifer Atkisson-Lovett, RE/MAX of Stuart

SPECIAL BONUS!

JAN. 1ST TO FEB. 15TH Mention this ad when you purchase Sales Power and receive Tom’s CEO Agent Manual FREE! (Valued at $297)

ReIGNITE Reconnect Recognize Rediscover

Reignite your career at RE/MAX R4, March 5 - 8, 2012, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. World-class education, limitless networking opportunities and the potential for agent-to-agent referrals await real estate’s #1 agents who deliver #1 results. Visit Mainstreet for details.

OUTSTANDING AGENTS. OUTSTANDING RESULTS.