Real Estate Magazine - Weichert and Inside Real Estate - March 2020

Celebrating 40 Years

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INNOVATION NEVER ENDS HOW WEICHERT IS SUPERCHARGING ITS ENGINE FOR THE FUTURE From L to R: Carlo Siracusa, President, Residential Brokerage, Weichert, Realtors®; James Weichert, Jr., Vice Chairman, Weichert Companies; Bill Scavone, President, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.; Denise Smith, President of Real Estate Services, Weichert Companies

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{Contents} March 2020/Vol. 36, No. 3 • www.rismedia.com

ON THE COVER 64 Innovation Never Ends How Weichert Is Supercharging Its Engine for the Future National real estate powerhouse, New Jersey-based Weichert, Realtors® has a long history of innovating to grow...50 years to be exact. Founded as a single office by Jim Weichert in 1969, Weichert now encompasses 500 residential real estate offices across the country. With the recent launch of its brand-new technology ecosystem— myWeichert, powered by kvCORE—the firm has upped its value proposition for the more than 13,000 company and affiliated sales associates it serves. According to Weichert, the platform—developed in partnership with Inside Real Estate—will enable agents to build even stronger businesses with robust lead-gen tools, as well as AI and behavioral-driven marketing strategies.

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HIGHLIGHTS 24 Consumer Focused: Helping Agents Create a Better Experience for Buyers and Sellers This month, take a closer look at everything RE/MAX is doing to deliver a better experience for consumers and even more business for agents.

56 Exciting New Initiative Aimed at Engaging Brokers Here, learn how the National Association of REALTORS® is engaging and empowering brokers through a new collaboration.

74 Obsessed With Finding a Better Way: Quicken Loans Strives for Positive Client Experiences, Every Time In this exclusive interview, Quicken Loans’ Heather Lovier highlights the importance of a positive client experience.

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94 Affordability Challenges Eroding Growth in the Job Market In dozens of the largest markets in the nation, costly housing is linked to a lukewarm job market.

HEADLINERS 13 Policy Matters: Addressing Housing Affordability Challenges in the U.S.

14 N AR Power Broker Roundtable: Mergers, Acquisitions and More: The Many Faces of Consolidation

18 E xecutive Appointments 21 R EBAC Report: Help Your Agents Master the Art of Referrals RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 3

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23 H ow Self-Care Leads to Heightened Productivity

86 B log Spot: 4 Rooms to Renovate Before Selling a Fixer-Upper

93 M eet the Newsmakers: Kimberly Hastie, Kate Rossi, Jay Farner

FEATURES 30 G lobal Spotlight: Connecting the World to Tokyo

37 A Fresh Approach to Home Protection Plans

38 S trategies: BoomTown; Earnnest; HouseStay

43 How the Best Get Better 64 Innovation Never Ends 98 P ower Broker Perspectives: Gino Blefari, Matt Dimmick

100 R ISMedia’s Great Spaces 105 A sk the Experts: The Gold Standard for Home Inspection

INTERVIEWS 88 G eorge C. Wallace, Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace, REALTORS®

89 F reddie Ortega, Realty ONE Group Strong

89 J ay Pitts, RE/MAX Premier Properties, Premier Property Management Services

90 S teve Wilke, Weichert, Realtors® - Triumph Group

91 R oger Lee and Abe Hamideh, HomeSmart Realty West

4 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

EXPERTS

77 M anu Bhagatjee – Relocation Housing: Sourcing Fully Furnished Apartments and Homes for Your Client’s Temporary Housing Needs

22 D arryl Davis – Make Listing Inventory Your 2020 Focus

32 B rian Buffini – Secret Ingredient for Success in Real Estate

87 W . Scott McNabb – Do Your Customers Trust Your Broker Marketing?

34 S ev Daudert – Identifying Problems, Finding Solutions Lead to Agent/Office Growth

41 L ou Mintzer – Broker Public Portal Introduces the All-New Homesnap Pro

53 A llan Dalton – Intelligence Before Artificial Intelligence

55 J oe Sesso – Working With iBuyers in 2020

59 A my Gorce – Upstream Gains Momentum

61 T ravis Bailey – Maximizing Your Agent’s Business Plans

63 Grier Allen – To Call or Text? The Value of a Hybrid Approach

69 Bryan Brooks – Too Small to Be Big, Too Big to Be Small

70 D esirée Patno – Half of Millennials Delaying Home-Buying Due to Financial Concerns, Study Finds

71 Y azir Phelps – How to Conduct a Smooth Real Estate Transaction

72 L ane Hornung – How Brokerages Can Use an iBuyer Platform to Help Agents Close More Listings

76 A llen Alishahi – Communicating With Millennials: Catching Their Attention Pays Off in the Long Run

92 T erri Murphy – Are You Working Too Hard to Get Easy Leads?

97 L eon Y. d’Ancona – Debunking the ‘10 Percent of Agents Do 90 Percent of the Business’ Myth

POWER TEAMS 79 Verl Workman – Creating 5-Star Client Experiences

80 Cleve Gaddis – What Are You Selling?

81 Jim Knowlton – Raise the Bar and Raise Your Client’s Experience

82 Eli Residential Group – Elevating Everyone

104 Sherri Johnson – Stay Engaged: Always Get the Next Appointment

EVERY ISSUE 6

RISMedia Online

9

Publisher’s Desk

16 Trending in Real Estate 107 Service Profiles 115 Referrals 120 RE: Real Estate—New MLS Policy Brings Clarity and Promotes Cooperation

{Online}

RISMedia.com In the Spotlight: March

Trending on View these and more at blog.rismedia.com!

Questions to Ask Before Buying a Fixer-Upper

4 Popular Areas Millennials Should Consider Moving To

Younger adults who are part of the millennial generation often thrive in certain metropolitan areas. If you’re a millennial who wants to make a positive life change, moving to one of these areas could open doors to a new career, friendship and romantic opportunities.

House Envy: How Many Neighbors Turn Renovations Into a Competition?

One of the primary reasons homeowners decide to renovate is to increase their home’s value. But how many people are renovating because they’re envious of what their neighbors have? Seventy percent, according to a recent My Job Quote report.

When buying a fixer-upper, it pays to ask the right questions so that you don’t get stuck with a property that ends up costing more to fix than you originally calculated. Before purchasing a fixer-upper, here are five of the most critical questions you need to ask.

These Are the 10 Best and 10 Worst Cities for Newlyweds

According to a new study conducted by Destify, nine of the 10 worst cities for newlyweds, based on their criteria, are located in California—eight of which are in Southern California.

Top 5 Real Estate Negotiation Secrets

As a real estate professional, it’s critical that you possess the negotiation skills necessary to convince buyers to part with their hard-earned money. If you’re looking to hone your skills and boost your professionalism, take these tips into consideration.

Connect With RISMedia @RISMediaUpdates

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6 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

to our 2020 Newsmakers!

Throughout the year, look for Newsmaker Sptolights on RISMedia.com.

Get your Facebook fix! For the latest social media tips, keyword Social Skills.

Last month, we saw stars when we asked which Academy Award nominee you’d love to work with. Congrats to Susan Hughes of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, our #RISReaderRewards giveaway winner!

Bellagio, Italy — Home of LeadingRE member Marco Badalla — Property At Lake Como

Delivering the highest quality service to home buyers and sellers is what defines our invitation-only community. Our members are market leaders with distinctive personalities, deep local knowledge and the agility to address market-specific trends. They come together as Leading Real Estate Companies of the WorldÂŽ to leverage their inherent strength with global connections, industry-leading resources and international business opportunities.

LeadingRE.com/OurCompanies

THAT R IS EVERYWHERE. CONSUMERS JUST HAVE TO LOOK. The next evolution of the That’s Who We R ad campaign is here!

Look for updates, sneak peeks and how you can easily show your R by sharing campaign assets at ThatsWhoWeR.realtor.

REALTORS® are members of the National Association of REALTORS®

{Publisher’s Desk} Technology’s New Value

W

1

hether it’s a new CRM or an AI-powered lead gen app, all technology roads seem to lead to the same place these days: a relationship.

While real estate technology is aimed at making business easier and more efficient for brokers and agents, today, technology— in all its multitudinous forms—is designed to help real estate professionals build better relationships...personal relationships.

Because, ironically, in an industry in which the cornerstones are personal service and trustworthy counsel, in the wake of the tech revolution, we’ve somehow lost sight of the importance of live interaction. And, at the end of the day, consumers are craving it—no matter how much we love our digital life.

RE/MAX is a great example of a company that’s fully entrenched in a tech-forward strategy, with the end goal being to help connect agents with consumers. Throughout its aggressive series of recent tech roll-outs—from the acquisition of booj and the launch of the new remax.com to the introduction of the machine-learning powered First app—RE/MAX is focused on the consumer, who is now driving the transaction, according to RE/MAX Chief Customer Officer Nick Bailey.

“The agent and the house have switched spots,” he says. “That fundamentally changes the agent’s role, meaning they need to provide even more value during the steps most important to the consumer—things like negotiating and solving issues that come up.”

Bailey and CEO Adam Contos share more about the RE/MAX game plan on page 24. And on page 64, you can also find out how another real estate legend, Weichert, Realtors®, is investing in technology that helps bring agents belly-to-belly with consumers.

“We want our technology to help us engage more people,” says Weichert Real Estate Affiliates President Bill Scavone. “We’re not using technology to get away from the customer—we’re using it to get closer to the customer.”

We’ll be discussing the new value of technology—and other mission-critical topics—at our Power Broker and Newsmakers Forum on May 14, held during the REALTORS® Legislative Meetings and Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. We hope you’ll join us and be part of the discussion. In the meantime, get face-to-face with a client, team member or prospect today.

They’ll be happy to see you.

John E. Featherston CEO & Publisher

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Automate Your Social Media RISMedia’s ACESocial (Automated Content Engagement) branded content helps you resonate on social media, automatically delivering your expertise to your followers, every day and with every post.

• Consumer-focused real estate and lifestyle posts, including articles, infographics and professionally produced videos • Automated distribution to your social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and website • Your branding (logo, headshot, URL, and more) on all content landing pages • MLS listings on your landing page, complete with lead generation form

Content distributed through ACESocial includes: 1

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SALES Senior Vice Presidents Kara T. Stripay; Anne Kraft Vice President, Business Development Andrew W. MacPherson Directors, Business Development Brett Johnson; Jack Quinn; Ryan M. Rindom; Colleen Featherston

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Earn your ABR® Designation.

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{Policy Matters} Addressing Housing Affordability Challenges in the U.S. This column is brought to you by the NAR Real Estate Services group.

by Russell Riggs

sues, NAR offered HUD a series of policy considerations that encourage all market players to collaborate to provide safe and affordable housing. These included: 8Enhancing Mortgage Market Liquidity. Re-focus the mission of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on providing liquidity in the mortgage markets for low- and middle-income homebuyers.

8Reforming the CRA. Clarify existing regulations under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) so banks can receive “credit” for serving the lending needs of middle-income households.

8Incentivize YIMBY. Foster a “Yes in My Backyard”—or “YIMBY”— market to encourage states and localities receiving federal dollars to reform high-density zoning and other land-use rules.

S

harp increases in home prices and a lack of housing inventory in the U.S. have resulted in a housing affordability crisis, where both rental homes and homes for purchase are beyond the reach of low- and middle-income families. To address this watershed moment in real estate, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with Secretary Ben Carson taking the lead, has been hosting meetings to discuss these matters with issue experts. HUD also published a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit ideas from the real estate industry and brainstorm solutions.

In comments submitted to HUD, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) stressed that affordable housing is critical to America’s communities and businesses. To address housing affordability is-

8Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds. Encourage states and localities to update their comprehensive housing and development plans to address barriers to housing affordability. If they do so, they receive additional CDBG funds.

8Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Allowing for development of ADUs is a simple way to increase density and affordable housing.

State and local laws can protect the rights of property owners and concerns of neighbors about increased traffic or demand for resources.

NAR also commended the Administration for the work it has already done to improve housing affordability. Since May 2019, HUD has taken several actions, including: 8Finalizing the FHA Condo Rules.

Condos are often the most affordable option for first-time buyers, urban dwellers and those wishing to downsize. HUD’s reform of FHA’s

condo rules should yield thousands of new homeownership opportunities and help alleviate affordability restraints impacting markets across the country.

8Repealing and Replacing WOTUS. The Administration repealed the 2015 Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule and replaced it with a commonsense regulation that more clearly defines the regulatory limits of the Clean Water Act. The Navigable Waters Protection Rule will provide predictability and reduce red tape and lower costs for real estate developers, which will lead to the construction of more homes in all real estate markets.

8Creating Qualified Opportunity Zones. NAR applauds the creation of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, chaired by Secretary Ben Carson. Opportunity zones have great potential to address housing affordability across our country. HUD has also provided additional incentives for development in opportunity zones through FHA products.

Although there is no single solution to promoting housing affordability and increasing housing supply, NAR does believe that a broad-based policy approach to bring safe, decent and affordable housing to low-income households, as well as methods to enhance the availability of affordable middle-income housing, can be achieved. We look forward to working with HUD and our partners in the real estate industry to reach these goals and improve access to the American Dream of homeownership. RE

Russell Riggs is NAR’s senior environmental policy representative.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 13

{The NAR Power Broker Roundtable} Mergers, Acquisitions and More: The Many Faces of Consolidation MODERATOR:

John P. Horning Executive Vice President, Shorewest REALTORS®, Milwaukee, Wis., Liaison for Large Firms & Industry Relations, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) PARTICIPANTS:

Joan Docktor President, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, Berwyn, Pa.

Rei Mesa President/CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty, Sunrise, Fla.

Pat Riley President/CEO, Allen Tate REALTORS®, Charlotte, N.C. The Power Broker Roundtable is brought to you by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and John P. Horning, NAR’s Liaison for Large Firms & Industry Relations. Watch for this column each month, where we address broker issues, concerns and milestones.

John Horning: Iconic journalist Andy

Rooney once observed, “Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” That would pretty much explain why business leaders everywhere search out strategies for climbing the mountain, and why mergers and acquisitions, certainly in our industry, offer challenge and reward in the quest to rise to the top. But the climb can get tiring, which brings us to the nature of consolidation in its many forms. Joan, mergers and acquisitions have driven the growth of your company from its inception, true?

14 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Joan Docktor: They have, John, for

the entire 135 years of our history—perhaps 40 or more over the decades—and we continue to see mergers and acquisitions as a key factor in increasing both our footprint and our services. But like every other part of our business, they need to be managed with care and forethought, and with real confidence that the culture of the company we’re folding in is a good match with the culture that makes Fox & Roach unique in our market.

Rei Mesa: I absolutely concur. We

have completed just under 50 acquisitions over the years. In our existing markets and in new markets, we see them as opportunities. It has been a team effort in every case, adding companies that are a good fit with our culture, and making the transition a smooth one.

Pat Riley: As an independent com-

pany for more than 60 years, we understand that consolidation can be the lifeblood of companies that want to grow. We’ve acquired 32 small independents in the last 15 years alone, nearly doubling our size and footprint in the Carolinas. We also understand, as you suggested, John, that consolidation has many faces— such as the joint venture we entered into with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services a couple of years ago, which was a merger with joint ownership.

We each remain independent, but our partnership creates an East Coast/ Mid-Atlantic/Midwest entity with more than 300 offices across 10 states.

JH: When you are in acquisition mode, how do you find your prospects?

RM: Our entire leadership team is tasked with exploring acquisition opportunities. How you grow is part and parcel of who you are as a company—your commitment to aligning

yourself with companies that share your values and strategies.

JD: In our experience, it is very important for the previous owner to not only stay on, but also remain very engaged during the period of transition and beyond. The agents know and trust the owner and will follow his or her lead. Retention is key to a successful transition, and the owner is key to the retention.

PR: A prime factor is understanding the goals of sellers—whether they want to stay active, whether they’re eager to retire, whether selling is their answer to a succession plan.

RM: That’s why it’s so important to ask incisive questions—to understand not just selling brokers’ motives, but also their approaches and business customs. Acquisition is not just about economies of scale. It’s about meeting goals on both sides.

JH: Is there a difference in approach

when the acquiring company is part of a franchise as opposed to independent?

JD: I don’t think it matters nearly as much as the commonalities in culture and in your commitment to providing the resources to keep your people at the top of their game.

RM: In the end, what matters is that every acquisition enhances the benefits to our sales professionals and support team, helps to accomplish our business goals, and adds value to a greater pool of customers.

PR: It all comes down to how well we match cultures. You have to commit to that going in. Otherwise, all you’re buying is a bunch of used desks. RE 8For an expanded version of this article and other NAR Power Broker Roundtable topics, please visit www.rismedia.com.

A HELPFUL HINT YOUR CLIENTS WILL THANK YOU FOR

Telling your clients about seasonal HVAC tune-ups is a win-win. It’s a good way to help them ensure their A/C is ready for summer — and a great reason to check in with them (before and after) to see if they need anything.

This is just one of the on demand services HSA customers are eligible for as part of an HSA Home Warranty and why you should always make HSA your first choice for home warranty protection.

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Contact your local HSA Account Manager for more information or visit onlinehsa.com.

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© 2020 Home Security of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

Trending in Real Estate Overall, buyers care more about conveniences than square footage, says the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), preferring a smaller space, but with all the bells and whistles—like hardwood, a patio and a walk-in pantry— over a bigger home lacking their musthaves. According to NAHB, in the past four years, the average build downsized, and now clocks in at 2,520 square feet, with fewer rooms.

Look for shades of maroon to start punctuating interior design schemes, adding a modern flare to any style. According to decor firm Mezzo Collection, maroon is frequently associated with intensity, control, responsibility and thoughtfulness. In interiors, maroon adds a sense of warmth to a design and also works well as an accent color with dusty pinks, cool greys, soft browns or neutrals. The deep shade of red can also add a retro vibe when incorporated into accent pieces or fabrics.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in January, following a decline in December. The index now stands at 110.24, up from 108.84 (a downward revision). The index is up 0.7 percent from a year ago.

A national survey conducted by loanDepot found that 77 percent of millennials and Gen Zers are expecting to receive financial assistance from their parents to purchase their first home. Parents seem to be on board: 65 percent of parents surveyed, aged 39 or older, indicated that they were willing to help their children buy a home. However, the majority, 76 percent, had not, to date, assisted with financial support.

16 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

{Executive Appointments} Latter & Blum, Inc. has announced the appointment of Lacey Merrick Conway as chief executive officer, succeeding her father, Bob Merrick, who had served in this position since 1986. Merrick will continue in his role as company chairman and owner. Conway began her career at Latter & Blum in 2005, and has assumed increasing responsibilities since that time. She was named principal broker in 2017 and will continue to serve in that capacity.

Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Florida has announced that Duff Rubin has been named to the newly created position of general manager of the company, and Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in the Mid-Atlantic has appointed Richard Fleischer to the role of president, replacing Rubin. Rubin will oversee the daily operations of the company’s approximately 80 offices and more than 6,500 affiliated sales associates across the state, while Fleischer will oversee the daily operations of the company’s 28 offices supporting more than 2,400 sales agents in Greater Baltimore, Greater Washing-

ton, D.C., Northern Virginia and the Maryland and Delaware beaches.

Rubin will succeed current company President Clark Toole, who has decided to retire at the end of 2020.

Buyside™ has announced that Ashley Terrell will join the company as executive vice president of partnerships.

Terrell will be responsible for managing new and existing broker clients on the platform. Terrell’s group will be supporting Buyside’s core products, including Home Valuation landing pages, which combine multiple automated home valuations with visualizations of real-time buyer intent; Buyer Match™ dashboard, which intelligently pairs homebuyers and sellers within a brokerage; and Real-Time Buyside Market Analysis (BMA), which arms a brokerage’s agents with insights on buyer demand to help them close more listing presentations.

Inside Real Estate, one of the fastest-growing, independently-owned real estate software companies and a trusted technology partner to more than 200,000 top agents, teams and brokerages, has added software industry executive Shaun Rosemann to oversee its recently expanded

Customer Success division. Rosemann joins Inside Real Estate as EVP of Customer Success, and will lead a team dedicated to supporting the company’s large broker and enterprise partners. The team expansion also includes Dan McKeehan, who has joined Inside Real Estate as director of Customer Success. McKeehan’s extensive background in the real estate space, including roles at dotloop, Zillow Group and Buyside, will further support the team’s efforts.

St. Louis, Mo.-based MARIS MLS recently announced that it has appointed two external directors, Craig Cheatham, president and CEO of The Realty Alliance, and John Mosey, president and CEO of NorthStar MLS, to its broker-driven board.

This decision comes after MARIS separated shareholder governance from ownership in a move that ensures greater agility, diverse perspectives and balanced decision-making. RE

For more executive happenings, please visit www.rismedia.com.

$77.9 BILLION

of U.S. residential real estate was purchased by foreign buyers last year.*

Global real estate opportunities are everywhere. Earning the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation provides the knowledge, research, network, and tools to globalize and expand your business, whether you cater to buyers or sellers.

Start Earning Your CIPS Designation Today.

Learn more and find classes online, or in the classroom at NAR.realtor/CIPS. Reach out to us at CIPS@realtors.org.

*2019 Profile of International Activity in U.S. Residential Real Estate, National Association of REALTORSÂŽ

{REBAC Report}

Help Your Agents Master the Art of Referrals

by Marc D. Gould

R

eferrals are a tricky but vital aspect of the real estate business. On one hand, agents readily welcome recommendations from past clients and other service professionals. But what about agent-to-agent (broker-tobroker) referrals? be the best fit.

2.

Since referral fees are also at play, it’s important to consider incentives and expectations between two agents—and the customer’s experience. No brokerage wants to be associated with an unpleasant customer experience, even if your agent simply placed a buyer or seller with another agent.

There are many ways to improve referral results, even if your brokerage operates within a franchise system with an internal referral network or relocation department.

Consider encouraging your agents to take these steps, making any appropriate adjustments to accommodate your company’s policies:

1.

INTERVIEW THE CUSTOMER. Speak to the prospective client by phone or in person. If they are a buyer, learn more about their motivations, timing, type of property desired, price range, financing status, etc.

In addition to helping you understand the customer’s situation, this will also provide insight into their personality and what type of agent will

IDENTIFY AND RESEARCH AGENTS. Designations and certifications are beneficial for spotting agents who have supplemented specific skills. For example, you can use the Find a Buyer’s Rep directory (rebac.net/buyers-rep) to identify agents who have earned their Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation.

Before reaching out, do additional background research. Look for agent profiles, ratings and reviews, listing and sales activity, social media accounts, etc.

3.

INTERVIEW TOP PROSPECTS. Once you’ve pinpointed the best candidates, arrange phone interviews. Learn more about their experience in the customer’s desired market. See if they have a pulse on current market dynamics.

Find out how their business is structured and who will be working with the client. Also, communicate your expectations in terms of receiving updates before finalizing your decision.

4.

AGREE ON NEXT STEPS. Some clients are more hands-on and will prefer to interview your top recommendations before moving forward with the referral. This can work to your advantage since the client assumes responsibility for a final decision.

Before providing the client’s contact details, formalize any referral agreements in writing, including compensation. Most state and local REALTOR® associations have standard referral forms—or rely on the documentation used by your in-brokerage network.

5.

STAY ENGAGED. Do not pass the ball and disappear. Check in with the agent and the customer to see how things are progressing. If the customer has concerns, consider sharing feedback with the agent that will help get the relationship back on track.

It takes time and effort to approach referral opportunities this way; however, referral fees should be earned. They should not be viewed as easy, do-nothing income.

LEAN ON NAR Agents rely on NAR’s designations and certifications to elevate their skills in various areas of specialization. Many of these programs also offer robust networking forums to share ideas and referrals. For example, ABR® designees routinely exchange referral opportunities in their closed Facebook community.

Encourage your agents to join in on the conversation by earning the ABR® designation. Learn more at REBAC.net. RE Marc D. Gould is senior vice president of Member Development for NAR, overseeing a wide range of professional development programs for REALTORS®, including the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC). REBAC is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on representing the real estate buyer. With more than 30,000 active members, REBAC awards the Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation to REALTORS® who have completed the specialized education and documented experience in working with consumers purchasing a home.

To learn more, visit REBAC.net.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 21

Make Listing Inventory Your 2020 Focus Commentary by Darryl Davis, CSP

8FSBOs and Expireds From Six Months Ago. This is a source of leads that isn’t normally on many agents’ radars because they aren’t actively advertising. These are people that tried and were unsuccessful. They were feeling the market out, and they ended up backing out of the sale. Now, after six months, many are just waiting in the wings and are probably ready to jump back into the market. Because they already went the FSBO route, many of these sellers will go straight to working with an agent.

O

ne quarter down, three to go. What do your business and action plans look like? Do they ensure that you not only hit your goals, but also exceed them this year? Hopefully, they include a strong focus on building your listing inventory. As markets continue to shift, the more properly-priced listing inventory you have, the stronger your position, the more sustainable your income and the more agility you have to manage whatever comes your way.

If you’ve ever seen me speak, you may have heard me refer to listing inventory as investing in your “shoe store.” Here’s what I mean.

If you were to have a shoe store, but no shoes, what would happen?

You’d go out of business, right? Conversely, if you have lots of shoes, then buyers come to you! The same is true in real estate. If you’ve got a real estate business (and, as an agent, you do) and you have no listings, you’ll go out of business, as well. But if you have a “full store” (listing inventory), then buyers (and other agents representing those buyers) will come to you.

22 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

change agents, they almost always list at a lower price. They’ve already learned what price doesn’t work, and they’re committed to a move, which makes them easier to call.

It’s time to fill up your store and keep it full. Here are three top lead sources you should be prospecting: 8Current FSBOs. If you were to call and speak to 100 FSBOs, you’d, without a doubt, get a few listings in 30 days. This strategy costs nothing.

To be great at FSBOs takes some organization and phone skills that focus on serving, not selling.

8Current Expireds. The great thing about expireds is that they’re like fruit; they’re usually ripe for picking.

They already see value in working with a REALTOR®, and when they

Every month, plot your listings, sales and listings sold on a chart so that you can see your progress.

The moment a listing goes under contract, be sure you’ve got one to replace it.

How do you make sure that happens? Two calls or connections per day. If you can talk to just two people per day, five days per week, that’s 10 contacts per week and 520 contacts per year. Do you think by doing so you can dramatically increase your production and watch that listing/ sales chart go up every month? You bet you can. We’re here to help. RE Darryl Davis has spoken to, trained and coached more than 100,000 real estate professionals around the globe. He is a best-selling author for McGraw-Hill Publishing, and his book, “How to Become a Power Agent in Real Estate,” tops Amazon’s charts for most sold book to real estate agents. He is the founder of the Next Level® real estate training system The Power Program®, which has proven to help agents double their production over their previous year. Davis earned the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, held by less than 2 percent of all speakers worldwide. To learn more, visit www.ThePowerProgram.com.

How Self-Care Leads to Heightened Productivity

etc. Take an hour or so every day to get active.

by Liz Dominguez

I

t’s not all about the grind—a fact that’s hard for many agents to accept. In fact, if you take time for yourself, you’ll find that you won’t burn yourself out and you’ll be more productive when it comes time to work.

Here are some self-care tips that will keep you working smart instead of working to the point of exhaustion: Vacation or Staycation If you’re always focused on work, you don’t give your mind and body a chance to recover. Take a few days off. You don’t even need to

go anywhere. Stay at home if you want—just as long as you put the work aside for a few days.

Exercise Staying active is good for the body and also the mind. A significant portion of your schedule includes sitting in front of a computer, gathering comps, making phone calls,

D O W N TO W N VIBES WITH U P TO W N V I E W S

Goal-Setting Set personal goals, not just business goals. If you have a trip you’d like to take or something you’d like to achieve in your personal life, make time for it. When you write things down or schedule them, you’ll have a higher chance of actually getting them done.

Social Time Allowing yourself to clear your mind and focus on others is the perfect way to ensure you don’t overwork yourself. Just make sure your work life doesn’t permeate your personal conversations. RE Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s senior editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com.

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24 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

R

eal estate success in 2020 requires understanding consumers, reaching consumers and delivering a great experience to consumers.

So, in developing the 2020 RE/MAX advertising campaign, the team surveyed more than 5,000 consumers about buying and selling real estate. The participants described what they liked about the process, what they hated about it, what they expected from it and how they were frustrated by it. They offered insights about technology, iBuyers, communication, the attributes they value most in an agent, the problems they’d encountered, and much more.

The research was especially impactful because nearly everything RE/MAX is doing these days—and it’s a lot—is tied to aligning with today’s consumers, connecting them to skilled agents and making sure those agents have everything they need to deliver. The end game: a better experience for consumers and even more business for RE/MAX agents, who in the U.S. averaged over 15 closed transaction sides last year.

This modern, consumer-oriented approach has spread throughout the network. So, last fall, when marketing leaders presented the “Agents of the Future: What Do Consumers Want?” data to 200 top RE/MAX brokers, the group leaned in and wanted to hear every detail.

No surprise. After all, in 2020 and beyond, “What do consumers want?” and “How can we create a better experience?” are the most important questions in real estate.

Knowing the answers—and taking action—is everything.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

TECH TRANSFORMATION

Taking action has been a big part of Adam Contos’ daily routine since he became CEO of RE/MAX Holdings in early 2018.

Contos, whose style blends a “be kind and do the right thing” foundation with a passion for actionable business strategies, works nonstop to provide value to more than 130,000 RE/MAX agents and the consumers they serve.

“The real estate business is about people helping people solve their problems, overcome their challenges and get what they want,” Contos says. “It’s about showing

Many of those connections, at least initially, start online and on social media. To give RE/MAX agents a digital competitive edge, Contos is leading a technological transformation at the company. It began with the bold and unexpected acquisition of booj—an acclaimed web-design and tech firm—in February 2018.

The purchase spurred the development of the booj platform, part of a tech ecosystem incorporating consumer preferences and input from thousands of RE/MAX affiliates.

The platform, an integrated suite of digital tools that empower RE/MAX

“We have no interest in sitting still and watching.

We’re moving fast and launching tech that will push the industry forward and bring RE/MAX agents even more business.”

- ADAM CONTOS CEO, RE/MAX Holdings

kindness and gratitude, about being great at what you do, and about using technology and strategic modern marketing to scale your business and connect with people wherever they are.”

agents and teams to establish, manage and grow client relationships, launched at the network’s annual Broker Owner Conference (BOC) last August. A phased rollout of CRM and website products began soon after.

CREATING DIY ADS IN MINUTES RE/MAX agents can brand the 2020 ad campaign to themselves and their business. It takes a few simple steps and about two minutes.

They just visit remaxhustle.com, submit contact details and a headshot photo, choose one or more of 12 short video clips, and create their own version.

Just like that, they have professional-quality video content to share, link to or post on social media.

A similar ad-creation system for listing presentations debuted in February.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 25

“It’s superior tools for superior agents,” says Mark Mann, a broker/owner at RE/MAX Realty Consultants in Greensboro, N.C. “And this is only the tip of the iceberg of all the tech getting ready to roll out.”

A BETTER REMAX.COM

TIMELY ADS HELP CONSUMERS CHOOSE WISELY RE/MAX pokes playful fun at other real estate options in its ambitious new 2020 advertising campaign.

The ads, which assure homebuyers and sellers, “Don’t worry, we’ve done this a million times,” drive home the point that consumers are best served by full-time, full-service agents.

Here’s a sampling of the spots (which are all posted on the RE/MAX YouTube channel): 8 “STAIRS” After falling through a hole in the stairs, a man asks, “Did we do that termite inspection?” and his wife replies that “the discount agent said we didn’t need to.”

“Discount agents could cost you.”

8 “ASTERISK” An agent speaking to a couple about a “great house” for them adds truthful but unappealing details in a hushed voice.

“Want an agent who doesn’t come with disclaimers?”

8 “GOT IT” A man talking to an automated voice on his cellphone is increasingly frustrated by the bot’s inability to understand.

“Want an agent who’s a real human being?”

26 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

8 “SMART SIGN” A sleek and modern automated For Sale sign goes haywire and sells a couple’s home “to the lowest bidder.”

“You don’t need a smart sign; you need a smart agent.”

8 “VIRTUAL AGENT UPGRADE” AND “VIRTUAL AGENT TOUR” The app used by a house-hunting couple proves to be more annoying than helpful.

“Want a real agent, not a virtual one?”

8 “PLANE” After a woman says she’s glad to have saved money with a discount agent, a loud plane flying overhead makes the house shake.

“Want an agent who actually does their research?”

8 “PIZZA” A part-time agent in a pizza delivery car pulls up to meet his clients and transforms from pizza delivery guy to real estate agent.

“Want an agent who’s a full-time agent?”

8 “VIRTUAL AGENT” A couple trying to enter a house they’d like to tour are frustrated by an app that won’t give them the proper access code.

“Want an agent who actually shows up in person?”

The tech transformation took a big leap forward in early February, with the launch of a new, booj-powered remax.com and the RE/MAX Real Estate Search App. The website links to a network of customized office, agent and team sites, while the app uses augmented reality, finger-drawn search areas and other interactive features to create an engaging consumer experience.

RE/MAX agents can brand the app and provide it to their contacts, resulting in streamlined communications and as much collaboration as the consumer wants.

“We want to give consumers a great search experience on their phones,” Contos says. “The app is built around what they want. It puts them in control, giving them constantly updated information and making it easy for them and their RE/MAX agent to assess all their options and move quickly when they’ve found the right home.”

The new website and app are also designed to generate leads and opportunities for RE/MAX agents. And, because booj is essentially in-house tech, enhancements and upgrades will be frequent, fast and driven by data on how visitors are interacting with the platforms.

“We have no interest in sitting still and watching. We’re moving fast and launching tech that will push the industry forward and bring RE/MAX agents even more business,” Contos says. “We’ve chosen the harder but more rewarding route in so many decisions along the way, and the extra effort should benefit RE/MAX agents and their clients for years to come.”

BUILDING COMMUNITY Contos and his team encourage affiliates to realize the power of their relationships.

“The most successful agents find ways to build community around their business,” Contos says. “By showing appreciation and providing value to people they know, they surround themselves with advocates who recommend them to others.

That’s why so many RE/MAX agents enjoy a steady stream of referrals and repeat business.”

Even so, every agent has felt the pain of seeing a competitor’s sign pop up in the yard of a friend or past client. To address that pain point, RE/MAX made another big move at the end of the year: acquiring a second tech company.

IMPACTFUL INNOVATION First, a ground-breaking North Carolina firm recognized for its industry innovations, produces an app that uses data, machine learning and predictive analytics to analyze an agent’s contacts and identify those most likely to move in the near future. The app, serving as an intelligent coaching platform, then prescribes a strategic action plan for the agent to reach out, fortify the connection and be top of mind before any potential move.

With the acquisition, the First app becomes a RE/MAX exclusive.

“The First app helps agents avoid having transactions picked off from inside their database,” says Nick Bailey, RE/MAX chief customer officer. “In the industry, the vast majority of clients say they’d use their agent again, but only a small percentage actually do. That’s because agents aren’t staying as connected to their sphere as they should. The First app fixes that and protects their database.”

Many RE/MAX affiliates used the First app before the acquisition.

“First helps you prioritize who to call and when to call them,” says

Kendall Bonner, broker/owner of RE/MAX Capital Realty in Tampa, Fla. “The app puts you first—in front of the portals and iBuyers and the million other tech companies fighting for your customer’s attention.”

CONSUMERS PREFER FULL-SERVICE AGENTS A 2019 survey by Camp + King, the award-winning agency behind the 2020 RE/MAX advertising campaign, produced a wealth of insights on consumer opinions toward iBuyers, discount agents, full-service agents, and more, including: 8 84 percent of clients served by full-service agents had a positive home-buying/-selling experience.

8 Millennials (93 percent) and Gen Xers (91 percent) are even more likely than Boomers (89 percent) to use a full-service real estate agent when they buy or sell a home.

88 5 percent of home sellers and 84 percent of buyers say their full-service agent was “money well spent.”

The innovative team at First develops a game-changing app that uses data, machine learning and predictive analytics to help agents unlock more business in their database of contacts.

Based on a 2019 Camp + King survey of 5,019 home buyers and sellers in the U.S. and Canada

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 27

4 KEY THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MOTTO MORTGAGE The RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. family of brands also includes Motto Franchising, LLC and its network of Motto Mortgage brokerages.

Here are five things to know about this fast-moving, fastgrowing innovator:

1

Launched in October 2016 as the first of its kind in the U.S. mortgage industry, Motto Fran-

chising, LLC has grown quickly and steadily, with a network of more than 100 offices open in over 30 states.

business for current real estate brokers and teams, while offering real estate agents convenient access to mortgage professionals.

2

4

In 2019, Motto Mortgage brokerages closed more than $1 billion in loan volume and helped more than 5,000 families realize their dreams of homeownership.

3

The Motto Mortgage model creates a path to an ancillary

Ward Morrison, president of Motto Franchising, LLC since day one, is a 2020 RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker. He’s joined on the list by Kendall Bonner, broker/owner of Motto Mortgage Resource and RE/MAX Capital Realty in Tampa, Fla.

CONSTANT VALUE The First acquisition is yet another example of RE/MAX evolving with the times and embracing state-ofthe-art practices in an ever-changing industry. In many ways, RE/MAX acts far more like an aggressive, modern competitor than a typical traditional player.

That’s good news for RE/MAX agents because, as Bailey notes, the traditional home-buying process of Consumer >> Agent >> House has transformed into Consumer >> House >> Agent.

“In the new formula, the agent and the house have switched spots,” he says. “That fundamentally changes the agent’s role, meaning they need to provide even more value during the steps most important to the consumer—things like negotiating and solving issues that come up.”

A real estate lifer, Bailey bought two commercial buildings at 17, earned his license at 21, thrived as an agent for several years, and then joined the RE/MAX headquarters team at 26. After leaving 12 years later, he served in senior executive roles at Market Leader and Zillow, as well as CEO of Century 21.

He returned to RE/MAX on Oct. 1, 2019 with a clear objective: growth.

“I’m focused on all aspects of growth—marketshare, agent count, productivity, brand presence—and leading the brand into the future,” Bailey says. “Consumers are driving this business now, and our growth 28 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Nick Bailey

is tied to brokers and agents understanding that. The good news is that they do, which is one reason they’re so successful.”

They certainly are. In fact, with over 1.59 million closed residential transaction sides in 2019, RE/MAX agents once again solidified the assertion that “Nobody in the World Sells More Real Estate Than RE/MAX” in terms of residential sides.

GROWTH MENTALITY Bailey’s arrival is a big factor in the momentum RE/MAX brings into 2020.

Building on the foundation laid at what many called “the best Broker Owner Conference in years,” Bailey implemented several new strategies that helped brokers sharpen their focus on recruiting. In fact, the entire leadership group went all-in to help brokers recruit, with hundreds of brokers adopting a renewed growth mindset.

The result: the best Q4 of agent

gain in at least 15 years, and one of the best quarters overall in that span. The network ended 2019 with more than 130,000 agents worldwide—its highest count ever—and a presence in more than 110 countries and territories.

“The RE/MAX culture creates an environment for agents to be as successful as they want to be—and that’s very appealing to someone who’s interested in getting to a higher level of productivity,” Bailey says. “There’s a race to the bottom on fees right now, but we’re not interested in joining it.

We don’t need to. When prospects take a closer look at RE/MAX, they quickly see the value and the impact it could have on their careers.”

COMPETITIVE EDGE The addition of new technology from booj and First only strengthens the competitive edge already enjoyed by RE/MAX agents, who are, after all, part of one of the premier franchise brands in any industry.

Although it remains “home to top producers,” the RE/MAX of 2020 is far different than any earlier iteration of the brand—in part because of the organization’s appetite for progress, innovation and new ideas.

“We have a startup mentality, so we move quickly, take risks and get better every day,” Bailey says. “I firmly believe the best days of RE/MAX are still ahead of us.” RE For more information, please visit www.remax.com.

{Global Spotlight}

Connecting the World to Tokyo

by Paige Tepping Based in Central Tokyo, PLAZA Homes has been connecting people to properties and the world to Tokyo since 1969. Prioritizing their customers’ needs and satisfaction, the team at PLAZA Homes goes above and beyond to provide each and every client the information necessary to find the right property promptly and effectively. Here, Manager Kenji Kubo takes us inside the Tokyo real estate market.

Please describe your current housing market.

Kenji Kubo: While prices are generally stable at the moment, we’re seeing them rise in particular buildings. Currently, our listings have an average price range anywhere from 70,000,000 JPY to 150,000,000 JPY.

30 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Tell us about the types of properties in your market and which are most popular.

KK: Apartments are the most popular type of property in our market, followed by houses and land.

What types of buyers do you work with? Are they predominantly local, or mixed from other countries?

KK: At the moment, 50 percent of our buyers are local, with the remaining 50 percent coming from other countries. Since late 2012, our buyers have predominantly been from overseas, but within the last four or five years, the number of local clients we’re working with is increasing. The reason for this increase could perhaps be because of loan availability for local buyers.

“The 2020 Olympics, which are being held in Tokyo, have led to some price increases for properties located within Central Tokyo. We’re also seeing new construction in the area and an increase in infrastructure.”

- KENJI KUBO Manager, PLAZA Homes

What are some of the most important trends in your market?

KK: We have seen increased interest in second homes, particularly with clientele from Asian countries, such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

What are your biggest challenges/opportunities for growth?

KK: The 2020 Olympics, which are being held in Tokyo, have led to some price increases for properties located within Central Tokyo. We’re also seeing new construction in the area and an increase in infrastructure due to the

Azabudai/Roppongi project, as well as the redevelopment project centered around Shibuya and Shinagawa stations, so hopefully, the high-market trend continues.

How does being part of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) help advance your business?

KK: Being a part of LeadingRE has provided numerous opportunities to meet LeadingRE members from around the world, which has allowed us to appeal to their clients by highlighting the Tokyo real estate market. RE For more information, please visit www.realestate-tokyo.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 31

Secret Ingredient for Success in Real Estate

by Brian Buffini

a real estate coach or mentor in your corner, you know you’re not in it alone, and you’re far more likely to stay on track and achieve your goals in the long run.

Your real estate coach keeps you on the road to success by: 8Checking in with you regularly.

8 Giving wise, practical advice to strengthen your business.

8 Providing support and encouragement when you’re feeling disheartened.

I

’ve been in the real estate industry for more than 30 years, and during that time, I’ve learned a lot about building and growing a successful business. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned to maintain a thriving business is you need to first master the fundamentals. To create the kind of loyal and long-lasting relationships that drive referrals and guarantee great business, you need to provide exceptional customer service and go the extra mile to make your clients feel valued. Yet, there is another secret ingredient for success, and it’s one of the most important: accountability.

Webster’s Dictionary defines accountability as “an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.” Now, accepting responsibility for your actions isn’t always an easy thing to do. Even when our intentions are good, many of us can make excuses or bury our heads in the sand when it comes to being accountable.

Take exercising, for example. We set goals to exercise regularly, but our good intentions can often fall by the wayside quite quickly. Why is this? Because we’re going it alone.

We all have blind spots and weaknesses in our behavior. Without someone to keep us on our game, 32 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

we can be more tempted to give in to the distractions, skip the workouts and reach for the TV remote and ice cream instead. When we have a workout buddy or a coach, however, we know that someone is holding us responsible to move toward our end goals. Having an accountability partner like this has a double benefit: working out becomes more fun and we achieve far more than if we were going it alone, because we’ve got no excuses.

The same principles apply to the real estate industry. This profession can be quite isolated, so it’s vital to have someone in your life who is there to hold you accountable. With

Whatever the next-level goals you want to achieve—whether it’s growing your business, investing in property or saving to fund your kids’ college tuition—you need accountability. As Dr. Stephen R. Covey once said, “Accountability breeds response-ability.” Having someone holding your feet to the fire and keeping you accountable for your choices and actions makes that critical difference when it comes to getting where you want to go.

Accountability is the secret to success in any profession. All of the top athletes in the world have a coach. If they don’t go it alone, why should you? Pair up with a real estate coach, keep yourself on the right track and achieve more than you ever thought possible. To get started on a coaching journey with Buffini & Company, sign up for a free business consultation today. RE Brian Buffini immigrated to San Diego from Ireland in 1986 and became a top-performing REALTOR®.

He then founded Buffini & Company to share his powerful lead-generation system. Buffini & Company has trained more than 3 million people in 37 countries and coaches more than 25,000 business pros.

Today, Brian’s a New York Times best-selling author and reaches over 7 million listeners a year through “The Brian Buffini Show” podcast. For more, visit buffiniandcompany.com.

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Get the support you need from your brokerage.

And the career you deserve. Give your local Weichert office a call today or visit jobs.Weichert.com

Each Weichert ® franchised office is independently owned and operated. ©2018 Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. Weichert is a federally registered trademark owned by Weichert Co. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Identifying Problems, Finding Solutions Lead to Agent/Office Growth Commentary by Sev Daudert

T

here has been a lot of talk in recent years about the importance of office culture in an agent’s overall success, and rightfully so.

Agents need brokers/managers that understand them, and that they can rely on, plus a flexible work environment that offers them the necessary opportunities to succeed.

To defy mediocrity and go “above and beyond” for today’s real estate entrepreneur, that workplace culture must also feature brokers and managers who lead first with a business and technology mindset. It must also include an approach that proactively identifies for the agent potential roadblocks, pain points and financial setbacks—and offers hands-on or tech-based solutions to problems before they disrupt their ability to earn a living, the process and their client relationships.

My overall goal is to deliver the extraordinary to our relentless sales professionals, so they, in turn, can do the same for their home-buying and -selling clients. For me, it’s my love of identifying problems and finding solutions that enhances my excitement 34 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

as manager of the Campbell office of CENTURY 21 Real Estate Alliance, and it has helped me triple our agent count in the last 12 months.

Here’s a breakdown of my approach. From a business perspective, it’s critical that I sit down with each agent and discuss financial planning options based on their personal goals and ambitions, while understanding which markets they are planning to target. Then, I show them the best path to use to navigate our system, from a local and brand perspective, to help them reach (and exceed) their goals. For instance, if an agent is heading for commercial, I arrange to have them meet commercial experts within our community and learn from their experiences. My experience tells me

that smart people learn from experiences, and smarter people learn from others’ experiences. Overall, agents need to know that they are individual business professionals, not just salespeople.

From a technology perspective, I use workshops and seminars to demo and show step-by-step how to best leverage new products and tools available exclusively to CENTURY 21® brand professionals. This approach releases a lot of the tension typically associated with learning new ways of doing business, allowing for the ideation and sharing of ideas to free up time and generate new business.

Agents like having a manager with a business and technology mindset because it brings a lot of value to their vision and business. They tell me it keeps them motivated to learn, grow and stay on top of the changes happening in the industry. Best of all, they are happy, and they want to stay with us because they feel valued and appreciated.

On a similar note, while these are some of the structural items I’m discussing with my agents, I’m also doing the same with my peers in management. We brainstorm together and use these ideas as a company hub or platform to help bring about better outcomes. We watch the results, then the cycle of identifying problems and finding solutions for agents and the overall company begins in earnest again.

It’s a never-ending process, but one (that if done well), keeps our offices profitable and affords our agents the opportunity to deliver memorable moments along every step of the client relationship. RE Sev Daudert is manager of CENTURY 21 Real Estate Alliance’s Campbell office.

For more information, please visit www.century21.com/careers/ learn/why-c21.

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A Fresh Approach to Home Protection Plans

Cinch Home Services lends a helping hand every step of the way

By Paige Tepping

F

or Scott MacDonald, broker/owner of RE/MAX Gateway in Chantilly, Va., providing clients peace of mind as they navigate the home-buying and/or -selling process is mission critical.

That’s why MacDonald and his man- explain that Cinch handles 80 peragement team decided to partner cent of the brokerage’s home warranwith Cinch Home Services (formerly ties. “They also enjoy the fact that they were offered the opportuHMS National) five years ago. nity to get a home warranty A trusted partner to the to protect the home during real estate community for the listing term, as many more than 40 years, Cinch real estate professionals has grown to become a don’t necessarily know how leading provider of home to communicate the value of warranties and services.

And thanks to the long- MacDonald them to sellers.” standing partnership, MacBuyers are also afforded Donald’s agents are able to go above the same peace of mind when a and beyond when it comes to pro- home warranty is in place, as they tecting their client’s investment. can take comfort in the fact that “Peace of mind is the best way of they’re protected should a covered talking about it,” says MacDonald, appliance or system break or fail alwhose agents offer a home warranty together after they move in.

“In an environment where 90 perthrough the listing period in order to cent of buyers will ask for a home protect sellers.

“When you explain to sellers the warranty anyway, it makes sense benefits associated with a home pro- to have protection in place,” adds tection plan through Cinch, they love MacDonald. it,” says MacDonald, who goes on to MacDonald also emphasizes the

responsiveness of the Cinch team.

“One of the main reasons we work with Cinch is because I can put a call in and not only get answers immediately, but also get issues resolved quickly.”

Offering a helping hand every step of the way, according to MacDonald, “their level of service is what truly sets them apart.”

Committed to making home protection easier than ever, Cinch steps up when things break down by providing more than just home protection plans. With a long history of delivering the highest-quality home services to customers across the board, the team at Cinch is dedicated to providing straightforward solutions that make home repairs easier.

From the modern tools that get homeowners the help they need, when they need it, to an industryleading 180-day workmanship guarantee to back it all up, Cinch’s service levels are well ahead of industry standards.

This same level of service extends to the company’s nationwide network of vetted service pros who are equipped with the tools and knowhow to handle any job.

“They’re a step above other contractors we’ve used in the past, and they get out quicker, as well,” adds MacDonald.

But it doesn’t end there.

In fact, Cinch’s involvement with RE/MAX Gateway office events is yet another way they stand out.

“They’re involved with our offices and they even help sponsor events,” explains MacDonald. “They’re around the offices enough that our agents are familiar with them, and that makes a huge difference.” RE To learn more about how you can partner with Cinch Home Services, please reach out to Adam Brown, vice president, National Sales, at Abrown@cinchhs.com or visit cinchhomeservices.com/realestate.

Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 37

{Strategies}

Embracing Technology and Preparing for Disruption BOOMTOWN HELPS BROKERAGES COOPERATE WITH DISRUPTORS, RATHER THAN COMPETE

by Liz Dominguez

O

ver the past several years, brokerages have been hearing the term “disruption,” often reacting with alarm over competitors who allegedly threaten to take the agent out of the real estate equation. Could there be another path forward? Doug Gieck, vice president of production at 8z Real Estate, believes so, and that’s why he sought out BoomTown as a valued partner.

“The CRM is the lifeblood of real estate,” says Gieck, who has worked in the industry for over a decade. When the time came to invest in a much-needed contact database solution, Gieck had a choice to make.

“We were kind of dealing with the classic questions of ‘Do you buy it?’ or ‘Do you build it?’ Unfortunately, we initially tried to build it ourselves, and that didn’t work out,” says Gieck. “In the end, we ended up going with BoomTown. We had looked at a ton of CRMs, and they are the best at what they do.”

One of the biggest factors that influenced his decision was that the tech company shared a similar viewpoint, not only regarding company culture, but also when it came to disruptors, particularly iBuyers.

“They align with us well. It’s nice to have a company that carries the same core values and is a partner, not just someone you pay money to for a service,” says Gieck, who adds that BoomTown helps them cooperate with disruptors, rather than compete—the secret to thriving.

“I firmly believe that if we cooperate rather than compete, we have something to offer our clients, and they 38 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

understand that the power is in having the option to choose,” says Gieck. “Some might want the convenience of an instant offer, but they will still need a professional to help them navigate the waters, and they are willing to pay for that.”

Also incredibly important? Being flexible enough to be ready for anything. Both BoomTown and 8z Real Estate are of the mindset that no one has a crystal ball, he says.

“It’s about being aware and diving headfirst, and seeing how it can help us in our business, instead of assuming we are going to have to compete,” says Gieck.

“BoomTown understands, it’s being able to adapt and innovate—that’s what they do.”

Having BoomTown’s technology at the ready has helped keep 8z Real Estate relevant. Gieck says it’s nice to rely on them as the experts, as they are “on the cutting edge, providing thousands of data points far beyond what we could collect.”

Additionally, Gieck has come to trust the various tools at their disposal through BoomTown.

“From website development and search display for properties, it goes way beyond lead incubation. It helps us keep in contact with our clients, stay organized and stay on track to keep everything moving forward.”

Gieck says he is very intentional about what technology his brokerage adopts, and BoomTown helped him solve his biggest challenge: how to interact with clients in a day-to-day business.

“We really understand our tech stack and know how to move around it,” says Gieck. “We use BoomTown as the anchor and build around that.”

For more information, please visit boomtownroi.com.

Modernizing an Archaic Business Model EARNNEST BUILDS THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS IN REAL ESTATE

by Liz Dominguez

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atane Meade, CEO at Allied Title & Escrow LLC, was used to a quick-paced life when he switched gears from a 13-year career organizing obstacle races and community sports to running a title company, a position he’s held for the past three years. He often found himself wondering why the title industry was slow to adopt technology that would make transactions easier and faster,

and after firsthand experience with a real estate transaction, he realized the opportunity to enact change.

“After I sold my business four years ago, I moved from San Diego, Calif., to Virginia to be closer to family,” says Meade. “And when I purchased my house, I felt like the experience was kind of archaic.”

Starting his company with business partner Matt Paulson, Meade used his extensive background in marketing and community-based sports to create “fun, tech-forward offices,” which include ping pong tables and arcade games.

“If you’re going to make the most serious purchase of your life, why not make that experience fun?” says Meade, who began looking for partner companies to bring that same feeling of positive energy to the transactional process. Then he discovered Earnnest, an app that allows users to digitally transfer earnest money.

“We wanted to find a company that makes the earnest money deposit easier,” explains Meade. “Agents are waiting 30 minutes in the car, or a buyer has to go to the bank and wait in line to send a wire, paying $30 each time. We found Earnnest and their ACH-based app, which was much easier to use, and we cover the fees for our clients.”

Earnnest enables buyers to securely send their earnest and trust payments from their financial institution directly to Meade’s team. The system requires no physical checks and is connected to more than 12,000 banks nationwide. It also uses banking-level encryption and security to ensure a safe transfer.

Consumers have been happy, with many of them choosing the ACH transfer via Earnnest rather than going through slower, more traditional methods for depositing funds.

“They say it’s a no-brainer,” says Meade. “It happens quickly, and it saves people time.”

Eliminating wasted effort is one of the biggest benefits for their clients; it allows clients to experience faster and simpler closings.

“Especially in the D.C. area, people want to be able to say they can close in two to three weeks, and we actually specialize in quick closings,” says Meade, adding that Earnnest deposits settle much faster than a check or wire transfer.

With the Earnnest team of in-house developers updating the system’s technology daily, Meade is excited about the possibility of speeding up other real estate transactions as well.

“In the future, as ACH transfers move to just a few hours, Earnnest could help us speed up cash-to-close transactions, too, making it a lot easier for everyone,” he says.

Another primary concern for deposits? Security.

“We had their tech team take us through the process step by step because we wanted to make sure we weren’t going to have any fraud issues,” says Meade, who adds that his company chose Earnnest because it is a secure application with a closed network and double verification.

It’s made a world of difference so far—a change sorely needed in an industry that is not only behind on technological innovation, but also crippled by the growing threat of wire fraud.

“We needed a solution—something to fix what was a pain point for title companies across the U.S.,” says Meade. “I think we are finally seeing an archaic industry get better technology with companies like Earnnest.”

For more information, visit earnnest.com.

Monthly Housing on Demand HOUSESTAY TAKES THE STRESS OUT OF BOOKING FURNISHED HOMES

by Keith Loria

A

li Giwelli learned this past fall that he would need to temporarily relocate to San Francisco for work, and he needed to find a place to live quickly. At the time, he didn’t know how long he would need to stay, or much about what to do to find a place to live.

“I had never used a relocation professional before,” ex-

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 39

plains Giwelli. “I was new to California and figured it was best to let them know what I wanted and have them find a suitable accommodation.”

But he found the experience taxing. For one, he wasn’t in the area, so he couldn’t see a place in person. He was also fearful of spending thousands of dollars on a place without getting a full picture of what the space looked like—and where it was located.

“Looking for an apartment in California coming from the Midwest is not easy,” says Giwelli. “You need to find the right price, the right location and a place you’ll like.

None of it is easy.”

That’s when Giwelli’s friend introduced him to HouseStay, and he quickly saw the benefits of utilizing the online marketplace for furnished homes and apartment rentals.

“You tell them what you want, and they start looking for you and do the leg work,” says Giwelli. “They send listings right to you, and you can decide what’s best for you. And everything is done online.”

Initially connecting with HouseStay in October 2019, Giwelli moved into his apartment—a space that’s comfortable enough to make him feel as though he’s home— less than three weeks later.

One of the keys to finding the perfect place? Housereality_ad.pdf 1 1/23/2020 12:36:24 PM

Stay’s 3D virtual tours, which allowed Giwelli to see the apartment before booking. Plus, using HouseStay’s fully automated booking process enabled him to find and book the property in minutes, negating the hassle associated with going through his HR manager and the relocation expert he was originally working with.

“HouseStay takes away the hassle of finding a place that suits your requirements and budget, allowing you to concentrate on your work and family,” says Giwelli, who has nothing but good things to say about his experience with the online booking engine.

“It was a very smooth booking process, and movein was just as simple,” says Giwelli, who points to the team’s honest and organized approach as a key benefit in the success of the process.

Having already extended his stay three times, Giwelli expects to be in San Francisco for the majority of 2020… but he appreciates the fact that he’s not locked into a lease.

“There are no surprises, and that’s what I like about it,” concludes Giwelli. “I move around a lot for work, and this is the best service I ever got. I’d recommend it to anyone.”

For more information, please visit housestay.com.

Broker Public Portal Introduces the All-New Homesnap Pro Commentary by Lou Mintzer

C

onsumers today live in a world of online listings, with the ability to look up deep data with a few taps of the keyboard on their phone. But it’s the job of real estate agents to educate their clients about the homes they’re considering, not the other way around.

The all-new Homesnap Pro allows agents to connect with consumers and provide the most accurate, timely and extensive information to help them make the best decisions when they buy or sell a home. Homesnap uses the supercomputer you hold in your hands—your smartphone—to deliver everything you need to know about a property. The new features, also accessible on desktops and laptops, are free to the 1 million agents who already have access to Homesnap Pro. What’s New Homesnap developers spent the past 18 months improving six core areas of Homesnap Pro, including

advanced search, 360-degree consolidated property history, a new off-market marketplace, expansive homeowner profiles, new building pages, data integration, machine learning, and more. We followed industry best practices to create the most robust real estate search available, from adopting RESO standards to adding more advanced filters.

Homesnap Pro improves searches with specific features—from commute time to basements and pools—to more obscure ones, such as carports. It also offers multistatus search. Homesnap Pro combines public records information, plus mortgage, tax and deed histories, into a single timeline. Search also adds public record filters for off-market properties such as ownership time or last list date.

What does this mean? Agents using Homesnap Pro will know more about every property, its sales and improvement history—and all the people who own or have owned the property.

The new homeownership profiles connect information about people to information about properties.

Agents can see historical listing activity, including past photos and previous listing agents, and can obtain available contact information for past and present homeowners—all included in the Homesnap offering from MLSs.

New-building pages allow agents to look inside multi-unit residential buildings and investigate every unit that’s for sale, for rent or off-market.

New Likelihood to List Score Perhaps the coolest new feature is the “Likelihood to List Score.” Homesnap’s machine learning algorithm provides agents instant insight into potential new business opportunities. Using a range of criteria, we have scored every home in the country on how likely it is to list within the next 12 months.

Agents can view the key indicators used to calculate the score so they can decide what to do with this information. The new heatmaps make it easy for agents to visualize and identify new market opportunities instantly.

Finally, Homesnap Pro agents with access to MLSs using CoreLogic Matrix and Black Knight Paragon can run their business even more efficiently.

Our deep MLS systems integrations provide synced contacts, synced save searches, listing add/edit features, and more, so that agents can use their phones to perform key business functions without having to connect to their MLS software.

BPP Makes It Possible Reinvestment by the Broker Public Portal (BPP) has fueled this colossal leap in technology. Because of the BPP, Homesnap Pro can provide the most trustworthy listing information directly from the MLS. The all-new Homesnap Pro delivers on the BPP promise to empower agents with the latest generation of technology, while delivering over 2 million free leads to agents in 230-plus markets.

Lou Mintzer, chief product officer at Homesnap, is a leading technical web and mobile product builder with proven management, programming and analysis experience. He leads the technical team that designs and builds Homesnap’s award-winning products.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 41

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The Rainmakers group gathers at its 2019 meeting in Tampa, Fla.: Front row, L to R: Shannon Loyd Calcines, Marsha Volchoff, Dave Lutton and Michael Maloof. Second row, L to R: Doug Loyd, Quinn Thurin, Steve Studley and David MacIntyre. Second from back row, L to R: John De Souza, Tim Mitchell, Joe Miller and John Turpin. Back row, L to R: Dan Kingdom, Tommy Dunbar, Mike Riedmann, Jim Wallace and Trey Wallace. Not pictured: Dede Strano, Stephanie Maine and Alex Anderson.

How the Best Get Better LeadingRE’s Rainmakers Raise the Bar Even Higher

by Maria Patterson

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eading Real Estate Companies of the World®(LeadingRE) was designed to unite the industry’s very best independent real estate firms. Today, the global real estate network brings together a community of 565 market-leading, independent residential brokerages in more than 70 countries, representing some 130,000 sales associates.

Over the years, brokers within the LeadingRE fold have taken networking to a more granular level.

“LeadingRE CEO Exchange Groups were started as a way to offer members co-consulting and idea-sharing in carefully matched groups that share key similarities—company size, market type, business philosophy, etc.,” explains LeadingRE President and CEO Paul Boomsma.

One of LeadingRE’s most-established CEO groups is the Rainmakers, meeting one to two times a year since the group was formed in 2004.

“The Rainmakers come together to evaluate real estate trends, discuss market conditions and learn from one another,” says Boomsma. “They meet periodically for in-depth discussions on best practices for serving the needs of real estate consumers, in addition to advising one another on success strategies for their individual brokerages.”

While the Rainmakers determine the goals, structure, location and frequency of their meetings, LeadingRE lends its support by arranging meeting logistics, providing options for fa-

cilitators and sharing relevant network program information on request.

“LeadingRE exists to help the best independent real estate companies achieve even greater success, with tools designed to help them leverage their inherent strengths as independent firms,” explains Boomsma. “The CEO Exchange Groups give like-minded brokers a safe and open forum to dive deep into the issues impacting real estate consumers and brokerages today. Like the network as a whole, they are focused on quality and connections—at a level that fosters impactful, lasting relationships.”

In this special section, we introduce you to the members of the Rainmakers group, highlighting the rich history of their respective firms, their philosophy toward ongoing success, and the advantages they receive by being part of Rainmakers and LeadingRE. RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 43

Seated, Charmayne MacIntyre, David MacIntyre and Allison Rybarczyk

Arizona Best Real Estate: Powered by People More than 100 years ago, John MacIntyre came to Arizona in 1919.

The MacIntyre family has been active in residential real estate there for more than 68 years since. David MacIntyre has more than 50 years’ experience in the real estate industry, with more than 30 years as owner of Arizona Best Real Estate.

As an award-winning relocation company, Arizona Best has achieved great success with LeadingRE. This quality network of referrals enabled the firm to achieve a 77.46 percent close ratio, and provided 40 percent of GCI in 2019.

In 2018, Arizona Best was nationally recognized by SIRVA Relocation with the Broker of the Year award.

The firm has also been ranked No. 1 in corporate relocation in Arizona for six years and counting, and is recognized in the top 1 percent of all real estate companies in the U.S. Allison Rybarczyk, MacIntyre’s daughter, has been Arizona Best’s relocation director since 2001. She has served on the LeadingRE Advisory Council since 2016 and was the chairperson in 2018. In 2019, Ryba-

44 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Marsha Volchoff and Dave Lutton

rczyk was awarded LeadingRE’s highest honor, the Hall of Fame award, which recognizes select individuals for their dedication, commitment and expertise toward programs that benefit all network affiliates. Only 12 individuals in history have received LeadingRE’s Hall of Fame award.

“In the last 15 years, the Rainmakers have met with our firm twice,” says MacIntyre. “As a result of their suggestions, we continue to prosper with our model.

“Our culture is quality people who enjoy being with other professionals in a caring, supportive family environment,” adds MacIntyre. “We have a full-time support staff to help our agents achieve their goals. Our company is more of a ministry to lift people up. We make lives better.”

Looking ahead, MacIntyre is increasing the investment in the success of the firm’s agents. “We are heavily investing our time and money into the best technology, such as SkySlope, Delta Media Group and Ultimate Information Systems; oneon-one mentoring; LeadingRE Institute’s online library of nearly 400 courses; and Larry Kendall’s Ninja path, books and installations.” www.arizonabest.com

Charles Reinhart Company REALTORS®: Leading With Quality For 49 years since its inception, Charles Reinhart Company REALTORS® has been the sales leader in the Greater Ann Arbor, Mich., region. Beginning with just a handful of salespeople, the firm has grown to more than 300 sales associates and employees working out of six offices. Today, Reinhart maintains a 43 percent marketshare in Ann Arbor, and a 34 percent share of the entire MLS. “This kind of market domination is nearly unheard of anywhere in the country,” says Chief Operating Officer Marsha Volchoff.

According to Volchoff, the company set itself apart from the very beginning. “The focus was on building an organization with higher-quality real estate services than what existed in the marketplace at the time,” she explains. “Hiring selectively and training prodigiously has been the differentiator.”

Volchoff also points to the firm’s diversification into mortgage, title, insurance, property management and commercial as key to its “secret sauce.”

“One-stop shopping is easier for clients, and it helps ensure they receive a high level of performance in all the various parts of the transaction,” she explains.

Volchoff and Director of Business Development Dave Lutton take great pride in what they’ve achieved, a pride that runs deep in the company culture and has led to an unusually high rate of retention—the average tenure is more than 15 years.

Today, Reinhart is part of the Real Estate One Family of Companies— also a member of LeadingRE—and continues to operate as a separate brand with its own relocation staff.

Relocation Director Susan Kellam has run an award-winning department for 33 years with one of the best conversion rates in the LeadingRE Network.

Charles Reinhart REALTORS® was also an original member of the Rainmakers group. “The wise counsel of these brokers has been invaluable in helping the company adapt to changing business conditions to remain at the forefront of the industry,” says Lutton. “Having a high-quality sounding board for new ideas, and for accountability, is an important factor in running a successful company.” www.reinhartrealtors.com

Cressy & Everett Real Estate: Embracing Change Quite a bit has changed for real estate consumers over the past 10 - 15 years, including their wants, needs and expectations, as well as the ways in which they connect, share information and negotiate.

But for the almost 75-year-old Cressy & Everett Real Estate—serving Northern Indiana, Southwestern Michigan, and beyond—change means new opportunities.

According to company President John De Souza, “The industry will continue to change organically, transforming through innovation, technology, culture and compliance. At Cressy

From L to R: Tim Mitchell, Quinn Thurin and John De Souza

& Everett, we are always asking ourselves how we can best serve today’s consumer with advanced industry practices, new communication tools, and smooth and productive methods.

We want our consumers to have an ‘above and beyond’ experience.”

And De Souza is accomplishing that goal. A full-service brokerage, the Cressy & Everett team of 175-plus agents and nearly 40 support staff, serving in 11 offices, is committed to placing high attention on the consumer experience. Cressy & Everett was named the South Bend Tribune’s “Best Real Estate Agency” and was among Northwest Indiana Business Magazine’s “Best of Greater South Bend Michiana Business.” The firm regularly serves more than 3,000 customers each year, averaging 18 transactions per agent, per year.

“It’s an evolving process to ensure that your brokerage name continues to stand for something because of what you do and who you are,” says De Souza. “We aim high, with intention. Since 1946, using the right blend of tools and services, we have professionally served the industry, our customers and our communities.”

And the results speak for themselves. For 20 years, Cressy & Everett has consistently received a 98 percent satisfaction rating via a thirdparty survey.

“The survey responses help inform our practice and help us grow in the

ways we serve our communities,” says De Souza. “In 2021, we’ll celebrate our 75th year, and we can’t wait to see what the next 75 years bring! In a time of high change and disruption, we love being part of the story.” www.cressyeverett.com

Florida Executive Realty: A Collaborative Culture Doug Loyd started out in the real estate business selling new construction at a master-planned community.

When he eventually realized this was a “self-liquidating proposition,” he created Florida Executive Realty.

Today, Florida Executive Realty has six offices—home to about 200 sales associates and staff—in the Tampa Bay area. Additionally, the company has a commercial division, and Loyd also owns a property management company.

The philosophy at the heart of the firm’s value proposition is the ageold Golden Rule. “People prefer to do business with people they know, like and trust,” says Loyd, who runs the firm with his daughter Shannon Loyd Calcines. “Among other things, that means putting clients first and commission second.”

Loyd and Calcines emphasize a collaborative culture within the company and encourage career-long learning. “While we’re representing people, we have to be on our game

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 45

the values which have made us successful thus far—technical expertise, ethical excellence, liberal use of common sense, and always being nice people to do business with. For these are the things that will keep us secure from disintermediation and help build an even better Tampa Bay,” says Calcines. www.floridaexecutiverealty.com

Doug Loyd and Shannon Loyd Calcines

and make sure they’re getting great service and advice,” says Loyd.

LeadingRE helps accomplish that goal. Loyd describes joining the network in 1998 as a “defining moment” that opened the door to worldclass training and a valuable referral network. “It changed the trajectory of the company,” he says.

In 2004, Loyd joined the Rainmakers group, which made him “a better broker and a better businessman,” he says. “It affected the quality of what we do, day in and day out.”

Over the course of the company’s history, Loyd is perhaps most proud of surviving the Great Recession.

“Most of the big Florida cities were a lot deeper in than the country as a whole,” he recalls. “But we walked through that massive correction and came out the other side a survivor.”

As he looks to grow Florida Executive Realty for the future—welcoming the third of his four children into the firm this year—Loyd will lean strongly toward qualitative over quantitative growth to protect and nurture a high standard of professionalism. “I fully intend to take the company into the future based on 46 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Hasson Company, REALTORS®: An Intentional Approach What started in 1983 as a small firm in Lake Oswego, Ore., has today become Hasson Company, REALTORS®, comprised of nearly 175 agents in six offices and three satellite locations throughout the Portland metro area, Central Oregon, Oregon Coast, Hood River and Southwest Washington.

CEO Steve Studley explains that Founder and Director of Strategic Planning Mike Hasson wanted to create something different. “The primary objective was to create an environment for like-minded agents who recognize that there are tangible and intangible benefits of a firm that places consumers before agents, and agents before the company,” he says.

According to Studley, an impressive company milestone was surpassing a billion dollars in sales volume in 2005, and “today, we’re knocking on $2 billion with a similar agent count,” he says.

Studley attributes the firm’s success to selective growth and a very disciplined approach to hiring the right agents. “Our team is very intentional and has said ‘no’ to so many things, like expanding into certain marketplaces or hiring agents that aren’t

aligned with our values,” he explains.

“The result is a clearly defined culture of top performers who averaged $11.3 million in sales and 19.8 transactions per agent in 2019.”

Studley says it’s all about relationships. “In today’s environment, many models are built on numbers,” he explains. “Our value proposition is aimed at agents who want to be part of a company that believes personal connections matter.”

This focus on connection extends to Hasson’s clients as well. “The industry has created this inertia of convenience,” says Studley, “but our idea is to connect with those consumers who value personal service and expertise. That’s the lane we see ourselves in.”

Being part of LeadingRE and the Rainmakers group is another way Hasson Company focuses on connections. “Surrounding yourself with quality people gives you an opportunity to do business better and glean a tremendous amount of knowledge,” he says.

Looking ahead, Studley says, “We’ll continue to provide quality services for our agents and the necessary technology, but our emphasis will remain on personal connections and exceptional service.” www.hasson.com

Steve Studley

Intracoastal Realty: Delivering Exceptional Experiences Founded in 1976 in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., Intracoastal Realty has earned a reputation as a market leader, with 14 offices and more than 400 agents serving Southeastern North Carolina.

“We are a full-service real estate firm with deep roots in the local community,” says Founder and CEO Jim Wallace. “Our focus on exceptional client experiences has allowed us to grow and serve our region with residential and commercial brokerage services, property management (long-term and vacation), and development services.”

According to Intracoastal President Trey Wallace, the ongoing goal has been to build a real estate company that attracts the region’s top real estate professionals. “We want career practitioners, and we empower our agents and staff to build businesses that stand the test of time and have the ability to weather all market conditions,” he explains.

“We are thriving because our agents are singularly focused on their client’s needs and success. That focus is possible because of the dozens of marketing, technology and support professionals that work with them to achieve exceptional results.”

The Wallaces also attribute Intracoastal’s ongoing success to the culture of teamwork they have built, where the Golden Rule is a guiding principle, and the firm’s mantra, “Experience the Exceptional,” permeates the entire company.

“A real estate transaction is an infrequent, significant and often intimidating process,” says Trey Wallace. “It is the biggest investment that most people make in their lives.

We have found that the best results come from coordinating as many aspects of the transaction process as possible for our clients to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.”

Jim Wallace and Trey Wallace

And it is this level of client care that ultimately sets Intracoastal Realty apart. “We have a high concentration of our market’s top-performing agents whose local knowledge is unmatched in the areas they serve,” says Jim Wallace. “Our reputation in, and support of, our communities is something that is held in high regard by our peers and clients. That is something that has taken 43 years to build, but never something that we take for granted.” www.intracoastalrealty.com

Jim Maloof/REALTOR®: A Reputation of Trust Founded by Peoria native and former Mayor James Maloof in 1969, today, Jim Maloof/REALTOR® is Central Illinois’ largest independent REALTOR® with 14 branches in six counties, employing more than 250 agents and a support staff of 30.

The firm is currently run by President Michael Maloof, who is focused on evolving and expanding what his father created.

“We’ve never been satisfied with where we are,” says Maloof. “We’re constantly looking to be agile and react to the market, and for pockets of the population we can serve.”

To that end, Maloof acquired Crowne Realty in January, the No. 1 in-

dependent brokerage in Bloomington/ Normal. The goal of the merger was expansion, but the deal was rooted in the value of relationships. As the new EVP at Jim Maloof Realty, Inc., Tammy Heard says, “The two companies are ambassadors to the communities we serve. Maloof and Crowne have established relationships and strong roots.”

“One of our primary advantages is that we have a reputation of trust,” explains Maloof. “If you’re dealing with Maloof, then you can count on the fact that people will be honest to a fault.”

The firm’s stellar reputation has led to its ongoing independence.

“When you’re the No. 1 broker, your brand has more value because the area has endorsed you as the leader,” says Maloof. “You don’t change a winning hand.”

As premier independent brokers, Maloof and Heard value the global reach provided by LeadingRE, and the intellectual equity provided by the Rainmakers network.

“We get to share how we do things and learn,” says Maloof. “We don’t hold back when we talk about cost, productivity, revenue and the potential for profit.”

“We learn from companies in other markets, then take that information back to our local market,” adds Heard.

Looking ahead, Maloof will consider expansion into new communities, RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 47

Michael Maloof

and will continue to serve through the company’s charitable efforts, such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. “None of us want to have a child of ours affected by childhood cancer, so we’re extremely generous.” www.maloofrealty.com

NP Dodge Real Estate: Industry Pioneers Not many real estate firms can trace their history back to 1853. But that’s when brothers Grenville and Nathan Phillips Dodge first left Massachusetts for the West to homestead and establish a land office in 1855.

One-hundred and sixty-five years later, the NP Dodge Company now serves as America’s longest running, family-owned, full-service real estate firm, and one of the 100 oldest familyowned businesses in the U.S. “We take great pride in our rich and long history in Omaha,” says company President Mike Riedmann. “We have been involved in many seminal events in United States history, from driving the Golden Spike at the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, to standing up for equal rights for all.”

Today, NP Dodge is a family of companies with six wholly owned divisions: NP Dodge Real Estate Sales, Inc. (NP Dodge Real Estate); NP Dodge Insurance; NEI Global Relocation; TitleCore National; NP Dodge Property Management Company; and NAI NP Dodge Commercial Company.

48 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

NP Dodge Real Estate has eight company-owned and three satellite sales offices in Eastern Nebraska and Southwestern Iowa, comprised of more than 450 REALTORS® covering 20-plus counties.

“NP Dodge includes agents in a local tradition of service, trust and professionalism in an era when those qualities are rare and more valued than ever,” explains Riedmann. “Impeccable ethics and a sincere caring for the individuals involved in every transaction are longtime guiding principles for our company and for the Dodge family.”

As one of the original members of RELO, the predecessor of LeadingRE, NP Dodge has long valued its relationship with the network, providing the firm with both national and international recognition, as well as important access to training, networking and innovative products and services.

Riedmann also values the perspectives he receives from the Rainmakers group.

Mike Riedmann

“Our vision is to be the best place for agents to build their business by offering the best technology, training and marketing, as well as work environment,” says Riedmann. “We want their relationship with NP Dodge to be profitable, sustainable, satisfying, professional and enjoyable.” www.npdodge.com

Old Colony REALTORS®: Enhancing Experiences Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2019, Old Colony REALTORS® was founded in Charleston, W. Va., in 1944. Today, it is the largest real estate firm in the state, with 185 sales associates serving most of West Virginia, Southeast Ohio, Eastern Kentucky and Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Vice President of Sales Robert Thomas credits a series of strategic mergers and acquisitions as fueling the company’s growth. A key part of Old Colony’s history came in 2007, when it dropped all franchise affiliations.

“We bring 75 years of experience through cycles of highs and lows, and dramatic changes in the nature and structure of the real estate transaction,” says Broker and President R. Joseph Miller. “And throughout, we’ve remained committed to adopting and developing the most current practices to enhance client satisfaction.”

According to Thomas, Old Colony lives by its company tagline: “Experience. The Difference.”

To enjoy sustained success over 75-plus years, Old Colony leans into the supportive, family culture it has developed. Associates and employees take pride in the company’s inclusive environment of professionalism and high standards.

“We have an outstanding reputation that is backed by a 75-year history of success and experience,” says Executive Vice President Tommy Dunbar. “We enjoy a high degree of loyalty among agents who receive a broad range of support, including mentoring, training and assistance.”

Dunbar also points to the firm’s broad-based services and market coverage as key to its success, along with its innovative policies and practices, and strong community connections. LeadingRE is also an important part of the equation.

“Being a part of LeadingRE, and especially the Rainmakers group, has broadened our exposure and made us more knowledgeable,” says Dun-

From L to R: Joseph Miller, Robert Thomas and Tommy Dunbar

bar. “We all gravitate to the shared experiences of comparable-sized, independent companies facing similar circumstances.”

Looking ahead, Old Colony will focus on developing competitive technology platforms and adopting new systems to expand the professional development capacities of current and new agents.

“We will also look at expansion into new geographic areas and capitalizing on new partnerships, models and market areas of growth,” says Miller. www.oldcolony.com

Strano & Associates Real Estate: A Culture of Community In 1981, Bob and Dede Strano founded Strano & Associates Real Estate—a leader in the Southwestern Illinois real estate market.

A three-generation, women-owned company, Strano & Associates has five offices throughout the Metro East area and 100-plus brokers. The firm also has one of the area’s largest property management divisions.

In 2017, #StranoStands was launched to exemplify the company’s community-focused culture.

“While many companies paint their success with numbers and statistics, we prefer to gauge our success by the impact we leave on our clients, our community, and our agents and staff,” explains President/Broker Stephanie Maine.

Maine elaborates on the four

pillars that comprise the #StranoStands culture: 1. Family: “Family is at the heart of our company. We work together as a team and love that we find houses for families to call home.”

2. Leadership: “Our leaders are selfless, inspirational and know how to navigate uncertain or difficult situations. We live by the Golden Rule.”

3. Community: “While we support each other, we also vow to make the community better through efforts like Tired Teddies, Adopt a Family and our food drive.”

4. Service: “Our servicemen and women risk their lives so we can do what we do, as do our local police and firefighters. We show our appreciation through programs like U.S. Military on the Move.”

As a member of LeadingRE, Strano & Associates believes there’s power in unity. “LeadingRE allows us to have the benefits of a franchise network, but the freedom to make the best investments for our brokerage and our agents,” says COO Alex Anderson.

And the Rainmakers group provides a safe space for brokers to share ideas and constructive criticism, she adds.

Looking ahead, Strano & Associates plans to remain a leader by focusing on service to the community.

“We see the ‘disruptors’ come and go, focusing on numbers and not individuals,” says CEO Dede Strano.

“For us, it’s about providing value and support, creating a family workplace for your career, start to finish. Good things don’t just happen. Good people make good things happen.” www.strano.com

Turpin REALTORS®: Relationships Are Everything When John Turpin’s grandmother, Virginia, started Turpin REALTORS® in 1960, the industry—and the world— was dominated by men. “She believed she could bring a higher level of client service and understanding to the process, which has been our hallmark ever since,” Turpin explains.

Turpin REALTORS®solidified its reputation in luxury real estate in the late

From L to R: Stephanie Maine, Dede Strano and Alex Anderson

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 49

’70s when Virginia’s son, Jack Turpin, combined his passion for historic estates with the tremendous growth in North Central New Jersey. The firm repeatedly broke its own records for the state’s highest residential sale.

John Turpin has been running the firm since the unexpected passing of his father, Jack, in 2010, and today, it is comprised of five offices and 125 agents. “I have focused on upholding the legacies of quality and service set by my father and his mother, while focusing heavily on our deep love for this beautiful area of New Jersey and a commitment to serving our agents and clients with the best tools and support,” says Turpin.

John Turpin

At Turpin REALTORS®, the culture is built around the belief that real estate is still a relationship business.

“We believe that by cultivating meaningful relationships and delivering diligent, knowledgeable and expert service to our clients, we can elevate the industry, increase our own job security and be a force for good in the local community,” says Turpin.

Turpin also relies on LeadingRE and insights from the Rainmakers. “The network is made up of an impressive group of diverse, accomplished and

50 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

smart companies who not only share a similar vision of freedom from corporate red tape, but who also look out for one another,” he explains.

Path forward, Turpin plans to deepen community connections and local expertise in order to continue to champion the firm’s clients.

“We look to hone the excellent tools we provide our agents, and double down on training and adoption, created for and delivered by humans,” he explains. “The more our world drifts toward faceless, automated help centers, the more we insist that only a human will do.” www.turpinrealtors.com

WK Real Estate: Local Strength Founded in 1976, Boulder, Colo.based WK Real Estate is committed to serving the Front Range communities within its footprint.

This culture of community includes a focus on collaboration, professionalism, integrity and friendship, says Managing Broker/Owner Dan Kingdom. “Our agents take pride in the welcoming, open-door atmosphere of our leadership and staff, as well as amongst themselves, regularly relying on each other to solicit advice and recommendations and share information, resources and experiences,” he explains. “In an organization of independent contractors, it’s unusual to find this level of teamwork and collaborative spirit.”

WK’s value proposition benefits not only its sales associates and staff, but their clients as well. By providing associates with an array of resources and services—including a highly trained staff, regularly evaluated systems and technology, expert education and training, quality marketing materials, and an accessible leadership staff—WK ensures that they are always able to put their clients’ needs and goals above all else.

According to Kingdom, the value of being locally owned and operated is

Dan Kingdom

extremely significant in his Boulder County community. “WK’s home is a place where people are known for their fierce loyalty to locally-owned businesses,” he explains. However, in today’s global business world, being local isn’t enough.

“Our affiliation with the LeadingRE network gives us that essential global reach we would not have otherwise,” says Kingdom. “When our clients have real estate needs outside of Colorado, we are able to personally connect them with exceptional, professional real estate partners all over the globe.”

As the company continues to remain a strong, fiscally healthy and debt-free company, it also evaluates new technology investments as part of its ongoing commitment to innovation.

“We strive to maintain our special WK culture as we welcome carefully selected associates and staff members to our family,” says Kingdom.

“We look for new and different ways to foster engagement and involvement in the community. And as our industry changes, our goal is to stay nimble and relevant, with the ability to adapt, grow and thrive in an everchanging market and competitive environment.” RE wkre.com

HOMETEAM INSPECTION SERVICE. IT’S THE QUICKEST WAY TO GAIN A CLIENT FOR LIFE. Your clients loved this house the moment they saw it. And you wanted them to get it. But you also knew this was about more than one house. It was about building trust that would live beyond this transaction. Trust that would make you the real estate agent they always turn to. So you turned to us, and we went to work.

A team of professionals quickly completed the inspection and provided a thorough, thoughtful, and accurate report. Which gave you and your clients what you needed to move forward. With this house.

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Intelligence Before Artificial Intelligence Commentary by Allan Dalton

M

any of our industry’s leading professionals and real estate pundits are now sharing their 20-plus year pronounced obsession over imminent, industry-wide disruption, with a frenzied focus on the impact of artificial intelligence.

My take on the use of artificial intelligence is that we should first encourage our industry to achieve the more remedial level of basic intelligence—specifically, in terms of how we perceive and promulgate our value propositions in both the B-to-B and B-to-C environments.

Let me get right to my point: Every industry leader, broker, coach and respected textbook I have been exposed to has astonishingly asserted one or both of the following premises: 1. That the market determines the price in real estate, or 2. That the buyer determines the price This numbingly incorrect belief inadvertently, yet dangerously, reduces virtually everything a REALTOR®does to market a home to irrelevant or superfluous. Because if the market determines the price—as it does with stocks or commodities—then this places us in the category of merely facilitating market-determined transactional outcomes.

Amazingly, we seem to be volunteering to be compared to other professionals in industries where the market does indeed determine the pricing outcome, such as stockbrokers. Stock sales professionals with certain discount houses charge an approximate $20 fee for a milliondollar sale. Why then are real estate marketing agents paid tens of thousands of dollars, in many cases, for

significantly participating in a milliondollar home sale?

Certainly not because only the market or buyer influences the final price.

The professional who facilitated the stock sale only gets paid a pittance in comparison, for good reason. Discount stockbrokers do not negotiate the price; they do not stage the stock and they do not network the stock to influence the final price.

Instead, the market determines the price.

In real estate, the buyer, the buyer’s agent, the seller, the seller’s agent, the lender and the appraiser, in most cases, are all stakeholders in the final price. For their part, the marketing agent (still referred to by some as the “listing agent”) influences the final price based upon their marketing, networking, negotiating, nurturing, administration, staging, human-relation and sales skills… and flat-out endurance. Regrettably, this one, poorly conceived and illadvised declaration—“the market determines the price”—inadvertently sabotages all of that real and perceived value.

While it may seem like it makes sense to mimic the other asset classes, like stocks and commodities, declaring that the market determines the price is a massive misunderstanding that would be disastrous. Thanks to their intuition, even the consumer does not believe the market determines the price, and is willing to compensate real es-

tate professionals commensurately.

In a time when the threat of fees (all of which are negotiable) being diminished is far more worrisome than disruption, we must be careful that we do not unwittingly convince consumers that we are merely a necessary evil...facilitating marketdetermined transactional outcomes.

If we do, the consumer’s greater intelligence and belief regarding our indispensable role in determining the ultimate sales price of a home may be shaken.

As the former CEO of realtor.com®, I devoted several years to encouraging one million REALTORS® to spend significant and hard-earned dollars to enhance the marketing of their properties showcased on the site.

Were I to think that the ultimate sales price was perfunctorily predetermined by the market, I would have never so passionately advocated for enhanced marketing, nor would I now be so committed to debunking the aforementioned myth.

REALTORS® need to be more respected for the money they invest on behalf of their clients and the outcome they seek to influence. If consumers end up thinking, as our industry often does, that the market determines price, then artificial intelligence will not be our chief concern—our perceived artificial role and value will be! RE Allan Dalton is CEO of Real Living Real Estate and senior vice president, Research & Development of HSF Affiliates. For more information, please visit www.realliving.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 53

Working With iBuyers in 2020 Commentary by Joe Sesso

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t’s no secret that iBuyers are expanding their reach in the real estate market, causing a disruption in the industry. While this trend may be causing agents to worry about their place in real estate, there are ways to use iBuyers for your benefit. You may even be able to get a cut of their profits.

Why are iBuyers seen as a threat?

Because they’re able to swoop in and offer sellers an immediate cash offer, iBuyers are seen as a negative.

Sellers can avoid showings, minor repairs and the stress that comes with a closing. When homeowners are faced with major life changes, selling to an iBuyer may be the best option for them.

What are the negatives of selling to an iBuyer?

The major downside is that homeowners will likely receive less than their home is worth. Some may be willing to trade this for the convenience of a quick sell, but they

could ultimately be missing out on thousands of dollars. Sellers will also need to go through the process of having the home inspected. In addition to this, they’ll still pay the traditional closing costs, including title, escrow, HOA and transfer fees.

When compared to agents, iBuyer fees are higher than a typical agent’s commission.

How do I address this with clients?

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is hiding the fact that iBuyers exist. This will not only make you look like you’re out of the loop, but it will also damage the relationship you have with your client. Earn your

client’s loyalty by offering to take a look at the iBuyer offers available to them, assuring them that you want to find the best option for them. If your clients are leaning toward an iBuyer offer for the convenience, show them exactly how much money they’re leaving on the table. Explain to them that putting a little extra time and effort into showing their home can turn into a big gain and potentially get them a better offer.

How can I become an iBuyer?

While this may not be the best option for everyone, if you’re in a situation financially where you can purchase properties, you may be able to take a cut of the iBuyer market. There are two groups of people who are most interested in an iBuyer offer— those who are willing to take a low offer and those who want the money from selling their home before buying a new one. Target these groups through advertising and draw them into a landing page for their information. The other important part of becoming an iBuyer is building a relationship with a builder or contractor so that you have someone to complete repairs. If you find a home that you’re not able to purchase as an iBuyer, see if you can list it instead. This is a great way to generate a new stream of leads.

While iBuyers may seem daunting, they may provide some benefit to you. Join the Secrets of Top Selling Agents Facebook Group to learn more about iBuyers and watch some of our previous Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinars on this topic. RE

Joe Sesso is an author and national speaker for Homes.com.

For more information, please visit marketing.homes.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 55

Exciting New Initiative Aimed at Engaging Brokers his January, the start of the new decade also marked the launch of the Broker Engagement Committee and Broker Engagement Council. Comprised of REALTORS® from across the country, these groups will collaborate with the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to engage and empower brokers with invaluable resources, enhanced support and the most effective advocacy efforts to serve their needs.

Broker engagement is a high priority at NAR, and as a case study of our matrix approach in action, many teams will be involved in this initiative to ensure its success.

This includes Member Experience & Engagement, Member Development, Marketing, Communications & Events, and Advocacy. “Our matrix approach ensures the highest level of cross collaboration within the organization in order to create and deliver the best possible knowledge, resources and experiences to enhance brokers’ success, professionalism and satisfaction,” explains General Counsel and Chief Member Experience Officer Katie Johnson.

“We put our members first, and brokers play vital leadership roles in real estate,” says NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco. “Brokers who manage offices have needs beyond

THE BROKER ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE Chaired by Tracy Kasper, broker/ owner, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Silverhawk Realty, with Donna Smith, broker in charge, Gar-

Commentary by Marc D. Gould

T

56 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

those of the average member while also navigating a complex, dynamic industry. This major new initiative demonstrates our commitment to serving our broker members and adding value to their businesses.”

lington office, as vice chair, the 25 committee members are all brokers who manage agents, with diverse backgrounds and industry interests, representing brokerages of every size and shape. Their purpose is to increase broker engagement, representation and feedback regarding NAR’s programs, services and strategic priorities.

“Through a national survey, the committee aims to discover what matters most to brokers,” says Kasper. “Our first step is to ask brokers how they use existing resources and determine where there are gaps. We know we don’t have all the answers and are relying on brokers to tell us how we can serve them most effectively.”

IMPROVING AND EXPANDING BROKER RESOURCES “We already have an amazing array of resources and information on NAR’s website,” explains Kasper, “and are currently evaluating each element. Our goal is to ensure that every resource is current, relevant and easy to access, and to offer compelling tools for brokers of every demographic to help their agents be successful.”

The committee will assess, update and create toolkits covering topics brokers request, from recruit-

“This major new initiative demonstrates our commitment to serving our broker members and adding value to their businesses.”

– VINCE MALTA President, NAR; Broker, Malta & Co., Inc.

ing and training to marketing and insurance. They will also continue to build on topical subjects of value like technology, industry trends and the award-winning Commitment to Excellence program.

Networking is essential to every business, and the committee will facilitate broker-to-broker interaction through broker summits, roundtables and other avenues. In fact, NAR’s premier Broker Summit is March 31 - April 1 in Los Angeles. Participants will learn from and collaborate with

industry experts, tech entrepreneurs and top brokers. Moving forward, the Broker Engagement Council will work to develop a Broker Summit for each state or local association. Brokers can register for the 2020 event at NAR.realtor/BrokerSummit.

ADVOCATING FOR BROKERS AND AGENTS Advocacy on all levels of government is a primary focus, and the committee aims to strengthen involvement in NAR’s advocacy by providing the information, tools and recognition that engages brokers and their agents.

Kasper adds, “We want brokers to know we are always tracking issues impacting our industry, such as flood insurance and mortgage interest deduction. But we are also vigilant about small business concerns, like the status of agents as independent contractors, and work on their behalf to limit government overreach and legislation overseeing our businesses.”

Learn more and access broker resources at NAR.realtor/brokers. RE

Marc D. Gould is senior vice president, Member Development, for the National Association of REALTORS®.

Upstream Gains Momentum Commentary by Amy Gorce

F

or as long as I’ve been involved in real estate, it’s been a major challenge for brokers to store, manage and give others access to their listing data and other branded content. For decades, broker data has been siloed in the MLS, usually in unique formats that made data aggregation and management an overwhelming challenge.

Today, brokers have a new choice: Upstream®.

Upstream is a comprehensive broker data management platform that aggregates broker data from multiple sources and makes it ready for use in back-office applications, marketing, franchise reporting, staff management and much more.

Brokers can use Upstream to enrich their listing data with high-res broker-branded media, manage ex-

panded agent and team roster data, and securely deliver data to technology and syndication partners in RESO®-standard formats—both RETS and Web API. For brokers looking to take ownership of their data assets, Upstream is a huge step forward.

CoreLogic® took over the development of Upstream in early 2019, and I’m pleased to say it is now up and running in many markets. As the

leader in real estate data management solutions with strong ties to both the MLS and broker communities, CoreLogic is best positioned to bridge the gaps and successfully bring Upstream to the larger real estate industry. Together with the leadership and vision of UpstreamRE, CoreLogic is using its expertise building enterprise platforms to deliver a revolutionary data management solution that gives brokers the control and independence they’ve wanted for so long.

Are you using Upstream yet? It’s ready and waiting—and getting started is simple. Get connected today and take control of your data. RE CORELOGIC and the CoreLogic logo are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Amy Gorce is principal, Business Development at CoreLogic. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 59

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Maximizing Your Agent’s Business Plans Commentary by Travis Bailey

A

s we end the first quarter and head into the spring market, now is the perfect time to meet with your agents to make certain that their business plans are on track. As a broker/ owner, it has become more important than ever to provide your agents not only with the tools and systems they need to grow their businesses and make them more efficient, but to also empower and encourage them to be the best they can be. Creating a culture and value proposition that your agents can learn and grow from can make all the difference between an average business and one that thrives.

Think of it this way: those seeds you and your agents planted in January have grown into goals, and those goals should be driving spring growth. So, what can you do to help those agents if those goals are slow to develop? There will always be market challenges; however, identifying why an agent may be struggling is key to helping them overcome them. Here are three questions that can help you review your agent’s business plans.

1. Is the business plan hyperlocal?

Go back to the beginning of 2020 and look at the agent’s notes and business plan. What was the foundation they were planning to implement to have a good spring? What were the steps to their big-picture goals?

Next, evaluate the steps that support those goals. For example, maybe an agent planned to be “top of mind” within a specific zip code.

However, after a few months, they haven’t achieved the success they planned. Ask them, “Have you set aside time to cold call each day and talk to prospects?” “Are you sending out mailers to each confirmed homeowner in that zip code?”

Bottom line: Continuous hyperlocal strategies will keep your agent top of mind in a targeted geo area.

2. Do they know their market?

Knowing the market can easily tie back into your agent’s business plan and should be the foundation of their 2020 goals.

Let’s go back to the example of breaking into a specific zip code.

While it’s essential for an agent to consistently utilize multiple marketing avenues and develop their per-

sonal brand, it’s equally necessary to make sure they know and understand their market. Using research tools and other technology solutions will help uncover why residents move into specific neighborhoods and what the key features and demographics are that draw them to it. By learning key details about the market, you can easily match up prospects looking for a specific neighborhood.

Bottom line: Truly know your market segments.

3. Does the plan only focus on a short-term outlook?

Whether an agent is a top producer or new to the industry, it’s important for them to think long term and consistently develop their personal brand. It’s essential to have a mixture of both long- and short-term goals. Those long-term goals can be something to strive for, such as earning specific awards or recognition for sales volume, units or referrals. There’s nothing more rewarding than reaching a goal that’s been well thought-out and planned for with an excellent long-term strategy.

Bottom line: Manage the quick wins while you plan for the long term.

Remember, it’s easy for an agent to start feeling overwhelmed. Talk to them, help them stay focused and work with them to identify the tools and actions they can implement to achieve their growth goals. Invest in your team and they will invest in themselves! RE Travis Bailey is vice president of Enterprise Sales at Cole Information. For more information, contact Travis at 973-896-6134, travis.bailey@ coleinformation.com or visit info.coleinformation.com/ agentmindset.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 61

To Call or Text? The Value of a Hybrid Approach Commentary by Grier Allen

• 21.38% Engagement: “Hi (visitor name). This is (agent name) with (company). I wanted to send you some listings. Which neighborhoods are you looking in?”

• 41.42% Engagement: “Is this (visitor name)?”

I

n real estate, it’s all about that first impression. A strong first touch and effective follow-up are critical for converting leads to clients. So, we’ve been gathering data to learn what methods work best for lead conversion.

UNIQUE BENEFITS OF TEXTING VS. CALLING. With the recent flood of robo-dialers and spam calls, it’s easy to see why texting has become a popular choice for agents. Texting has the advantage of delivering messages with high open rates, versus calling, which requires an answer to get the conversation going. With a text, you also have the ability to show and not just tell. You can easily include links to properties, your website, etc., without the added step of an email. Another advantage that almost goes without saying is that texting is the preferred method of communication for millennial and Gen Z consumers.

And generations across the board have grown more comfortable with texting with businesses. In fact, a recent study showed that 39 percent of businesses use texting to talk to customers. [Zipwhip, 2019] However, phone calls oftentimes still reign supreme in the minds of real estate professionals. Why? Be-

cause they’re in the business of relationships. The human-to-human connection is where they thrive. We hear it all the time: “If I can just get them on the phone, I’ll close the deal!”

SO, WHAT’S THE MOST EFFECTIVE APPROACH? We recommend a hybrid approach.

Based on our data, a text-to-call strategy works really well. Leverage the automation, consistency and high open rates of a text message to start the conversation and build that trust to then invite the lead to a phone call.

Use the text to introduce yourself and immediately display value. Then, schedule a call—or, better yet, bring the text conversation to a point of engagement where the phone call actually feels natural and easy.

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT TEXT SCRIPT? Here are two top-performing openers from the texting data we’ve collected.

LET BOOMTOWN HANDLE THE OUTREACH FOR YOU. Here’s a trend that I’ve noticed in my 10-plus years of working alongside real estate professionals. The most successful agents and brokers tend to do these three things: prioritize their time based on dollarproductive activities, leverage the value of their database, and diversify and grow their lead sources. Agents should be out in the field, going to appointments, shaking hands, making connections and closing deals— not bogged down in the trenches of follow-up.

But those texts and calls that engage new leads are critical for building a healthy book of business. The reality is that most agents simply don’t have the bandwidth to keep up with it on their own. That’s why BoomTown recently announced a new program called Success Assurance. This program uses a lead concierge to handle the qualification and initial follow-up for you, allowing you to jump in when the leads are ready.

We’re gathering data and feedback from our clients to continuously improve the lead engagement experience and boost lead conversions.

Those clients of ours who have taken advantage of the Success Assurance program have already seen remarkable results, and we’re excited to empower agents in this new era of technology that works smarter and harder. RE

Grier Allen is CEO of BoomTown.

For more information, please visit https://boomtownroi.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 63

From L to R: Carlo Siracusa, President, Residential Brokerage, Weichert, Realtors®; James Weichert, Jr., Vice Chairman, Weichert Companies; Bill Scavone, President, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.; Denise Smith, President of Real Estate Services, Weichert Companies

Innovation Never Ends How Weichert Is Supercharging Its Engine for the Future

by Maria Patterson Photos by AJ Canaria of Inside Real Estate 64 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

N

ational real estate powerhouse, New Jersey-based Weichert, Realtors®has a long history of innovating to grow...50 years to be exact. Founded as a single office by Jim Weichert in

1969, Weichert now encompasses 500 residential real estate offices across the country. With the recent launch of its brand-new technology ecosystem—myWeichert, powered by kvCORE—the firm has upped its value proposition for the more than 13,000 company and affiliated sales associates it serves. According to Weichert, the platform—developed in partnership with Inside Real Estate—will enable agents to build even stronger businesses with robust lead-gen tools, as well as AI and behavioral-driven marketing strategies.

For a company that’s been succeeding for 50 years, change is nothing new. That’s why the shifts taking place in real estate over the past decade don’t rattle Weichert. These market changes motivate Weichert to stay laser-focused on being “all in”—recruiting the best agents, then giving them the very best tools.

Designed to be a next-generation, integrated technology ecosystem, myWeichert, powered by kvCORE, provides Weichert agents with a custom suite of mobile apps and tools that facilitate multi-channel lead generation, relationship-building through its CRM and automated marketing, social media engagement, and more.

Weichert’s latest technology investment is in line with the company’s “best of both worlds” approach of supporting its agents by combining innovative tools with high-touch coaching based on realworld experience. “myWeichert will help improve the productivity of our agents by giving them the power to automate their entire business. It also helps our branch managers better support agents with training and guidance,” says Denise Smith, president of Real Estate Services, Weichert Companies. “For Weichert sales associates and affiliated agents, it is a one-stop, Weichert-only marketplace where they can access all the systems needed to manage their business.”

ENLISTING THE EXPERTS Despite a long history of developing products and systems in-house, Weichert opted for an outside partner and chose Inside Real Estate and its flagship platform, kvCORE, to power myWeichert.

“We’ve been looking at various technology solutions for years, but there was never anything out there that could solve what we needed,” says Bill Scavone, president of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. “We’ve been hearing what technol-

ogy people are using and what their frustrations are. We’d also hear about who’s highly thought of in the industry. We had three different groups within our family of companies working on this decision and they all came up with the same conclusion: Inside Real Estate.”

customized to integrate Weichert’s unique brand offerings, including the Weichert Way Selling System and Weichert Tools.

“President of Inside Real Estate Joe Skousen and his team really know real estate, and really connected with us,” says Scavone.

“People buy people before a product or service. We bought their people— they’re very attentive and very helpful. They’ve been very collaborative in customizing the product for us.

This is not an off-the-shelf solution.”

ACHIEVING GREATER GOALS

“We’re giving [agents] a smart CRM that ensures 5 - 10 times higher engagement. The system will supercharge their ability to connect with those clients via automated emails and texts. It’s like handing them the keys to a Ferrari.”

- BILL SCAVONE President, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

Weichert needed a proven technology that was agile enough to integrate existing proprietary technologies and support a large enterprise deployment. In order to meet its unique requirements, Weichert worked closely with Inside Real Estate’s seasoned leadership team to develop a proven and scalable technology solution that was fully

While the primary objective of myWeichert is to help agents do more business more efficiently, the benefits for Weichert are far-reaching.

“We’re giving them a smart CRM that ensures 5 - 10 times higher engagement. They’ll know when clients are engaging with a listing on their website or looking at a market report, and, more importantly, the system will supercharge their ability to connect with those clients via automated emails and texts,” declares Scavone. “It’s like handing them the keys to a Ferrari.

“On the franchise side, we expect to have more brokers look to join us because this platform will save them a lot of money and provide them with a powerful solution to grow their business. It will also help our brokers and managers recruit and retain. They’ve always had a great value proposition to work with, but this is a game changer, and our franchise owners are ecstatic about it because it’s the solution they need,” explains Scavone.

And according to Scavone, it won’t stop there. myWeichert is designed to be a launching pad for additional enhancements and innovations, which will help Weichert chart its path for the future.

“Weichert has been around for 50 years and we plan on being around another 50,” says Scavone. “Every RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 65

“We’re not using technology to get away from the customer— we’re using it to get closer to the customer.” myWeichert Debuts to Rave Reviews At press time, myWeichert’s early adopters were already weighing in with positive feedback: “myWeichert, powered by kvCORE, is a one-stop hub for an agent’s personal business. It handles the organizational side of their business as well as the lead generation side, so it truly is a one-stop hub for their entire business. I think it will have a tremendous impact on our office productivity because: No. 1, it will keep agents more organized with all of their information for their business in one place; and No. 2, if they use this platform properly as it’s intended, it will help them generate more business so that they can again have more productivity. So it’s not just organizing the productivity they already have, but also generating more productivity.”

- BRENDA ELLIOTT Broker/Owner, Weichert, Realtors®The Space Place

“I think this system will absolutely help us stand out from the competition. The system’s different prospecting tools and the

66 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

automated interaction, along with the lead-capture process, has been received very well by our clients. And I think this all will help show that our agents and office are extremely responsive, even though it may be automated.”

- EDNA SEXTON Broker-in-Charge Weichert, Realtors®- Triangle

“In our industry, we talk about follow-up, follow-up, follow-up and then follow-up some more. And that’s probably what our industry lacks—the ability for salespeople in their busy day to actually follow up and do the things they’re supposed to do to satisfy their customers. myWeichert not only gives them the tools to follow up, but it will also do some of the follow-up for them. There’s also an accountability factor to the platform, which is awesome.”

- JARED GARCIA Manager, Weichert, Realtors® Performance Homes

- BILL SCAVONE President, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.

time we need to innovate, we innovate and thrive. We were the disruptor when we opened our first office, and when we started our open house system. With this investment in technology, we will play that role again. We will continue to expand when we find the right companies to affiliate with, and offer them our many tools, systems and training... all under one roof.”

INNOVATING THEN AND NOW An early innovator in online lead generation, today, Weichert.com is one of the most successful lead generation platforms in the country.

“When I started with the company years ago, we’d had the lead-gen piece for a few years,” says Carlo Siracusa, president, Residential Brokerage, Weichert Realtors®. “We were there before the online aggregators and our goal was to enhance the consumer experience. We use Weichert.com to generate leads, but the beauty is in the customer interaction. We get people into the hands of an associate and talking with them live within minutes. Lead generation is more about the customer experience than the lead.”

In a time when many agents, teams and even brokers have become dependent on a singular source for

leads, like the portals, myWeichert empowers users to diversify their sources of new business. With beautiful, easy-to-use Landing Pages, IDX Squeeze Pages, Smart Numbers and other advertising solutions, agents and teams can generate leads independently, in just minutes—regardless of their budget.

“Being able to offer a system like myWeichert to agents is game-changing for them. It’s also game-changing for me, as a broker who’s recruiting agents, for getting people in the door.

For agents, it’s about getting those extra leads from myWeichert, which they’re able to generate on their own, as well as the company leads that Weichert provides. It’s pretty magnificent,” says Kim Smith, broker/owner of Weichert, Realtors® - Team Metro, based in Hickory, N.C. While there’s been an influx of competition in the lead-gen arena over the years, unless it’s “done the right way,” no amount of leads will make an agent successful, says Siracusa.

“It’s great to have leads coming in, but if you don’t have a process and system in place for following up, it doesn’t matter,” he explains. “The myWeichert platform, powered by kvCORE, puts unbelievable artificial intelligence and behavioral automation in our hands to help our associates do their job and follow up with leads—and it’s all automated.

Our associates are already good at building relationships, and this now gives them a streamlined, easier approach. It helps associates engage with more consumers, at exactly the right time.”

Coming from Weichert’s early days in lead generation, to the most cutting-edge tools for engaging with new customers, myWeichert is right in line with the company’s long history of innovative adaptation.

Another Weichert innovation is the company’s touted open house program, which is delivered system-

wide and began when Jim Weichert got his first listing in 1969 and strategically placed open house signs in a way never seen before.

our technology to help us engage more people, and the myWeichert open house application helps us do that. We’re not using technology to get away from the customer—we’re using it to get closer to the customer,” adds Scavone.

PIONEERING INTEGRATED SERVICES

“Jim [Weichert] recognized early on that simplifying the customer journey is key to repeat business.”

- CARLO SIRACUSA President, Residential Brokerage, Weichert, Realtors®

“We love it when people say ‘open houses don’t work,’” says Scavone.

“They haven’t tried it our way, which is based on time-tested results. Our open houses allow us to offer great branding and meet a lot of potential customers in person, which leads to more listings. There’s no better way to meet someone...a tweet or an email can’t shake someone’s hand.”

With the myWeichert platform, Weichert’s agents can create even more face-to-face relationships with a fully integrated, custom mobile Open House App that captures contact info on-site and immediately starts follow-up dialogue. “We want

Empowering its agents with the best tools has been a consistent focus for Weichert. “We’ve always taken care of our agents and franchise owners by giving them the tools to succeed, so they can deliver legendary customer service. That’s the Weichert advantage,” says company founder Jim Weichert.

This philosophy is what led to Weichert’s pioneering efforts in the one-stop shopping movement. “In the world we’re in today, where everyone is busier than ever, people are looking to have it all done for them,” explains Siracusa. “Offering everything they need saves the consumer time, energy and stress.”

Weichert has been offering integrated real estate services to customers for many years now. “Jim [Weichert] recognized early on that simplifying the customer journey is key to repeat business, so he brought the most important real estate services—real estate, mortgage, title and insurance—together, all under one roof and laid the foundation for the Weichert Family of Companies,” says Siracusa.

He also stressed that the mandate doesn’t just apply to consumers, but to franchisees and Weichert sales associates, as well. From technology and training to marketing and prospecting, Weichert is focused on giving agents everything they need so they can go out and deliver on the Weichert pledge of “legendary customer experience.” RE For more information, please visit www.weichert.com and www.insiderealestate.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 67

Save the Date RISMedia’s 25th Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner Honoring those brokers who rank in RISMedia’s 2020 Power Broker Report, available this April

Friday, Nov. 13, 2020 | New Orleans, La.

rismedia.com/rismedia-power-broker-annual Photo Credit: AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic

Too Small to Be Big, Too Big to Be Small What will you be in tomorrow’s real estate landscape?

Commentary by Bryan Brooks

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hat does the future look like for your brokerage? While there are many routes to success, there are also uncertainties and new challenges to our business. How are you futureproofing your brokerage and making sure you have a strategy to grow your business and create a valuable asset? This is not an easy question to answer, but I’m sharing what you should address if you hope to grow your business and create an asset that can help you achieve a lucrative exit strategy.

Consolidation is coming.

Everyone is talking about consolidation. At RISMedia’s 2019 Real Estate CEO Exchange, Realogy’s Ryan Schneider said, “Consolidation in our business is inevitable.” He warned the audience that the journey may not be smooth or painless. And Schneider is not wrong. Consolidation is inevitable, and brokerage owners need to be prepared for that.

Are you going to be the brokerage that’s growing and acquiring companies, or are you planning your exit strategy, whether that be today or five years from now?

Now is the time to choose.

Many brokers fall into one of two cat-

egories: too small to be big, or too big to be small. It’s up to you to decide what you’d like to achieve.

As a large brokerage, your everyday focus should be on growing organically. If you’re not recruiting, you’re not surviving. But what you need for rapid growth are mergers and acquisitions. It’s crucial you think about how your business can scale, your value proposition and profitability.

You need to be able to grow and provide value to agents and consumers while keeping your costs low.

Technology plays a huge role in real estate today. It’s critical to have the right tech stack to run your business and provide to your agents.

Partner with a company that can pro-

vide you a fully integrated tech stack that grows as you do. With a large brokerage, there are tremendous wealth opportunities through more transactions and affiliated business relationships. And as a large brokerage that’s profitable, your multiple is worth more when you look to sell.

On the other hand, if you’re a small brokerage, you can operate a successful boutique business that runs smoothly. However, when the time comes to sell, you won’t have the agent-count or transactions to sell at as high a value. Typically, in a small brokerage, you have one or two agents doing the majority of the business. Therefore, profitability is non-existent, making it impossible to sell. Profitability is key to maximizing your investment.

Many times, small brokerages offer their agents countless tools and services that benefit the agent, but they don’t scale as the brokerage grows. Or, the company is so small that they can’t afford tools or offer agents any value. This also makes it difficult for the brokerage to be profitable. Focus on your P&L to get the most out of the time and money you spent on your brokerage.

With consolidation on the rise, it’s time to determine which way to take your business. Too small to be big, or too big to be small? Don’t get caught in the middle.

If you’re looking for guidance, I encourage you to reach out to me for a free, confidential consultation. RE Bryan Brooks is the senior vice president of Franchise Sales for HomeSmart International, responsible for spearheading the company’s domestic and international franchise growth initiatives including mergers, acquisitions, roll-ins and conversion opportunities. You can contact Bryan directly at BBrooks@hsmove.com. For more information about HomeSmart International, please visit HomeSmart.com/Franchising.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 69

Half of Millennials Delaying Home-Buying Due to Financial Concerns, Study Finds Commentary by Desirée Patno

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n Insider and Morning Consult survey reveals that millennials are more likely than previous generations to postpone major life events because they cannot afford them. Money concerns, whether they are student debt, living costs or still recovering from the Great Recession, are not only affecting their financial and physical fitness, but also their timeline of significant life events.

The survey polled 2,096 Americans about their financial health, debt and earnings for the series, “The State of Our Money.” More than 670 respondents were millennials, (ages 23 to 28 as of 2019), and 730 respondents were baby boomers, defined as ages 55 to 73.

Key Findings Below is a list of major life events and the share of respondents who have reported delaying each event because of money concerns.

• Buying a home: 23 percent of baby boomers and 50 percent of millennials • Having a medical procedure: 41 percent of baby boomers and 49 70 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

percent of millennials •Q uitting a job: 20 percent of baby boomers and 41 percent of millennials • Starting a business: 16 percent of baby boomers and 31 percent of millennials • Having children: 8 percent of baby boomers and 28 percent of millennials • Getting married: 8 percent of baby boomers and 26 percent of millennials • Entering a relationship: 9 percent of baby boomers and 20 percent of millennials • Ending a relationship: 9 percent of baby boomers and 19 percent of millennials

Millennials are more likely to delay every life event because of money problems compared to previous generations. The biggest difference is in buying a home, as half of millennials said they have postponed becoming homeowners due to money concerns compared to 23 percent of baby boomers. This is not very surprising, as the median price of home sales has increased by 39 percent since 1970, according to U.S. Federal Housing Agency data.

About the same percentage of millennials and baby boomers have delayed a medical procedure because they could not afford it. Millennials are twice as likely as baby boomers to have delayed a career decision, such as quitting a job or starting a business, because they did not feel financially fit.

Money is a deciding factor in the love lives of the millennial generation, as well. They are more likely to delay having children (if they want them), get married (if they want to) and enter or end a relationship than baby boomers were at their age.

In fact, the average age for adults to marry was 27 for women and 29 for men in 2017; in 1980, the common age was 22 and 25, respectively. A delay in marriage can sometimes result in a delay in childbearing. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more 30-something-yearold women are having babies than women in their 20s for the first time in history. RE Desirée Patno is the CEO and president of Women in the Housing and Real Estate Ecosystem (NAWRB) and Desirée Patno Enterprises, Inc. (DPE), as well as chairwoman of NAWRB’s Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Council (NDILC). With 30 years of experience in housing, Patno is a champion for women’s economic growth and independence. In 2017, Entrepreneur.com named her the Highest-Ranking Woman and 4th Overall Top Real Estate Influencer to Follow. For more information, please visit www.nawrb.com.

How to Conduct a Smooth Real Estate Transaction Commentary by Yazir Phelps

Negotiating Counteroffers If the seller does not find the initial offer acceptable, they may come back with a counteroffer. Make sure you prepare the buyers for this possibility. If the buyers decide to write up another offer, they are rejecting the seller’s counteroffer. It is essential to know which party is obligated to the purchase and sales agreement, and when. Sellers can only negotiate with one buyer at a time. Buyers can only negotiate with one seller at a time.

Completing the Final Steps of the Real Estate Transaction Before you can reach the final destination of closing the deal, you must work to keep the following time-sensitive tasks in order:

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urchasing property can be a very emotional experience. As a buyer’s agent, it is your job to be the voice of reason, the buffer and sometimes the peacemaker. While many transactions are completed with a minimum of negotiations, others are fraught with haggling over price, repairs, timelines, etc.

You have the power to set expectations and take all the back-and-forth negotiation in stride. A few reassuring words can mean the difference between a smooth transaction and a traumatizing one.

Here are some tips on how to make the real estate transaction process as smooth as possible for you and your buyer clients.

Making an Offer Constructing a real estate offer is an art. It is a careful balance between price, terms, contingencies and timeframe. In order to reach an acceptable agreement with the most favorable terms, make sure your buyers are aware of the mar-

ket and the most important factors when constructing an offer.

Competing With Other Buyers If your buyers become aware of a competing offer, ask them to think about the value of this property to them. They may want to revise their offer to be their highest and best offer. They should keep in mind that price is only one factor in the seller’s decision. Other terms, such as closing dates and concessions, may play powerful roles in the strengths of competing offers.

In these stressful situations, buyers may take comfort in knowing that they’ve put forth their strongest offer.

• Financing • Inspections • Availability of property insurance • Appraisal • Title search • Closing procedures Navigating the choppy waters of a real estate purchase is not easy.

There are many important factors to consider, deadlines to meet and terms to negotiate. A good licensee is one who is knowledgeable and competent, an effective communicator and negotiator, and has a full understanding of how to conduct a real estate transaction. RE Yazir Phelps is the president of Colibri Real Estate, the national leader in online learning for pre-licensing, continuing education and professional development.

Colibri Real Estate’s portfolio of brands include Real Estate Express, McKissock Learning, Superior School of Real Estate, Allied Schools and The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing. Phelps has more than 18 years of experience in marketing at Fortune 500 organizations, and over five years of experience working directly with real estate professionals. Learn more at realestateexpress.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 71

How Brokerages Can Use an iBuyer Platform to Help Agents Close More Listings Commentary by Lane Hornung

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hen your agents walk into a listing presentation, it’s almost a given these days that the sellers will have questions about iBuyers. Some brokerages have accommodated this market change by including an iBuyer strategy that agents can use in their listing presentation. coast. As the broker/owner of Colorado’s 8z Real Estate, which did $1.25 billion in volume last year, we discovered that the zavvie iBuyer platform helped our 155 agents win the listing. It also dramatically improved our list-to-close ratio.

In a tight inventory market, our buy sides were flat, yet our overall business was up 13 percent last year.

That’s because our new iBuyer platform helped grow our listing sides by 21 percent in 2019.

When inventory is tight, you need to increase the number of listings you close. That’s what a zavvie-powered iBuyer platform does.

Your agents need to do more than just talk about iBuyers; they need a full brokerage iBuyer platform to help them win more deals and close more listings. The big surprise about iBuyers (which isn’t a surprise to anybody who understands real estate) is that sellers still want to be represented by an agent, even when selling to an iBuyer. If you can’t provide an iBuyer platform to agents and their sellers, they’ll turn to the brokerage that will.

That’s why zavvie is providing the first and only comprehensive iBuyer platform for brokerages coast to 72 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

3 iBuyer Tech Tools Agents Use in the Field The zavvie platform delivers three technology tools to help agents lock in sellers.

The first is the Offer Optimizer, used to start a conversation with the seller. It makes it easy for a seller to compare options and what they might net from each.

When an agent brings all the options to the table during their listing presentation, it wins listings. When you can say, “Oh, I have technology that makes it easier for you to evaluate an iBuyer offer—and here it is,” sellers know you’re going to help them make the best decision.

The second tool uses technol-

ogy—and people—to deliver easyto-understand, vetted iBuyer offers.

Because we know the nuances of each iBuyer, we believe zavvie helps agents deliver better instant-offer requests, and that improves the iBuyer offers agents provide to their clients.

The third technology tool is our confirmed offer report. This makes the iBuyer offer experience completely transparent and allows sellers to make the best decision about the right option for them. Sellers see all available options, including listing their home on the open market.

Getting Into the iBuyer Space Beyond improving both your presentation-to-listing ratio and your listingto-close ratio, an iBuyer platform allows your agents to unlock more deals. Homeowners who are stuck are curious to hear more about iBuyers, and having an iBuyer platform gives your agents a reason to contact their client database and discuss what an instant offer can mean to them.

Top brokerages in more than two dozen cities across the nation have already signed up for their own customized zavvie iBuyer platform.

Some brokerages have launched their platform in as little as two weeks. And it’s so intuitive, many agents do not even need the free training zavvie provides its broker partners.

For recruiting and retention efforts, an iBuyer platform gives brokerages a local, competitive edge.

To learn how quickly zavvie can get a custom iBuyer platform built for your brokerage, visit zavvie.com. RE Lane Hornung is a founder of zavvie and broker/owner of 8z Real Estate in Colorado. A Stanford engineer, early internet pioneer and former agent, Hornung flew Cobra helicopters in the USMC, was a “Good to Great” (Jim Collins) researcher, and is a RE/MAX Hall of Famer.

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Obsessed With Finding a Better Way: Quicken Loans Strives for Positive Client Experiences, Every Time

By Paige Tepping

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ired by Quicken Loans as a loan processor 17 years ago, Heather Lovier has enjoyed a variety of roles throughout her career.

Today, she is the executive vice president of Client Lovier Experience Operations—a role that’s near and dear to her heart. In this exclusive interview, Lovier discusses how she is spearheading the movement to ensure that every Quicken Loans client has an amazing experience, every time.

Real Estate magazine: What is your No. 1 goal in your current role?

Heather Lovier: My main goal is to embody our “ISMs,” which are the fundamental principles that shape and drive our culture at Quicken 74 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Loans. Because they are the philosophy that supports who we are, it’s critical that I, and our entire Client Experience team, uphold our ISMs— whether we are interacting with mortgage clients or our team members.

RE: Tell us a bit more about the company’s ISMs and why they are so important.

HL: Our ISMs are truly the fuel behind our culture and guide our actions and decision-making every day. There are 19 ISMs, ranging from “Do the right thing” to “Every client. Every time. No exceptions. No excuses.” They are truly engrained in everything we do; we talk about them and reinforce them constantly. Some of our other ISMs include “We’ll figure it out,” “Obsessed with finding a better way,” “Responding with a sense of urgency” and “Yes before no.”

RE: What’s involved in the process that comes with ensuring every client has an amazing experience?

HL: One thing we pride ourselves on is returning phone calls, texts and emails within 24 hours. If this goal is not met, an email is sent to the senior leadership team, the team member and me, asking why the client was not responded to in

a timely fashion. If a team member is too busy to follow up, they know they can always count on one of us to reach out. It’s important for us as an organization to make sure we’re responding to all clients with a sense of urgency. We don’t want any client to feel as though they are just another number to us—because they’re not.

RE: What happens when a client doesn’t have a positive experience?

HL: We take a lot of pride in the high level of client service that we provide consistently, but when we experience the rare issue in the process, we have a dedicated escalation group that works closely with our clients to get things back on track quickly. Not only is this group responsible for coming up with resolutions, but they are also empowered to make decisions and act on them, depending on what the

client needs. We also have a project called Operation Heart, which provides an outlet for team members to reach out to clients and engage with them on a more personal level.

continue to grow as America’s largest mortgage lender.

RE: Why is it so important to ensure that the client experience is a good one?

HL: A mortgage is a personal and

at how we can make the process smoother for our clients, we’re always trying to create a faster process so that clients know with certainty when they’re going to close.

We’ll continue to provide visibility into the process for our clients and partners, as well as the real estate professionals we work with. This will provide clarity into what’s going on at all times, ensuring that we’re all on the same page. RE

infrequent event for our clients. In many cases, this will be the largest financial transaction a client makes in their life. As a result, we know that we have to bring our ‘A’ game every day. That’s why our client service, and the positive experience we give our clients, is so important to us. A win for us is when a client goes out and shares what an awesome experience they had getting a mortgage or refinancing through Quicken Loans. That’s what energizes our 18,000 team members every day—and that’s what helps us

RE: What’s on the horizon as we head toward the future?

HL: In addition to constantly looking

For more information, please visit www.RealEstate.QuickenLoans.com.

If you are interested in receiving one of our ISMs books, please send your name and mailing address to AgentRelations@QuickenLoans.com.

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Communicating With Millennials:

Catching Their Attention Pays Off in the Long Run Commentary by Allen Alishahi

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he challenges that come with working with first-time homebuyers range from spending a greater amount of time educating them on the home-buying process to consoling them when they realize they aren’t going to be able to afford any of the homes they want to buy. Each step of the way requires some special handling, but today’s younger buyers are presenting newer challenges given all the ways technology has impacted their lives.

One trend my colleagues and I are seeing more of is what has been termed “cancel culture.” From what I understand, this is a trait common to a generation that is used to having an abundance of options to choose from—whether it is someone they might like on a dating app, or clothes they want to buy. The ability to simply click or swipe away the options has led to an ingrained habit of instantly making a decision based on something small and (possibly) inconsequential, such as what hobbies the potential dating partner has listed on their profile, 76 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

or if the page doesn’t load quickly enough when someone wants to see the sweater in a different color.

(There are bigger examples of “cancel culture” as it applies to dismissing people based on something they have said that often ends up being taken out of context, but that is a topic for discussion elsewhere.)

This is especially frustrating for those of us working with first-time buyers, since most of the homes they will be in a financial position to buy will require some work and an explanation about whether it is something they can take on. But a

young buyer who is in the habit of deciding “no” after quickly clicking through photos without putting much deliberation into the decision is going to be a tough customer. It becomes even more frustrating since they are reluctant to talk by phone and prefer to communicate via email or text, making it difficult for an agent to know if the client has looked at the information fully.

The only way to circumvent this is to catch their attention immediately with the subject line or the first few words of your text message. If I forward a listing to a client, the automated email will put the address of the listing in the subject line. I have more success forwarding the email to my own address before sending it to the client, then adding a new subject line that says something like: “10 Minutes to the Subway,” or “Backyard Has Room for a Swing Set.” If there is a photo that I think will catch their attention, I make sure to specify which photo they should look at. The subject line then becomes: “Pic No. 19: Backyard Has Room for a Swing Set.” I can sometimes get a little sneaky by choosing the photo that appears latest in the gallery so they will at least click all the way through to that one. So, if there are several features that fit their wish list, I’ll reserve the photo furthest along for the subject line and then include a few bullet points of the other features I know will catch their attention at the very beginning of the email.

There is going to be some extra work on your part, but it won’t take more than a few minutes to create an email that will catch their attention. It ends up being worth it because it always pays off in the long run. RE

Allen Alishahi is president of ShelterZoom. For more information, please visit www.shelterzoom.com.

Relocation Housing:

Sourcing Fully Furnished Apartments and Homes for Your Client’s Temporary Housing Needs Commentary by Manu Bhagatjee

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he current options for sourcing a quality furnished home for a few months simply do not allow a tenant to discover and book a home online in a few minutes. Many platforms allow real estate professionals and tenants to search for a home, but they don’t offer the ability to book the home online—and none of them specialize in monthly apartments or homes.

Finding a temporary home for a client relocating from a different city continues to be a challenge, and sometimes, a nightmare, as the available options are mostly offline.

Take Josh for example. A REALTOR® in Los Angeles who needed a temporary home for a family he helped purchase a house in Hollywood Hills, Josh had to make about 30 calls and exchange about 40 emails to find his client the perfect

home with all the relevant amenities for a three-month stay. The amount of work Josh had to put in to find a home with a washer and dryer required him to send multiple emails to landlords to request the information and then await responses.

Technology holds the key for a global transient population seeking such turnkey housing, as technology is empowering landlords and property managers who are offering

furnished rentals to bring such inventory online and be discoverable.

Tenants with short-term housing needs are increasingly discovering such online platforms as they seek alternatives to hotels and the traditional cookie-cutter corporate housing options.

Some technology companies have created solutions to reduce the friction associated with sourcing and booking a home online. The websites created by these technology companies are offering a 21st century solution to an age-old problem by innovating and automating the administrative component of the search and discovery process, followed by online booking engines.

For example, websites allow you to filter options by setting important parameters such as price, parking, pets, apartment size, appliances and amenities, to name a few.

Trusted marketplaces will be the winners in the future as such housing is commoditized and quality standards are established to provide tenants with a hotel-like experience in a home. Full price transparency and establishing trust in such marketplaces are already underway as operators take the initiative to verify each home listed online to capture every microscopic detail about a home your client will be occupying temporarily. The advent of such marketplaces is truly a win for all stakeholders involved, and learning how to leverage such marketplaces to service clients will make some real estate professionals stand out when offering temporary housing options to clients in between home sales or for those who are relocating. RE

Manu Bhagatjee is the founder and CEO of HouseStay. For more information, please visit www.housestay.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 77

G N I N I A R T E N I L N O D E C A P F L E S

workmansuccess.com/training (385) 282-7112

{Power Teams}

Creating 5-Star Client Experiences

by Verl Workman

G

oogle, Yelp, Zillow, Amazon, Facebook, TripAdvisor, the Yellow Pages, the Better Business Bureau, Angie’s List and Foursquare all have one thing in common: They provide users or shoppers the ability to give and receive reviews. They are portals that help consumers decide whether or not to use someone’s services based on others’ experiences.

It is my opinion that your online reputation can either be the best or worst thing for your business. Reviews give consumers the ability to choose to engage or not engage based on what others say. The scary thing about this concept is that most of our clients don’t leave reviews, so even if the majority of your reviews are great, there are many more clients who are happy with your services, but aren’t sharing their thoughts. And if the majority of your reviews are poor, you have a big problem, because there are probably many other clients who didn’t have a fivestar experience.

When you’re considering asking your clients to go online and give reviews, I would challenge you to ask this question first: “Are we providing each client with the experience they should have to want to leave us a five-star review?” If not, determine what needs to change to make that happen.

Creating amazing client experiences may not be as hard as you think.

As a buyer or seller, what are the minimum expectations you would have when working with an agent?

•C hange of address labels for their sphere or database

•C lear, ongoing communication (clients should never have to call or text to see “what’s up”)

•C losing folder with all of their important information for tax purposes

•A ccess to expertise and real answers to hard questions

• T oys or games to keep the kids busy when at the office or touring homes

•A dvice throughout the negotiation process •O n-time and professional qualifying and closing process Once you have established the minimum level of acceptable service, if you want to create five-star experiences, simply add to this list. Here are a few things our coaching clients do to make these experiences a reality: •C ustomized client communication platforms (clients can log in and see status) • Welcome gifts • Assistance hooking up utilities

• Moving help or recommendations

• I nformation sheets with what they like and don’t like about the homes they are seeing •H otline assistance so someone answers their calls live and follows up when they have a question or need help There are so many things we can do to raise the bar and set ourselves apart. The bottom line is that you have to choose the things that are consistent with who you are and what you value. Always do the right thing and be compliant. And good luck with your next hundred fivestar reviews! RE

•C leaning and home staging options and advice •C ustomized “thank you” for your business experiences • Client appreciation events •P hotos of before and after the transaction

Verl Workman is the founder and CEO of Workman Success Systems (385-282-7112), an international speaking, consulting and coaching company that specializes in performance coaching and building successful power agents and teams. Contact him at Verl@WorkmanSuccessSystems.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 79

{Power Teams} What Are You Selling?

by Cleve Gaddis

“W

hat are you selling to prospects?” is a question I enjoy asking groups around the country. The typical answer is “myself.” However, this mindset limits an agent’s ability to increase the size and profitability of their business. Let’s discuss how to elevate client experiences and create work-life balance at the same time.

When you sell yourself, you create an expectation with your clients that you will be personally involved in everything. This limits your ability to grow because there’s only one of you. More importantly, it limits your ability to take time off.

Instead of selling yourself, sell your systems. These systems are your product. They comprise everything you do to provide the highest level of service and produce the best results. These systems are called action plans or workflows.

Creating them will set the stage for others to deliver the service on your behalf, which can be the key to increasing your business and your profitability.

If you don’t have action plans or workflows yet, here are the steps you should follow: 1. Write out your process, step by step, so others will easily understand it. Use the following columns in a spreadsheet: • Activity type. Is it a phone call, email, text, to-do or in-person visit?

• Sequence. What is the order of the activity?

80 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

• Activity description. A detailed description of the activity • Date/days. The due date for this activity to be completed • From. If your ability to complete a task depends on the completion of another task, then list that activity here.

For example, if you need feedback from a buyer before calling a seller, record that in the “From” column.

• Assigned to. Who is to complete this activity? It’s helpful to list positions here and not specific people.

• Notes/scripts. Any additional notes regarding this step, including scripts to be used— include phone calls, texts and emails. Notes should consist of anything you want the person completing the activity to know.

2. Write out how you will monitor the action plan or workflow. Will you regularly review a spreadsheet, or will you look up “incomplete” activities each Monday in your CRM? You must ensure compliance and get others back on track when they are behind.

The next time you meet with a seller or buyer prospect, ask yourself, “What am I selling?” If you’re selling yourself, make some course correc-

tions and start selling the systems you use to deliver exceptional service and great results. You’ll enjoy transitioning from selling yourself to selling the method you use to create an elevated client experience and extraordinary results for your clients. Your process will become your product.

Let me leave you with one last tip: Name your system or product. If you don’t know what to call it, use your name. For example, call your listing marketing system “Cleve’s Way Listing Marketing Plan.” Nobody can provide your way but you. This will set you apart from the competition and help your prospects remember what makes you unique.

If you’d like a head start on creating your action plans or workflows, shoot me an email at Cleve@WorkmanSuccessSytems.com and I’ll send you a spreadsheet with sample action plans/workflows. RE Cleve Gaddis is a master coach, speaker and trainer with Workman Success Systems. He works with some of America’s most profitable teams and specializes in helping family-owned brokerages and teams successfully navigate their unique challenges. Gaddis hosts the Your Move Atlanta weekly radio show on 640 AM, a Fox News station on iHeartRadio. He learned sales the hard way, by selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. To have Gaddis speak live to your company, team or group, connect with him at Cleve@WorkmanSuccessSystems.com.

{Power Teams} Raise the Bar and Raise Your Client’s Experience

by Jim Knowlton

M

ost of us come to our real estate business with habits and processes from other industries. Due to the limited amount of training time or individual training engagement available within our industry, many people transfer these old habits to their new business in a very entrepreneurial way.

Entrepreneurs tend to give the same value to all tasks and then work to complete things or “cross them off the list.”

This method makes them feel productive, although they often end up being productive in a non-money-making way.

They fall into a habit of planning, evaluating and executing, then starting the process over. Not a whole lot of room there for elevating a client’s experience.

With this entrepreneurial style of real estate, the first thing that gets dropped from an agent’s “mind share” is the proper process to show love and appreciation for our current and past clients. This is especially true when you are flooded with tasks and activities that need your attention now. However, anything we do more than three times should have a process. Workflows, action plans and checklists can standardize and organize the process, yet it’s critical to remember that we need to be delivering our team’s or our brokerage’s standard and process, not our own.

One of the biggest reasons teams fail is because instead of running the lead agent’s proven process, each team member leans on their own system (or lack of system) and often ends up delivering service that is substandard for the team.

Elevating your client’s experience can be as simple as tracking and responding to your client’s wants and needs before they have to ask. Taking the time to develop a process and a checklist for all transactions could easily elevate and improve the delivery for better customer care. At a minimum, taking the time

to truly get to know each and every client on a deep and personal level will differentiate you from the competition and elevate your client’s experience with very little effort on your part. Technology has the ability to improve any and all processes easily and succinctly. Why not make 2020 the year you elevate your client’s experience from the start?

With so much technology and so many workflows available to you, there is very little reason to not start improving your client’s experience today. Your clients are looking for you to give them the tools, resources, marketing and access in the least painful way. What’s holding you back? RE

Nearly three decades of real estate experience—including 15 years of coaching with Verl Workman—have made Jim Knowlton one of the top agents in the country and one of the most popular coaches on the Workman Success Systems’ team. In addition to serving as director of Coaching for Workman Success Systems, Knowlton also owned and managed several real estate franchises, earned numerous awards for his performance and continues to lead a Keller Williams Mega Agent team in New Hampshire today. Contact him at Jim@WorkmanSuccessSystems.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 81

{Power Teams}

Eli Residential Group: Elevating Everyone

by Suzanne De Vita

Eli Residential Group (Courtesy of Eli Tucker)

W

hen Eli Tucker explored the possibility of a real estate team, he was eager to establish a group in harmony with his personality—in his words, a bona fide “partnership,” in which collaboration and independence meet.

“We’re not really the traditional team structure—we’re a partnership where we exist to support each other and help each other grow, versus one person at the top,” says Tucker, of Eli Residential Group, based in the Washington, D.C., metro. With four members on the team, including Tucker, the group specializes in Arlington, Va., as well as the communities of Alexandria and McLean, and others, in the booming Capital region.

Suzanne De Vita: First off…what drew you to real estate?

Eli Tucker: From talking to friends and colleagues, I found that a lot of people were fairly disappointed with the service they got when buying or selling real estate. I was in the consulting world and looking 82 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

for a change, and always had an interest in starting my own business.

Real estate seemed to be a really good opportunity to be able to feed my entrepreneurial spirit and deliver quality service to those who need it.

SD: What areas or demographics do you specialize in?

ET: We tend toward the sub-45 demographic, but we work with clients of all ages—investors, buyers, sellers, relocations. It’s about having the right processes in place, and experience and people on the team who specialize in different areas so we can offer a greater level of service to a wide range of the market.

One of our agents focuses on investments; another has a property management background.

SD: As far as finding the right people, your brokerage, Real Living At Home (RLAH) Real Estate, helped source talent.

ET: The brokerage leadership that we have does a great job of bringing good people together and putting the right people around each other. Our brokerage is supportive of people who find some commonalities, and they’re flexible in how they support different teams and structures. For the vast majority of agents our brokerage brings into the office, there’s always a high level of vetting, and I know I can trust the quality of the person.

SD: While in partnership with your team, you also blog for a few local publications…

ET: My mentor had started a blog, and he always talked about how great of an opportunity it was. I blog every week on Tuesdays. I always liked writing and the analysis side of the business, so it gives me a good way to explore cool data in front of an engaged audience—a fantastic, local, smart audience that challenges me to really produce good material. I look at it as a unique and fun opportunity to connect with people, and grow a business and a brand.

SD: In closing, what advice do you have for leaders of new teams?

ET: Structure your team around your personality and the way that you want to do business. It’s a grueling business, and you’re not doing yourself any favors by trying to build a team around a model you’re not comfortable in or is unnatural for you. RE

Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.

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You’ll not only get one-on-one coaching in how to excel, but with regular follow-ups and mentoring sessions, you’ll have the accountability that makes all the difference.

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workmansuccess.com/coaching (385) 282-7112

Build Your Brand and Generate Leads!

Your Name & Company on Personalized Landing Pages

Your Company Logo

Eric Smith Smith Associates

More Than a List: Engage Your Database to Make More Money

COMPANY LOGO

Eric Smith

Real Estate Professional Smith Associates 69 East Avenue 2nd Floor Norwalk, CT 06850 Office Phone: (203) 855-1234 Mobile Phone: (203) 855-1234

Compared to those older and wiser baby boomers, millennials are more likely to land in the ER due to a DIY home improvement project gone wrong, says a survey from SoFi. Despite that, they are also way more eager to show off their project on social media.

Your Headshot & Contact Info

Send me a message Visit My Website

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• Up to 30 different, consumer-focused real estate and lifestyle posts each month, including homeownership articles, infographics and professionally produced videos • Your branding (logo, headshot, URL, and more) on all content landing pages • Automated distribution to your social media sites and/or email contacts • Coming soon! Your personal home listings

ACESocial Enterprise Account Level Give your agents back their time, so they can focus on what matters: their clients and listings.

Associate your brokerage with what consumers want. ACESocial automates consumer-focused content to your social media, all branded to your brokerage, without competitive ads.

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As low as $29.96/month* Additional pricing options for team and company-wide solutions available.

For more information, visit rismedia.com/acesocial or contact ace@rismedia.com or (203) 855-1234 ext. 1. *Annual prepaid plus free trial

{Blog Spot}

4 Rooms to Renovate Before Selling a Fixer-Upper

ing modern window treatments and pulling up old flooring to breathe a breath of fresh air into the master bedroom.

by Meghan Belnap

LIVING ROOM A freshly remodeled living room is one upgrade that’s guaranteed to make your fixer-upper feel like a newly constructed home. One effective way to bring new life into a living room is to open up the space with windows. This upgrade has a 75 percent ROI, as windows will allow more natural light to flow in, making the room appear bigger and brighter during the day. To make the room even more expansive, consider knocking down a wall or two for more of an open floor layout.

P

urchasing a fixer-upper gives homeowners the perfect opportunity to have their own dream-home makeover. As these renovations can be quite costly and time-consuming, homeowners would do well to focus on a few key areas of their home when renovating.

KITCHEN The kitchen is one room that’s guaranteed to get a lot of traffic. Homeowners that are remodeling often like to begin with the kitchen to make sure the room fits in with the rest of the home. Start by developing a remodeling plan and removing all unwanted appliances, cabinetry and other items. Experts recommend updating the plumbing, replacing the wiring and upgrading the lighting.

BATHROOM Your bathrooms will likely receive just as much traffic as the kitchen. Make remodeling the bathroom as easy as possible by making cost-effective 86 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

upgrades that will improve your ROI. Some of the most budget-friendly ideas for a bathroom remodel include refinishing or repainting cabinets, installing an energy-efficient toilet, adding new lighting, updating hardware, putting in new mirrors, replacing countertops and deep cleaning the room.

MASTER BEDROOM With just a few upgrades, homeowners can make their master bedroom as “wow”-worthy as it’s supposed to be. Simplifying the decor in a bedroom is often enough to completely change the way it looks. Consider adding a fresh coat of paint, install-

Make your new house look like a dream home during the renovation process. By focusing on these four areas, you’ll be able to completely transform your fixer-upper into a highly sought-after home. RE Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family.

This article originally appeared on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall. Visit us at blog.rismedia.com.

Do Your Customers Trust Your Broker Marketing?

Commentary by W. Scott McNabb

conversation—one that engages with the mover versus talking at the mover.

Over their lifetime, your average customer moves an average of five times. They are not only planning to buy and sell a house, but they are also planning to relocate all their stuff. Once the mover has their mind set on an actual life change, they are left with a raft of questions: • Where do I start?

• Will I find services that are like what I’m used to?

• What confidence do I have that once moved I will be able to settle back into a routine I can find comfort in?

T

he technology landscape for engaging with homebuyers is evolving at a rate not seen in recorded history. The average homebuyer is drowning in a sea of advertising touches and automated marketing. There is so much marketing noise that consumers are becoming numb unless the marketing is from a trusted source and delivered in a timely fashion. As a broker, you not only waste money when you advertise out of phase with your client, but also, you can destroy that trust.

According to ChiefMartech.com’s founder Scott Brinker, the ecosystem for marketing and advertising technology vendors exceeds a staggering 8,000 MarTech and AdTech software vendors. All of these vendors, whether B2B or B2C, have a perspective on better customer/buyer engagement, banging the drum of engagement as a measure of success. The average consumer is bombarded with information from multiple channels, with multiple end goals…and they are getting tired of it. Aren’t you?

Turn the Noise Into a Clear, Recognizable Tone Your Clients Can Hear Survey the barrage of marketing messages that are being pushed out of all your systems, all with the goal

of increasing engagement, but having little to do with helping the consumer. What do you hear? Do you feel like a friend of yours is sending you something they know you need, or think you might like? That is the best test ever. Put your friends and family into your marketing programs and see how many of the people who love you will continue to listen.

When I first became associated with MooveGuru, I asked for an overview of their unique value proposition, and it immediately made sense to me. Finally, someone is engaging people during one of the most stressful times of their lives with information they can use. Since that time, I’ve witnessed a lightbulb idea turn into a robust solution for engaging with the mover for a long-term

Famed business expert Peter Drucker once said, “Show me that you know me, and I’ll care what you know.” Agents absolutely know when a customer is moving, yet only a few are deploying full-service solutions like MooveGuru to help them. Consumers are looking for confidence in making the right choices in making their move. They are looking to be settled during this time of stress.

As the broker, you and your agents are the trusted advisors. Offering something like the MooveGuru “mover’s concierge” gives your client the peace of mind they so desperately seek during a major life event.

Sam Walton, of Walmart fame, quipped in the late ’80s that “technology not employed with the end buyer in mind is just noise.” The technology “signal-to-noise-ratio” has never been noisier. RE W. Scott McNabb is a board advisor and investor in MooveGuru (mooveguru.com) and a 20-year marketing technology leader, speaker and technology industry pundit.

McNabb is a resident of Atlanta, Ga., and an industry advocate for ethical consumer engagement and privacy.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 87

{Broker Best Practices}

Giving Agents What They Want: More Mature Leads, More Structure

by Paige Tepping

George C. Wallace Owner Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace, REALTORS® Knoxville, Tenn. www.cbww.com Region served: Knoxville and surrounding counties Years in real estate: 37 Number of offices: 6 Number of agents: 350 Having administered your own lead program, what can you point to as some of the biggest challenges?

We spent two years wandering in the wilderness with a lead program that we administered ourselves, so we had a team in place to handle the process involved with incubating the leads we received and then handing them out. We were constantly being challenged; however, due to the fact that we set our own rules, it was easy to modify those rules and make exceptions. This led to the process not being managed as fairly as possible, which was one of the main factors that led us to realtor.com®.

88 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Why else was realtor.com® under consideration? Our agents were demanding more leads, so we brought realtor.com®’s lead program initiative in to generate leads after hearing about it through some of our fellow Coldwell Banker broker/ owners. We’ve now been using the program for 1.5 years, including the bundled concierge-type services.

We piloted it loosely at two offices to see how it would perform in two different markets, and after a few months, we saw that it had potential. With the realtor.com® initiative, we’re playing by their rules—and their rules are firm. It’s working out really well for us.

“The realtor.com® initiative can be credited for resurrecting and sustaining a number of our agents’ careers.”

– GEORGE C. WALLACE Owner, Coldwell Banker Wallace & Wallace, REALTORS®

How did you get your agents on board and productive? After kicking off the program company-wide, realtor.com® provided training to get our agents on the right track.

We have also dedicated our own resources to making sure agents are being trained effectively. In fact, one of our full-time employ-

ees spends half her time training agents, implementing rules and getting agents on board. Those who aren’t seeing success with the program have access to a lot of one-on-one, hands-on training. We’re constantly working on educating our agents as to the importance of responding to leads in a timely fashion, while making sure they’re communicating the status of the lead.

How did the changeover impact the buy-in and conversion? We knew that our agents were hungry for leads, and what we said was going to happen upon adding the realtor.com® program to the mix is actually coming to fruition.

That being said, the realtor.com® initiative can be credited for resurrecting and sustaining a number of our agents’ careers, as a good segment of our agents are good at working in their business, not necessarily on their business. I believe that a lot of our success in getting agents to buy in can be attributed to word of mouth, as well as the fact that realtor.com® is a trusted name in the industry.

Does this help you recruit and retain? This initiative has been a great arrow in our quiver of tools and services that we can offer our agents to help them succeed. The fact that we have a full-time person dedicated to support, training and development has also been huge for us, as it’s allowed us to stand out from the competition and recruit and retain agents.

For more information, please visit realtor.com/sales.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

by Liz Dominguez

Freddie Ortega Broker Realty ONE Group Strong Bakersfield, Calif. www.realtyonegroup.com/offices/ realty-one-group-strong-100268538 Region served: Kent, Tulare, Fresno and Los Angeles counties Years in real estate: 13 Number of offices: 2 Number of agents: 130 Why did you decide to transition from an independent office to Realty ONE Group? I saw the writing on the wall. My agents needed a lot more resources that we, as an independent, couldn’t provide.

Focusing on Growth: Technology and Newer Agents

by Jameson Doris

Jay Pitts Broker/Owner RE/MAX Premier Properties, Premier Property Management Services Louisville, Ky. www.Homes502.com

What results have you seen thus far from the transition? I saw results immediately—just the positive energy, the “COOLture” that was built here in the office.

How does Realty ONE Group make its agents’ jobs easier? The technology. The ultimate goal of Realty ONE Group is for agents to make MORE money, faster and easier.

And how are we going to do that?

By getting technology in front of our agents. If we use it the right way, it can help us tremendously. Instead of working harder, we are working smarter. Realty ONE Group has created the technology and apps so that we can work from the convenience of our phones now. We can do certain things we weren’t able to do before.

reasonable flat rate to our agents, they’re able to stay competitive and still provide full services.

What factor has the largest influence on the real estate industry today? Social media, hands down, is something that is going to continue to evolve, and there’s going to be more social media platforms that we, as agents and as a company, are going to be able to use to advertise and get our name out there. I love that about Realty ONE Group—they’re at the forefront of it. They understand how social media and agents are connected at the hip, and it’s not going to stop. Social media has the ability to make our jobs so much easier if we understand how to use it the right way.

What is one of the challenges your market faces, and what are you doing to overcome it? One of the challenges here in this area is discount brokerages, which are providing little to no services to their clients—to the consumers.

We overcome, or counter, that by providing a flat rate for full service to the consumer. We are able to provide all the services to our agents, and, in turn, they can pass that along and provide great service to their clients. By charging a

How are you staying competitive in an industry being flooded by disruptors? I feel as though we are the disruptor in the industry now. We are going to continue to do what we are doing. We are very creative, and our creativity is going to help keep us at that level of being an industry disruptor. I think that’s what is going to separate us from everyone else.

Region served: Greater Louisville Metro Area/Central Kentucky Years in real estate: 16 Number of offices: 1 Number of agents: 55 Top way to stay in touch with clients: I employ the typical methods, but I find that discipline is the difference between myself and others that don’t stay in regular contact. Also, simply reaching out, sometimes with nothing planned to say, allows me to be authentic and show them that I care.

What’s your secret to staying relevant in today’s ever-changing real estate landscape? I stay connected with extremely successful real estate practitioners from all parts of the country. I’m in the Midwest and I’ve found that trends from the coast reach us 12 months removed or more in some cases. By hearing what agents and brokers are encountering in more progressive areas, I am always ahead of the curve.

For more information, please visit www.realtyonegroup.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 89

What’s the most significant trend impacting your business today? The aging agent population. The average age of a real estate agent is nearing 60 years old. The average age of an agent in my brokerage is in the low 30s. When you couple this trend with the fact that consumers have embraced teams and demand technology and progressive marketing efforts, you’ll see that we’re acquiring marketshare with consumers that may have otherwise been referred to more seasoned agents.

How do you attract top agents in your area? I endeavor to provide a ton of value to the real estate community in general. I’ve produced

Developing New Relationships

by John Voket

Steve Wilke Broker/Owner WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Triumph Group Powell, Ohio WeichertTG.com Region served: Central Ohio Years in real estate: 25+ Number of offices: 1 Number of agents: 60

90 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

about 80 episodes of an agentfacing podcast titled, “REsource: Real Talk About Real Estate.” I also host weekly roundtable training sessions at my office and invite outside agents to attend.

What strategies do you employ when assisting buyers who are relocating to your area? I like to dig in and ask questions about what they expect their life to look like when they relocate here. What did they love about their last city? What do they hope to find when they get here? With our prices being relatively moderate and affordable compared to most of the country, most people relocating to the area

Best tip for getting the right listing price: View the house, take detailed notes, then analyze the numbers before going back to meet with the client to set the price.

No. 1 time management tip: Use a daily planner and plan your day the night before. Then start the next day nice and early with your to-do list all plotted out.

What tools does Weichert provide that are working best for your team? My current favorite is myWeichert, powered by the kvCORE platform. It provides our agents with individual websites they can brand and promote. It also has an incredible contact management component that helps them develop leads from listings they already have. Within hours of someone coming to an open house, the system is reaching out to visitors, asking if they have any further questions about the home—or if there are any other homes we can help them find. It saves our people tons of time on the phone.

are pleased with the amount of homes within their budget.

Where do you see your business in five years? I see myself selling even fewer homes than I do now. I have cut back my personal production substantially in the last two years in favor of building my team and empowering those around me. I would expect that our agent count will have grown substantially, as well. I have an appetite for growth, but only with the right individuals who have the right values. When you build a business with the right people, it affords you the opportunity to live the personal life you’re after.

For more information, please visit www.remax.com.

I understand you’ve experienced a lot of growth in a short amount of time. Can you talk about your decision to build a new space from the ground up? We joined the Weichert® national franchise system a few years ago and went from 22 agents to 60, which caused us to outgrow our office space, so we found a location in Powell with high traffic and visibility, started the process and moved in two months ago (at press time). Now we have a huge training room, plenty of meeting rooms with flat-screen monitors, individual workstations and offices, and 28 parking spaces for staff and clients, as well as room to grow. This was one of my best investments.

Now that you’re settling into the new office space, what’s your next major focus? We’re concentrating on developing new relationships with service providers—title companies, mortgage brokers, even handymen—so we can direct our clients to them and be assured they are going to have an equally professional and responsive experience through the entire home-buying or -selling process.

How are you qualifying these new vendors and partners?

We decided to narrow things down, so instead of offering six or eight lenders, we’ll only have a couple of go-to lenders to assist our clients.

We’ll do the same with title compa-

nies. We’re not settling for anything less than vendors who will go above and beyond the call for our clients. And because we can send them so much business, I have to say that they’re jumping through hoops to be one of those partners.

Next, we’re going to be expanding to home insurance providers and maybe even a home warranty company.

Driven to Succeed

HomeSmart, we’ve been able to offer our agents an all-in-one solution for leads, management, marketing and getting new business.

presentation outlines the tools we provide, which include a YouTube video, flyer and website for each listing. As soon as a listing is put into the system, it generates these components. It also syndicates the listing to other sites.

AH: Agents can access the listing presentation on their iPad and even incorporate a picture of the home into the presentation so that they can show the seller exactly how they’ll be marketing their home.

by Paige Tepping

Roger Lee Broker/Owner

Abe Hamideh Executive Officer, CFO HomeSmart Realty West Carlsbad, Calif. https://homesmart. com/real-estate-office/ california/carlsbad/46homesmart-realty-west Region served: San Diego County Years in real estate: Roger: 19; Abe: 11 Number of offices: 4 Number of agents: 712 What’s your secret for remaining relevant in today’s ever-changing real estate landscape?

Abe Hamideh: Part of it is the fact that we’re revamping our marketing and social media. In addition, our prices are competitive, and we have the right group of people around us. We’ve also instituted an open-door policy within our offices, which shows our agents that we’re always available to answer any questions or concerns they may have. It’s also important to note that we host at least four classes a week, so our agents are up to date with disclosures and marketing trends, as well as what’s going on within the industry.

Roger Lee: Our drive to succeed is another key factor in remaining relevant. Abe and I are always putting back into the company in order to give agents what they need. Thanks to our affiliation with

How does your company make its agents’ jobs easier?

AH: By taking care of their paperwork. Our RealSmart Agent backoffice has allowed us to streamline the entire process, so the only thing the agent has to do is scan their paperwork. It then goes to our back-office, where we have people who put everything in the right place and let the agent know if anything is missing. Not only is it very effective, but it also helps our agents be more efficient and spend their time with their clients or on their marketing. We like to engage with our agents, as well.

We’re 712 agents strong, and each agent has their own unique ideas, so we push them to get out of their comfort zone and bring their ideas to the table so that we can make them a reality.

RL: HomeSmart’s 100-percent commission transaction fee structure gives our agents a lot of flexibility as far as making the transaction work in their favor. Because of the fair commission structure that’s in place, we’re seeing our agents succeed.

In what ways do your agents use technology to better serve their clients?

RL: Our agents have access to a host of tools that allow them to stand out among the competition, most notably the listing presentation they can grab when heading out on a listing appointment. The

For more information, please visit www.weichert.com.

“We’ve been able to offer our agents an all-in-one solution for leads, management, marketing and getting new business.”

– ROGER LEE Broker/Owner, HomeSmart Realty West

What sets HomeSmart Realty West apart from other brokerages?

AH: Our back-office and the technology we have that allow us to be more efficient in how we support our agents. Instead of having to invest our money into third-party systems, we’re able to provide our agents an all-in-one platform to help them with marketing, CRM, and more.

RL: What sets us apart from other brokerages is the fact that the agents within our firm have a lot of flexibility, more options and a lot more tools at their disposal.

For more information, please visit www.homesmart.com.

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Are You Working Too Hard to Get Easy Leads?

3. Post a testimonial on LinkedIn about how great their services have been for you.

by Terri Murphy

4. Track the number of referrals they send your way.

A

re you uncomfortable asking people you know for leads? You’re not alone!

The most convertible leads come from people who know, like and trust you. Warm referrals at the time of highest need are the easiest and often most successful type of referral. The trick is to help your raving fans keep you top of mind when someone expresses their plans to buy or sell real estate.

How can you help them help you?

The key here is relationships.

When you go beyond asking for business, the referrals come from true implied endorsement—a genuine recommendation from a solid relationship, rather than a simple exchange of names and phone numbers.

There are multiple initiatives to get referrals, but to keep the pipeline full, a consistent strategy will up the number and frequency of referrals for more easy sales.

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HERE ARE A FEW TRIED-AND-TRUE STRATEGIES TO STAY TOP OF MIND: 1. Develop a VIP members circle.

Identify 50 people you know or do business with who you know will refer you to anyone who may need your services.

2. Set up a plan to refer their services to your sphere of influence. This can easily be done with a simple spreadsheet. Include their name, email address, profession and contact information. When possible, include personal information like their birthday, anniversary, pets’ names, kids’ names, etc. Keep track of how many referrals (if any) you can direct to them and their services. Make a concerted effort to refer their services by including a mention of their business in your newsletter or Facebook posts.

5. Set up a monthly “touch” of varying types to keep yourself top of mind, but don’t directly ask for referrals. Touches can include a face-to-face meeting for coffee or lunch, or sending a handwritten note. Consider a donation in their name for their favorite charity on their birthday, or a fun holiday dropoff. When you divide 50 people into 12 touches a week, you can rotate through all 50 in four-plus weeks.

Avoid using email due to the overabundance most of us deal with daily. Always think personal—not corporate—to stay in touch.

6. Small group events of 12 - 15 every quarter will help keep the relationships nurtured and fun.

Margarita night at a local establishment, Saturday breakfast at the local diner or a movie night are all ways to stay in touch.

When your VIP group knows you appreciate them and support their business, you are on your way to more intentional referrals and strong relationships that keep on giving. RE For a complimentary eBook on how to grow your Top 50, visit http://bit.ly/2zSyD4k.

Terri Murphy is a communication engagement specialist, author, speaker, consultant and master coach with Workman Success. She is the author of five books, a TED Talk speaker and co-radio host on KWAMtheVoice.com. For more information, please visit TerriMurphy.com or email Terri@TerriMurphy.com.

{Meet the Newsmakers} Spotlighting RISMedia’s 2020 Real Estate Newsmakers

TRENDSETTERS

LUMINARIES

FUTURISTS

Kimberly Hastie

Kate Rossi

Jay Farner

Sales Associate Halstead Real Estate

Regional EVP of Eastern Region Coldwell Banker Realty

CEO Quicken Loans

“(Home)owners were excited to have a unique video with these great artists showcasing their talents in their home.”

“I believe that real estate agents are trusted advisors in the real estate transaction, and it is essential to keep them and their needs at the forefront of our business.”

“The fact that we can provide homebuyers a simple, tech-driven mortgage experience that gives them transparency into the mortgage process drives our success.”

K

I

K

imberly Hastie, a sales associate with Halstead Real Estate, successfully uses videos featuring musical performances to attract viewers and sell homes. Halstead’s Concert Series videos are shot in collaboration with the JHM Jams video channel and are uploaded to Instagram and Facebook and to JHM Jams’ Instagram account. The videos get thousands of views on average. In the videos, a performer, generally a current student or recent graduate of Juilliard, performs in a client’s home to catch the attention of prospective buyers. The videos create an emotional connection with viewers that makes a house memorable and helps performers gain exposure and broaden their audience. Hastie has always had a love of the arts; she serves on the board of the Glimmerglass Festival, an event that celebrates opera and musical theater, as well as on the Young Patron Committee at Carnegie Hall.

ate Rossi, a seasoned real estate leader, is the regional executive vice president of Coldwell Banker Realty’s Eastern region, covering the sales operations of New England, Connecticut, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, the Carolinas, Florida and Texas. This includes more than 17,000 independent sales associates and about 300 offices across the local operating companies. In 2019, Rossi spearheaded the introduction of Listing Concierge, a comprehensive marketing program, across the companies and agents she oversees.

She began her career as an agent in 1982 and affiliated with Coldwell Banker in 1984. Since then, she has moved her way up the corporate ladder, receiving several awards and serving on the National Association of REALTORS®board of directors.

n the third quarter of 2019, Quicken Loans closed $40 billion in mortgages, the highest quarterly volume in its 34-year history. Before the end of 2019, Quicken Loans had already surpassed its total 2018 mortgage volume of $83 billion and its highest-ever mortgage volume of $96 billion in 2016. CEO Jay Farner says the first nine months of 2019 were “nothing less than inspiring, not only in terms of how much our company has grown, but because of the incredible number of clients we have helped achieve the American Dream of homeownership.” Additionally, through Rocket Mortgage, Quicken Loans now has the ability to end the mortgage process digitally with an eClosing in all 50 states.

To see RISMedia’s full gallery of 2020 Real Estate Newsmakers, please visit rismedia.com/2020-newsmakers.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 93

{Intel}

Affordability Challenges Eroding Growth in the Job Market

by Suzanne De Vita

I

n dozens of the largest markets in the nation, costly housing is linked to a lukewarm job market, according to

findings from the National Association of REALTORS®(NAR).

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From 2014 to 2018, affordability deteriorated in 81 housing markets, NAR researchers uncovered—and, as of the third quarter of 2019, 34 (approximately 42 percent) are experiencing fewer gains in the job market.

These areas include Boise, Nashville and Tampa, where affordability has significantly weakened, the NAR research shows. In Boise, examining 2014 through the third quarter of 2019, the median price soared 75 percent; however, in the market today, employment growth has slid 0.8 percent. Similarly, in Nashville, home prices rose 53 percent, while employment growth slowed 1.8 percent. In Tampa, home prices rose 58 percent, while employment growth sunk 0.8 percent.

In addition to Boise, Nashville and Tampa, affordability faded in the following regions, despite healthy job markets in the past, according to Q3 2019 stats from NAR: Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich.

Affordability Ranking: No. 60, down from No. 37 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.7% Louisville/Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind. Affordability Ranking: No. 62, down from No. 51 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.9% Indianapolis-CarmelAnderson, Ind. Affordability Ranking: No. 64, down from No. 46 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.9% Chattanooga, Tenn.-Ga. Affordability Ranking: No. 70, down from No. 58 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.3% Columbus, Ohio Affordability Ranking: No. 80, down from No. 57 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1%

Raleigh, N.C. Affordability Ranking: No. 112, down from No. 90 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.8% Deltona-Daytona BeachOrmond, Fla. Affordability Ranking: No. 125, down from No. 94 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.5%

“Job growth has slowed in these areas in part because limited supply is making homes less affordable. As inventory continues to decline and affordability worsens, workers, businesses and companies are less incentivized to do business in these areas.”

- LAWRENCE YUN Chief Economist National Association of REALTORS®

Atlanta-Sandy SpringsMarietta, Ga. Affordability Ranking: No. 91, down from No. 73 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.1%

Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C. Affordability Ranking: No. 137, down from No. 111 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.3%

Spartanburg, S.C. Affordability Ranking: No. 96, down from No. 83 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.4%

Jacksonville, Fla. Affordability Ranking: No. 140, down from No. 117 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.8%

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, Fla. Affordability Ranking: No. 111, down from No. 84 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.9%

Salt Lake City, Utah Affordability Ranking: No. 151, down from No. 146 in 2014 Employment Growth: -0.4%

Las Vegas-HendersonParadise, Nev. Affordability Ranking: No. 159, down from No. 143 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.4% Yakima, Wash.

Affordability Ranking: No. 160, down from No. 145 in 2014 Employment Growth:-0.6% Eugene, Ore. Affordability Ranking: No. 162, down from No. 155 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.9% Salem, Ore. Affordability Ranking: No. 163, down from No. 147 in 2014 Employment Growth: -1.5% “Job growth has slowed in these areas in part because limited supply is making homes less affordable,” explains Lawrence Yun, chief economist at NAR. “As inventory continues to decline and affordability worsens, workers, businesses and companies are less incentivized to do business in these areas.”

According to Yun, affordability can improve, but only if inventory materializes. If left unaddressed, affordability challenges could curb growth in hot housing markets.

“Even fast-growing markets could be hurt and unable to further expand because of weakening affordability conditions,” says Yun. “We must improve affordability by building more homes in line with local job market growth.” RE For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.

Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 95

Your Brand,Our Content MORE LEADS In today’s real estate market, success depends on being closely engaged with your prospects and clients whenever and wherever they prefer.

Our Content Solutions makes it easy for you to stay top-of-mind and highly relevant by providing world-class editorial news, home-buying tips and compelling lifestyle information automatically delivered through your marketing and communication channels.

Whether you’re driving interest via your website, blogs, social media, email or newsletters, we provide the content you need to build trust, develop relationships and grow your business.

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Debunking the ‘10 Percent of Agents Do 90 Percent of the Business’ Myth Commentary by Leon Y. d’Ancona, B.T.L., M.T.L., RRESI

an enormous army of honest, hardworking real estate professionals who do four or less transactions.

Their numbers vastly overwhelm the overachievers and uber-producers.

Compounding the 90/10 myth is that many of the “icon agents” who form teams usurp the achievements of their team members. They credit themselves as owners of the deals over which their team members worked hard for. This achievement theft displays them as better mega-agents than they are. It also robs hundreds of agents of a performance record, likely skewing overall production results.

Statistics That Repudiate the Myth We did a random sampling of 732,557 agents* for this article on Jan. 21, 2020 and determined that: 8 53.7 percent of all agents did four

transactions or less.

T

en percent of all agents do 90 percent of the business. We hear this axiom all the time, and there are numerous variations on this theme. The ratio may be 20/80 or 7/93, but the idea is the same.

Here’s the thing: These numbers are actually espoused by some of the industry’s leading figures, and they are a gross distortion of reality. And that should bother us all. A lot. More importantly, propagating this erroneous ratio denigrates the hard-working members of our profession who make up nearly half of the sales by units and value.

So where is this erroneous ratio coming from? A small minority of mega-agents are likely promulgating this myth. It caters to their obvious self-serving interests. Arguably, real estate is the most overpopulated profession in our free enterprise capitalistic system, so everyone feels a need to stand out from the crowd.

Let’s use the imaginary Frezia as an example. She is a typical real estate salesperson. Her work goal is to complete four ends per year so that she can afford to visit her be-

loved children who are spread out all across the U.S. Frezia is among the 53.7 percent of all real estate professionals who do four deals or less in the U.S. (Canada is not much different). Does that make her a less than excellent agent? Is she less capable than some megaagent with a support staff of 15 people? Not at all.

What about Rose, a single mom?

She needs to sell a few homes to provide for her children, but at the same time, as a single parent, she needs to be available to them.

Frezia and Rose both have their goals and ambitions, which they consistently meet. They premeditate their life balance to include more than just real estate. They often refer business to others. Imagine their potential productivity if they chose to work full-time.

Frezia and Rose are just two of

8 61.4 percent did $2 million or less in

transactions.

Look at those numbers. They clearly indicate that the perceived “underdogs” are the ones who slog away in the trenches, find time to do community work and promote harmony in the office, all while trying to lead a balanced lifestyle. There are no trophies or newspaper announcements for them. They are the ones who deal with life’s trials while trying to care for their clients’ needs.

Fortunately, there are many such dedicated agents in the business since they are, in actuality, the backbone of the real estate industry.

The next time you hear the 90/10 rule, tell them that they are 100-percent wrong by 43.7 percent! RE *Not included: New homes, private commercial listings, farms and vacant land.

Leon Y. d’Ancona is CEO of REality®. For more information, please visit www.realestatestatistics.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 97

{Power Broker Perspectives}

by Keith Loria

Gino Blefari:

Leading With Vision For more than 20 years, HomeServices of America has focused on being the No. 1 provider of homeownership services over the course of its customers’ lives. Last year, Gino Blefari stepped into the role of CEO. He previously served as CEO of HSF Affiliates, which operates the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks, and now serves as its chairman.

“We have, and always will, focus on leveraging technology to support our mission of delivering a superior customer experience,” says Blefari. “With that in mind, we are uniquely positioned to further streamline the purchase process across the four key components of the transaction (brokerage, mortgage, settlement services and property and casualty insurance) to the benefit of our agents as they build lasting relationships with their customers at every stage of homeownership, as well as deliver post-closing services that help our customers manage and maintain their home and protect their investment.”

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What was noteworthy for the company in 2019?

Gino Blefari: Despite the lack of inventory felt across the country, we were able to celebrate several accomplishments. Our agents facilitated nearly 333,000 transactions, which places us, once again, as the No. 1 real estate company in the nation, based on transactions. We completed our coast-to-coast transition of our whollyowned mortgage company to Prosperity Home Mortgage, which we acquired in 2017, and with the historically low interest rates, our mortgage companies (which include Prosperity Home Mortgage, Trident Mortgage Company and HomeServices Lending) closed more than 35,000 loans.

How do you stay on top of industry trends and innovations?

GB: While there is an abundance of real estate-related literature, in addition to economists, technologists and other subject matter experts, I believe that managers and agents are the most authoritative source. In 2019, I visited 32 of our companies, which are located around the country, and had the opportunity to talk with several thousand managers and agents about what they were seeing in the marketplace and what their customers were asking for. Along those same lines, I regularly participate in agent conferences hosted by the top trainers and coaches.

What market segments/niches have you recently expanded into—or are you considering expanding into?

GB: HomeServices is the largest real estate company by transactions, our mortgage company is a Top 20 lender, HomeServices Insurance was recently recognized as a Top Insurance Workplace and we are a premier provider of settlement services with operations in major markets across the country. For more than 20 years, we have provided our buyers and sell-

ers with an exceptional, all-inclusive residential real estate experience. In 2020, we will accelerate the growth of the Berkshire Hathaway Commercial Services franchise network and will continue to expand Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ global footprint beyond today’s international locations of Berlin, London, Milan, Dubai, Spain and Portugal.

What’s the biggest mistake you made in the business?

GB: Early on in my career, I missed the opportunity to right-size my business before there was a downturn in the market. This was a valuable lesson, one which has played a significant role in shaping my decisions. I believe that as leaders, we must keep a close eye on the demands and opportunities of today, while never losing sight of the dynamics, risks and trends on the horizon.

What are some new technologies you’ve implemented, and how are they helping your agents and consumers?

GB: Our singular and shared focus is centered around delivering a superior real estate experience, and we believe that technology is best used when it supports that mission. Our

VITALS: HomeServices of

America

Years in business: 22 Size: 43,000-plus agents in more than 900 offices Regions served: Major markets coast to coast 2019 sales volume : $134.5 billion 2019 transactions: 332,613 www.homeservices.com

companies are continually investing in best-in-class digital tools and cloudbased technology to help agents advance their business and modernize the transaction for buyers and sellers. This focus also extends to our commitment to creating a culture of world-class cybersecurity aimed at keeping customer and company information safe. Our all-inclusive offering, together with other strong layers of defense, provide our customers with the peace of mind that their transaction will not only be accurate and ontime, but also safe and secure. We believe that HomeServices is now not only the largest, but the most secure real estate company in the world.

How are you preparing your salesforce to meet the expectations of today’s consumer, especially first-time homebuyers and millennials?

GB: More than 55 years ago, John F. Kennedy said: “Change is the law of life…and those who look only to the past or the present...are certain to miss the future.” I am certain we will not miss the future. Our job, as leaders, is to ensure that we recognize the dynamics, provide the tools and vision, then capitalize on the change.

Matt Dimmick:

Focused on Relationships Matt Dimmick, a 20-year veteran of the real estate industry, is a founding member of Keller

Williams Realty Alaska Group, located in Anchorage, Eagle River, Wasilla and Soldotna, Alaska.

Dimmick came to real estate by way of the oil business, but decided he wanted a career where he had more than just a few customers. Since he already had his real estate license, he chose a new direction. Dimmick started with Prudential Real Estate in 1994 and switched to Keller Williams 12 years later. Now he heads the Alaska office and loves everything about life in the Northwest.

What is the market like in Alaska?

Matt Dimmick: The market has been good, though it’s down about 2 percent this year. We sell 200 - 250 houses a month, on average—with the average sales price being around $370,000, with 45 days on the market.

How is your firm different than the competition in the area?

MD: The Matt Dimmick Real Estate Team has always been about what we can do to help people, so when our clients’ friends mention real estate, they can’t help but say, “You have to call my REALTOR®.” It’s not about the commission. It’s about building relationships and striving to offer the best customer service. I’ve become friends with a lot of my customers.

How has your position evolved over the years?

MD: Since 2017, I’ve eased off of working directly with buyers and sellers, and do more consulting with agents who work on my team. I had hired Liz Steele as an admin back when I first started, and she wanted to get into sales. Now she runs my team and I consult with her. I’m in the process of selling her a percentage of my team so that we will be partners.

What attracts agents to your company?

MD: I’m well-known in the area and Liz runs a really good team. We have a lot of leads coming in that we need people to cover, and people like to come to a place that has been successful in the business.

What is your growth strategy for the year ahead?

MD: Right now, Liz and her husband are doing the lion’s share of the deals, so my growth plan is to figure out how to leverage Liz so that she’s managing the team. That will require me to go out and get more agents, and for Liz to share deals with new agents. I would like to add a couple of agents this year. We’ve also been talking about getting some new designations and adding more commercial to our operations...being more proactive than we have been.

How important is technology to the company, and how do you stay informed on what’s available?

MD: It’s so important. We are really excited about what Keller Williams is rolling out because they always have great things that help us. RE

VITALS: Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group Years in business: 26 Size: 2 offices, 400 agents Regions served: Southcentral Alaska (Anchorage and Wasilla) www.alaskarealestate.com

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{RISMedia’s Great Spaces} Caption

Priced in the Stratosphere This month, Great Spaces counts the zeroes, with two dizzyingly high-priced properties on the West Coast.

by Suzanne De Vita

A Luxurious Steal in Santa Monica On a flat lot in Santa Monica, Calif., sits this $20 million-dollar steal, the former home of John Parkinson, the architect behind countless Los Angeles pre-war projects. On a coveted cul-de-sac near the Pacific, the abode comes complete with guesthouse and pool, draped in greenery and mature trees. At more than 4,700 square feet of Spanish style and wrapped in wrought iron, the home has five bedrooms, three-and-

100 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

a-half bathrooms and a living room with wood-coffered ceiling.

Beyond the main property, the guesthouse, with another three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, overlooks a lighted tennis court. All this on 1.223 acres—the city’s largest level residential space, according to public records.

Listed by: Mary Beth Woods, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Listed for: $20 million Photos by: Michael McNamara

On a flat lot in Santa Monica, Calif., sits this $20 million-dollar steal.

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La Jolla Seaside Sprawl Foxhill Estate, a 32-acre package in picturesque La Jolla, Calif., has the makings of a renowned resort: eight acres along the coastline, for $25 million, plus 24 more, for $12 million.

Whether bundled as a lot or parceled separately, on this crown-jewel property, there’s room to run. Within the city’s Country Club neighborhood, the breathtaking expanse includes gardens, guesthouses and numerous outbuildings, along with courts for pickleball, racquetball and tennis, accented by dual mountain and San Diego skyline views.

Driving home the resort vibe? A gym and pool/spa.

Listed by: Andy Nelson, Willis Allen Real Estate; Altman Brothers, Douglas Elliman; and Greg Noonan, Greg Noonan & Associates, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties Listed for: $37 million Photos by: Cameron Acker (Interior); Spearhead Media (Aerial) RE

On this crown-jewel property, there’s room to run.

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Stay Engaged: Always Get the Next Appointment

by Sherri Johnson

er if they’ll be selling their current home. This way, you can offer your free market analysis and get yourself an appointment to see their home. Remember: The person who asks the most questions controls the conversation.

ASK MORE QUESTIONS—EVEN OBVIOUS ONES You cannot assume anything. Ask a new buyer, “Where do you want to live and when would you like to be moved in?” Then add, “What is going on in the next 45 - 60 days in your life?” If they mention that they’re changing jobs or getting married or traveling for 2 - 3 weeks, these are all things that will affect their real estate objectives and help you determine your next course of action.

everything needed to buy a home, and will help you convert a lead into a client. This “value prop” gives you a way to talk about other steps in the process while showing buyers that they need your help and guidance.

Offering this free resource not only makes you different than any other agent, it also gets you hired.

TIE DOWN THE NEXT APPOINTMENT Before ending any call or appointment, determine the next step with your new client. Do you owe them a phone call with answers to questions they had, or are you securing a time to look at their home to help them get it ready to list? At the end of the showing appointment, say, “What’s a good day for you to look at houses again?” or “I am happy to arrange a second showing on these two houses you liked—what’s better for you—Thursday at 5:00 or Saturday at 10:00?” You want to give them options to choose from; that way, it’s not a question of whether or not you’re meeting—it’s just about figuring out where and when. RE

ASK LEADING QUESTIONS Asking leading questions helps you find out what prospects want to do (buy or sell) and when they want to do it. For example, offer a new buyer access to a free pre-approval and great service from either your inhouse lender or a lender you refer your clients to. This will keep the dialogue and process going.

You also want to ask a new buy-

Sherri Johnson is CEO and founder of Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting. With 20 years of experience in real estate, Johnson offers coaching, consulting and keynotes, and is a national speaker for the Homes.com Secrets of Top Selling Agents tour and the Official Real Estate Coach for McKissock Learning and Real Estate Express. Sign up for a free 30-minute coaching strategy session or visit www.sherrijohnson.com for more information.

A

gents tell me all the time that they can’t keep a new buyer engaged and, therefore, lose the opportunity. You show them a house, and then what? They start emailing you— then it’s hard to get another live conversation going, let alone another property showing.

That’s why, before you end the call or showing, it’s important to schedule the next appointment, call or event with a potential new client. You have to keep them interested and engaged by offering something of value that no one else has offered (or, if they have, it’s not as good as your offering). Now is when you have to differentiate your value and communicate your services. When you do this, you’ll get hired.

Here are some easy ways to add value and keep a new client interested and engaged:

OFFER AN EXCLUSIVE HOMEBUYER GUIDE Offer added value to attract new clients to work with you. Your own exclusive homebuyer guide or packet has 104 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

{Ask the Experts}

Charles Furlough Senior Vice President, Operations Pillar To Post Home Inspectors® www.pillartopost.com

Q:

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is developing a new visual platform. Can you share what it’s all about?

A:

We are in the process of developing something very exciting that we think will become the gold standard for home inspection.

It’s called the PTP360 Tour.

What’s the benefit of this new system? The 360-degree images become part of a state-of-the-art report, blending the home inspection commentary into a complete virtual model of the home. The images incorporated into the software generate a tour of the home while also incorporating comments into the report. For example, if cracks are detected in a foundation, the virtual tour blends the home inspector’s comments into the image of the exact location of those cracks. In addition, it also generates a floor plan of the entire house floor by floor—aka, a measured floor plan.

This seems very helpful. What are the real advantages with this new program to the homebuyer, home seller and real estate professional? The 360-degree tour helps put the home inspection findings into perspective and gives the customer a better understanding of his/her report.

Imagine that once you get this report, you don’t have to go back to that home unless you really need or want to.

Everything you need to know is there. Every room is measured. Many flaws addressed.

The real estate professional can use this report to negotiate repairs, point out details to both the

Q& A

Are there any other details you can share? It’s a digital visual platform showing 360-degree images of the entire home that incorporates inspection findings directly into the home tour. First, we do our usual, very thorough home inspection, but in addition, we add 360-degree photos of the entire house inside and out. The results are then incorporated into our existing proprietary software.

seller and buyer, and never need to return to the home. The back and forth can vastly be eliminated from the process, saving time for everyone. Also, the value of this report for planning prior to move-in is immeasurable. The new owner can see if their couch will fit, or how much new flooring they may need if they are choosing to install that or new carpeting. A decorator or architect can work directly from this report with 360-degree images and measurements of every floor, significantly cutting down on the need to actually visit the home.

“The 360-degree tour helps put the home inspection findings into perspective.”

– CHARLES FURLOUGH Senior Vice President, Operations, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors®

It sounds very exciting.

Anything else about it that we should know? Best of all is the fact that there is a link attached to the report that you can share with anyone. If the buyer wants to share the link with parents who live out of state, for example, they can do so—and the recipients can see everything immediately. And, any issues can be addressed over the phone or by email. It would also be pragmatic to share the link with designers, plumbers, landscapers and a myriad of other people. RE

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 105

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In other words, you get everything you need to get the listing, get the deal and get ahead. All for less than most agents spend on smartphone service. Find out how top producers stay on top – and how you can join them there. Visit us at Top5inRealEstate.com today.

Top Training & Coaching | Top Tools & Technology | Top Resources & Services

Index of Preferred Providers The leading companies providing services to the real estate and relocation industries

RREIN Service Providers

ABR®..................................................................................... 108

Ascent Real Estate, Inc........................................................... 112

American Home Shield®......................................................... 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate... 112

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices......................................... 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, REALTORS®....112

Buffini & Company................................................................. 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty................... 112

Century 21 Real Estate LLC.................................................... 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®.....112

Certified New Home Specialist ............................................. 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties............ 112

CINC (Commissions Inc)......................................................... 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties............ 112

Cole Realty Resource............................................................. 108

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties.................112

Create for the Human............................................................. 108

Calcagni Real Estate.............................................................. 112

CRS Data............................................................................... 108

CENTURY 21 Award................................................................ 113

Darryl Davis Seminars............................................................ 109

CENTURY 21 New Millennium................................................. 113

The Entrust Group.................................................................. 109

Coach REALTORS®................................................................. 113

ERA Franchise Systems, LLC................................................... 109

Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS®............................. 113

FCA US LLC............................................................................ 109

Coldwell Banker Kappel Gateway Realty.................................. 113

Homes.com........................................................................... 109

Diane Turton, REALTORS®....................................................... 113

HomeSmart International....................................................... 109

Fillmore Real Estate............................................................... 113

HomeTeam Inspection Service................................................ 109

First Team® Real Estate.......................................................... 113

HSA Home Warranty............................................................ 109

GARDNER, REALTORS®........................................................... 113

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®........................ 109

Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate.............................................. 113

Motto Franchising, LLC®......................................................... 110

J. Rockcliff REALTORS®........................................................... 114

MoxiWorks............................................................................. 110

Jordan Baris, Inc., REALTORS® Real Living............................... 114

National Association of REALTORS®........................................ 110

Kinlin Grover Real Estate........................................................ 114

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors................................................ 110

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc................................................ 114

Quicken Loans....................................................................... 110

Lusk & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty.................... 114

Real Living Real Estate........................................................... 110

McCOLLY Real Estate.............................................................. 114

REality® Software................................................................... 110

Page Taft................................................................................ 114

Realogy Holdings Corp........................................................... 110

Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate.............................................. 114

realtor.com®.......................................................................... 111

Randall, REALTORS®.....................................................................114

Realtors Property Resource®.................................................. 111

RE/MAX 440 and RE/MAX Central......................................... 114

Realty Executives International............................................... 111

RE/MAX Gateway................................................................... 114

TM

SM

Realty ONE Group.................................................................. 111 RE/MAX, LLC.......................................................................... 111 RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network®.............................. 111 Top Producer® CRM................................................................ 111 Workman Success Systems.................................................... 111 Xpressdocs............................................................................ 111 Zillow Group........................................................................... 111 zipLogix.................................................................................. 111

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 107

ABR® (800) 648-6224 • www.rebac.net • Chicago, Ill. • Marc Gould, Executive Director Brokers are busy with many competing priorities. They should feel comfortable with their salespeople who have earned the ABR® designation when working with buyer-clients. Real estate professionals can hone their skills in representing the needs of homebuyers in real estate transactions and earn the coveted Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) designation, giving agents knowledge and confidence to navigate the market.

AMERICAN HOME SHIELD® (800) 735-4663 • www.ahs.com/realestate American Home Shield® founded the home warranty industry more than 45 years ago and remains the industry leader, with more than 1.8 million customers who depend on us every day.

We offer not only home warranty plans that help protect against unexpected covered breakdowns of home systems, but we offer services that buyers can take advantage of day one of their contract. Current additional services offered are; rekey service, electronics plan, TV mounting service, and pre-season HVAC tune-up service. We’re also leveraging our network of more than 15,000 licenses and qualified contractors to test even more services, like; pest control coverage, house cleaning services, garage door tune-ups, electrician services and more. Discover the shield difference—contact your local AHS® Account Manager today by visiting ahs.com/find-rep.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES (800) 666-6634 • www.berkshirehathawayhs.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a brand-new real estate brokerage network built for a new era in residential real estate.

The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability and longevity. The brand, grounded in the financial strength, efficiency and tradition of its HomeServices of America parent company, will change the face of residential real estate.

BUFFINI & COMPANY (800) 945-3485 • www.buffiniandcompany.com Headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., Buffini & Company is the largest real estate coaching and training company in North America.

Founded by real estate expert and master motivator Brian Buffini, the company provides a unique and highly effective lead-generation system and comprehensive business coaching and training programs, which have helped entrepreneurs in 37 countries improve their business, increase net profit and enhance their quality of life.

CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC (877) 221-2765 • www.century21.com • Madison, N.J. • Michael Miedler, President & CEO Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a leading global residential franchise real estate sales organization, with over 9,400 independently-owned and -operated franchised brokerages and more than 127,000 independent real estate professionals in 80 countries and territories worldwide. The Century 21® System capitalizes on brand marketing, promotions and sponsorships, and fundraising efforts with Easterseals to build brand awareness and preference. Technology

108 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

initiatives include both English- and Spanish-language consumer websites, www.century21.com and www.century21.com/espanol, a recently redesigned intranet site, www.21Online.com, and the Century 21 Learning System®, a web-based learning platform. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp.

CERTIFIED NEW HOME SPECIALISTTM (800) 428-1122 • www.sellnewhomes.com SellNewHomes.com is the online headquarters for Certified New Home Specialist™ and Residential Construction Certified™ training, sales systems and marketing tools, created by Dennis Walsh & Associates, Inc. Based in Newport Beach, Calif., the company is owned and operated by nationally recognized new-home, real estate and construction experts Dennis and Teresa Walsh. The Walshes have established Certified New Home Specialist™ as the No. 1 brand of training and support products for new-home sales success. To learn more, email contactus@sellnewhomes.com.

CINC (COMMISSIONS INC) (855) 246-2717 • www.commissionsinc.com • Marietta, Ga. • Matt Hart, Director of Sales CINC is the premier lead acquisition and conversion marketing platform designed for top-producing teams, agents and brokers.

Their solution includes a consumer website that integrates with local MLS data, a complete customer relationship platform for nurturing leads, and a trio of three mobile apps supporting all aspects of the home-sale process. Each month, CINC generates over 290,000 new homebuyer and seller leads for its clients.

COLE REALTY RESOURCE (888) 231-0732 • www.colerealtyresource.com • Omaha, Neb. Cole Realty Resource helps thousands of agents and brokers find success. Agents can connect with neighborhoods to stay top of mind and promote open houses or Just Listed/Sold properties, while brokers use this tool to recruit, retain and cheerlead new agents, allowing for confident prospecting. All of this is achieved through a combination of innovative technology, industry knowledge of end-user practices and comprehensive data providers.

CREATE FOR THE HUMAN (914) 909-6701 • www.createforthehuman.com • John Lim Create for the Human is a groundbreaking philosophy from John Lim, CEO of Life In Mobile and an innovator in real estate technology, that helps real estate and real estate-related companies humanize their digital marketing. Through education about the implementation of four main principles, Create for the Human offers companies the opportunity to exponentially increase their marketing success and bottom line by reaching behind their consumers’ devices and screens to capture and truly engage buyers, sellers, brokers and agents.

CRS DATA www.crsdata.com Since 1989, CRS Data has provided you with a wealth of tax data.

Our new, customized MLS Tax Suite integrates seamlessly into your MLS system and gives REALTORS® current tax data, detailed maps and robust features on all browsers and mobile devices.

Find listings and FSBOs quickly, evaluate them effectively and give

clients professional presentations. We’re proud to provide a personal customer service experience to support our intuitive MLS Tax Suite. Learn more by visiting www.crsdata.com.

DARRYL DAVIS SEMINARS (800) 395-3905 • www.ThePowerProgram.com Headquartered in Long Island, N.Y., Darryl Davis Seminars was founded by real estate expert, coach and international speaker Darryl Davis, CSP. For more than 30 years, Davis has been helping agents double their production by learning the listing and sale skills of real estate. These money-making skillsets are vital when agents are working with buyers and sellers to move their career to their Next Level™. His fast-growing membership platform, www.

ThePowerProgram.com, helps real estate sales professionals design lives and careers worth smiling about. He is the best-selling author of three books with McGraw-Hill Publishers, one of which, “How to Become a Power Agent in Real Estate,” is the No. 1 book sold to REALTORS® on Amazon.

THE ENTRUST GROUP

HOMES.COM (866) 697-3308 • http://marketing.homes.com/ Homes.com offers brand advertising, lead generation, online reputation and marketing solutions to connect you with over 12.5 million consumers monthly. With a high average visit time, consumers visiting Homes.com are more engaged and more likely to buy when compared to visitors of other national real estate websites.

Connect with these motivated homebuyers and sellers with the most powerful suite of tools for your real estate business—and convert more leads to closed transactions.

HOMESMART INTERNATIONAL (800) 865-9025 • www.homesmartfranchise.com Founded in 2000, HomeSmart International is one of the fastestgrowing real estate companies in the nation with nearly 170 offices in 28 states and over 16,000 agents. HomeSmart International offers franchisees, brokers and agents efficiency and innovation, coupled with the systems and technologies necessary to succeed in today’s evolving real estate industry.

(800) 392-9653 • www.TheEntrustGroup.com The Entrust Group (“Entrust”) has been the industry leader in account administration services and education of Real Estate IRAs for 35 years. Entrust offers real estate brokers and agents a costeffective, individualized approach to retirement savings using a self-directed IRA account with the AgentIRA Program. As part of this program, Entrust works with real estate professionals by assisting their clients with the purchase of real estate investments with retirement funds. The AgentIRA Program provides real estate brokers a strategy to attract, develop and retain high-quality talent. Learn more at www.theentrustgroup.com/agentira.

HOMETEAM INSPECTION SERVICE

ERA FRANCHISE SYSTEMS, LLC

(800) 367-1448 • www.onlinehsa.com HSASM Home Warranty has provided outstanding products and service to real estate professional and homeowners for more than 35 years. The home warranty helps sellers and buyers protect their budget from the cost of repairing or replacing the covered home system components and appliances in their home. HSASM also offers additional services to help buyers maintain their homes, including rekey service, an electronics plan, and pre-season HVAC tune-up service. With HSA Home Warranty, your clients get reliable budget protection backed by exceptional service and you get a provider who works hard to better serve you. Contact your local HSA Account Manager today by visiting onlinehsa.com.

(800) 869-1260 • www.era.com • Madison, N.J. • Simon Chen, President & CEO Since 1971, ERA Franchise Systems, LLC, a global residential real estate leader, has set new standards in customer service, technology and training for the real estate industry. Top-­notch offerings from ERA Real Estate include the Sellers Security® Plan, a comprehensive home protection plan, and ERA.com, its award-­winning consumer website. The ERA network includes approximately 2,300 independently-owned and -operated offices with over 40,000 brokers and independent sales associates throughout the United States and 31 other countries and territories. ERA Franchise Systems, Inc. is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp.

FCA US LLC (888) 898-1115 www.nar.realtor/fca FCA US LLC is a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Mich. It designs, manufactures and sells or distributes vehicles under the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, FIAT® and Alfa Romeo brands, as well as the SRT performance designation. The company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. FCA US LLC offers extra benefits to membership of the National Association of REALTORS®.

(844) HOMETEAM • www.hometeam.com You can depend on HomeTeam for a faster, more efficient home inspection every time. Unique to home inspection companies, HomeTeam brings a team of inspectors on-site. Each team member focuses on his or her area of expertise, which keeps us efficient and saves you time. Fast, Trusted and Accurate—that’s the HomeTeam promise. We invite you to experience the difference the team approach makes. For more information, give us a call at 844.HOMETEAM or visit us online at hometeam.com.

HSASM HOME WARRANTY

LEADING REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OF THE WORLD® (312) 424-0400 • www.LeadingRE.com Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® is a selective global community of the highest-quality independent real estate companies. We exist to make our members better by connecting them to opportunities and people around the globe, supporting them with a global referral network, professional development programs, and unique events. For more information on our more than 565 firms that span over 70 countries with 130,000 sales professionals, visit LeadingRE.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 109

MOTTO FRANCHISING, LLC®

PILLAR TO POST HOME INSPECTORS

(866) 668-8649 • www.mottomortgage.com • Denver, Colo.

Created in 2016 as the second member of the RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. family of brands, Motto Franchising, LLC® powers the growing network of independently-owned Motto Mortgage brokerages with a franchised business model structured primarily for real estate brokers interested in expanding into mortgage origination via an affiliated business. Motto Mortgage offices have access to loan products from top wholesalers and strong regulatory compliance support. The result is a different kind of business, created to innovate and disrupt the industry.

(800) 294-5591 • www.pillartopost.com • Tampa, Fla. · Stephanie Bowling, Director of Marketing (416) 620-3572 Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post is the No. 1 home inspection brand in North America with over 550 franchisees located in 49 states and nine Canadian provinces. The Pillar To Post difference includes a printed on-site report allowing for faster closings, each inspector carrying $1 million in E&O insurance to cover both the agent and the broker, and convenient scheduling options to meet every client’s needs.

MOXIWORKS

(866) 718-9842 • AgentRelations@QuickenLoans.com For more than 30 years, Quicken Loans has been celebrated for providing an amazing mortgage experience. In fact, J.D. Power ranked Quicken Loans highest in client satisfaction for mortgage origination the last nine years. Along with being the largest mortgage lender, Quicken Loans leads the industry in technology with Rocket Mortgage, the first-ever completely online mortgage experience. Whether applying for a mortgage online or with a mortgage banker, Quicken Loans is committed to client experience.

(206) 673-4591 • www.moxiworks.com MoxiWorks is a comprehensive open platform system for large residential real estate brokerages that serves over 72 brokerages and 120,000 agents nationwide. MoxiWorks’ integrated tools are centered on sphere methodology that increases agents’ repeat and referral business by 54 percent, while lowering overall technology, training and support costs for the brokerage. The open platform known as the MoxiCloud has tools from more than 50 partners that plug and play to create unique brokerage solutions.

MoxiWorks also powers the LeadingRE Cloud. Find more information at moxiworks.com.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (800) 874-6500 • www.NAR.realtor • Chicago, Ill. • Bob Goldberg, CEO • Victoria Gillespie, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer • Katie Johnson, General Counsel, Chief Member Experience Officer • Mark Birschbach, SVP, Strategic Business Innovation and Technology • Marc Gould, SVP, Member Development The term REALTOR® identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. NAR members have access to the REALTOR Benefits® Program, NAR’s official member benefits resource, providing savings and special offers on products and services just for REALTORS®. Program partners are industry leaders who understand the unique needs of real estate professionals. Visit NAR.realtor/RealtorBenefits. NAR is also proud to offer the .realtor™ and .realestate top-level domains to members to help them create a robust digital presence that supports their identity as a REALTOR®, and everything they do for their business.

Visit get.realtor. NAR offers a number of designations, certifications and opportunities for continuing education that support member development. Visit OnlineLearning.realtor. NAR empowers REALTORS® to evaluate, enhance and showcase their highest level of professionalism with the Commitment to Excellence program. Visit C2EX.realtor. The REALTOR® Store features publications, webinars and research reports, including the top-selling 2018 NAR Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers. Visit Store.realtor. Additionally, NAR’s venture capital arm, Second Century Ventures, has invested in companies that push forward innovation in the real estate industry, while benefitting NAR members. Visit secondcenturyventures.com.

110 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

QUICKEN LOANS

REAL LIVING REAL ESTATE (866) 373-6228 • www.realliving.com Real Living Real Estate is a full-service real estate brokerage network with a comprehensive and integrated suite of resources for franchisees and their sales professionals, as well as the consumers who work with them. The Real Living brand has been recognized

by Entrepreneur magazine. Real Living Real Estate is a network brand of HSF Affiliates LLC, majority owned by HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.

REALITY® SOFTWARE (877) 785-4321 • www.REstats.com Established in 1987, with offices in California, Miami and New York State, we are North America’s oldest and most experienced creators and masters of real estate statistics. We emphasize simplicity. REality® gives brokers and agents cutting-edge information that gets deals done. We provide unique technology that helps multi-offices realize how to better position their marketing presence, often saving over hundreds of thousands in expansion plans. We stress the visual in our programs, making them easy to use. Words do not describe the amazing results. Twelve minutes with our legendary CEO or his executive staff will truly amaze you.

REALOGY HOLDINGS CORP. (973) 407-2162 • www.realogy.com • Madison, N.J. • Trey Sarten, VP, External Communications Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY) is a global leader in residential real estate franchising with company-owned real estate brokerage operations doing business under its franchise systems, as well as relocation and title services. Realogy’s brands and business units include Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, CENTURY 21®, Climb Real Estate®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, The Corcoran Group®, ERA®, Sotheby’s International Realty®, ZipRealty®, NRT LLC, Cartus, Title Resource Group and ZapLabs LLC. Collectively, Realogy’s franchise system members operate over 16,300 offices with approximately 300,000 independent sales associates doing business in 113 countries and territories worldwide.

ENGAGE WITH REALTOR.COM®

RISMEDIA’S TOP 5 IN REAL ESTATE NETWORK®

(800) 878-4166 • www.realtor.com Realtor.com® is real estate’s most accurate site, with listings pulled directly from over 850 MLSs and most listings updated every 15 minutes. Homes for sale on realtor.com® only display the real listing price established between seller and broker, not inaccurate machine-generated estimates. Visit realtor.com®.

(203) 853-2167 • www.Top5inRealEstate.com RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate® is a membership network of leading real estate professionals who wish to “raise the bar.” Top 5 in Real Estate is a network of select real estate professionals from throughout the U.S. and Canada who have met the Top 5 in Real Estate’s stringent series of various career qualifications and who are committed to the future development of their professional skills and services to the consumers and the communities they serve.

REALTORS PROPERTY RESOURCE® (877) 977-7576 • www.narrpr.com • Chicago, Ill. • Jeff Young, Chief Operating Officer/General Manager Realtors Property Resource® (RPR) is a national, parcel-centric database that is a free, exclusive benefit for REALTOR® members of the National Association of REALTORS®. The database provides REALTORS® with all available information about every parcel of residential and commercial property in the United States, giving brokers and agents valuable tools and features to make them better informed in order to increase their efficiency in the marketplace.

REALTY EXECUTIVES INTERNATIONAL (800) 252-3366 • www.RealtyExecutives.com • Scottsdale, Ariz.

Established in 1965, Realty Executives International is one of the largest and most established real estate franchise systems in the world, with over 8,000 agents and 500 offices globally. The company offers disruptive, flexible pricing models for unrivaled mobile technology, business tools, training and service, while providing protected territories to qualified franchisees. The privately-held company has been ranked as a leader in the real estate industry by publications like Entrepreneur, Success and Inc. magazines.

REALTY ONE GROUP (949) 346-9549 • www.RealtyONEGroup.com • Lou Gonzalez, President, Realty ONE Group Affiliates Known as the UNbrokerage, Realty ONE Group is the fifth-largest real estate brokerage and one of the fastest-growing real estate franchisors in the nation. With over 11,000 real estate professionals across the country, Realty ONE Group empowers real estate professionals with business tools, technology, coaching and 24/7 support that aligns with the brand’s core belief in being pro-agent with a YOU-First Focus. Realty ONE Group is committed to creating a dynamic “coolture” that focuses on helping their professionals achieve greater success, faster, and continues opening doors for their clients, real estate professionals and franchise owners every day.

RE/MAX, LLC (303) 770-5531 • www.remax.com • Denver, Colo.

RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by original disruptors Dave and Gail Liniger, who changed the real estate industry forever. Headquartered in Denver, Colo., RE/MAX is now a global franchise network with over 125,000 sales associates in more than 110 countries and territories. The consumer website remax.com is consistently ranked among the most visited real estate websites, and LeadStreet provides referrals to RE/MAX sales associates with no fees from RE/MAX. To learn how RE/MAX can take your career to the next level, visit www.joinremax.com.

TOP PRODUCER® CRM (800) 821-3657 • www.TopProducer.com Top Producer® CRM is the super fast, super easy real estate marketing system that makes it a breeze to build your loyal client base.

Keep your sales pipeline running smoothly, follow up automatically, and manage your business in minutes with Top Producer® CRM.

WORKMAN SUCCESS SYSTEMS (385) 282-7112 • www.workmansuccesssytems.com • Salt Lake City, Utah Workman Success Systems delivers comprehensive team solutions to agents, brokers and companies, private and group coaching solutions for every level of business, and proven seven-figure income-earning systems. Workman Success Systems Founder, Master Coach and Speaker Verl Workman delivers the necessary performance skills, the latest and most effective tools, and proven dialogues and systems that work. To hire Verl to speak at your next event, visit www.workmansuccess.com/speaking. Sign up for a free coaching consult by going to www.workmansuccess.com/consult.

XPRESSDOCS (866) 977-3627 • www.xpressdocs.com • Fort Worth, Texas As a trusted direct marketing provider for real estate professionals, Xpressdocs produces high-quality marketing materials efficiently and economically—from print and digital to mailing services and a custom technology platform, Xpressdocs has you covered. Our unique marketing platform helps clients maintain control over branding, the quality of the materials used and messaging, all while providing a self-serve online website to customize and order marketing materials and execute campaigns at the local level.

ZILLOW GROUP www.zillow.com Zillow Group houses a portfolio of the largest real estate- and homerelated brands on the web and mobile. The company’s brands focus on all stages of the home lifecycle: renting, buying, selling, financing and home improvement. Zillow Group is committed to empowering consumers with unparalleled data, inspiration and knowledge around homes, and connecting them with the right professionals to help, and helping real estate agents, lenders and rental professionals maximize business opportunities and connect with consumers.

ZIPLOGIX (866) 693-6767 • www.zipLogix.com With more than 20 years of experience developing real estatefocused software solutions and used by more real estate professionals than any other program, zipLogix has been established as the industry standard. This experience delivers a completely integrated real estate solution system that’s led by zipForm® Plus, the exclusive and official forms software of the National Association of REALTORS®.

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RREIN Member Profiles ASCENT REAL ESTATE, INC. (619) 325-4100 • www.ascentrealestate.net Owned and operated in San Diego since 2005, Ascent Real Estate embodies an enviable combination of entrepreneurial energy, comprehensive industry experience, and local market knowledge.

This mix lets Ascent “out national” its local competition, thanks to its exceptional professional team and world-class infrastructure, and “out local” the national competition, thanks to its laser-like focus on the specific markets in which it operates. Our highly productive sales team of approximately 140 agents has elevated Ascent as a leader in marketshare in the Metro San Diego area. Our agents receive ongoing training and education, and they go above and beyond to deliver the diligent and ethical standard of care we are committed to providing. And, as an exclusive San Diego affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, Ascent Real Estate is a hyper-local brokerage with a global reach.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES AMBASSADOR REAL ESTATE

management, REO & Foreclosures, corporate relocations, referral services, title, home warranty plans, and personal concierge services. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty ranks in the Top 10 in the network and is the overall No. 1 fundraiser for The Sunshine Kids Foundation in Florida, having generated more than $3.6 million. Visit www.BHHSFloridaRealty.com.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES FOX & ROACH, REALTORS® (610) 889-7705 • www.foxroach.com Now the nation’s second-largest provider of total home services, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® has 4,000 sales associates in 65 sales offices throughout the Tri-State area. Through its affiliate, the Trident Group, the company provides one-stop shopping and facilitated services to its clients, including mortgage financing and title, property and casualty insurance. For more information, go to www.foxroach.com.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES GEORGIA PROPERTIES

(402) 493-4663 • (800) 477-7653 www.BHHSamb.com • agents@BHHSamb.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate is dedicated to providing progressive, quality real estate services in Nebraska’s metropolitan Omaha and Lincoln surrounding areas. We service all types of markets: single-family residential, new construction, condos, corporate relocation, third-party relocation, acreages and commercial real estate. With approximately 400 licensed agents, we have an agent to meet your needs regardless of the style, price or age of the property you are looking for. We understand that trust is earned and that good, professional service is an essential part of that.

(770) 992-4100 • www.BHHSGeorgia.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties has over 1,600 associates and 26 locations across the Greater Metro Atlanta and North Georgia area. The company generated over $4.1 billion in sales volume in 2019. Trendgraphix reports that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties is ranked No. 1 in home sales for the Greater Metro Atlanta area. Led by president and CEO Dan Forsman, the organization offers a full suite of real estate services including residential real estate, luxury real estate, new homes services, condo/high-rise services, commercial real estate, corporate relocation, property management, mortgage lending, title and settlement services, home warranties and insurance. Equal Housing Opportunity. Visit http://www.BHHSGA.com.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES C. DAN JOYNER, REALTORS®

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES NEVADA PROPERTIES

(800) 476-6650 · www.cdanjoyner.com Locally-owned and -operated, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, REALTORS® has been serving communities in Upstate South Carolina since 1964. With more than 400 agents on board and 10 offices serving the Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson areas, we are ready to assist with any commercial and residential real estate need. In addition to residential and commercial sales, we also offer corporate services, relocation and property management. With a passion for fostering long-term relationships with our customers and clients while upholding the highest level of professionalism, it’s easy to see why we’ve been the No. 1 real estate company in the Upstate for more than 20 years.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES FLORIDA REALTY (954) 693-0100 • (800) 386-1554 www.BHHSFloridaRealty.com • Sunrise, Fla. • Rei Mesa, CRS, CRB, President & CEO Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty serves 21 counties throughout Florida with more than 40 locations and approximately 1,800 sales professionals. The full-service brokerage company, founded in 1999, is part of HomeServices of America, the nation’s premier provider of homeownership services. The company is a franchise member of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ network, one of the few organizations entrusted to use the worldrenowned Berkshire Hathaway name. The company offers residential and commercial services as well as seasonal rentals, property 112 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

(800) 735-4488 • www.BHHSNV.com With more than 260,000 homes sold and 35 years in the industry, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties is the leader in Las Vegas real estate. Consistently rated among the top brokers in the nation, our agents successfully help families find their dream homes. With six area offices, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties is a full-service brokerage focused on quality service and the development of its agents. Call today to see how we can help increase your business.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES SELECT PROPERTIES (314) 835-6000 • www.bhhsselectstl.com Since 2002, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties has helped keep the St. Louis real estate market local. With 11 offices in the metro area, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select ranks as the No. 1 locally-owned real estate firm in St. Louis. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select prides itself on providing the highest-quality real estate brokerage services to its clients and customers and in being recognized in the community for high standards and ethics.

CALCAGNI REAL ESTATE (203) 272-1821 • www.calcagni.com • www.land-consulting.com Calcagni Associates is the premier independently-owned and -operated real estate company servicing Central Connecticut for over four decades. We understand the benefits of providing service that goes beyond what is expected and pride ourselves on establishing lifelong relationships with our clients. In addition to

residential real estate, we also specialize in land consulting and new construction, and have divisions that handle bank-owned properties and commercial real estate.

CENTURY 21 AWARD (800) 293-1657 • www.century21award.com CENTURY 21 Award is the premier Southern California-based, full-service real estate company serving San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties from 15 distinctive office locations. Our 1,000 professional agents and staff are fully equipped to assist you with all of your real estate needs. Our services include residential, commercial, relocation, property management and bank-owned properties.

CENTURY 21 NEW MILLENNIUM (800) 727-6888 • www.c21nm.com CENTURY 21 New Millennium is a full-service real estate brokerage in the greater Washington, D.C. area. The company, which specializes in residential and luxury properties, joined the CENTURY 21® System in 1998 and has established a sound and successful organization providing traditional residential and commercial services, on-site mortgage, title, and property management, and access to a vast network of relocation and other real estate service providers worldwide. It has earned the status of No. 1 CENTURY 21 Firm in the World for the past three years. With 20 locations and approximately 900 real estate professionals, New Millennium is consistently included in REALTOR® Magazine’s Top 100 Companies List for all real estate firms nationwide regardless of brand.

It is also a past winner of the prestigious Cartus Masters Cup, the Network’s highest honor. The Cartus Broker Network is the largest relocation network in the world and includes more than 775 handselected brokerages in the United States.

COACH REALTORS® (800) 321-7356 x139 • www.coachrealtors.com · LP Finn, Operating Officer, LP@coachrealtors.com Coach REALTORS® is a Long Island-based, full-service real estate company with 18 office locations and over 600 sales associates serving Nassau and Suffolk counties, N.Y. Coach REALTORS® is an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, a division of the famed auction house, and a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, and has been recognized by Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate for over 14 years.

COLDWELL BANKER D’ANN HARPER, REALTORS® (210) 483-7002 • www.cbharper.com Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® is the largest full-service real estate company serving the entire greater San Antonio metropolitan area, New Braunfels, Boerne, Bandera, Kerrville, Fredericksburg and Hill Country markets, representing buyers and sellers in all phases of their transactions. Since opening in 1986, the company has become a trusted name in the real estate industry. With eight offices, over 350 sales associates and over 100 support staff, the company’s extensively trained representatives have knowledge and expertise to service all aspects of the real estate business. Core services include global relocation, property management and rentals, commercial sales and leasing and mortgage financing.

COLDWELL BANKER KAPPEL GATEWAY REALTY (844) 861-5631 • www.KappelGateway.com Coldwell Banker Kappel Gateway Realty was created through the merger of Kappel & Kappel Realty, Inc. and Solano Gateway Realty, Inc. Both firms, founded in 1972, are the market leaders in Solano County, combining more than $600 million in sales dollar volume and welcoming more than 240 agents in seven offices, with branch

offices in Vacaville, Fairfield, Dixon and Green Valley. Eighty-five percent of our business is derived from returning and referred clients, a true testament to our clients’ high level of satisfaction with our services and our trusted real estate professionals.

DIANE TURTON, REALTORS® (877) 388-7866 • www.dianeturton.com Founded in 1985, the Diane Turton, REALTORS® name has earned renowned recognition as the premier real estate company in the markets that they serve. With 18 strategic locations on the New Jersey shoreline, the Diane Turton brand is the recognized leader in providing complete residential and commercial real estate ownership services and support. Diane Turton, REALTORS® caters to all real estate requirements, including title, insurance, relocation and referral services. The company is staffed with nearly 375 sales associates along with a full-time management/support team.

FILLMORE REAL ESTATE (800) 528-6673 • www.fillmore.com Fillmore Real Estate is the New York metro area’s largest independently-owned real estate broker. Specializing in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bronx and parts of Westchester, Fillmore has residential, commercial and rental divisions. For more information, visit us at www.fillmore.com or call us at (800) 528-6673.

FIRST TEAM® REAL ESTATE (888) 236-1943 • www.FirstTeam.com First Team® Real Estate is the No. 1 privately-held real estate company in Southern California with 2,000 agents and employees across 60 locations. First Team wins marketshare in any economic climate through innovation and proprietary marketing tools, and by successfully targeting the luxury market with First Team Estates®. Contact First Team today to find out how we have helped thousands of families realize their dream of homeownership— and how we can help you find yours.

GARDNER, REALTORS® (800) 566-7801 • www.GardnerRealtors.com Since 1943, GARDNER, REALTORS® continues our tradition of excellence as the leading full-service real estate company in the Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi Region. The GARDNER Real Estate Family includes over 800 real estate professionals in 24 neighborhood offices that serve over 100 communities.

Our professional services include residential and commercial sales and leasing, relocation and corporate services, asset management/ REO and property management, plus the convenience and added value of one-stop shopping for mortgage, title and home warranty services. We are proud to be homegrown, locally-owned and internationally known. Also, we love to give back to the communities we serve through GARDNER LOVE, which is the philanthropic arm of GARDNER, REALTORS® and The Gertrude Gardner Foundation.

GLORIA NILSON & CO. REAL ESTATE (732) 450-2300 • www.glorianilson.com Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, has been a revered real estate company for over 40 years. We are known for our representation and commitment to providing clients with the highest level customer service. With our exclusive Christie’s International Real Estate affiliation and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® membership, we have a unique combination of worldwide expertise and regional connections. Our clients expect a world-class experience provided by skilled, knowledgeable agents, and we deliver consistently on that expectation.

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J. ROCKCLIFF REALTORS®

MCCOLLY REAL ESTATE

(925) 251-2501 • www.rockcliff.com • www.rockliffcares.com J. Rockcliff REALTORS®, located east of San Francisco, is the East Bay’s premier real estate company. Recently named No. 1 in residential sales (in the East Bay) by the San Francisco Business Times, J. Rockcliff specializes in service. With leading-edge technology, state-of-the-art marketing across multiple mediums, the most experienced management team in the Bay Area and dedicated, ethical and professional agents, our goal is to provide a client experience that is second to none. With almost 600 agents and nine offices, J. Rockcliff REALTORS® is the fastest-growing real estate company in the East Bay.

(800) 348-2100 x206 • www.mccolly.com Since 1974, McCOLLY Real Estate has found your place to call home, from the shores of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana to Lake Street Beach in Chicago. McCOLLY is a proud LeadingRE member with bilingual agents in 14-plus languages among 450plus REALTORS® in 18 offices. McCOLLY Companies is the One Source for All Purpose Real Estate with its ancillary companies of McColly Insurance, Community Title, McCOLLY Auctions, McCOLLY Bennett Commercial, McCOLLY New Homes Division and Luxury Home Portfolio™.

JORDAN BARIS, INC., REALTORS® REAL LIVING

(203) 453-6511 • www.pagetaft.com Since opening its Guilford office in 1980, Page Taft has expanded its presence with offices in the historic towns of Madison and Essex, Conn. Page Taft agents foster long-term relationships with clients based on a strong foundation of trust and an unsurpassed commitment to excellence. These unique strengths set us apart from our competitors and make us your most valuable resource in fulfilling your real estate needs.

(800) 4-JBARIS • (973) 736-1600 • www.JordanBaris.com info@jordanbaris.com Founded in 1952, Jordan Baris Inc., REALTORS® Real Living is among the most respected full-service real estate brokerages in Northern New Jersey. With a team of close to 150 associates, the firm operates offices in West Orange and South Orange, with teams focused on Essex, Morris, Union and Hudson counties. Jordan Baris, Inc., REALTORS® Real Living offers real estate brokerage to buyers and sellers of residential and commercial properties, developers, tenants and landlords; title services through JB Title Agency, LLC; and global relocation services through its membership with the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.

KINLIN GROVER REAL ESTATE (508) 420-1130 • www.kinlingrover.com Kinlin Grover has 16 real estate offices covering Cape Cod from the bridges to Provincetown, specializing in the marketing and sale of waterfront, village, commercial properties and fine homes.

From the very beginning, the Kinlin Grover mission has remained constant: “to help our clients make the best real estate decisions and to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.” In addition, Kinlin Grover Vacation Rentals is the largest real estate firm on Cape Cod with over 600 privately-owned Cape Cod vacation rental homes. We value every client and pledge to deliver unsurpassed service as trusted advisors, expert facilitators and skilled negotiators.

LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE, INC. (866) 677-6937 ∙ www.LongandFoster.com Long & Foster Real Estate, the nation’s No. 1 independent brand by sales volume, is part of The Long & Foster Companies, a subsidiary of HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. HomeServices is the nation’s second-largest real estate brokerage and one of the largest providers of integrated real estate services. Long & Foster Real Estate is the exclusive affiliate for Christie’s International Real Estate throughout select parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and it is a founding affiliate of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, a prestigious global network of real estate professionals that includes the Luxury Portfolio International division. Long & Foster Real Estate has over 220 offices, stretching from Raleigh, N.C., to Fair Haven, N.J., and from Martinsburg, W. Va., to the Atlantic Ocean, and it represents more than 11,000 agents in seven Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, plus the District of Columbia. The company, which has a productive commercial business in addition to its residential side, sold more than $31.1 billion worth of homes and helped people buy and sell homes nearly 85,000 times in 2017.

LUSK & ASSOCIATES SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY (717) 291-9101 • www.LuskandAssociates.com When you work with Lusk & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty, you can count on specialists who can answer your questions, apply in-depth knowledge of current market conditions, and access extensive resources that can expedite the sale of your home.

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PATTERSON-SCHWARTZ REAL ESTATE (877) 456-4663 • www.pattersonschwartz.com pattersonschwartz@psre.com Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate is Delaware’s largest independent REALTOR® with over 50 years of service to the Delaware real estate market and surrounding communities in nearby Pennsylvania and Maryland. With nine offices and 415 sales associates, we are committed to excellence, integrity and quality service. We offer a full range of services, including residential home sales, purchase and rental, relocation services and property management.

RANDALL, REALTORS® (401) 364-3388 • www.randallrealtors.com Randall, REALTORS® has been a consistent leader in the marketing of Southern New England properties for more than 28 years.

Specializing in waterfront properties and second homes, our agents boast a 98.5 percent client satisfaction rating. Through our extensive marketing network, we offer tremendous exposure for our property listings and continue to deliver successful sales and representation for our clients. In addition, Randall, REALTORS®’ Vacation Rental Department offers a large selection of vacation rental properties serving the Southern Rhode Island shoreline and Eastern Connecticut.

RE/MAX 440 AND RE/MAX CENTRAL (215) 453-7653 • www.pahomesforsale.com • Tom Skiffington, Broker/Owner, tom@tomskiffington.com RE/MAX 440 and RE/MAX Central is a first-class, professional real estate company. Our goal is to provide the most prompt, courteous and professional services to all our customers and clients. We are the leading RE/MAX in Pennsylvania and Delaware with the highest sales volume and transactions. RE/MAX 440/Central has 10 different offices in Bucks, Montgomery and Lehigh counties.

RE/MAX GATEWAY (703) 652-5760 • www.gateway2realestate.com The real estate market is ever changing. It takes constant evaluation, review of recent trends to forecast a potential future and education of agents through mastermind groups and real estate information exchanges. These are areas in which we excel at RE/MAX Gateway. Contact us today if you are looking to advance your career in real estate through a multitude of educational experiences and resources, or if you need real estate advice in order to make informed decisions when buying and selling houses.

YOUR BROKER-TO-BROKER SOURCE FOR REFERRALS FROM REAL ESTATE’S LEADING RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE COMPANIES CALIFORNIA Ascent Real Estate, Inc. 410 Kalmia St., San Diego, CA 92101 Contact: Gina Lancelot • Tel: (619) 325-4100 Email: info@ascentrealestate.net • URL: www.ascentrealestate.net Coverage Areas: San Diego Offices: 9 • Associates: 180 CENTURY 21 Award - Orange County 22342 Avenida Empresa, Ste. 110, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 Contact: Joshua Tucker, Director of Relocation Services Tel: (760) 217-2491 (Toll Free) • Fax: (619) 374-2706 Email: jtucker@century21award.com Coverage Areas: Orange County Offices: 15 • Associates: 1,200 CENTURY 21 Award - San Diego, Riverside 7676 Hazard Center Dr., Ste. 300, San Diego, CA 92108 Contact: Joshua Tucker, Director of Relocation Services Tel: (760) 217-2491 (Toll Free) • Fax: (619) 374-2706 Email: jtucker@century21award.com Coverage Areas: San Diego, Southern Riverside Offices: 15 • Associates: 1,200 Coldwell Banker Kappel Gateway Realty 750 Mason St., Ste. 101, Vacaville, CA 95688 Contact: Rachel Guerin Tel: (707) 427-5344 or (844) 861-5631 • Fax: (707) 446-9830 Email: info@kappelgateway.com • URL: www.KappelGateway.com Coverage Areas: Vacaville, Benicia, Davis, Dixon, Fairfield, Napa, Rio Vista, Suisun City Vallejo and Winters, Calif.

Offices: 7 • Associates: 240 First Team® Real Estate 108 Pacifica Ave., Ste. 300, Irvine, CA 92618 Contact: Gayle D. Glew CRP, CRB, Director, Relocation and Corporate Services Tel: (855) 858-8028 (Toll Free) Email: gayleglew@firstteam.com • URL: www.firstteam.com Coverage Areas: Southern California counties of Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego Offices: 36 • Associates: 1,865 J. Rockcliff REALTORS® Headquarters Office: 4115 Blackhawk Plaza Circle, Ste. 201, Danville, CA, 94506 Contact: Robin Dickson, CRS, GRI, Executive Vice President Tel: (925) 251-2501 (O), (925) 324-1323 (C), 877-JRCKCLF (572-2523) (TF) Email: rdickson@rockcliff.com • URL(s): www.rockcliff.com • www.rockliffcares.com Coverage Areas: Alameda County: Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Dublin Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro, Sunol, Union City; Contra Costa County: Alamo, Antioch, Bethel Island, Brentwood, Byron, Canyon, Clayton, Concord, Crockett, Danville, Diablo, Discovery Bay, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Hercules, Lafayette, Martinez, Moraga, Oakley, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasant Hill Port Costa, Richmond, Rodeo, San Pablo, San Ramon, Walnut Creek; San Joaquin County: Country Club, Lathrop, Lodi, Manteca, Mountain House, Stockton, Tracy, Silicon Valley/San Jose area

CONNECTICUT Calcagni Real Estate 330 South Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410 Contact: Antonio Liguori, Broker of Record Tel: (203) 272-1821 ext. 302 URL: www.calcagni.com Coverage Areas: New Haven County, Central Connecticut Offices: 4 • Associates: 140

Page Taft 89 Whitfield St., Guilford, CT 06437 Contact: Karen Stephens, Executive VP • Tel: (203) 453-6511 Email: kstephens@pagetaft.com • URL: www.pagetaft.com Coverage Areas: Connecticut Offices: 3 • Associates: 60 Randall, REALTORS® 4009 Old Post Rd., Charleston, RI 02813 Contact: Jean Fournier, Dir. of Relocation & Referral Services Tel: (401) 486-9677 Email: jfournier@randallrealtors.com • URL: www.randallrealtors.com Coverage Areas: Connecticut and Rhode Island Offices: 9 • Associates: 175

DELAWARE Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® 1 International Plaza, Ste. 100, Philadelphia, PA 19113 Contact: Linda Zanzinger, Vice President, Relocation/REO Services Tel: (610) 595-3149 Email: Linda.Zanzinger@foxroach.com • URL: www.foxroach.com Coverage Areas: Greater Philadelphia Region, Greater Allentown and Easton Region, Southeast Pa., Southern and Central N.J., Northern Del. Offices: 65 • Associates: 4,000 Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+ Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate 7234 Lancaster Pike, Ste. 220B, Hockessin, DE 19707 Contact: Brian Pomije, Relocation Manager Tel: (302) 234-3600 (Office) • (302) 234-5207 (Direct) • (800) 443-2295 (Toll Free) Email: bpomije@psre.com • URL: pattersonschwartz.com Coverage Areas: Delaware (New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties), Pennsylvania (Chester and Delaware counties), Maryland (Cecil, Kent and Harford counties) Offices: 9 • Associates: 415

FLORIDA Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty 1580 Sawgrass Corporate Pkwy., Ste. 400, Sunrise, FL 33323 Contact: Rei Mesa, CRS, CRB, President & CEO Tel: (954) 693-0100 or (800) 386-1554 • Fax: (954) 236-6962 Email: ReiMesa@BHHSFloridaRealty.com Relocation Contact: Sharon Sapp, Vice President, Relocation, Referrals & REOs Email: sharonsapp@BHHSFloridaRealty.com • URL: www.BHHSFloridaRealty.com Coverage Areas: 21 counties throughout Florida, including Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida and Orlando area Offering mortgage, title, insurance, home service plans and 1031 exchange services Offices: 40 • Associates: 1,750

GEORGIA Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties 863 Holcomb Bridge Rd., Roswell, GA 30076 Contact: Kathy Connelly, SVP Corporate Services • Tel: (678) 352-3321 Email: Kathy.Connelly@BHHSGeorgia.com • URL: www.BHHSGeorgia.com Coverage Areas: Metro Atlanta and North Georgia Offices: 26 • Associates: 1,600 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 115

ILLINOIS McCOLLY Real Estate 800 Deer Creek Dr., Schererville, IN 46375 Contact: Deborah Horton, CRP, RCC, Director of Referral/Relocation Services Tel: (800) 348-2100 ext. 206 Email: dhorton@mccolly.com • URL: www.mccolly.com Coverage Areas: Alsip, Aroma Park, Beecher, Blue Island, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Burbank, Burnham, Calumet City, Channahon, Chicago, Chicago Ridge, Clearing, Country Club Hills, Crest Hill, Crestwood, Crete, Evergreen Park, Flossmoor, Frankfort, Glenwood, Grant Park, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Hegewisch, Hickory Hills, Homewood, Kankakee, Lansing, Lemont, Lockport, Lynwood, Manteno, Matteson, Mokena, Momence, Monee, Morgan Park, Mount Greenwood, New Lenox, Oak Lawn, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Park Forest, Peotone, Richton Park, Riverdale, Roseland, Steger, Tinley Park, University Park, Worth Offices: 18 • Associates: 450+

INDIANA McCOLLY Real Estate 800 Deer Creek Dr., Schererville, IN 46375 Contact: Deborah Horton, CRP, RCC, Director of Referral/Relocation Services Tel: (800) 348-2100 ext. 206 Email: dhorton@mccolly.com • URL: www.mccolly.com Coverage Areas: Beverly Shores, Cedar Lake, Chesterton, Crown Point, DeMotte, Dyer, Dune Acres, East Chicago, Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Hebron, Highland, Hobart, Kouts, La Porte, Lake Station, Lake Village, Lakes of Four Seasons, Long Beach, Lowell, Merrillville, Michiana Shores, Michigan City, Miller Beach, Morocco, Munster, Ogden Dunes, Otis, Portage, Porter, Rensselaer, Roselawn, Schererville, Schneider, St. John, Sumava Resorts, Thayer, Valparaiso, Westville, Wheatfield, Whiting, Winfield Offices: 18 • Associates: 450+

LOUISIANA GARDNER, REALTORS® 3332 N. Woodlawn Ave., Metairie, LA 70006 Contact: Nancy Harmann, Director of Relocation & Corporate Services Tel: (504) 200-5080 • (504) 402-9567 (Cell) • (800) 256-5677 (Toll Free) Email: NHarmann@GardnerRealtors.com • URL: www.GardnerRealtors.com Coverage Areas: Southeast Louisiana, including Greater New Orleans and Greater Baton Rouge, and Southern Mississippi, including the MS Gulf Coast Offering a full range of services including Residential, Commercial, Leasing, New Homes, REO, and Loss Mitigation; plus individual and corporate Relocation, Property Management and National/International Referral Network services Offices: 24 • Associates: 800

MARYLAND CENTURY 21 New Millennium 5990 Kingstowne Towne Center, Alexandria, VA 22315 Contact: Todd Hetherington, CEO • Tel: (800) 382-1101 • Fax: (703) 822-0136 Relocation Contact: Jeff Hetherington, Director of Relocation Email: move@c21nm.com • URL: www.c21nm.com Coverage Areas: Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Southern Maryland markets. Our areas of expertise range from Fortune 500 executives to specialized training in military and government relocation.

Offices: 16 • Associates: 700+ Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+

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Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate 7234 Lancaster Pike, Ste. 220B, Hockessin, DE 19707 Contact: Brian Pomije, Relocation Manager Tel: (302) 234-3600 (Office) • (302) 234-5207 (Direct) • (800) 443-2295 (Toll Free) Email: bpomije@psre.com • URL: pattersonschwartz.com Coverage Areas: Delaware (New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties), Pennsylvania (Chester and Delaware counties), Maryland (Cecil, Kent and Harford counties) Offices: 9 • Associates: 415 RE/MAX Gateway 4090B Lafayette Center Dr., Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Scott MacDonald, President Tel: (703) 652-5760 • (703) 727-6900 (Cell) Email: scottmacdonald@remax.net • URL: www.gateway2realestate.com Coverage Areas: Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland Offices: 6 • Associates: 170

MASSACHUSETTS Kinlin Grover Real Estate 4 Wianno Ave., Osterville, MA 02655 Contact: Lucy Cundiff, Director of Agent Services Tel: (508) 420-1130 Email: lcundiff@kinlingrover.com • URL: www.kinlingrover.com Coverage Areas: Southeastern Massachusetts Offices: 16 • Associates: 275

MISSISSIPPI GARDNER, REALTORS® 3332 N. Woodlawn Ave., Metairie, LA 70006 Contact: Nancy Harmann, Director of Relocation & Corporate Services Tel: (504) 200-5080 • (504) 402-9567 (Cell) • (800) 256-5677 (Toll Free) Email: NHarmann@GardnerRealtors.com • URL: www.GardnerRealtors.com Coverage Areas: Southeast Louisiana, including Greater New Orleans and Greater Baton Rouge, and Southern Mississippi, including the MS Gulf Coast Offering a full range of services including Residential, Commercial, Leasing, New Homes, REO, and Loss Mitigation; plus individual and corporate Relocation, Property Management and National/International Referral Network services Offices: 24 • Associates: 800

MISSOURI Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties 1650 Des Peres Rd., Ste. 205, Saint Louis, MO 63131 Contact: Angie Ignatowski, Relocation Director Tel: (314) 835-6000 • (314) 835-6050 (Direct) Email: aignatowski@bhhsselectstl.com • URL: www.bhhsselectstl.com Coverage Areas: St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Lincoln County Offices: 11 • Associates: Over 500

NEBRASKA Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate 13340 California St., Omaha, NE 68154 Contact: Katie Adams, CRP, GMS, VP Corp. Relocation & Business Development Tel: (800) 477-7653 or (402) 547-5137 Email: Katie.adams@BHHSamb.com • URL: www.BHHSamb.com Coverage Areas: Omaha and Lincoln Metropolitan Area, including Omaha, Bellevue, Ralston, LaVista, Papillion, Gretna, Elkhorn, Fremont, Lincoln, Council Bluffs and surrounding communities

NEVADA Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties 3185 St. Rose Pkwy., Ste. 100, Henderson, NV 89052 Contact: Eileen Mitchell, Dir. of Relocation & Referral Services Tel: (800) 735-4488 Email: relo@BHHSNV.com • URL: www.BHHSNV.com Coverage Areas: Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin and Pahrump Offices: 6 • Associates: 1,050

NEW JERSEY Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® 1 International Plaza, Ste. 100, Philadelphia, PA 19113 Contact: Linda Zanzinger, VP, Relocation/REO Services Tel: (610) 595-3149 Email: Linda.Zanzinger@foxroach.com • URL: www.foxroach.com Coverage Areas: Greater Philadelphia Region, Greater Allentown and Easton Region, Southeast Pa., Southern and Central N.J., Northern Del. Offices: 65 • Associates: 4,000

URL: www.coachrealtors.com/buying-and-sellin/relocation.cfm The Coach REALTORS® Relocation Department understands the complexities and challenges of employee transfers and is very responsive to the many needs of relocating families. Coach’s relocation division is supported by three full-time referral coordinators: Jose Matos, Kathy Brandofino and Roseanne Tourto. These three professionals draw upon more than 50 years of combined relocation experience in order to make the client transition a comfortable one.

Offices: 19 • Associates: 650+ Fillmore Real Estate 2990 Avenue U, Brooklyn, NY 11229 Contact: John Reinhardt, President/CEO • Tel: (800) 528-6673 Email: JohnReinhardt@Fillmore.com • URL: www.fillmore.com Coverage Areas: Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bronx and parts of Westchester Offices: 16 • Associates: 400

NORTH CAROLINA

Diane Turton, REALTORS® 511 Forman Ave., Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742 Contact: Dawn Fetherston, Director of Relocation & Corporate Services Tel: (877) 388-7866 • Email: info@dianeturton.com • URL: www.dianeturton.com Coverage Areas: Monmouth County, Ocean County and Middlesex County (N.J.) Member Organizations: Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, Luxury Portfolio, Luxury Real Estate Offices: 18 · Associates: 375

Coldwell Banker Advantage 7610 Six Forks Rd., Ste. 100, Raleigh, NC 27615 Contact: Benina Drake, CRP, SVP Relocation & Referral Services Tel: (800) 274-5345 • (919) 846-3330 (Direct) Email: BDrake@AdvantageCB.com • URL: AdvantageCB.com Coverage Areas: Apex, Cary, Clayton, Creedmoor, Chapel Hill, Durham, Falls Lake, Fayetteville, Ft. Bragg area, Henderson, Holly Springs, Knightdale, Lake Gaston, Lillington, McGee’s Crossroads, Pinehurst, Pittsboro, Pope Air Force Base area, Raleigh, Southern Pines, Wake Forest and Zebulon Offices: 17 • Associates: 325

Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate 826 Alexander Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540 Contact: Mark Williams, Relocation Director Tel: (888) 467-MOVE (Relocation Line) • (609) 750-7655 (Direct) Email: mwilliams@glorianilson.com • URL: www.glorianilson.com Coverage Areas: Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean and Somerset counties, N.J.; Bucks County, Pa. Offices: 23 • Associates: 700+

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+

Jordan Baris, Inc., REALTORS® Real Living 50 Mt. Pleasant Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052 Contact: Carol Abdo, Relocation Director Tel: (973) 736-1600 (Office) • (800) 4-JBARIS (Toll Free) Fax: (973) 736-5159 Email: relocation@jordanbaris.com • URL: www.jordanbaris.com Coverage Areas: Essex, Union, Hudson and Morris counties. Specifically West Orange, South Orange, Maplewood, Livingston, East Hanover, Roseland, Short Hills, Montclair, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, East Orange, Orange, Irvington, Jersey City, North Bergen, Union, Vauxhall, Parsippany-Troy Hills Offices: 2 • Associates: 150

PENNSYLVANIA

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+

NEW YORK Coach REALTORS® 66 Gilbert St., Northport, NY 11768 Contact: Jose Matos, Inbound Referral Coordinator Tel: (800) 321-7356 ext. 138 Email: jmatos@coachrealtors.com

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS® 1 International Plaza, Ste. 100, Philadelphia, PA 19113 Contact: Linda Zanzinger, Vice President, Relocation/REO Services, Tel: (610) 595-3149 Email: Linda.Zanzinger@foxroach.com • URL: www.foxroach.com Coverage Areas: Greater Philadelphia Region, Greater Allentown and Easton Region, Southeast Pa., Southern and Central N.J., Northern Del. Offices: 65 • Associates: 4,000 Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate 826 Alexander Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540 Contact: Mark Williams, Relocation Director Tel: (888) 467-MOVE (Relocation Line) • (609) 750-7655 (Direct) Email: mwilliams@glorianilson.com • URL: www.glorianilson.com Coverage Areas: Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean and Somerset counties, N.J.; Bucks County, Pa. Offices: 23 • Associates: 700+ Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE March 2020 117

Lusk & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty 100 Foxshire Dr., Lancaster, PA 17601 Tel: (717) 291-9101 • Fax: (717) 393-2336 Contact: Sandy Zercher Email: sandra.zercher@sothebysrealty.com • URL: www.LuskandAssociates.com Coverage Areas: Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Susquehanna Valley, Pennsylvania; South Central Pennsylvania Offices: 1 • Associates: 40 Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate 7234 Lancaster Pike, Ste. 220B, Hockessin, DE 19707 Contact: Brian Pomije, Relocation Manager Tel: (302) 234-3600 (Office) • (302) 234-5207 (Direct) • (800) 443-2295 (Toll Free) Email: bpomije@psre.com • URL: pattersonschwartz.com Coverage Areas: Delaware (New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties), Pennsylvania (Chester and Delaware counties), Maryland (Cecil, Kent and Harford counties) Offices: 9 • Associates: 415 RE/MAX 440 and RE/MAX Central 701 West Market St., Perkasie, PA 18944 Contact: Tom Skiffington, Broker/Owner • Tel: (215) 453-7653 or (215) 643-3200 Email: tom@tomskiffington.com URLs: www.pahomesforsale.com • www.lehighvalleyrealestate.com Coverage Areas: Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Berks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Lehigh, North Hampton, and New Jersey Offices: 10 • Associates: 170

RHODE ISLAND Randall, REALTORS® 4009 Old Post Rd., Charleston, RI 02813 Contact: Jean Fournier, Dir. of Relocation & Referral Services Tel: (401) 486-9677 Email: jfournier@randallrealtors.com • URL: www.randallrealtors.com Coverage Areas: Connecticut and Rhode Island Offices: 9 • Associates: 175

SOUTH CAROLINA Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, REALTORS® 745 N. Pleasantburg Dr., Greenville, SC 29607 Contacts: Nichole Moore, Director of Relocation, (864) 678-5362, nmoore@cdanjoyner.com, Jo Anne Conner, Destination & Broker-to-Broker Mgr., (864) 678-5227, jconner@cdanjoyner.com, URL: www.cdanjoyner.com Brookfield GRS, SIRVA, AIReS Relocation, Graebel, MI Group Coverage Areas: Greenville, Greer, Taylors, Duncan, Spartanburg, Mauldin, Simpsonville, Fountain Inn, Powdersville, Easley, Piedmont, Anderson Offices: 10 • Associates: 400+

TEXAS Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® 18756 Stone Oak Pkwy., Ste. 301, San Antonio, TX 78258 Contact: Pam Poitevent, Sr. VP Relocation Services Tel: (800) 521-1408 (Toll Free) • (210) 483-7035 (Direct) Email: ppoitevent@cbharper.com • URL: www.cbharper.com Coverage Areas: San Antonio metropolitan area including New Braunfels, San Marcos, Seguin, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Canyon Lake, Schertz, Universal City, Boerne, Bandera, Kerrville and surrounding areas Offices: 8 • Associates: 350+

118 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

VIRGINIA CENTURY 21 New Millennium 5990 Kingstowne Towne Center, Alexandria, VA 22315 Contact: Todd Hetherington, CEO • Tel: (800) 382-1101 • Fax: (703) 822-0136 Relocation Contact: Jeff Hetherington, Director of Relocation Email: move@c21nm.com • URL: www.c21nm.com Providers of world class real estate services in the Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Southern Maryland markets. Our areas of expertise range from Fortune 500 executives to specialized training in military and government relocation.

Offices: 16 • Associates: 700+ Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+ RE/MAX Gateway 4090B Lafayette Center Dr., Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Scott MacDonald, President Tel: (703) 652-5760 • (703) 727-6900 (Cell) Email: scottmacdonald@remax.net • URL: www.gateway2realestate.com Coverage Areas: Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland Offices: 6 • Associates: 170

WASHINGTON, D.C. CENTURY 21 New Millennium 5990 Kingstowne Towne Center, Alexandria, VA 22315 Contact: Todd Hetherington, CEO • Tel: (800) 382-1101 • Fax: (703) 822-0136 Relocation Contact: Jeff Hetherington, Director of Relocation Email: move@c21nm.com • URL: www.c21nm.com Providers of world class real estate services in the Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Southern Maryland markets. Our areas of expertise range from Fortune 500 executives to specialized training in military and government relocation.

Offices: 16 • Associates: 700+ Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+ RE/MAX Gateway 4090B Lafayette Center Dr., Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Scott MacDonald, President Tel: (703) 652-5760 • (703) 727-6900 (Cell) Email: scottmacdonald@remax.net • URL: www.gateway2realestate.com Coverage Areas: Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland Offices: 6 • Associates: 170

WEST VIRGINIA Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Vicki Hamp, SVP of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 335-0356 Email: Vicki.Hamp@LongandFoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 220+ • Associates 11,000+

INDEX OF SERVICE PROVIDERS ABR®...................................................................................12

National Association of REALTORS®............................8, 23

American Home Shield.....................................................1

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors...........................................2

Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA)....42

Quicken Loans................................................................ IBC

The CE Shop......................................................................75

Real Estate Express...........................................................35

Century 21 Real Estate LLC.............................................17

REality® Software..............................................................40

Create for the Human...................................11, 18, 51, 57

Realty ONE Group.......................................................... IFC

Darryl Davis Seminars, Inc...............................................58

RE/MAX, LLC.....................................................................10

Homes.com........................................................................5

RISMedia’s ACESocial.......................................9, 84-85, 119

HomeSmart.............................................................................19

RISMedia’s Content Solutions.........................................96

HomeTeam Inspection..........................................................52

RISMedia’s Power Broker Reception & Dinner..............68

HouseStay................................................................................36

RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network®.............60, 106

HSA Home Warranty..............................................................15

RISMedia’s Ultimate Real Estate Team Guide..............73

Inside Real Estate..................................................................BC

Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting.........................29

Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.................. 7

Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc.................................33

NAR’s Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) Designation...........................................................20

Women in the Housing and Real Estate Ecosystem NAWRB...............................................................................54

National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)®..................................................62

Workman Success Systems........................................78, 83

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{re: Real Estate} New MLS Policy Brings Clarity and Promotes Cooperation

I

n November, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Board of Directors approved MLS Statement 8.0, also known as the Clear Coopera-

tion Policy. Aimed at benefitting consumers and ensuring a level playing field for brokers, the new policy requires MLS-participating brokers to share listings with other brokers in the MLS within one business day of marketing the property to the public.

Have you ever seen a for sale sign for a house that wasn’t in the MLS, or have a buyer ask about a property they found online that you knew nothing about? Low inventory levels and tech-enabled pocket listings have resulted in a growing number of off-MLS listings, leading to questions of fairness and serving sellers’ best interests. Amid mounting frustration, brokers, agents and MLSs across the country asked us to consider policy that would reinforce the consumer benefits of cooperation.

After much deliberation, and with considerable input from members, brokers and MLSs, NAR’s MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board proposed the Clear Cooperation Policy. The board concluded that leaving listings outside the broader marketplace excludes consumers, undermining REALTORS®’ commitment to provide equal opportunity to all.

NAR President Vince Malta explains, “When properties for sale aren’t input into the MLS, it skews market data, makes it harder for our members to serve clients, reduces buyer choice, creates a potential fair housing risk and often hurts sellers’ interests. I’m pleased the Board of Directors decided that’s not who we are, and overwhelmingly approved the Clear Cooperation Policy.”

WHAT IS THE CLEAR COOPERATION POLICY? The policy states that within one business day of marketing a property to the public, brokers must submit the listing to the MLS for cooperation with other MLS participants. Public marketing includes everything from yard signs and flyers in windows to web marketing and social media posts. Effective Jan. 1, MLSs have until May 1, 2020 to adopt the changes.

120 March 2020 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

POCKET AND “COMING SOON” LISTINGS The new policy doesn’t prohibit these specialized listings, but does change some of the rules. Pocket— or office-exclusive—listings are an important option when privacy and exposure are concerns, such as with divorce or a celebrity client. These listings are allowed when they are in the best interest of the seller and not advertised to the public.

“Coming Soon,” a popular marketing tactic to create exposure ahead of showings, is accommodated if they are shared with the MLS’ participants when the listing is advertised publicly. MLSs have flexibility in creating processes around these listings and can add clarity by defining specific statuses and showing requirements as well as determining enforcement measures.

THE IMPACT OF THE CLEAR COOPERATION POLICY Our MLS is a rare and unique system in which competitors cooperate for the benefit of consumers. It is an indispensable tool that creates a healthy and efficient marketplace serving the interests of sellers, buyers and practitioners. But it only works when REALTORS® act ethically to cooperate with other REALTORS® and respect their exclusive relationships with clients.

According to Rene Galicia, director of MLS Engagement at NAR, “The intent of the Clear Cooperation Policy is to benefit members, consumers and the industry in general by ensuring access to all available listing data. It reinforces the pro-competitive, pro-consumer aspects of the MLS as a broker cooperative and helps power innovation in the industry by providing a central source of aggregated listing data. I encourage brokers to embrace this new policy and get involved in your local MLS’ implementation process.” RE

LEARN MORE

4

isit nar.realtor/ClearCooperation V to see the full policy, a webinar, FAQs, and more.

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