Real Estate Magazine - Keller Williams Realty — Antelope Valley - January 2016

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Synergy

Breeds Success

Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley Page 52

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HOME WARRANTY

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SOLD A HOME BASED SOLELY ON A NEARBY DOG PARK. WELL PLAYED.

We’re always scouting for agents who realize there’s a smarter way to do real estate. Agents who should affiliate with a brand that is already the most recognized brand in the industry*, plays the marketing game on the world’s biggest stage and has all the tools to back it up. So, if being ahead of the game is the kind of thing that appeals to you, let’s talk.

C21.COM/CAREERS © 2015 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. CENTURY 21® and the CENTURY 21 Logo are registered service marks owned by Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Century 21 Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

STUDY SOURCE: 2014 Ad Tracking Study. The survey results are based on 1,200 online interviews with a national random sample of adults (ages 18+) who are equal decision makers in real estate transactions and who have bought or sold a home within the past two years or, plan to purchase or sell a home within the next two years. Brand awareness results are significant at a 90% confidence level, with a margin of error of +/-2.4%. The study was conducted by Millward Brown, a leading global market research organization, from May 14 – June 4, 2014.

RADON WHY IT MATTERS WHAT IS RADON? • Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless radioactive gas formed by the breakdown of uranium, a natural radioactive material found in soil, rock and groundwater.

• Radon released from the ground can build up to hazardous levels inside a home.

WHY TEST FOR RADON? • Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, putting your clients’ health at risk.

• Nearly 1 in 15 homes in the United States and Canada has an elevated radon level, even in areas with fairly low environmental radon.

Ask about our

Home Inspection Packages!

• Any home may have a radon problem – old or new homes, well-sealed or drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors can test your client’s home for radon.* For more detailed information, visit the website below.

800-294-5591 *Services vary by location.

pillartopost.com/radon

{Contents} January 2016/Vol. 32, No. 1 • www.rismedia.com

{On the Cover} 52 Synergy Breeds Success Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley

52

Achievement, as many a scholar has said, is often a matter of synergy—of producing a whole significantly greater than the sum of its individual parts.

For Rob Talbot, CEO and partner of Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley, that’s the secret to the firm’s success.

The Palmdale, Calif.-based brokerage, first in marketshare in its north-of-Los Angeles region, is committed to putting its people first. “When people pull together in a shared culture of respect, caring and support,” says Talbot, “success becomes the natural result.”

It’s a view that began with the agency’s operating principal Sam Rafeh, who founded the Antelope Valley franchise in 2003—and it’s a view that continues to inspire a new generation of agents. In this month’s cover story, Talbot shares the company’s unique approach to life, and the values and strategies they draw on every day to maintain and motivate growth.

{Highlights} 24

24 Building for the Future In this month’s feature, learn how Imprev is staying ahead of the everchanging technology landscape.

{Headliners} 15 Policy Matters: FHA Urged to Ease Rules on Condo Financing

16 NAR Power Broker Roundtable: TRID: How Is It Impacting the Industry?

18 REBAC Report: Spring Clean Your Office Collateral

21 Executive Appointments

26 Economy Continues to Push Housing Higher

51 Millennials, Legislation and Giving Back in Focus for 2016

59 S tudy Shows Homeowners Reap Remodeling Benefits Whether Selling or Staying

66 A sian Americans: The Next Big Boom in Housing

70 6 Ways Real Estate Agents are Leveraging Technology to Boost Business

86 L ack of Affordable Options Will Drive Firsttime Buyers Out to the Suburbs in 2016

32 Leveraging Buyer Data to Improve the Top and Bottom Lines Here, take a closer look at how Buyside is creating new opportunities for brokers and agents alike.

36 One Big Step for Mortgages, One Giant Leap for Homeownership In this exclusive feature, learn how Quicken Loans is raising the bar when it comes to turning dreamers into homebuyers.

46 What Makes a Company Grow?

In Home Inspection, It’s Reputation Having added 75 franchisees in 2015—and expecting similar growth in 2016—Pillar To Post Home Inspector’s reputation is integral to their continued success.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 3

{Features} 22 Leading with Faith, Skill and Purpose: Tom Tognoli, Intero Real Estate

Did You Know?

42 Looking to Build a Sustainable Brokerage Business? Lay the Foundation with a Strong Culture

44 Webinar Recap: Rolling Out New Technology? Start with ‘Why’

52 Synergy Breeds Success: Keller Williams Antelope Valley

61 Strategies: American Home Shield; First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation; HSA Home Warranty; Realtors Property Resource®; The Entrust Group

68 How My Diversity Made Me a Better Leader

73 Jerry, and the Journey of ‘53

77

%

of Asian Americans speak a language other than English

In Scotland, homeowners paint their front door red when they pay off their mortgage.

Reference: 2013 Nielsen.

“Significant, Sophisticated, and Savvy: The Asian American Consumer,” from AREAA’s ‘The State of Asian America’ research report.

americanreddoor.com/history/

Million & One’

78 Trending: Brokers Ready for

Brass doorknobs can disinfect themselves in about eight hours. It’s called the oligodynamic effect: the ions in the metal have a toxic effect on spores, fungi, viruses and other germs.

Long-awaited Interest Rate Increases

80 RISMedia’s Great Spaces

{Interviews} 56 Eli Tene, CENTURY 21 Peak/ CENTURY 21 Peak Commercial

57 Geoffrey Bray and Lindsay Bacigalupo, Engel & Völkers Minneapolis Downtown 58 Bud Adams, Illustrated Properties

{Experts} 28 Dermot Buffini - 3 Tech and Marketing Trends to Embrace in 2016 30 Geoff Lewis - Business Building: In 2016, It’s Time to Get Lucky with Referrals 34 Verl Workman - Basic Training: 6 Daily Success Habits to Incorporate into Your Business in 2016 49 Seth Kaplan - Life in Mobile: Talking Tech on Main Street: Annette Anthony

4 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

{Every Issue} 9 Publisher’s Desk 12 RETrends 88 Service Profiles 98 Referrals 104 RE: Real Estate—REALTOR®: Celebrating 100 Years of Distinction

30

“With their marketing, branding, technology and truly connected international network, Engel & Völkers takes real estate to the next level.”

Rick Turner, Engel & Völkers Hilton Head Island - Bluffton

Only the best in the business join our brand.

With decades of experience as a broker and owner of the area’s biggest names in real estate, including Sea Pines, Lighthouse Realty, Creek Realty and Gateway Realty, Rick Turner has earned a strong reputation for his leadership, expertise, passion and dedication to quality among home buyers, home sellers and professionals in the industry. As an innovator who understands true potential in the market, Rick partnered with Engel & Völkers to provide a level of high-end service backed by world-class marketing and tools, and international reach, that he recognizes as something Hilton Head Island and Bluffton real estate has yet to experience.

Engel & Völkers 430 Park Avenue, 11th Floor · New York · NY 10022 · Phone +1 212-234-3100 info@evusa.com · evusa.com

©2016 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

{Online} Trending on

“We thank you for all you do to keep us informed.”

- Dennis and Sheila Shaw, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties

The Psychology of Decorating: 5 Ways We Experience a Room

Many of the ways we experience a room have to do with a psychological response happening behind the scenes. In fact, many of the principles of feng shui are based on the intangible influences of design. Here are five different ways we shape our impression of a room. http://bit.ly/1m8XqXZ

‘Star Wars’: Ranking the Galaxy’s Most Iconic Homes

Now that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has swept the world, we’ve tapped into our own Jedi powers to rank some of the most iconic homes in the galaxy. http://bit.ly/1NU2bRi

6 Ways Real Estate Agents are Leveraging Technology to Boost Business

To keep up in the real estate industry these days, agents have to be wellversed in technology—but being technologically savvy in today’s Information Age isn’t as hard as you may think. http://bit.ly/1YC1IoI

“Proud to see our #spanish #realestate office.”

Need to Sell Fast? Hire Kittens!

Just when you think you’ve seen every possible way to market a home, someone rolls in to prove you wrong.

Recently, California-based real estate company SF Good Life unleashed a new listing video starring several fluffy, four-footed friends. See these kitties in action here: http://bit.ly/1HTepYe

Home Staging: Pro Tips for Appealing to the Senses

Staging a home for sale is all about inspiring your buyer, and their senses are the avenue by which you connect with them. No matter the size or style of the home, there are a range of things you can do to make it more appealing to aspiring homeowners.

(And help you lock in a sale!) http://bit.ly/21p4kbJ

Visit Housecall at blog.rismedia.com!

Connect with RISMedia @RISMediaUpdates

Linkedin.com/company/rismedia

@HousecallBlog

Youtube.com/user/rismediaupdates

Facebook.com/RISMedia

@RISMediaUpdates

Pinterest.com/RISMedia

6 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

- Ricardo Sousa, CENTURY 21 Spain/ Portugal

Customer-Centric Designs Today, Ensuring Client Affinity for CENTURY 21® Tomorrow bit.ly/1IRGGct

“I’m ready for 2016!!!”

- Rachel Valencia, Select Properties Realty

2016: The Return of a Feel-Good Real Estate Market? bit.ly/1LuDBin

NAR: My Advocate

for exclusive membership advantages

adVOCaCy NAR advocates every day on behalf of the nation’s 1 million REALTORS® and 75 million property owners through lobbying, policy development, political communications, grassroots advocacy and as the nation’s largest contributor to federal candidates. reALtOr.Org/POLitiCAL-AdVOCACy

realtOr benefits® PrOgraM Your official member benefits resource bringing you discounts and special offers on products and services just for REALTORS® from over 30 industry-leading companies.

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NAR advocates for its one million members every day. www.REALTOR.org

MeMber Value Plus Get more from your membership! Complete simple actions and earn valuable rewards like free products, gift cards and more with the Member Value Plus (MVP) program.

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MeMber Center Access benefits from your Local, State, and National REALTOR® Associations, and customize and view your 2015 membership card. Access your benefits on the go with the app for your tablet or mobile device!

MeMberCenter.reALtOr.Org

{Publisher’s Desk} Blasting into 2016

T

he real estate industry is starting the year with a bang. A very positive 2015 has provided all of us with a fantastic momentum that’s allowing us to hit the ground running in 2016. The atmosphere is charged— once again, we’re willing to grow, take measured risks and push the envelope a little.

Our cover this month exemplifies the type of buzz and forwardthinking that’s in store for 2016. As part of its continued effort to reinvent mortgage lending, Quicken Loans introduced Rocket Mortgage last November, a program that can literally enable buyers to get approved for a mortgage online in just a few minutes. Not pre-approval. Real approval.

Too good to be true? While it may sound that way, the 500-person team who spent almost two years developing Rocket Mortgage will tell you, it’s reality. “People like to say they innovate, but I’m not sure how many companies have the ability to allow their workforce to exclusively focus on one project for 15 - 18 months,” says Quicken Loans CIO Linglong He. “Quicken Loans team members actually create what we set out to. Everybody shares the same goal to make it happen.”

Read the full story about the development, mission and inner workings of Rocket Mortgage, beginning on page 36. It could be just the tool you need to get more buyers—especially firsttime buyers—into homes this year.

Two other growth areas must also fly high on your radar this year: the Hispanic and the Asian markets. According to the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), by 2024, there will be 1.8 million more Asian households formed, and Asian American-owned businesses in the U.S. are in growth mode, representing over $500 billion in annual economic output. See page 66 for more insights from AREAA’s ‘The State of Asian America’ research report, and find new insights from NAHREP on the Hispanic market on pages 68 and 73.

And if you’re looking to kick off 2016 with a big dose of motivation, take a page from Tom Tognoli’s book. The leader of the wildly successful Intero Real Estate brings one of the most inspirational and well-rounded approaches to leadership and success that I’ve ever seen. Learn some of Tom’s secrets on page 22.

Here’s to an exciting, successful 2016. We’re excited to see where the road will take us!

John E. Featherston CEO & Publisher

’

Stay engaged with your prospects and customers with RISMedia’s industryleading content—relevant articles, videos and drip email campaigns for staying engaged between buy/sell transactions!

“Pop-a-Note” (Drip Email) Fun, light and unique way to keep in touch with clients and prospects using an easy drip email platform. Send notes on pop culture topics of interest, helpful real estate-related topics, or both!

Includes custom branding with photo, contact info and links, plus a customized News Hub with more consumer-facing real estate articles.

Content Library Thousands of articles and hundreds of video tips to choose from, updated daily! Access relevant, professionally written and editable content that you can download and use to enhance all of your communications—website, blogs, social media sites, newsletters—including RSS feeds for automatic delivery. Search for keywords, or filter for industry professionals or consumer targets for your communication and engagement systems.

For more information, contact Brett Johnson at 203.855.1234, ext. 143 or bjohnson@rismedia.com.

Together is better.

JOIN THE

MOVERS & SHAKERS At RE/MAX, you’re among real estate agents who take themselves seriously. We’re talking forward-thinking professionals who do anything but ride on the coattails of others. We’re a talented league of agents – and you’re a perfect fit.

Join our team.

©2015 RE/MAX, LLC. Each RE/MAX® office is independently owned and operated. 1539152

CEO & Publisher John E. Featherston Executive Vice President Darryl D. MacPherson

EDITORIAL Executive Editor Maria Patterson Online Managing Editor Beth McGuire Managing Editor Paige Tepping Senior Editor Nick Caruso Senior News Editor Zoe Eisenberg Online Associate Editor Suzanne De Vita Contributing Editors Lesley Grand; John Voket; Barbara Pronin; Keith Loria; Andrew King; Deborah Kearns; Reva Nelson

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ADMINISTRATION Client Relations Manager Patty Sinisko Circulation Manager Alice Heffron EVENTS AND MEMBER NETWORKS Events & Network Relations Manager Randi Vannucchi Research Analyst Jaxson Corsi RIS CONSULTING GROUP Vice President, Managing Director John Sculley, CRP Projects Director Peg Guinta, CRP Email: consulting@rismedia.com

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PUBLICATIONS & SERVICES Real Estate magazine Annual Power Broker Report & Survey Content Solutions www.rismedia.com (Daily e-News) blog.rismedia.com (Housecall) RISMedia’s Real Estate CEO Exchange Power Broker Forum, Reception & Dinner at NAR Annual Power Broker Forum & Reception at NAR Midyear Copyright® 2015 by The Relocation Information Service, Incorporated-RISMedia, Norwalk, Connecticut. All rights reserved. Editorial and executive offices at 69 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851. Telephone: (203) 855-1234. Magazine subscription rate $83.40 per year, including postage ($166.80 for two years); Canadian subscription rate $200.00 (U.S.) per year, including shipping and handling ($400.00 for two years).

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{REtrends} Trending Terms for Financial Fiends Investopedia, an online financial education resource, recently released its Top New 2015 Financial Terms list. The top 10 terms added in 2015 reflect investor interest and the key trends and news events over the course of the year.

Make sure your financial discussions with clients are peppered with the latest lingo:

10

Backdoor Roth IRA:

A “backdoor” Roth IRA allows wealthy individuals who have reached their contribution limit for a regular Roth IRA to contribute more to retirement. As over 10,000 boomers retire every day and the threat of a retirement crisis looms, investors are looking for new ways to save for retirement.

9

Fintech has been a buzz-

word for a few years now and has taken center stage as robo-advisors and mobile apps for trading stocks threaten to bring down the legacy of the traditional financial world. The trend will only

continue as millennials look for new ways to save money while predominantly using their mobile devices.

dollars and negative cash flows, prompted skeptical investors to label them “unicorns”: mythical creatures that can’t truly be real.

8

4

7 6

3

Gamma Hedging is an active trading strategy meant to hedge risk on options trades. Gamma hedging, tactical trading and intraday momentum used to be for hedge fund managers exclusively, but as technology disrupts many professions that had high bars of entry, more retail investors are becoming sophisticated active traders.

Tactical Trading describes

the strategy of active traders, particularly hedge fund traders.

Intraday Momentum Index

is a technical indicator used by day traders to signal when a stock is trending up or down. High volatility is good for day traders, and many traders were looking for ways to capitalize on the high volatility in the market this past year.

5

Unicorn: The high-profile

success of tech start-ups like Snapchat and Uber, with their valuations at over one-billion

Exchange-traded Mutual Fund (ETMF): As fees in-

crease and returns languish for traditional mutual funds, investors are researching new products, like ETMFs, that combine the advantages of investment strategies of an actively managed mutual fund and the performance and tax efficiencies of an exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Negative Interest Rate Policy: The European Cen-

tral Bank experimented with unconventional monetary policy in 2015, including negative interest rates where savers pay to save, to pull Europe’s economy out of the doldrums. With U.S. interest rates at zero for so long, many finance experts discussed the possibility of a negative interest rate coming to the States.

2

Grexit/Brexit: In 2015, the global economy was shaken by the possibility of a Greek default on sovereign debt and the failure of the Eurozone as a common currency union. The discussion of Great Britain and Greece exiting the EU led to the formation of these terms.

1

Smart Beta is a new, popular financial product that attempts to beat indices, but many investors are still not familiar with it. Among stagnant markets, people are looking for ways to make money through new investment tactics.

Source: Investopedia.com 12 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

An eightpack of crayons at the Millers’ closing led to four successful sales for their agent the next month.

When Joanne began showing the Miller family homes, she quickly took a liking to little Iris. And when it came time to recommend a title provider, she knew it had to be a company that would adhere to the TRID rule while taking care of the entire family. So Joanne directed the Millers to Stewart Title. Our team delivered a smooth closing experience – and some old-fashioned entertainment for Iris – so Joanne could leave a lasting impression on the Millers … and on the friends they sent her way the next month.

To see how we can make you look good to your customers, visit stewart.com/ris1.

© 2015 Stewart.

{Policy Matters}

FHA Urged to Ease Rules on

Condo Financing This column is brought to you by the NAR Real Estate Services group.

“It’s still too hard for creditworthy borrowers to get a loan. And groups who should be leading the home-buying market of the future— millennials and communities of color—are among those being left out.”

– Julián Castro, HUD Secretary

by Sarah Young

F

HA kicks off 2016 with some of the strongest books of business in years. In November 2015, FHA reported that its Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund surpassed the mandated 2 percent capital reserve ratio requirement for the first time since 2009. Early payment delinquencies are down, serious delinquencies are at a seven-year low and loss recoveries have improved by 43 percent since 2011. Last January, FHA reduced its mortgage insurance premiums by 50 basis points—an action NAR members had called for since early 2014—and was able to serve over 600,000 first-time homebuyers in fiscal year (FY) 2015. The increase in borrowers contributed to the solvency of the fund and represents the importance of policy changes.

The improved health of the fund strongly positions FHA to take additional steps to ensure that more homebuyers can use FHA financing, especially for condominium purchases.

Over the past several years, FHA has lagged in helping homebuyers use FHA financing for condominium purchases. Condominiums are often the most affordable homeownership option for first-time buyers, small families, single people, urban

residents and older Americans. The time needed to save for a down payment can be significantly lower for a condominium than for a single-family home. Unfortunately, there are not enough condominiums in the U.S. that are certified to allow FHA financing. FHA’s certification rules are overly restrictive, preventing potential homebuyers from achieving the American Dream.

NAR has long advocated for broad improvements to FHA’s condo rules, arguing that existing policy is overly restrictive and keeps many consumers from buying and selling a home.

NAR believes there are several steps FHA can take to improve access to FHA financing for condos, including eliminating the owner occupancy requirement, expanding the FHA concentration of units that can be FHA insured, and lengthening the time period for recertification. FHA should also reinstate the spot loan approval process and allow certain transfer fees that provide a direct benefit to the condominium property and the homeowners.

On November 12, 2015, at the National Association of REALTORS® Annual Conference and Expo in San Diego, FHA announced mortgagee letter 2015-27, which made immediate changes to condominium rules and were in line with those requested by NAR. The mortgagee letter revises the procedure for calculating owner occupancy, provides expansion of eligible project insur-

ance coverage and streamlines the documentation requirement for recertification. While many additional policy changes are needed, it is a step in the right direction.

Additionally, Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) introduced H.R. 3700, the “Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015,” which has garnered bi-partisan support in Congress. The bill would ease the recertification process, reduce the owner/occupancy ratio, streamline the process of approval for buildings with more than 25 percent commercial space, and conform FHA’s rules on private transfer fees to FHFA. During an October 2015 speech, HUD Secretary Julián Castro commented, “It’s still too hard for creditworthy borrowers to get a loan. And groups who should be leading the home-buying market of the future— millennials and communities of color—are among those being left out.” NAR and the housing industry will continue to advocate to expand housing opportunities and encourage FHA to publish a proposed rule on condominiums early in 2016.

NAR will also work to ensure H.R. 3700 is considered by Congress.

RE Sarah Young is the director of Real Estate Services for the National Association of REALTORS®.

To learn more about NAR’s efforts, visit www.realtor.org/political-advocacy.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 15

{The NAR Power Broker Roundtable} TRID: How Is It Impacting the Industry?

MODERATOR:

J. Nicholas (Nick) D’Ambrosia Liaison for Large Residential Firms Relations, NAR; Broker of Record, The Long & Foster Companies, Chantilly, Va. PARTICIPANTS:

Jason Waugh President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate, Portland, Ore.

Jeff Barnett Vice President, Regional Manager, Alain Pinel REALTORS®, Los Gatos, Calif.

Rick Haase President, Latter & Blum REALTORS®, New Orleans, La. The Power Broker Roundtable is brought to you by the National Association of REALTORS® and Nick D’Ambrosia, NAR’s Liaison for Large Residential Firms Relations. Watch for this column each month, where we address broker issues, concerns and milestones.

Nick D’Ambrosia: Remember Y2K? At

the stroke of midnight, January 2000, the world held its collective breath, convinced that business and commerce as we knew it would be forever blown to bits. That’s a little like the kind of dread many REALTORS® felt last year when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced changes to the TILA/ RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) Rule.

But TRID is here now, and functioning, and the world didn’t come to an end. So today, we thought we’d assess the state of things. Jason, was TRID as difficult as some anticipated?

Jason Waugh: Well, it certainly wasn’t

16 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

a non-event, but neither do we see the sky falling. The key, I think, was preparation, with our own people and our affiliate partners—making sure we were on the same page in terms of managing the timing and the changes.

Jeff Barnett: I agree. It took a lot

of training—and the preparation might have been even tougher if NAR had not worked with the CFPB to delay implementation from August to October. Frankly, as long as our agents keep track of the timing and document flow, we’re not finding the changes to be onerous.

Rick Haase: I can’t say it hasn’t been a hassle, and it did cost us some time and money. We provided more than 30 classes so that agents at every level could prepare, not just on how to comply with the new disclosure rules, but how to explain them to buyers and sellers.

ND: So how are consumers—and agents,

“Our agents are reporting that they are doing closings with agents who haven’t even heard of the TRID changes. I think it’s safe to say that wellorganized agents and brokerage firms will make the transition smoothly.”

– Rick Haase President, Latter & Blum REALTORS®

JW: Are the new procedures worth

it? In the long run, if it creates a better real estate experience for the customer, then yes. Like everything else, once you adapt to the changes and repeat the process a few times, it will become routine.

ND: What, specifically, can the agent do to help alleviate potential issues?

for that matter—dealing with the new rules? Is TRID turning out to be a good thing, by and large, or is it just a disruptive nuisance?

JB: Agents should advise buyers to

JB: In essence, the CFPB’s “Know

JW: And as Rick mentioned, work

Before You Owe” program materials are a good thing for borrowers because it helps them better understand the terms of their loan.

We have not been seeing a problem with delayed closings, although that may change in the next quarter when agents who haven’t fully prepared don’t stay on top of the process.

RH: The consumer may not see the

difference, but we may see some delayed closings until the process becomes routine. The best way to avoid it is to improve communication between the mortgage companies and the agents.

provide the necessary documents and make changes to their loan earlier in the closing process.

closely with the lender to avoid lastminute changes to the loan agreement. The three-day review period and the need for a new Closing Disclosure can only be triggered under three pretty specific circumstances.

RH: Our agents are reporting that

they are doing closings with agents who haven’t even heard of the TRID changes. I think it’s safe to say that well-organized agents and brokerage firms will make the transition smoothly. RE 8For an expanded version of this article and other NAR Power Broker Roundtable topics, please visit www.rismedia.com.

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{REBAC Report}

Spring Clean Your Office Collateral

by Marc Gould

S

pring is right around the corner, and you know what that means…spring cleaning! This year, take that fresh-start mentality out of your home and into the office, and assess your office collateral. Over the course of a year, it’s easy to become complacent with the same messaging and material you’ve always used. Take this month to evaluate your vision, brand identity, marketing materials, agent strengths and social media presence.

Then, make time to create new plans and materials for the busy spring season ahead.

Start with the fundamentals. How do you envision your business through the eyes of the consumer?

Do your agents act as exclusive buyer’s representatives? Are you serving a niche market? Do you want to cater to millennials? Are you better aligned with the needs of seniors? Do you have a lot of experience with luxury properties?

Once you’ve identified a vision and mission, you can better curate the marketing materials and tools to achieve your goals.

Next, assess your brand identity. Don’t underestimate the power of brand recognition. Make sure all your marketing materials coordinate visually, and ensure that they’re on message. For example, use upscale materials if your company’s focus is luxury properties, or use an ultra-modern design if you want to project a progressive approach. Repetition of your company’s logo, a dedicated color scheme and consistent use of appealing aesthetics will trigger the memory of potential and repeat clients.

18 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Once you have these cornerstones in place, re-evaluate the marketing materials you’ve been using and determine if they’re in line with your company’s marketing direction. Make sure they conform to your brand identity, and ask yourself if they’ve been effective within the past year. If you’re not getting the return you hoped for, look to the rest of the marketplace for inspiration.

One of your greatest assets is your agents, so take inventory of them, as each one will have his or her own strengths. Inquire about their marketing efforts. If they’re doing something new and innovative, it might be worth using it throughout your office. Examine each agent’s knowledge, skill and ability, and work with them to expand your marketing strategy by leveraging their strengths.

Your marketing strategy has to evolve as your clients’ knowledge, sophistication and use of new media outlets evolve, making it critical that you know your audience and cater to it. Traditional marketing might

work with baby boomers, but an informative website and increased social media presence will make more of an impression on millennials.

You may also want to consider social media outlets other than Facebook and Twitter. Create a Pinterest board of homebuyer tips or seasonal homeowner advice. Consider using Instagram to enhance your listings, and LinkedIn to grow your contact list, secure more leads and identify yourself as an expert in your field. Take it a step further and write informative blog posts and share them with your contact list through the LinkedIn platform.

Take this month to evaluate your office collateral and, if necessary, make time to develop new strategies and marketing pieces that reflect your company’s vision and mission. A finely tailored marketing strategy will prepare you for the busy spring season ahead. RE Marc Gould is vice president, Business Specialties, for NAR and executive director of REBAC. A wholly-owned subsidiary of NAR, The Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (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 work directly with buyer-clients. To learn more, visit REBAC.net.

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{Executive Appointments}

Real

estate

industry veteran has joined HomeSmart International to head up worldwide franchise sales for the growing Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company. Brooks, who will serve as the vice president of franchise sales, comes to HomeSmart International with more than 15 years of experience in real estate franchise sales, many of which included managing and developing highly successful sales teams.

Bryan Brooks

Second Century Ventures (SCV), the National Association of REALTORS®’ strategic investment arm, recently hired top technologist Alex Lange, former Market Leader chief technology officer, as an operating partner. Lange will help run the venture capital fund, which focuses on early-stage technology companies, and its technology accelerator program REach®. With more than 25 years of technology, product and startup experience, Lange has acted as an entrepreneur in residence with SCV for the past year. Adding to SCV’s future success is the promotion of Mark Birschbach to vice president.

Two Realogy Holdings Corp. executives have expanded their leadership roles in order to strengthen the company’s internal focus on diversity and inclusion. In addition to her role as senior vice president of human resources for two of Re-

alogy’s business units,

Reu-Narvaez

Tanya

will also oversee Realogy’s enterprise-wide diversity framework, employee resource groups and diversity training initiatives. Darlene Lapola, senior counsel of global services for the Realogy Franchise Group, has been appointed chair of the Realogy Diversity & Inclusion Council, which is expanding its internal focus on inclusiveness within the Company, building upon the Council’s long-term emphasis on building successful external partnerships with diverse real estate industry organizations.

Move, Inc. recently announced the appointment of Suhail Ansari as chief technology officer.

In this role, Ansari is responsible for overseeing the company’s technology strategy, which is focused on accelerating innovation to empower people by making “all-things home” simple, efficient and enjoyable. Most recently, Ansari served as vice president of engineering, R&D at Pivotal Software, where he led research and development for Pivotal’s suite of big data products. Prior to joining Pivotal in 2014, Ansari spent 11 years at eBay, where he held several senior engineering positions.

American Home Shield announced two executive-level promotions as the company continues its focus on growth, particularly in the real

estate industry. Tim Haynes has been named president and Trafford Seymour has been named vice president of sales.

Haynes joined American Home Shield in 2012 as vice president of information technology before being named to his most recent role of senior vice president and chief information officer for ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. During his tenure, Haynes has been instrumental in driving many new technological advances across all ServiceMaster brands. Seymour, who will be responsible for growth across all acquisition channels, including real estate sales, national accounts and HSA Home Warranty, has been with American Home Shield since 2006. RE For more executive happenings, please visit www.rismedia.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 21

Leading with

Faith, Skill and Purpose Tom Tognoli, Intero Real Estate

by Barbara Pronin

G

ood instincts and business savvy are reliable achievement indicators. Add great leadership skills, unshakeable faith and a commitment to work-life balance, and the recipe for success is complete.

Meet Tom Tognoli, co-founder, president and CEO of Intero Real Estate Services, the Silicon Valley, Calif.based powerhouse, which in the 12 years since its launch, has become the regional market leader, on pace at press time to close out 2015 with some 12,000 units closed and nearly $10 billion in revenue.

“Our name, Intero, means ‘whole and complete’ in Italian,” Tognoli explains, “and that has been our goal from the outset—a business founded on helping people be the best they can be in all aspects of their life—agents who are not only the finest in their field, but who are happy and fulfilled human beings.”

For Tognoli, who in his own lifetime has had to deal with the challenges of ADHD, dyslexia and health issues related to unhealthy living, finding and establishing faith as the cornerstone of his efforts did more than turn his own world around. It gave him insight, purpose and determination.

Today, the Bay Area native writes a blog, Monday Morning Mojo, devoted to life lessons and inspiration, distributed to more than 25,000 subscribers around the world. He oversees the firm’s charitable Intero Foundation, supported by a mix of agents, 22 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

by Barbara Pronin

employees, clients and others, which to-date, has raised over $3.5 million and helped more than 130 local nonprofit agencies serving the many needs of children. His days are firmly focused on what he calls his F5—faith, family, friends, fitness and finances—and still he channels his time and energy into running a thriving business.

A Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices affiliate, acquired by HomeServices of America in the spring of 2014, Intero and its 17 offices, 60 franchise locations and 2,200 agents are headquartered in the technology mecca of Silicon Valley, serving communities from the Napa Valley/Sonoma wine country to the Carmel coastline, as well as markets in Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Southern California and as far away as Texas, Colorado and Tennessee. Yet the enviable footprint is only part of the reason for the company’s great success.

“By the time we were acquired, our four owners had amassed over 100

Tognoli and team members embark on a Friday morning hike.

John Thompson, Andy Wong and Tognoli

years of industry experience between us,” Tognoli notes. “In addition, we were focused on a culture of mentoring and coaching, convinced that the firm’s success was inevitable if we inspired our agents to seek growth and fulfillment in their personal lives, as well as in their profession.”

Tognoli believes it is the unique company culture, augmented by Intero’s innovative roots and a true understanding of their customer base, that drives the firm’s escalating success.

While Intero represents buyers and sellers in every price range, highend properties are plentiful.

“We are fortunate to be based in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley region where, despite the dot.com disaster of 2002—the same year Intero was established, by the way—

and the downturn of 2008, the average sales price in our primary market ranges from over $1 million to over $15 million,” he says.

The prevalence of high-end listings led to the recent launch of Intero Prestigio International, a brand designed to showcase the firm’s luxury home portfolio.

Operated under the auspices of Alain Pinel, who founded Alain Pinel REALTORS® in Northern California, and has guided other leading real estate companies in the United States and Western Europe, Intero Prestigio International is committed to providing its high-end clientele with an elite level of representation and exclusive global marketing expertise.

“Alain understands that you can’t market extraordinary homes with ordinary means,” Tognoli says. “His highly trained agents are expertly preparing these homes for sale, managing unique buyer and seller expectations, and tailoring the marketing of these special properties to a specific worldwide audience.”

The care with which the new operation launched is typical of the Intero way.

Tognoli and the Intero foundation

“Our function as leaders is to understand and anticipate the marketplace and to be looking at the future,” Tognoli says. “The value proposition of the real estate professional is constantly changing. Our commitment is to educate, re-educate and equip our agents to remain a relevant force—to understand the market and be the advisor and financial consultant our clients need to make the smartest real estate decisions in any real estate environment.”

The current environment is encouraging, Tognoli says.

“The real estate market in the Bay area pretty much follows the S&P 500,” he notes, “so we keep a careful eye on the financial markets.

Mortgage lending rates are still favorable, and the economic outlook is steady. Also, properties in our area dropped an average of only 10 to 15 Tognoli and his wife, Lynn, in Tahoe.

percent during the downturn—not nearly as much as they dropped in other areas—and the region recovered faster than many others. As a result, property values here today are two times what they were in 2008, and the market is thriving.”

Even during the worst of the downturn, Tognoli says Intero’s culture and leadership—based on personal growth—kept agents optimistic and determined.

“In fact,” he says, “during the recession, we recruited massive numbers of agents. Many were scared and struggling, looking for the kind of leadership and coaching that lifts and encourages and fosters a fulfilling way of life.”

Andy Wong, a top Intero agent in the company’s Los Altos office, told a local reporter he credits Tognoli’s commitment to his F5 principle as one of the reasons he joined Intero.

“I wanted to follow an authentic leader who works every day to be a better version of himself in every aspect of life,” Wong says. “Every time I see Tom, I feel energized and inspired.”

If working to become a better version of himself is a top priority for Tognoli, it is clearly the same priority that drives the company he leads.

“Everything we do at Intero revolves around being the best you can be,” he explains. “I’ve been through three cycles of boom and bust in my 25 years in real estate, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that F5 sustains us and becomes the underpinning of every good thing we achieve.

At Intero, we prime our agents to aim for excellence in real estate as in every aspect of their lives—and their success in business is our reward.”

RE For more information, please visit www.interorealestate.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 23

Building for the Future

by Nick Caruso

How Imprev strives to be 18-months ahead of the market and their clients’ needs

M

uch has been written about the changing face of real estate marketing. We all know that marketing in an alwaysconnected world is very different from the old days of maintaining a fat Rolodex and mailing postcards to an agent’s sphere of influence. And as a broker, how many painful forklift technology upgrades have you had to endure to keep up with these changes?

Over the past decade, many real estate marketing companies have come and gone, but only a handful have exhibited the staying power to evolve with the ever-changing technology landscape.

24 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

For 15 years, Imprev has provided marketing solutions to the real estate industry, cutting its teeth by delivering solutions directly to agents, and later re-shifting its focus to meet the needs of brokers and franchisors. Over this same time period, the company evolved its marketing platform to help brokers and agents connect with buyers and sellers whose media consumption habits have changed from “focused” to “continuous partial attention.” Beginning with tools for print and digital marketing, and later, delivering services that fully automate the creation of marketing content, the company has proven its ongoing drive for innovation, showing brokers that Imprev’s present (and future) solutions are here to stay.

“Technology has reached the point where the broker or franchise can really make a difference for the agent, and

can essentially do the marketing for them,” says CEO fast-paced industry, Imprev looks outside the real estate and Founder Renwick Congdon. industry to learn new ideas, trends and possibilities that Upon launching in 2000, the company was quickly re- could be applicable. nowned for the quality of their print design flyers. Later, “We look at best practices in other industries and althey became the first company to build a marketing cen- ways keep in mind that what we’re doing for agents and ter with multiple products that could be customized and brokers is helping the consumer, and helping the broker’s distributed in one place. Through Imprev’s Marketing brand in the consumer’s eyes,” says Congdon. “Our cliCenter, agents have access to auto-generated print and ents’ marketing is being compared to what Nordstrom digital marketing collateral, such as flyers, brochures, and Mercedes are doing, for example. Customers know postcards, virtual tours, property websites and YouTube what professional marketing and advertising looks like videos, all with a few clicks of a button. Agents can then because they see it every day. That’s why design has publish these creative pieces directly to their social me- always been really important to us.” dia pages, blogs or websites, distribute In addition to the library of Imprevthem through email or send them disupplied templates that agents can “Our system is about rectly to their local printer. choose from, a brokerage can stanletting the broker or dardize the best practices of their top Brokers and agents can choose from franchisor figure out producers as additional template opan extensive library of professionally the very best ways to tions, and make those available to all designed materials, or opt for custom designs from Imprev’s in-house cremarket a property, and of their agents. ative agency, consisting of fully trained “Our system is about letting the automate the process art directors, designers and copywritbroker or franchisor figure out the very ers. The creative minds at Imprev work for all of their agents so best ways to market a property, and that they’re providing a automate the process for all of their just like any advertising agency to understand the brand requirements of lot more value to both agents so that they’re providing a lot their clients and create aesthetically more value to both the agents and the agents and the pleasing and professionally designed the consumer. The agents start getconsumer.” ting much higher-quality organic leads marketing campaigns. According to than those they would buy from portals President and Chief Revenue Officer – RENWICK CONGDON because they’re coming from their own Bill Yaman, Imprev’s creative agency CEO & Founder, Imprev marketing efforts,” says Congdon. has the ability to either take designs These organic leads are vital to an that the brokerage has created and implement them into the Imprev system, or leverage Im- agent’s success and are nurtured through the Imprev prev’s real estate design experience to augment a bro- system using a built-in customer contact engine that kerage’s design aesthetic. Either way, Imprev places the automatically sends communications, both email and highest importance on brand consistency, placing control print, to an agent’s prospects and sphere of influence. of the brand solely in the hands of the broker.

Once again, this messaging can be provided by Imprev or “Everything is auto-generated so the agent doesn’t through custom campaigns from the broker. need to lift a finger. They receive an email after they get The company’s journey from a piecemeal print and digia new listing and all of the marketing is already done,” tal strategy to a fully automated, comprehensive service goes to show Imprev’s dedication to innovation, and its says Phil Olson, director of marketing.

Agents certainly have the option to log in to the appli- fearless approach to the ebbs and flows of the industry. cation and swap out photos or add their own marketing “We’re committed to our customers’ success,” says flair, but many agents will use the content “as-is,” and Congdon. “We have a 15-year history, and we have clients that have been with us for that long. I think that will never need to access the Imprev Marketing Center.

“Instead of the agent creating the content, it’s created speaks pretty well.”

“We’re in an industry that is constantly evolving. We for them,” says Yaman. “With brokerages signing up on behalf of their agents, Imprev sends the information to had to evolve to deliver a campaign engine, and had to the agent ‘from’ their brokerage. It feels much more like evolve again to provide this automated service,” says a service than a tool. For many brokerages, this funda- Yaman. “Those who stand still die, and we can’t stand mentally changes the recruiting conversation, and sets still.” RE them apart from other competing brokerages.”

In order to meet the ever-changing needs of such a For more information, please visit www.imprev.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 25

Economy Continues to Push Housing Higher

W

November 2015 Home Purchase Sentiment Index Highlights

ith more Americans reporting lower income prospects, Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index™ (HPSI) decreased 2.4 points to 80.8 in November 2015. The challenge of housing affordability coupled with tight supply may be preventing overall housing sentiment from gaining momentum as income growth isn’t keeping pace with the cost of housing.

Consumers’ net attitudes about the direction of their household income relative to a year ago fell five points during the month, setting the HPSI component back to just below its March 2015 level.

“The latest reading of the Home Purchase Sentiment Index remains near the survey’s high witnessed in June 2015, exemplifying the theme we laid out at the beginning of the year: the economy drags housing upward,” says Doug Duncan, senior

4The net share of respondents who say it’s a good time to buy rose one percentage point to 35 percent.

4The net share of respondents who say home prices will go up remained constant at 38 percent.

vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. “While aggregate income growth has gradually picked up, consumers’ assessment of their income over the past year has not yet shown sustained improvement.

This year’s housing market is poised to be the best since 2007; however, consumers’ ability and willingness to purchase a home is likely to remain an issue until we see consumer confidence in their income growth consistently gain traction.”

4The net share of those who say mortgage interest rates will go down fell two percentage points.

4The net share of respondents who say their household income is significantly higher than it was 12 months ago fell five percentage points. RE

For more information, visit www.fanniemae.com.

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3 Tech and Marketing Trends

to Embrace in 2016

by Dermot Buffini

T

here’s no doubt that technology has changed the way we buy and sell homes. Fifty years ago, buyers would search through newspaper ads to find a home; nowadays, the majority of buyers search for homes on the Internet before consulting an agent.* It’s not just the Internet that’s changing the game; the increased use of smartphones makes it easier to look for homes.

With buyers and sellers having access to more information than ever before, how can agents make themselves essential to their clients?

Relationships matter more than ever!

One thing we’ve researched at Buffini & Company is the top reasons people choose their agent over others. We’ve found most often that their choice is based on three questions: Can I trust you? Do you care about me? Are you good at what you do? Nowhere in there is a question about how many Twitter followers you have. That’s because in today’s business world, artificial connections are a dime a dozen. The agent who goes above and beyond to create deeper, more authentic relationships wins.

Technology isn’t the enemy, but it’s not the solution to an empty pipeline, either. It’s a tool that if used right, can help you build community, increase communication with your clients and better execute on key activities like lead generation. Here are three tech and marketing trends that’ll help you stay relevant, while keeping the focus on building relationships with your clients.

1. Get online. If you want to serve your clients, you have to be where they are. Social media makes it easy to share information about the 28 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

market or home-buying/-selling tips with your clients. You can also use it to share information about your listings. Blogging provides a platform to share your knowledge and experience with clients and followers, as well.

2. Incorporate video in your emails. Share a message with your clients via video. You can send it as a standalone email to a few people, or use it to introduce your eReport, a monthly email loaded with helpful information and housing stats specifically for your clients. The eReport is included in Buffini & Company’s Marketing Kit, designed to help you maintain con-

sistent contact with your database and Work by Referral. Video is an impactful way to deepen relationships with clients, and is sure to stand out. Keep it short and positive, and remind clients that you’re never too busy for referrals.

3. Use a CRM. A Customer Relationship Management system, such as Referral Maker® CRM, not only keeps your clients’ information organized and at-hand, it can also help you stay organized within your business so that you can generate more leads.

To thrive in the new era of real estate, it’s essential to embrace technology and use it to serve your clients better.

Want to know more about using technology to improve your business relationships? Sign up for MarTech Trends™, a one-day Buffini & Company event where Joe Niego and other experts will give a crash course on how to create the perfect blend of technology and marketing in your real estate business. RE *Source: NAR, Real Estate in the Digital Age, September 15, 2015 Dermot Buffini is CEO of Buffini & Company, North America’s largest real estate coaching and training company, which has helped over three million sales professionals in 37 different countries improve their business, increase net profit and enhance their quality of life since its founding in 1996. Before assuming the role as CEO in 2013, he spent 10 years as the senior vice president of Business Development, where he was responsible for developing new markets, corporate partnerships and the overall growth of the company.

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{Business Building}

In 2016, It’s Time to Get Lucky with Referrals

by Geoff Lewis

I

’ve received all sorts of advice in my life, much of it good and some of it, well…not so good. But the best advice I ever got was something my father used to say to me:

“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.”

With that in mind, consider this conversation between two real estate agents: AGENT 1: “I couldn’t believe it. A seller I worked with five years ago sent me a co-worker who was absolutely perfect for my listing on Benton Circle. So that guy bought the Benton house and now I’m listing his old house on Evans. And get this—the co-worker’s sister is moving to town next month, so we’re finding a house for her, too. Plus, I’m getting a referral fee from the agent who’ll be selling her place.”

AGENT 2: “You’re always so lucky. I never get referrals like that.”

When I hear someone say, “you’re so lucky,” I tend to think luck had little to do with whatever’s been accomplished. Preparation, hard work, strategy and expertly covering the fundamentals are usually much bigger factors.

This is particularly true with referrals.

According to the 2015 NAR Member Profile, most REALTORS® get less than a quarter of their business through referrals from past customers and clients. Roughly 14 30 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

percent reported getting no business at all through these channels.

Even among agents with over six years of experience, 7 percent reported no referrals at all. None!

Focusing on non-referral sources of business is fine, but I have to wonder whether too many agents simply don’t recognize the opportunity created by every successful sale.

High earners aren’t making this mistake. Survey respondents who earned over $150,000 in GCI attributed nearly 30 percent of their business to referrals—and an even larger figure (36 percent) to repeat customers.

These top producers seem to understand that with so many variables in our business, it’s best to control the ones you can. As a real estate agent, you control 1) whether you provide service that impresses clients and compels them to tell others about you; and 2) whether you reach out to them after their transaction is closed. I’m guessing that most top producers are doing both.

The fortune is in the follow-up, and the important thing is to be purposeful, genuine, strategic and systematic. Your approach should also be measurable so that you can amp up the parts that work well and

According to the 2015 NAR Member Profile, most REALTORS® get less than a quarter of their business through referrals from past customers and clients. discard those that don’t.

You don’t have to break the bank to be effective. Touch base from time to time, share your knowledge, be a resource. And, in a way that suits your style, be direct and ask for referrals. I constantly notice the classic Brian Buffini line at the bottom of emails from the most accomplished top producers: “And by the way, I’m never too busy for your referrals…” It’s a smart, friendly and unobtrusive reminder to people who can help your business grow.

By committing to great service and crafting a strong follow-up system, you can be more like “lucky” Agent 1, rather than “unlucky” Agent 2. Do the preparation work. Seize the opportunities. Make 2016 your “luckiest” year yet. RE

Geoff Lewis is president of RE/MAX, LLC. For more information, visit www.remax.com.

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• Enhanced packages available

• Builds traffic to your personal site

Direct Mail • Out of market reach through direct mail programs • Your ad, text codes, phone number and website delivered to relocating buyers • Broadens your reach to generate more new leads • Geographically and demographically targeted mailing services available

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• Great listing tool!

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To advertise call 888-809-8495, or enter your zip/postal code online at Store.RealEstateBook.com

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Leveraging Buyer Data to Improve the Top and Bottom Lines

by Keith Loria

Buyside connects the dots to create new opportunities for brokers and agents

C

reating, implementing and leveraging a competitive edge for your company is a necessity today with competition pulling at every edge of your business.

Charles Williams, founder & CEO of Buyside, recognized this prominent market need for a tangible differentiation for agents and brokers to build and grow their businesses. That led to the creation of Buyside, a powerful agentto-agent network and marketing system now in use by 32 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

some of the industry’s most respected brokerage firms.

And thanks to Buyside—and Williams’ innovative thinking—agents now have a network where they can connect with other agents, both in-house and outside of their brokerage, who have buyers ready, willing and very able to purchase today.

But it doesn’t end there. Buyside’s platform also enables agents to generate more seller leads, close more contracts and match buyers to listings by exploiting the currently under-appreciated real estate data asset of

buyers. Therefore, an agent’s work becomes more timeefficient, more profitable, and more satisfying to the clients they’re working with.

“We help agents to match up quickly by identifying which agents have a buyer, leading to more in-house deals for the broker,” says Williams. “It also reduces marketing spend because if a buyer is already inside that brokerage, they can just reach out. Not only does this save the listing agent money, but the broker ends up winning as well.”

Providing an unbiased, but aggregated, view of the market, Buyside allows agents to be much more forwardlooking in terms of marketing and pricing. The data is simply an asset that brokerage firms already have, but haven’t been able to fully leverage.

“Agents and brokers invest millions each year to buy zip code leads from Zillow and the other consumer portals for the sole purpose of converting them, but sadly, industry stats show that only about 1 percent close,” adds Williams. “However, that data can be used for other purposes such as attracting sellers by showing that you have the buyers. It can also be used to predict search experiences, match up agents and help tunnel through the data you acquired to generate new leads and listings.”

As chief data scientist for Buyside, Jeremy Elser, PhD, is responsible for deriving multi-scale insights and predictive behavioral models from real estate buyer data.

He does this by matching data sources against business questions to surface potential features for the products.

Algorithms are then created to answer these questions.

“Buyside’s products enable clients, agents, brokerages and MLSs to exploit their buyer data in combination with listings,” says Elser. “Our customers have high expectations of our ability to translate data into actionable insights and tools; therefore, business sense, creativity, mathematical sophistication and rigor are critical to our product.”

With several sites and apps in Buyside’s portfolio, Elser notes that centralization is perhaps the most important component.

“Much of the data that we integrate is already available to the agent,” says Elser, “but it’s scattered and cannot be synthesized in a useful way. The major advantage is that the agent gets new benefits from assets they already pay for, but aren’t fully exploiting.”

The most sophisticated algorithm relates to the automated predictive matching of buyers to their ideal homes as the machine learning algorithm consolidates, normalizes, featurizes and analyzes data from over 20 unique sources to create predictive models of buyer behavior.

“Essentially, these models create a Super Agent, with a knowledge base built upon the collective history of all real estate-buyer search, inquiry and purchase activ-

“Buyside’s products enable clients, agents, brokerages and MLSs to exploit their buyer data in combination with listings.

Our customers have high expectations of our ability to translate data into actionable insights and tools, therefore, business sense, creativity, mathematical sophistication and rigor are critical to our product.”

– JEREMY ELSER Chief Data Scientist, Buyside

ity occurring in every market at all times,” says Elser.

“These models identify the homes that buyers are ultimately likely to purchase, even at the early stages when the buyer may have uncertain or false expectations.”

Elser’s personal favorite feature is the network’s ability to enumerate the complete set of potential buyers matched to any property in real-time.

“This is a major differentiator for any seller’s agent trying to win a contract. ‘Sign this contract and I’ll contact 40 matched buyers right now’ is a very compelling argument. The value proposition here is crystal clear,” adds Elser.

For Jonathan J. Miller, CRE, CRP, president and CEO of New York City appraisal and consulting company Miller Samuel, Inc., Buyside offers a true level of differentiation for agents when they are speaking with their customers.

“All real estate search is—and has been—based on properties,” says Miller. “Buyside allows an agent to educate their client in regard to how much or how little demand there is for their property, in addition to enabling more accurate pricing. As someone who tracks and analyzes properties and property markets for a living, I was blown away with the concept from the start. The orientation of the product is buyer-centric, something which, up until Buyside, had not been aggregated by the real estate industry.”

More than a website, Buyside provides Web-based tools that offer insight into buyer demand—something that’s never been done before. This insight becomes a powerful productivity tool for the entire brokerage, from the listing and buyer agents to the office managers who can offer a distinct advantage when recruiting.

“Brokerage firms are squandering their most significant resource—buyers—who they attract through expensive marketing-related costs,” concludes Miller. “Buyside has created something that leverages that information, something the broker already has access to. It’s a logical and powerful concept that has never been implemented before.” RE For more information, please visit www.getbuyside.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 33

{Basic Training}

6 Daily Success Habits

to Incorporate into Your Business in 2016

by Verl Workman

N

oted author and management guru Jim Rohn once said: “Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”

Understanding that success is achieved by applying the basic fundamentals in your business—and in your life—the question remains: What are the basic fundamentals we must master in order to achieve the success we desire?

I call these basic fundamentals “daily success habits.” If we train ourselves to focus on money-making activities on a daily basis, and get in the habit of doing them over and over, success will follow.

Here’s a list of habits that our coaching clients agree to early on in our coaching relationship.

1 Plan Your Day 4The most important hour of your day is the hour you spend planning your day and working on activities that move you closer to your goals.

No checking email, answering the phone, texting or handling transactions during this critical hour.

Focus on your business and the activities that need your undivided attention.

2 Read 4Knowledge is power, and the best way to gain knowledge is to read or listen to audio books. The elite hunger for knowledge and constantly improve their expertise in 34 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

many areas of business and life by learning from others.

3 Prospect Daily 4If you want to stay busy and eliminate the peaks and valleys in your business, you must prospect every day. This habit will get easier if you schedule time daily and simply do it. The hard part is not allowing yourself to become distracted by “fake work” during your prospecting time.

4 Emails and Social Media 4Don’t just send generic emails or post random things to Facebook.

Both email and social media can be a time waster, so block your time to follow-up on emails and update social media, and make that time purposeful by thinking through what message you want to convey.

5 Handwritten Notes 4With the invention of email and social media, taking the time to send a handwritten note is fast becoming a lost art. Sending a handwritten note or birthday card in the mail makes a much better statement of your appreciation than an email or Facebook post saying thanks. Take the time to do it right.

6 Lead Follow-up 4Today’s consumer has clearly articulated that the biggest issue they have with agents in general is that “they don’t follow up.” To have success in this business, you must have a clear follow-up system for all leads from every source. We call it the ABC’s of lead follow-up, where each lead is put into a system that methodically gets followed up with.

The bottom line is that if you start each day by simply heading to the office without a plan in place, your day will take on a life of its own and control you, resulting in frustration and the feeling of being out of control. But if you develop success habits, starting with planning your day, you’ll find each day has meaning, and you’ll progress toward achieving your goals. RE 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. Sign up today for a free business consult with Verl by sending an email to coach@verlworkman.com.

To hire Verl to speak at your next event, email events@verlworkman.com.

P E R H NA C in D

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Register at: nahrep.org/dc2016 #nahrep2016

36 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

One BIG STEP for Mortgages, One

by Maria Patterson

GIANT LEAP Quicken Loans Launches Rocket Mortgage

for Homeownership

A

nother Sunday afternoon, another open house. As you set out the guest book and pull the cookies out of the oven, you wonder (once again), if this is a waste of your valuable time.

Is it really worth spending the next several hours babysitting a stream of nosy neighbors, looky-loos and unqualified dreamers? To prove your point, in walks a young couple, wide-eyed, tentative … and ready to do an about-face. After taking one quick look around, they’ve decided this place is way out of their price range. In fact, from the overwhelmed look on their faces, they may have even decided that homeownership itself is out of their price range.

Just one more futile open house? Not this time. This time, you have a secret weapon right on your smartphone or tablet that can turn those dreamers into homebuyers—in just minutes. This time, you have Rocket Mortgage.

SENDING THE MORTGAGE PROCESS INTO THE STRATOSPHERE Introduced this past November, Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans is shaking up the mortgage industry by offering an end-to-end online product that can have borrowers approved for a mortgage in as little as eight minutes—not pre-approval, but actual approval, complete with rate lock.

In development by the 500-plus members of the QL Labs technology team for more than three years, Rocket Mortgage is designed to be a game changer, empowering real estate professionals and consumers by putting control of the mortgage process into their own hands. By simply accessing www.RocketMortgage.com on a desktop computer or mobile device, would-be homebuyers can answer a few questions and receive loan approval and rate lock in as little RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 37

as eight minutes. For real estate agents, Rocket Mortgage presents a powerful tool with which they can help get potential buyers into homes more quickly.

For Quicken Loans, Rocket Mortgage is a natural progression in its mission to transform the home loan business. “We changed the mortgage industry when we created the first 50-state online retail lending platform that has since helped millions of Americans achieve their home-financing goals, while experiencing the best client service in the nation,” said Quicken Loans CEO Bill Emerson in a release issued when the product launched on Nov. 24, 2015. “Today, we took another monumental leap forward with the launch of Rocket Mortgage, which brings simplicity and clarity to the homeloan process like never before, while delivering solutions at unimaginable speed.”

“About 17 years ago, Quicken Loans demolished the traditional brick-and-mortar lending model,” explains Quicken Loans VP of Business Development Derek Latka. “Over the years, the evolution toward selfservice products has been growing.

We knew there was a strong market for clients to engage in the mortgage process and take more of a driver’s seat position.”

“For us, it’s really about Rocket Mortgage changing the way people get a mortgage—to take something that is typically thought of as being confusing, complicated and slow, and flip it on its head,” says Regis Hadiaris, Rocket Mortgage Product Lead. “We want the mortgage process to be fast and simple and smart—that’s the idea we’ve had all along.”

“This is not just important to Quicken Loans, this is important to the entire mortgage industry,” adds Quicken Loans CIO Linglong He. “Everyone is leveraging technology to move the business forward, but we 38 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

“This is another pivotal moment in our organization’s history, and an evolution of the mortgage industry as a whole. This is like that iPhone moment. Things are changing, things will not be the same.”

– DEREK LATKA, VP of Business Development Quicken Loans

are the No. 1 online lender and the No. 2 retail lender overall.

People look up to us and always want to know, ‘what are you doing next?’”

According to Latka, Rocket Mortgage is powered to perform several hundred thousand calculations within seconds and analyze the various home loan options for clients based on their income, assets and credit information—data which Rocket Mortgage can import into its system. “The client can come up with dozens of different options, choosing which terms, interest rates and monthly payments work best for them,” says Latka. “Rocket Mortgage puts that power into the hands of clients.”

Latka depicts an open house scenario. “Think about an open house on a Sunday,” he suggests. “You’ve got a listing agent on-site and there are buyers coming through the door who are passionate about the property, but not yet preapproved. Usually, you’d have to call Quicken Loans that night or wait until Monday morning to talk to a traditional lender.

With Rocket Mortgage, the agent will be empowered to sit down with their iPad and the buyer, and get an approval within minutes. The system is pulling credit, income and asset documentation. This is not just a theoretical approval based on assumptions—this is an actual, approved mortgage on a Sunday afternoon.

This tool will be empowering to the agent community, allowing them to transact at a faster pace. Everything is real-time and everything is immediate—it’s user-friendly and flexible.”

A CHANGE CONSUMERS ARE READY FOR It’s no secret. Getting a mortgage has historically been the bane of the home buying process. Fraught with confusion, complication and documentation, the home loan process is more than ready for this long-overdue makeover.

According to Hadiaris, Rocket Mortgage is designed to eliminate many of the pain points typically associated with applying for a mortgage. “If you think of the traditional mortgage process, the client talks to a mortgage banker, and then the burden of proof is on the client who has to produce a pile of documentation,” he explains. “We said, let’s make all that go away. You don’t have to provide your W2s and bank statements anymore. We’ve created a better solution that has better ways to access the documents needed.”

And this is exactly the type of so-

lution that modern-day society would expect. As Latka says, today’s consumer is used to doing everything on an instant basis. However, the mortgage process has been lagging behind. Rocket Mortgage meets the expectations of today’s consumers who prefer to handle most things immediately—and on their own.

“Rocket Mortgage allows consumers to engage in a way in which they’re used to engaging,” he explains. “Amazon is a prime example—you pick up your smartphone, and with a few taps, you have exactly what you need delivered to your door the next day. [Getting] a mortgage doesn’t have to be as cumbersome a process as it is. Rocket Mortgage gives folks the opportunity to say, ‘I want that house and I can get that offer in today.’”

Rocket Mortgage also provides safe shelter for those who may be intimidated by the mortgage application process, offering a way to see if you qualify without exposing your financial history to the world.

“There are certain folks—especially first-time homebuyers—who are intimidated by calling a lender and sharing personal information for fear of rejection and getting declined,” explains Latka. “Rocket Mortgage offers a very intimate and transparent process, where you can sit down with a trusted person, such as your real estate professional, who can guide you through the process to apply for a mortgage.”

Of course, any new automated process is only as good as the technology behind it—if what’s promised is not delivered, consumers will walk away fast. According to He, this fact is taken very seriously at Quicken Loans, especially in the development of Rocket Mortgage.

“Our clients love technology.

They’re using their mobile devices every day and they want efficiency,” says He. “They want to be able to trust you and love your technology.

They want to know that your business has their needs at heart. With Quicken Loans, they know they can trust our technology, and they know they can count on our accuracy and speed.”

All of that said, Latka concedes that Rocket Mortgage is not necessarily for everyone. “Certainly, there are always those clients who want that one-to-one interaction and want the support of our mortgage bankers, a service that has allowed us to win six consecutive J.D. Power awards,” he explains.

“That support system process will still be there. That 100-percent online process won’t be the right thing for everybody.”

“Some clients will find this almost too good to be true and want to talk to a human being, and that’s fine— we have our mortgage experts available if they want to talk,” adds He.

THE INNER WORKINGS OF A MIGHTY ENGINE He’s description of the creation of Rocket Mortgage as a “huge undertaking” is a bit of an understatement.

Over a three-year period, the project, at times, involved 1,000 Quicken Loans team members in some fashion and required the dedication of a 500-person team focused solely on Rocket Mortgage.

“Prior to this, our processes were very different,” explains He. “This project touched every single thing related to the mortgage process, from our initial contact with clients to how we provide a solution to the client.

And while the processes were being worked on, we had to also focus on how to connect with our network of partners to verify a client’s income, assets and credit information. After the system pulls all that information, we can fully approve the loan.”

According to Hadiaris, there are three major technological components that make the speed of Rocket Mortgage possible: the data

platform of proprietary income, asset and credit information, imported from Quicken Loans’ partners; the underwriting guidelines, mortgage products and pricing that deliver a solution to the client; and the underwriting engine that takes a solution and runs it through a series of checks to obtain instantaneous conventional, VA or FHA approval.

Because of its integration with volumes of public and private data, Rocket Mortgage is able to create calculations based on a full, threebureau credit pull. “We’re not just looking at your credit right now, we’re looking at your credit history and calculating the products, pricing and guidelines so that the system can offer you the best option,” says Hadiaris. “Because we integrate data from

“We want the mortgage process to be fast and simple and smart—that’s the idea we’ve had all along.”

– REGIS HADIARIS, Rocket Mortgage Product Lead

various partners, the information is accurate and can be verified and approved in minutes. The entire process happens behind the scenes.”

That eight-minute approval, however, hinges on a borrower’s financial data, meaning some will move through the Rocket Mortgage process faster than others. The experience is dynamic based on how the user answers questions. If you’re in the military, for example, you will be directed toward additional questions. Or, if your credit history is checkered, you will be directed to speak with a Quicken Loans mortgage banker to dig deeper into your particular circumstances.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 39

According to He, Rocket Mortgage is in step with what today’s consumers expect from technology and the mortgage industry. “What technology has done since the iPhone, regardless of demographic and age, is condition folks to feel like they should be able to do anything on their device,” says He. “I want to push a button and have a car pull up and take me somewhere—that’s happened with Uber. The mortgage world hasn’t been at that place yet, so there will be a natural transition for people catching up to the idea. Rocket Mortgage will most likely be more quickly adopted by tech-comfortable folks, but we tried to make this something accessible to all.”

While we live in a world of technology hype, He emphasizes that Rocket Mortgage is not your average automated process—Quicken Loans operates under a different philosophy. Therefore, while other players may claim to have an automated mortgage lending process, “it literally doesn’t compare,” she says.

“People like to say they innovate, but I’m not sure how many companies have the ability to allow their workforce to exclusively focus on one project for 15 - 18 months.

Quicken Loans team members actually create what we set out to.

Everybody shares the same goal to make it happen. When other companies try to copy what we’ve done, we’ve already moved onto the next evolution.”

THE BIG WINNER? HOMEOWNERSHIP By streamlining and automating the process of getting a home loan, Rocket Mortgage stands to impact not only the lives of consumers, but the state of homeownership itself.

As Latka says, Rocket Mortgage puts the power of homeownership directly into the hands of consumers. “You no longer have to wait on the telephone or go back and forth exchanging messages and documents, and then wait to find out if 40 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

“This is a win-win for everybody—for clients and real estate professionals.”

– LINGLONG HE, CIO, Quicken Loans

you’re approved to buy the home of your dreams,” he says. “This easyto-use, intuitive platform takes that long, laborious process down to eight minutes. For that individual to be able to get a mortgage approved from their sofa at 9 p.m. on a Sunday after they just toured the house of their dreams is an empowering feeling that will bring more folks into the home buying market because of the elimination of that barrier of the application and approval process.”

“This is a win-win for everybody— for clients and real estate professionals,” agrees He. “From a real estate agent’s point of view, they want to help their client find the right home, and they want to get their client approved. Rocket Mortgage helps from both the buy side and sell side. Sometimes sellers don’t want to waste their time talking to buyers who aren’t qualified. With Rocket Mortgage, the buyer, seller and agent can come together. For a buyer, they can see a house and find out right away if they qualify. It gives everyone the confidence that the buyer has enough money and assets to buy the house.”

Rocket Mortgage is something clients can use anytime, anywhere, adds Hadiaris. “A first-time homebuyer walking through a home can

pull out their phone and get fully approved, and then show that to the real estate agent. For real estate agents who are buying and selling, to be able to get those folks approved quickly on a mobile device, is huge.

That’s a direction we want to go in.”

Quicken Loans is well aware of the larger implications of Rocket Mortgage and sees this as a crucial step in its journey to change the mortgage industry. “This is another pivotal moment in our organization’s history, and an evolution of the mortgage industry as a whole,” says Latka. “This is like that iPhone moment.

Things are changing, things will not be the same—and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

While the CIO can’t divulge what’s next on deck for QL Labs, she explains that always looking several steps ahead is in the Quicken Loans DNA. “We are always looking to be several steps ahead of the industry,” He says. “We’re never stopping at any point. We have spent a lot of time on Rocket Mortgage, but we’re also focusing on what’s next. This is our mission—to move forward.”

“We’re really hopeful that this is a tool that helps agents help a lot more people get into homes a lot faster,” says Hadiaris. “If we can get more people into more homes faster, then we can look at the agent and lender partnership and say, we’ve won.” RE For more information, please visit www.RocketMortgage.com.

Looking to Build a Sustainable Brokerage Business?

Lay the Foundation with a Strong Culture

by Paige Tepping

A

s the industry continues to strengthen on a daily basis, it’s more important than ever that brokerage leaders take the time to set their firms up for continued success as we prepare for the future. This was the overarching theme this past November at RISMedia’s 20th Annual Power Broker Forum, “Building a Sustainable Brokerage Business,” where a panel of industry-leading executives provided 600-plus attendees with an in-depth look into the various strategies they’ve employed within their own firms to set themselves up for long-term success.

“We’re recovering from the recession and on the heels of job creation.”

– David Romero President & CEO, CENTURY 21 Award

are we here to learn and network, we’re also here to gather pearls of wisdom to bring back to our respective firms so that we can have an even better 2016.”

Providing a feel for where things stand in the San Diego market, Romero noted that things are continuing to look bright, a trend he doesn’t anticipate ending anytime soon. “We’re recovering from the recession and on the heels of job creation,” said Romero. “Consumer confidence is up and San Diegans are buying homes again. In fact, we’re on pace to sell about 40,000 homes in 2015, a 5 percent increase year-over-year.”

Leading with Culture

Moderated by John Featherston, president & CEO of RISMedia, and David Romero, president & CEO of CENTURY 21 Award, panelists (pictured above from left to right) included Randy Courtney, CEO, Courtney Valleywide Properties; Rick Davidson, president & CEO, Century 21 Real Estate LLC; Howard W. “Hoby” Hanna, IV, president, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services; Kuba Jewgieniew, CEO, Realty ONE Group; Pam O’Connor, president & CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®; and Tom Tognoli, president & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.

Kicking off the forum, Featherston remarked, “Not only 42 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

In much the same way that you can’t build a home without first laying a solid foundation, the key to building a sustainable brokerage centers around creating a strong core, or culture. “My philosophy has always been that everyone has a voice,” said Jewgieniew, who built Realty ONE Group from the ground up a little over a decade ago.

“Not only is it important that you lead with culture, but you must listen and take action as well.”

While Howard Hanna Real Estate’s culture shifted in 2009 as a result of the acquisition of one of the firm’s largest competitors, Hanna noted that his grandfather’s practice of welcoming new agents to the family with a handwritten note has remained constant over the years.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth in the last 10 years especially,” said Hanna, “but the most important factor in our recruiting and retention process revolves around retaining agents and continuing to develop the culture we’ve created.”

“We’re stronger than ever before,” said Tognoli, who

explained that those who were able to survive the recession have seen a true flock to leadership, providing ample opportunity to grow as a company and bring people on board. “People are looking for leadership, to be part of an organization that cares about the success of its people on both a personal and professional level.”

Staying Relevant Keeping up with today’s consumer is another area that plays an integral role in laying a solid foundation that will lead to future success.

“One thing that’s certain in today’s market is the fact that the dream of homeownership is alive and well around the world,” said Davidson. “Your agents—and your firm—need to reflect the customers you’re going to serve by understanding their culture, language and purchase process.”

For O’Connor, connecting with people has been a priority since the inception of LeadingRE. “From day one, I wanted to be more than just dots on a map,” said O’Connor, who went on to explain that the network sent referrals to almost 90 countries last year alone. “The world is shrinking, technology is uniting us and people are traveling like never before. The question now becomes how do we drill into that growth? How do we get to know each other as people? Because at the end of the day, we’re all the same.”

Whether it’s attracting millennials or staking a claim in the international marketplace, in the end, it all boils down to being relatable. “It’s all about understanding who your target customer is, providing them with what they’re looking for and serving their needs in the right way,” added Davidson.

Positioning Yourself for Future Success The No. 1 piece of advice panelists had for setting yourself on the path for growth in 2016 centered around thinking outside the box and staying ahead of the curve.

“I’m always looking down the field in order to set my firm up to take advantage of the opportunities out there,” said Tognoli.

“Learning how we can get better is critical,” said Courtney. “As an independent, we’re constantly testing different products and trying to fine-tune and hone in on what is and isn’t working. Staying on the forefront and exposing yourself to as much information as possible is a key part of our strategy.”

For Davidson, the difference between working in your business, rather than on your business, is critical. “You need to have the right plan in place and execute on that plan on a daily basis.”

And more often than not, looking to individuals outside the industry is a key piece of the puzzle. “Real estate is leadership, leadership, leadership,” said O’Connor.

“Think hard about your succession plan and be open to inviting people from outside the industry in.”

While staying the course is easier said than done in a world where technology enables real estate professionals to simply chase the market, Davidson advised attendees to be pragmatic. “Understand what’s happening, devise and develop a plan, and position yourself on its path so that you can catch the market when it comes.”

“Be who you are, stick to it, and you’ll find success,” concluded Hanna. RE For more post-event coverage from the 2015 National Association of REALTORS® Conference & Expo, visit www.rismedia.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 43

Webinar Recap:

Rolling Out New Technology?

Start with ‘Why’

by Suzanne De Vita

“Because everyone has a different way they prefer to learn, we find we have to offer it all, and then some. Webinars, recorded tutorials, in-office training, on-demand training for whatever group will take us whenever—even getting down to one-on-one with our trainer. If they adopt it, it’s worth it in the end.”

– Jodi Dines, CIO, Real Estate One

F

ew brokers have bested the challenge of motivating agents to adopt technology—and with a revolving door of new tools, overcoming that challenge appears a fool’s errand. But as attendees of RISMedia’s recent Broker Best Practices Webinar learned, there are solutions that impart a positive effect on agent adoption outcomes, and they start with one question: Why?

“It’s not the product,” says Jodi Dines, featured speaker on the DocuSign-sponsored webinar, entitled, “Stop Wasting Tech Dollars and Start Getting Agents on Board!” and chief information officer of the Real Estate One Family of Companies.

“We try to sell the ‘why,’ not the ‘what,’” Dines explains, citing her own experience implementing DocuSign. “It’s not that you can now do electronic signatures—it’s that now it makes it easier for your customers to transact with you no matter where they are. It eases the pain on [the agent].”

Tailoring that “why” is critical, adds Sean McNamara, strategic account executive with DocuSign.

44 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

“Personalizing the value of a solution is absolutely key to getting that buy-in,” McNamara says. “And when that personalized ‘why’ is realized, it is a huge asset in your downstream recruiting and retention efforts.”

For Tom Skiffington, featured speaker on the webinar and broker/partner of RE/MAX 440 and RE/MAX Central, communicating the “why” is best done in bite-sized sessions.

“You need to address the agents how they want to learn, and I believe you really need to do that in smaller groups, not in large classroom settings,” says Skiffington.

“You can do it periodically and be creative.”

Skiffington, for instance, organizes sessions with 20 agents at a time, each of whom brings brownbagged lunches. Skiffington also requires agents who voluntarily submit to an eight-week training course to see the program through to completion.

“If you commit them up front, it helps with accountability. I think agents appreciate that,” notes Skiffington. “Ones that struggled the most, once they got it, they were the most appreciative. They needed that little nudge.”

Dines takes a similar, somewhat concierge-style approach to training, offering unwavering support that meets agents on their terms.

“Because everyone has a different way they prefer to learn, we find we have to offer it all, and then some,” says Dines. “Webinars, recorded tutorials, in-office training, on-demand training for whatever group will take us whenever—even getting down to one-on-one with our trainer. If they adopt it, it’s worth it in the end.” RE To listen to the webinar in its entirety, please visit http://bit.ly/1Q0QKYp. Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online associate editor.

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What Makes a Company Grow?

In Home Inspection,

It’s Reputation

by Paige Tepping

P

illar To Post Home Inspectors, one of the largest home inspection companies in North America, with headquarter offices in both Tampa and Toronto, has added 75 franchisees in 2015…and expects a similar rate of growth in 2016.

“Pillar To Post celebrated its 20th year of service in 2014, so to say that we’re still growing at a rate like this is all the more impressive,” says President Dan Steward. “Potential franchisees see the value in joining a company that has decades of experience in the industry, providing a level of support the likes of which are not seen elsewhere.”

46 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Ranked No. 1 in the Home Inspection Category and 109th on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2015 Franchise 500 list, the franchise—recognized throughout the U.S. and Canada for its comprehensive home inspections— stands among the upper-echelon of 4,000 franchise systems in North America.

In addition to their appearance on this year’s Entrepreneur Magazine’s list, Pillar To Post has also enjoyed a bevy of commendations for their support of military veteran franchisees. In fact, they’ve been recognized

by Franchise Business Review year after year as a top franchise for veterans, as well as a Top 50 franchise system for franchisee satisfaction.

The company was also named a top franchise for veterans by U.S. Veterans Magazine, and in June 2015,

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors was acknowledged by geant found the value in joining a franchise that could World Franchising Network on its top-50 list of franchis- give him guidance. “Pillar To Post is a proven system, es for veterans. and by following the company’s guidelines, you have a “We’re growing internally as well to match the sup- much better chance to succeed than if you were to go port necessary for launching this year’s stellar list of it alone. With Pillar To Post, I can be my own boss while new franchisees,” adds Steward. “The enthusiasm and still having a system in place to help me get off on the level of character in our new franchisees is second to right foot. I’ve had nothing but good jobs throughout no other system.” my career, but I know nothing can be better than being A perfect example of a new franchisee is Army veteran your own boss. I’ve learned to just go for it; if you have Lamar Wheeler, who opened his Pillar To Post Home In- a plan, it will work.” spectors business in San Antonio, Texas, in April 2015.

Others attracted to this particular business are couWheeler left corporate America behind to control his own ples who have worked for years in separate jobs before deciding that they want to be in busidestiny as a business owner. He left the Army in 1996, ending a career of “Pillar To Post is a proven ness together. One such example is distinction that spanned 20 years. Imsystem, and by following Kelly and Kelley Cox of Satellite Beach, mediately thereafter, Wheeler entered Fla., who predict a coming boom in the the workforce with Iron Mountain Re- the company’s guidelines, local housing market. cords Management, where he worked “We’re seeing a lot of new technolyou have a much better ogy and space jobs coming into our for 15 years. But a desire to see his chance to succeed than market, which will bring an uptick in grandchildren grow up spurred him to move to Texas, where, inspired by both if you were to go it alone. real estate sales,” says Kelly Cox. After serving for 20 years in the a wish to be closer to his family and a decision to leave something for his With Pillar To Post, I can Marines, Kelly and wife, Kelley, both worked for defense contractors in daughter and son-in-law—both active be my own boss while Washington, D.C. “We were tired of members of the military—Wheeler forstill having a system in the rat race,” says Cox. “We decided mulated a plan to open his own business. He had plenty of options to help place to help me get off it was time for a change and moved make his desires a reality, but none back to our home state to seek new on the right foot.” were more enticing than that offered opportunities.”

– LAMAR WHEELER

by Pillar To Post Home Inspectors.

After conducting extensive research With hundreds of existing franchisees, Franchisee, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors online to see what the world of franchising had to offer, Cox says it was Pillar To Post has been offering home clear that Pillar To Post was the right inspections for more than 20 years, a company for them. reputation that won Wheeler over.

“We both grew up with parents in the construction “It was important that whatever business opportunity I chose would let me set myself out from the crowd,” industry, so it was an easy transition for us,” says Cox. says Wheeler. “Pillar To Post Home Inspectors has “We both enjoy working with people, and I enjoy the three different inspection packages to offer clients, newness that each inspection brings.”

With Kelly Cox working as an inspector, plus two other while most other home inspectors only have the basic inspection. This gives homeowners a host of options inspectors and an office staff, the Coxes feel comfortfor the kind of inspection they’d like, instead of being able with the success of their business, although Kelly handcuffed to only one. The precise level of the inspec- admits they might add a few more employees in the tion is up to them.” next couple of years.

But Wheeler was inspired by more than Pillar To More importantly, the Coxes totally relate to homePost’s reputation as an industry leader. The housing owners and the need for proper and strong construction. market, he says, is now such that he sees big finan- While the couple survived Hurricane Andrew, their onecial incentives for owning a home inspection business. year-old home at the time did not. “We lost everything,” “Home sales are easing monthly,” says Wheeler, “which says Cox. “It was a tragedy we turned into a lesson is good for the economy and good for individuals like about how homes should be built and reinforced.” RE me. Home inspections are taking off, so it’s an industry that’s primed for expansion.”

No stranger to giving orders, the onetime drill ser- For more information, please visit www.pillartopost.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 47

RREIN RREIN RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network®

NIERR

RREIN

EMPOWERING NIERR

RREIN

Brokers

NIERR

RREIN

Sales Associates Consumers 48 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

{Life in Mobile}

Talking Tech on Main Street A Conversation with Annette Anthony

by Seth Kaplan

A

fter our deep dive into the world of Google and Intelligent Ads over the past few months, it’s time to get back out on the street. Luckily, I had the good fortune to catch up with one of the best and brightest in our industry, Annette Anthony, VP of Technology Engagement for EXIT Realty Corp., to get her perspective on technology and the impact it has on agents in today’s market.

Seth Kaplan: What’s your perspective on technology in the real estate industry today?

Annette Anthony: Technology equals engagement, which is hugely important. In today’s environment, there’s a lot of technology and variance between levels of technological understanding. When working with brokers and agents, we first have to identify what their goals are, then look at the technology and how to apply it to accomplish those goals.

SK: What are the top goals of the brokers and agents you work with?

AA: Their top goals are 1) branding for agents; 2) continuing to engage with their past book of business, as well as their current pipeline; and 3) effectively marketing their current

Anthony’s passion for working with real estate professionals began in 2001 with teaching consistent, measurable strategies to agents. Since then, her coaching and training has grown to thousands of real estate professionals across North America. As the VP of Technology Engagement for EXIT Realty Corp., Anthony engages with brokers and agents, assisting them in the effective use of technology to become more productive.

listings.

SK: Once specific goals have been identified, what’s next?

AA: Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get down to business, which begins with eliminating roadblocks and putting the agent in the client’s shoes so they can clearly identify how they want to be perceived by both current and future clients. If a client were to engage with you through technology, would they understand what you do and how to contact you? Ultimately, that’s what it’s about; using technology to engage.

SK: Of the technologies you’re helping agents use, how many of them have a mobile component?

AA: Everything has a mobile compo-

nent; it’s the primary means of engagement today.

Final Thought: Annette’s take on technology is spot-on; first identifying what you’re trying to accomplish and then leveraging the right technology to help accomplish that goal. After all, it’s about the human behind the device, no matter what technology or device they’re using. RE

If you’d like to participate in Talk Tech on Main Street, contact Seth Kaplan at Seth@mobilerealestateid.com.

Seth Kaplan is president of MRE – Win Local®.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 49

80% of Vacation Home & Investment Buyers say that Now is a Good Time to Buy*

What are you doing to capitalize on this market?

Just about every market contains second-home properties. It could be a classic vacation home or an investment property down the street for rental income. No matter where you live, second home properties exist in your area.

The Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS) certification gives you the specialized skills and knowledge to maximize the business opportunities the vacation and second-home market presents.

Learn more by visiting REALTOR.org/resort. *According to the 2014 NAR Investment & Vacation Home Buyers Survey

Millennials, Legislation and Giving Back in Focus for 2016

by Nick Caruso

T

here are many signs of strength in the real estate market driving consumers today and this year, and the National Association of REALTORS® aims to maintain the momentum by staying focused on legislation and preserving key tax provisions that will continue supporting its consumers, said NAR President Tom Salomone in his Presidential Agenda held at the 2015 National Association of REALTORS® Conference & Expo in San Diego this past November.

“We’re fighting to keep all the tax provisions related to real estate the way they are. We continue to support the Mortgage Debt Tax Relief Act that expired in 2014. It’s critical to support families, and NAR hopes to see the measure renewed and retroactive to January 1 of this year,” said Salomone.

While NAR will continue to work closely with the CFPB to make sure that rules that went into effect in October are being carried out, Salomone ensured that the work at NAR goes far beyond Washington.

NAR will continue to make sure RE-

ALTORS® have the info, knowledge and tools to help clients achieve the dream of homeownership.

“REALTOR® members are the driving force helping people achieve that dream,” said Salomone. “We are even prouder that the work of a REALTOR® doesn’t stop at the closing table. We’re committed members of our communities, putting in tens of thousands of hours of service each year.”

NAR will continue to encourage members to get involved and give back in those communities, as part of its 2016 partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Boys & Girls Clubs have doors open to youth in communities across the

country, serving as a “home away from home” for nearly four million children each year after school and in the summer. With this new partnership, Salomone is enthusiastic about NAR’s efforts to give back and make a difference.

“We’re involved in our communities like no other profession, and we’re going to help kids. We have REALTORS® across the country bringing some of the older kids into their offices and sometimes paying them to file and learn how to deal in the business world. It’s just the right thing to do in our communities,” he explained.

Millennials will also remain a top priority in real estate for 2016. According to NAR’s generational survey, Salomone said, millennials make up 32 percent of homebuyers in America. “Reaching out to young homebuyers will be a priority for NAR as we continue to highlight the benefits of homeownership and having a REALTOR® by [the client’s] side every step of the way.”

Student debt will still be a major reason why lots of younger people are renting—not because they want to be renting, but “because their student debt throws their ratios out of whack with their banks,” said Salomone. Looking forward, NAR will continue to work with the banks to talk about what their qualifying requirements are going to be.

“There are signs of progress on all fronts as the industry continues to grow and innovate. I’m pleased to serve as NAR’s 2016 president and look forward to great things ahead.” RE For more post-event coverage from the 2015 REALTORS® Conference & Expo, please visit www.rismedia.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 51

{Broker Spotlight}

Synergy

Breeds Success

Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley Located in Palmdale, Calif., KW – Antelope Valley is led by Rob Talbot (third from left).

“Working together, everyone achieves more,” he says. “It’s our teamwork approach that will ensure our growth.”

52 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

by Barbara Pronin

A

chievement, as many a scholar has said, is often a matter of synergy—of producing a whole significantly greater than the sum of its individual parts. For Rob Talbot, CEO and partner of Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley, that’s the secret to the firm’s success. The Palmdale, Calif.based brokerage, first in marketshare in its north-ofLos Angeles region, is committed to putting its people first. “When people pull together in a shared culture of respect, caring and support,” says Talbot, “success becomes the natural result.” It’s a view that began with the agency’s operating principal Sam Rafeh, who founded the Antelope Valley franchise in 2003—and it’s a view that continues to inspire a new generation of agents. In this exclusive interview, Talbot shares the company’s unique approach to life, and the values and strategies they draw on every day to maintain and motivate growth.

Barbara Pronin: Rob, let’s begin with a recap of your career path and how you came to lead Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley.

Rob Talbot: I was born near here in Thousand Oaks and grew up in the Antelope Valley, northeast of Los Angeles, where my parents could afford to buy a home. It’s a great area that has grown substantially—and is still growing—and it gave me the chance to try my hand at several different careers. I started in construction, bartended for a while, and eventually owned my own nightclub. It was a great way to learn about people and it taught me a really valuable truth: that people buy into you, as a person, before they buy your product.

That’s important to realize when you’re in sales. Just about the time I was selling the nightclub, my wife, Wendy, was selling new homes, and I got my real estate license to help out with some income after our second child was born. I wasn’t sure I’d stay with it, but I found I loved the business, and my entrepreneurial spirit really kicked in. I had some early success with a couple of real estate companies in spite of some tough times, but it seemed to me that Keller Williams, with its focus on training, coaching and teamwork, would give me the opportunity to become the entrepreneur I wanted to be. I came to Keller Williams – Antelope Valley in 2012, where I quickly determined

that Sam’s philosophy is closely aligned with mine. Sam is still very much involved in the company, and Keller Williams provides the models, systems and, most of all, the culture that helps to develop and really stimulate agent growth—not just as a business professional, but as a person.

BP: How many agents and offices do you currently have and what regions do you serve?

RT: Our office, which is centrally located in Palmdale, houses some 325 agents in about 15,000 square feet. Most are active, although many of our agents work remotely much of the time. Originally a farming community—where the antelope actually roamed at one time—the Antelope Valley has seen huge population growth over the past several decades, and today, we basically serve a large inland area reaching from northern Los Angeles County into parts of Kern and Ventura counties and into the western tip of the Mojave Desert.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 53

BP: How would you describe the current market conditions in your area?

RT: It’s a wonderful climate, and a great time to be in this business.

There is a lot of activity because low interest rates and stable home prices are attractive to both buyers and sellers. We did over 2,000 transactions last year and we’re projecting December’s figures will reflect our best year-end in the last 10 years. The truth is, the market is so good right now that I’m surprised more people aren’t rushing into the real estate business.

BP: How would you describe your firm’s positioning in the marketplace—and what sets your firm apart from the competition?

RT: We are No. 1 in sales units and volume, No. 1 in agent count, and No. 1 in marketshare, and when the (2015) numbers are in, we think we’ll have had our best fourth quarter since 2009. In my view, that’s a direct result of our culture.

We are, first and foremost, a community of agents, with a focus on training, mentoring, and coaching. In fact, Keller Williams was nationally recognized last year by Training Magazine as first among its top 125 training organizations.

Additionally, here in the Antelope Valley office, self-improvement and the sharing of ideas are mandatory, and we are very much a faithbased company. In order of importance to us is God, family, and business, so that we are focused on growing and evolving, becoming better people, better parents, better spouses, better friends, and better siblings—and, in the end,

54 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

BP: What has been your approach to growth, and is that changing as the market continues to rebound?

RT: Our belief is that we’re either

“People first is a growth philosophy that will never change, at least as far as we’re concerned. It’s part of the synergy—and the source of energy—that keeps us No. 1 in the marketplace.”

- ROB TALBOT CEO and Partner, Keller Williams Realty – Antelope Valley

better advisors to our clients. It also helps that Keller Williams has the outstanding business models and cutting-edge systems we need to help us stay ahead of the market. The combination of all these factors is what keeps us top of mind with buyers and sellers.

growing or dying, so we are wholly focused on agent support and individual success. Our goal is to help every one of our agents become a better person all around, because becoming the best person you can be makes you a better agent and a better member of the community.

It’s important to us to give back to the community as well, both as individuals and as a company, working at homeless shelters, sponsoring 5K runs, and contributing through our KW Cares program to a broad spectrum of charitable organizations. People first is a growth philosophy that will never change, at least as far as we’re concerned.

It’s part of the synergy—and the source of energy—that keeps us No. 1 in the marketplace.

BP: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing your firm and its agents?

RT: As a company, our challenge is to keep expanding—and to find enough of the right kind of talent to grow with us. But the nature of

a challenge really doesn’t matter if people see and live up to their own potential. We want our agents to be committed to empowering themselves, focusing, prioritizing, and learning something new every day. If the passion is there to be the best, if we embrace it and focus on it every day, any challenge can be turned into opportunity.

BP: Where do you see the greatest opportunity for increased business?

RT: Apart from personal growth, the greatest opportunity for increased business is very likely in making best use of technology and social media. Each of our agents has his or her own mobile app, which helps them stay in front of the crowd, and much of our training highlights the kind of social media marketing that draws and maintains clients.

In general, we conduct 20 - 25 classes every month here at our headquarters to ensure that our

agents are on the leading edge in terms of market knowledge, technique and customer service.

BP: How are you attracting and retaining top agents?

RT: We’re in a people business, first and always, and we pride ourselves on being intuitive talent scouts. Often, new and experienced agents come to us because of our reputation and standing in the region, but we also pursue exceptional people who we think we can take to the next level. We have high retention rates because we see results, and because we are responsive and high-energy in our approach. We offer our agents low fixed costs, high commissions, and a profit-sharing program. We have a benevolent fund to help any agent who faces unusual need.

We also have a very active agent leadership council that acts much like a Board of Directors, address-

ing the issues we need to focus on and helping to guide our training program. In all, this is just a great place to work. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it’s rewarding on many levels.

BP: In your opinion, what is most critical to your firm’s success going forward?

RT: Maintaining our commitment as individuals and as a company to keep learning, keep growing, and keep meeting and exceeding our potential is most critical. Someone a lot smarter than I once said, “I stand tall because I stand on the shoulders of giants.” We believe that to be true. Working together, everyone achieves more. It’s our teamwork approach—our determination to see that all of us succeed—that will ensure our growth going forward. RE For more information, please visit www.AntelopeValleyKW.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 55

{Broker Best Practices} Leveraging the International Market

by John Voket

Eli Tene Managing Director CENTURY 21 Peak/CENTURY 21 Peak Commercial Woodland Hills, Calif.

Region served: Southern California Years in real estate: 27 Number of offices: 3 Number of agents: 150 Best time management tip: Focus on the most important matters first.

Most effective way to motivate agents: Lead with humility, humor, and an attitude that demonstrates that as a leader you’ll partner with your affiliated sales associates to help them reach their goals.

Best recruiting technique: Clearly articulate a value proposition that not only brings results, but is something you can stand behind.

As a result of a recent merger, you now refer to your company as the “newest and oldest CENTURY 21 System in Los Angeles.” Please explain.

On September 15, 2015, we officially joined the CENTURY 21®System with the opening of two franchises: CENTURY 21 Peak and CENTURY 21 Peak Commercial. Within seven days we finalized the acquisition of the oldest established C21®franchise: Granada Hills-based CENTURY 21 All Moves.

In what ways will the divergence of your company’s residential and commercial brokerages change the landscape of the real estate business in Los Angeles?

We believe the value we offer through training and coaching will translate to superior service for buyers and sellers in the residential and commercial sectors. To that end, we’ll be leveraging our recently acquired real estate school to train new and seasoned commercial real estate practitioners in foreclosures, cold calling, mortgage notes, mort-

56 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

“Our goal is to provide sales associates with a strong, diverse foundation in real estate, which ultimately means more money in their pockets as a result of being a one-stop, comprehensive resource that can meet virtually every client’s needs.”

– Eli Tene Managing Director CENTURY 21 Peak/CENTURY 21 Peak Commercial gage financing and 1031 Exchanges. Our goal is to provide sales associates with a strong, diverse foundation in real estate, which ultimately means more money in their pockets as a result of being a one-stop, comprehensive resource that can meet virtually every client’s needs.

How do you plan to leverage international familiarity with the C21 brand to expand PEAK Corporate Network’s presence to a global marketplace?

Recent data indicates that in Southern California, more than 20 percent of residential and commercial transactions involve foreign clients. Who better to connect international clients than the CENTURY 21 brand, a brand that represents the largest real estate network worldwide with 850 offices in China, 900 in Japan, 450 in Canada and 130 in Mexico?

No other real estate brand has this type of reach and exposure, and no other real estate brand is as dedicated as the CENTURY 21 brand when it comes to leveraging the international market. Not only is their leadership team working to find new ways to connect buyers and sellers, but we’re also in the process of developing our own international platform that will benefit us, our network and real estate buyers from around the world.

What must agents understand when it comes to dealing with a local versus international client?

Don’t expect the international client to operate by our culture and language. The team we have in place is collectively fluent in over 15 different languages and understands the value of recognizing the importance of cultural diversity.

Maintaining Total Transparency

by Nick Caruso

Geoffrey Bray Broker/Owner

Lindsay Bacigalupo

CEO/Owner Engel & Völkers Minneapolis Downtown Minneapolis, Minn.

Region served: The 13-county metro area of Minneapolis and St. Paul Number of offices: 1, with plans to have 3 - 5 within three years Number of agents: 19 Most effective way to motivate agents: We have two spaces dedicated to getting out of the “usual workspace” to promote idea exchanging. It’s amazing what kind of service offerings and forward thinking can occur when a real estate agent doesn’t hoard their bright ideas.

Best tip for getting buyers and sellers to successfully work together: We promote that everything is done with total transparency. There is no buyer that thinks the home they’re buying is perfect after the inspection takes place, and no seller that thinks their home isn’t perfect before. Explaining these things up-front typically makes the process of working together more enjoyable for everyone involved.

What are the current market conditions in your area?

Geoffrey Bray: We’re enjoying one of the healthiest markets for every type of consumer. If a home is priced right and in good condition, sellers are happy. Investors are getting some of the highest rental rates we’ve ever seen, and new-home construction is up and running again.

What technology best practices are making a positive difference at your company?

Lindsay Bacigalupo: Creative and genuine social media posts/campaigns.

GB: Engel & Völkers offers some truly refreshing

“We spend a lot of time and energy to make sure the REALTORS® at Engel and Völkers are true professionals who have a passion for concierge service and a true desire to make a difference.”

– Lindsay Bacigalupo CEO/Owner, Engel & Völkers Minneapolis Downtown technology options for our agents. It’s the first company I’ve seen that has truly achieved the difficult task of providing a single sign-on platform for the majority of their tools. In addition, the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® has developed tools such as InfoSparks that provide local market data to our advisors at the click of a button.

What are some of the most difficult challenges your buyers are facing today and how does your company help solve these challenges?

LB: There’s so much information at a buyer’s fingertips via numerous resources today, that being able to interpret and understand that information is increasingly important. Having a real estate advisor to educate you and be by your side throughout the entire process is critical. We spend a lot of time and energy to make sure the REALTORS® at Engel and Völkers are true professionals who have a passion for concierge service and a true desire to make a difference.

GB: We’re still seeing a bit of a shortage when it comes to our local inventory. We view a truly balanced market as having about six months of listing inventory, which ensures that a qualified buyer can usually find something they love. We have weekly meetings in which we talk about upcoming listings and our current buyer needs. If someone in the shop has been to a listing, or has a listing about to come on the market that fits one of those needs, we can help stay ahead of the other consumers out there represented by less aggressive agents.

What is your team doing to stay ahead of the competition?

LB: We go above and beyond for our clients. It really is a customer-focused company, and we never stop pushing to make the experience easier, more fun, and less stressful for our buyers and sellers.

Without them, we wouldn’t be here.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 57

Communicating a Global Connection

by John Voket

Bud Adams CEO Illustrated Properties, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Region served: Southeast Florida Years in real estate: 50 Number of offices: 23 Number of agents: 550 Most creative ad or marketing campaign you’ve ever run: We recently revamped our branding and created a lifestyle campaign featuring the essence of South Florida that won 1st place in our class for consumer materials at the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Conference in Las Vegas.

Key to staying profitable: Recruit more agents in different market areas and provide the best affiliated partnerships with title, mortgage and insurance companies.

Key to helping buyers and sellers work together: Train agents to know and understand their markets, both sides of the deal and the buy/sell process from beginning to end.

Your in-house training/mentoring specialist recently hosted a successful Top Producer Panel. How did this event enhance your agents’ performance?

We received over 100 positive reviews saying how beneficial the panel was, in addition to the fact that everyone learned something new. With both newly licensed and experienced agents in attendance, the agents who made up the panel were truly motivating as they answered questions with proven results.

What activities did your company’s Charity Division promote in 2015 that helped to elevate your firm’s presence as a philanthropic community partner?

There are three main activities that helped elevate our philanthropic presence in the community, the first being our leadership-level support of Palm

58 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

“Agents want to be part of a company that can provide them with an affiliation that enables them to create a larger client base…and we’re able to give that to them.”

– Bud Adams CEO, Illustrated Properties, a Member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Beach Children’s Hospital’s Bravery Bands Bracelet Reward Program for children undergoing cancer treatment. We also provided support in multiple ways this past year for the American Heart Associations’ Go Red for Women Palm Beach County Program and purchased approximately 100 bicycles and helmets for children through the Marines’ Toys for Tots program.

Can you explain how Illustrated Properties leverages LeadingRE to help recruit some of the top agents in your market?

We’re able to offer our agents tools through LeadingRE to market their listings both nationally and internationally to sales associates all over the world, providing them with the exposure they need to increase their production and sales. Agents want to be part of a company that can provide them with an affiliation that enables them to create a larger client base…and we’re able to give that to them.

In what other ways is your team successfully utilizing LeadingRE? In addition to leveraging the network for recruiting purposes, we also promote it through monthly incentives for outbound referrals, invitations to LeadingRE conferences and the use of LeadingRE marketing materials. For example, the “I’m Local.

I’m Global.” elevator cards provide a great way for agents to communicate LeadingRE’s global connection with their clients. We also take the time to train agents during our monthly relocation presentation, providing access to everything LeadingRE offers through OUR WORLD, their website and online community. Through this platform, agents can connect with their peers and take top-level training classes, many of which are complimentary. RE

Homeowners Reap Remodeling Benefits

Whether Selling or Staying

A

ccording to NAR’s 2015 Remodeling Impact Report, 64 percent of respondents experienced increased enjoyment in their home after completing a remodeling project. Additionally, 75 percent of respondents say they felt a major sense of accomplishment when thinking of their completed project. Fifty-four percent of respondents felt happy about the changes to their home, and 40 percent felt satisfied.

“REALTORS®know that certain home upgrades and remodels can be beneficial to get more buyer eyes on a property,” says NAR President Tom Salomone.

REALTORS® named kitchen upgrades, complete kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations and new wood flooring as the interior projects that most appeal to potential buyers.

When looking at the interior projects that yield the biggest financial results upon resale, REALTORS®ranked hard-

wood flooring refinishes (100 percent of project cost recovered), insulation upgrades (95 percent recovered), new wood flooring (91 percent recovered), and converting a basement to a living area (69 percent recovered) as projects to consider.

Exterior projects are also important. REALTORS® say new roofing, new vinyl windows, new garage doors and new vinyl siding are most appealing. Upon resale, REALTORS® say new roofing would recover 105

percent of its project cost, a new garage door would recover 87 percent, new vinyl siding would recover 83 percent, and new vinyl windows would bring back 80 percent of their cost.

As for exterior projects that bring the most happiness for those not intending to sell, new fiber-cement siding, new fiberglass or steel front doors, new roofing, and new garage doors brought the most satisfaction.

The 2015 Remodeling Impact Report, the first of its kind from NAR, surveyed REALTORS®, consumers who have completed remodeling projects, and members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).

“Remodeling projects can greatly improve both the value of and satisfaction with one’s home, which are great things no matter the reason for a project,” says Judy Mozen, president of NARI. RE For more information, visit www.realtor.org.

圀愀渀琀 琀漀 䜀攀渀攀爀愀琀攀 䴀漀爀攀 䰀攀愀搀猀 愀渀搀 刀攀瀀攀愀琀 䈀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀㼀 䐀椀猀挀漀瘀攀爀 䠀漀眀 愀 刀攀愀氀 䔀猀琀愀琀攀 䤀刀䄀 䌀愀渀 䠀攀氀瀀 夀漀甀

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眀眀眀⸀拠攀刀攀愀氀䔀猀琀愀琀攀䤀刀䄀⸀挀漀洀

䌀愀氀氀 ㄀ⴀ㠀 ⴀ㌀㤀㈀ⴀ㤀㘀㔀㌀ 眀眀眀⸀拠攀䔀渀琀爀甀猀琀䜀爀漀甀瀀⸀挀漀洀

THE COMPETITIVE EDGE

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{Strategies}

Home Warranties: A Must-Have Marketing Tool ATTRACT BUYERS AND SELLERS, AND EXPERTLY MARKET YOUR LISTINGS WITH AMERICAN HOME SHIELD®

by Zoe Eisenberg

W

hen listing a home, the more marketing material, the better. But in an age where anything goes, marketing materials should not be restrained to print and digital content alone. More and more, top industry professionals are using home warranty offerings to attract buyers and sellers, and expertly market their listings. Coldwell Banker agent Frank D. Isoldi, covering the Westfield, N.J., marketplace, has been in the real estate business for 27 years. Born and raised in Westfield, no one knows the area better than Isoldi.

But when a building boom hit, he turned to home warranties to change his game.

“Up until about 10 years ago, our housing stock was mostly older, turn-of-the-century homes,” Isoldi explains.

“Buyers came to Westfield for the Colonial charm. Since then, we have seen a huge new-construction boom.

When new-construction became a major factor, I decided to provide a one-year warranty on every one of my listings to help them compete.” Backing his listings with a home warranty proved to be a winning strategy, and for Isoldi, the rest is history. He’s been a devoted American Home Shield (AHS®) fan for the past seven years, and the partnership has proven to be invaluable when it comes to marketing homes and securing listings.

When choosing a home warranty company, it’s important to note that they’re not all built the same. Where Isoldi has been mastering his market for 27 years, American Home Shield has been in the home warranty business for over four decades. The company offers a variety of comparative plans that fit an array of diverse needs, from minor appliance repairs to major home system repairs, including air conditioning, plumbing, heating, and more. When a claim is made, AHS assigns contractors to a job within 15 minutes or less, 90 percent of the time—an impressive industry standard.

What’s interesting about using a warranty as a marketing tool is that it’s appealing to both the seller and buyer, which acts as a double win for the agent. “The buyer gets the benefit of the warranty for a year from the date of purchase, and many of them do take advantage of the services,” says Isoldi. “But it also helps the seller in marketing their home by providing coverage during the listing period. No seller wants to put more money into a home they’re going to be vacating.”

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 61

One feature that’s been most beneficial to Isoldi over the years is AHS’ notification system. Isoldi is alerted every time a client uses their warranty, allowing him to see exactly how his plans are employed; Isoldi notes that, in his experience, the most utilized AHS offering among his clientele is HVAC servicing.

Appealing to sellers and enticing to buyers, AHS home warranties are a must-have for any well-rounded marketing strategy.

For more information, please visit www.ahs.com/realestate.

Self-Directed IRAs Upping the Ante in Today’s Investment Space THE ENTRUST GROUP PAVES THE WAY WHEN INVESTING IN ALTERNATIVE ASSETS

by Paige Tepping

W

hen it comes to investing their hard-earned money to prepare for retirement, consumers typically gravitate toward stocks, bonds and mutual funds—asset classes that have proven time and again to not be as secure as once perceived. But for those looking for complete control over their investment choices, investing in real estate through a self-directed IRA is more lucrative than ever before.

“Self-directed IRAs are gathering a lot more steam as they’ve grown in popularity over the past few years,” says David Coe, a REALTOR®, investor and advisor with the COE Real Estate Team in Hermosa Beach, Calif., who goes on to explain that the decision to work with The Entrust Group—an administrator of self-directed IRAs— was a no brainer.

Having attended a seminar in Los Angeles where he was introduced to Munzer Ghosheh, regional business development manager for The Entrust Group, the company has been by Coe’s side since he made the decision to turn his attention to self-directed IRAs back in 2009.

In fact, his dedication to helping individuals understand the nuances associated with utilizing self-directed IRAs to invest in real estate led to the creation of Freedom Growth, a consulting firm that focuses on self-directed retirement accounts.

With a primary client base made up of investors who are looking to purchase an investment property, Coe notes that The Entrust Group is at the top of the list of

62 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

partners they use for a number of reasons—from the company’s structure to having a key point person who’s always available.

“First and foremost, I believe that The Entrust Group’s fee structure is far more fair for a majority of investors,” says Coe. “Being a Southern California business, I see a lot of people using self-directed IRAs to invest nationwide, so having a local point person to answer any questions that come up throughout the process is extremely important.”

While there are many misconceptions surrounding selfdirected IRAs, the most common one includes people thinking they have to take money out of their IRA to actually invest in real estate, when in fact, there are many ways to fund your real estate purchase.

“The education and information on The Entrust Group’s website and Learning Center is phenomenal,” says Coe, who utilizes the company’s site when conversing with a new or existing client who may be looking to invest. “I never want to sound biased, so when a prospective client requests information, I make sure to send them my own info—as well as a link to The Entrust Group’s site—in order to provide a well-rounded perspective,” adds Coe. “At the end of the day, I appreciate that The Entrust Group has a big custodian-bank capability with a small community feel. Not only do they do a good job for a fair price, they go above and beyond to get things done.”

For more information, please visit www.theentrustgroup.com.

Home Warranties Provide True Differentiation in Today’s Market HSA HOME WARRANTY CONTINUES TO RAISE THE BAR TO GIVE REAL ESTATE PROS A COMPETITIVE EDGE

by Paige Tepping

W

hen it comes to standing out from the competition, real estate professionals go to great lengths to set themselves apart. From offering the latest and greatest technology to staying top-of-mind through being actively involved in the community, nothing is off limits.

But for Steve Summers—broker/owner of Realty Executives of Kansas City—the true key to his firm’s ability to differentiate itself from others comes from its longstanding relationship with HSA Home Warranty.

“I’ve worked with HSA Home Warranty for over 20 years,” says Summers. “Not only do they do what they say they’re going to do, they get things done when they say they’re going to,” while offering products that benefit both buyers and sellers.

While the benefits associated with home warranties are crystal clear for Summers and his team, getting the message across to clients begins with education.

“The real benefit in working with HSA comes in their willingness to assist whenever questions arise related to coverage or placing a service request. They’re also fully committed to educating everyone involved, including us, as to how we can better serve our buyers and sellers.”

- STEVE SUMMERS Broker/Owner, Realty Executives of Kansas City

“Whether we’re working with a buyer or seller, it’s critical that we make them aware of the benefits a home warranty can bring to the table.” On the buying side of the equation, the biggest benefit comes in the form of an added level of confidence in the purchase process, which can help minimize additional problems or stress within a transaction.

And when it comes to those selling a home, one product benefit that can’t be overlooked is the fact that HSA

provides home warranties to sellers during the listing period, where the seller has no obligation to the warranty unless the home sells.

In addition to providing a sense of security to both parties involved in any given real estate transaction, home warranties act as a risk reduction tool for agents and the brokerages they work with. “By educating our clients on the benefits of a home warranty, we’re minimizing our risk relative to the real estate transaction,” says Summers.

But the benefits don’t end there. In fact, Summers can’t say enough about HSA’s dedication toward maintaining a positive relationship. “The real benefit in working with HSA comes in their willingness to assist whenever questions arise related to coverage or placing a service request. They’re also fully committed to educating everyone involved, including us, as to how we can better serve our buyers and sellers,” a job that the firm’s local rep Dean DeBitetto doesn’t take lightly.

“Dean is always available when we need him to explain coverage to a buyer or seller or to assist when a claim is being processed,” says Summers.

“I’ve always found the team at HSA willing to go the extra mile when it comes to exceeding the expectations of buyers and sellers when resolving matters that can arise after a transaction has been completed,” concludes Summers.

For more information, please visit www.onlinehsa.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 63

Realtors Property Resource® Offers Innovative Relationship-Building Technology

by Zoe Eisenberg

C

laire Bisignano Chesnoff has been in the real estate business for 18 years. Recently named the President of the Staten Island Board of REALTORS® for 2016, Chesnoff is the owner of Claire Properties, a boutique real estate firm with two offices in Staten Island and Brooklyn.

The best part of Chesnoff’s job? “Meeting people and helping them achieve their goals and dreams by bringing tech-savvy agents to the table with a plethora of tools to get the job done.”

In early 2015, Chesnoff came up with a farming technique that has proven to be extremely successful. Armed with data and branded reports from Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®) , Chesnoff and her agents hit the streets of their targeted neighborhoods, going door-todoor to mingle with potential clients, offering up targeted stats on comparable neighboring houses.

So how does Chesnoff’s farming technique work? In a team of two. “In our Brooklyn market, two agents will knock on a door. One will do an RPR report on the house, while the other engages the consumer, asking questions like ‘do you know anyone who wants to sell?’ or ‘did you

know your neighbors are selling for X amount?’ Typically, the consumer will ask what their home is worth, and the second agent can pull up the RPR app on their mobile device to provide a realistic number on the spot.” Chesnoff notes that this method has been very successful. “It’s an inventive way to farm,” she says. “It’s efficient, and non-threatening.”

Using the app in-person, instead of simply pulling info and sending it digitally, helps forge a bond between agent and potential client. After six months of going door-to-door, Chesnoff’s agents have gotten to know their local neighborhoods from the ground level. But perhaps most important is the fact that the neighbors have gotten to know the agents. “It’s a relationshipbuilding tool, and that’s what this is: a relationship business,” says Chesnoff.

In addition to building relationships and simplifying the farming process, Chesnoff is impressed with the platform’s ease of use. The branded reports are extremely professional, yet take very little time to pull. This ups the wow factor when you’re standing on the doorstep of a potential client. “You can get a home value on-the-go and prospective clients are amazed. You don’t need to go to the office to do research on multiple sites. Everything is in one place, and the data is specific to property or zip code.”

Most agents can give estimates of value, but not onthe-spot, and according to Chesnoff, that’s one of RPR’s most crucial perks. “To be able to give prospects a close number right away is important; it builds trust and strong relationships, and that’s what this business is all about.”

For more information, please visit www.narrpr.com.

Protect Your Home and Your Budget with a First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation Home Warranty

by Paige Tepping

W

hen it comes to home warranty providers in the Memphis, Tenn., market, the competition is fierce.

For Bill Maury—vice president and broker at Coldwell Banker Collins-Maury—First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation has gone above and beyond in offering his buyer and seller clients added peace of mind for the past 10 years.

64 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

Not only is Maury comfortable with First American—and the team that works behind the scenes—he is nothing short of pleased with the service he has received over the years. In fact, Maury is such a huge proponent of First American’s home warranties that he purchased a policy when he and his wife downsized a few years ago. “I absolutely love my First American home warranty,” says Maury, who goes on to say that being a policyholder himself makes it that much easier to get his clients onboard.

While the home warranty policies offered through First American are instrumental when it comes to helping homeowners keep home systems and appliances running smoothly, Maury notes that the working relationship that’s been established with First American’s Area Manager Christy Stokes is an integral piece of the puzzle.

“Christy is a regular face around our offices,” says Maury. “Whether she’s coming to our sales meetings to provide warranty updates or making herself available when our agents have questions or problems, she’s always there when we need her.”

But the benefits associated with working with First American extend even further.

“In today’s market, offering a home warranty has a lot to do with risk management in that it removes the seller from the property after the sale has closed,” says Maury.

“Home warranties also go a long way toward providing the buyer a level of comfort in knowing that if a covered system fails, it’ll be repaired.”

For Maury, who sells between 50 - 60 homes a year,

the biggest hurdle in getting clients to purchase a home warranty comes in the form of education—or lack thereof. “When working with buyers, the vast majority of them are uneducated about warranties,” says Maury, “or they have a preconceived notion that warranties aren’t any good.”

According to Maury, combatting these two issues begins with educating the client from the get-go. “When we sit down to write an offer, I always bring up the warranty,” says Maury, who notes that it’s very rare that they don’t ask the seller to provide a warranty for the buyer. “While most buyers are uneducated when it comes to home warranties, it’s the agent’s responsibility to inform the buyer of their numerous advantages. Once the buyer realizes the benefits, they become a fan.” RE For more information, please visit www.homewarranty.firstam.com.

Asian Americans:

The Next Big Boom in Housing

by Zoe Eisenberg

S

ince 2000, the Asian American community has been the fastest-growing minority demographic in the U.S., with a rapidly growing purchasing power. Twenty-eight percent of Asian American households include two or more adult generations, double the rate of non-Hispanic whites, and one out of 10 Asian Americans own a business. By 2024, there will be 1.8 million more Asian households formed. The Asian Real Estate Association of America’s (AREAA) recently released 2015 report on The State of Asian America highlights what you as a real estate professional need to know about this important population.

“This report shows the tremendous buying power of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) not only now, but for the foreseeable future,” says Vicky Silvano, AREAA 2016 National Chairwoman. “Over the past five years, AAPI took out two million home loans, representing $600 billion in mortgage originations, more than any other minority group. Asian Americans tend to have higher credit scores, low APRs, lower DTI, and lower LTV ratios. They also have higher median personal and house-

hold incomes than the U.S. general population, as well as more education, with nearly half of all AAPI holding at least a bachelor’s degree. Our research also found AAPI aren’t content to stay in the traditional ‘gateway’ cities of Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco anymore; nearly every state experienced at least 50 percent growth in their Asian population since 2000, with states in the South and the West making the biggest gains.”

Purchasing Power Asian American-owned businesses increased by 40 percent from 2002-2007, according to a U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners. Currently, there are over 1,600,000 Asian American-owned businesses in the U.S., representing over $500 billion in annual economic output. This gives Asian Americans a whole lot of power to purchase homes.

Housing and Investments The Asian American community applied for, and received, the largest share of purchase money mortgages of any minority group in terms of both number and monetary value, according to the 2014 study “Asian American Outcomes in the U.S. Mortgage Market.”

Purchasing Power

TX

CA

NY

Source: AREAA’s 2015 The State of Asian America

66 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

PROJECTED CHANGE IN NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS 2014-2024

2014 Homeownership Rates by Race

NO CHANGE IN SEX-, AGE-, RACE-SPECIFIC HEADSHIP

Ethnicity is Correlated with Ownership (% Homeowners)

Source: Housing Demand: Demographics and the Numbers Behind the Coming Multi-Million Increase in Households. Mortgage Bankers Association. July 2015.

Source: Census Bureau CPS, 2013

Discrimination Against Asian Americans in Housing Despite their prevalence in the market, Asian renters who contact agents about recently advertised housing units learn about 10 percent fewer available units and are shown nearly 7 percent fewer units than whites, according to the AREAA report. Asian homebuyers who contact agents about recently advertised homes for sale learn about 15 percent fewer available homes and are shown nearly 19 percent fewer units than whites.

Learn more about the Asian American demographic, and how they will impact housing, by viewing the full report, here. http://www.areaa.org/wp-content/ uploads/2013/10/SAA15.pdf?131a70

Up and Coming According to the AREAA report, by 2024 there will be 1.8 million more Asian households formed. Additionally, there will be 33 percent more new minority homebuyers, and 88 percent of all new rental demand will come from minority communities.

“It’s important to resist the ‘model minority’ myth that stipulates all AAPI are well-off and, therefore, do not require government assistance or protections,” says Silvano. “The fact is, while a great many in the community have enjoyed financial and academic success, many more have not. Many Southeast Asian nationalities, including Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Laotian, lag far behind in personal and household income as well as educational attainment. It is because of this varying degree of success that it is important we continue to seek policies that help these communities achieve the American Dream of homeownership.” RE

Source: AREAA’s 2015 The State of Asian America

For more information, please visit www.areaa.org.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 67

How My Diversity Made Me a Better Leader

by L. Maria Zywiciel

I

am a first-generation Mexican American. My parents came to the U.S. in the ’50s and technology (or lack thereof) kept them from staying in close contact with their loved ones back home. Without Internet, cable, cellphones or FaceTime, they had no choice but to assimilate into their new environment. However, they managed to hold on to their language, traditions and ingrained cultural perspectives that they, in turn, passed on to their children.

68 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

As the youngest of four, by the time I was born, we spoke mostly English at home and moved from the city to the white picket-fenced suburbs. Yet, somehow, my siblings and I always felt different. Perhaps it was the food we ate, the traditions we kept, the music we listened to, or the relatives that came to visit who didn’t speak English.

Many children of immigrant parents relate to the trials and tribulations of the immigrant experience. We also acknowledge the great sacrifices our parents made for us and have a sense of obligation to make it all worth it. We also know the pressure that comes from that dynamic.

We are often the first to graduate high school, go to college and pursue professional careers. Trailblazing has its ups, but it’s sometimes difficult to get the support, understanding or advice from our own family not because they don’t want to provide it, but because they never did what their children aspire to do.

It wasn’t until many years after college and well into my career that I saw how my diverse background proved to be one of my greatest assets as a business leader. As I’ve experienced them, these advantages are:

1

EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUENESS: Know what

makes you different and learn to love it. As I started my career in financial services, I found a natural market with Latinos. No one else was talking to them about finances. Over time, that parlayed into a marketing career, and today, I’m president of NAHREP Consulting Services, a marketing consulting agency specializing in the Latino housing market. I literally made a career from my pride, passion and knowledge of the Latino market.

2

DIVERSITY LEADS TO NEW WAYS OF DOING OLD TASKS: People see problems and solutions

from different perspectives. Research shows that diverse teams in organizations often do better than the best individuals because diverse perspectives lead to innovative problem solving.

3

RAISE YOUR HAND: At times, our diversity can

prevent us from raising our hands and stepping forward with our ideas and solutions. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and author of “Lean In,” had many great stories of how women can succeed in the workplace. Of all her anecdotes, I loved the one about “speaking your truth.” In it, she talks about how Robert Rubin, former presidential cabinet member and banking executive, sought advice from people who have fresh perspectives, rather than deep experience.

4

CROSS OVER: My father was a genius. He was proud about being Mexican, but he never alienated anyone who wasn’t. He was loved and respected by non-Latinos because, for example, he invited them into his home as a guest to experience his culture and enjoy his favorite foods. He was a champion to his Latino friends by teaching them things he felt they needed to do to be successful in America. Crossing over is a great

way to bridge gaps and to be an agent of social change.

5

PAY IT FORWARD: I relish opportunities where I

can be a mentor for someone else. This is probably fueled by the fact that, as I was growing in my professional career, I yearned for the sage advice of a mentor who shared some of my cultural experiences to guide me, and even push me, outside of my comfort zone. I feel a great sense of responsibility to help guide others like me so that they can learn from my experiences. I also suggest involvement in organizations like the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), which provides many opportunities to learn and master business skills, in addition to innumerable opportunities to be a mentor.

Your diversity need not be defined by your ethnicity or race. I come across so many women with wonderful stories of their own diversity: the woman veteran who can speak to the challenge of being deployed and separated from family, but through her experience has become an expert communicator, staying connected to loved ones even from afar; the woman who takes care of her aging parent while managing a full household and becomes a master of multitasking; the woman who has dyslexia and through compensating for her perceived impediment, mastered the art of conversation and became a top sales leader. In my experience, being a first-generation Mexican American led to great opportunities where I could parlay my cultural diversity into a great career in housing.

Whatever your diversity, make it work for you. RE

L. Maria Zywiciel is president of NAHREP Consulting Services, a marketing consulting firm specializing in the Hispanic segment and housing industry. For more information, visit www.nahrepconsulting.com.

{Blog Spot}

6 Ways Real Estate Agents Are Leveraging Technology

by Dana Larsen

3

Use email and newsletters Sending email every few days to potential and/or new clients, in addition to a weekly newsletter, keeps prospective homebuyers educated and informed on listings and the market in general. The constant contact helps build trust—proving that you, the agent, is an expert.

4

Hyperlapse your photos Hyperlapse is a new app that Instagram launched that uses time-lapse photography in addition to impressive image stabilization software that puts a few thousand dollars’ worth of equipment on a single app on your phone for free. The app sharpens, enhances and improves photos to make your listings more visually appealing, thus bringing more potential clients.

T

o keep up in the real estate industry these days, agents have to be well-versed in technology. In fact, in June 2014, Google’s Consumer Survey reported that mobile phones accounted for 27 percent of total searches related to buying a home, up 19 percent from the year prior. And mobile and tablet usage continues to grow among consumers as America evolves technologically.

Tapping into technology is critical for success in 2016 and beyond.

Here are six ways agents can use technology to build their business.

1

Be optimized for mobile Google reports that “one-quarter of Google searches for mortgages have been on mobile devices, and tablets have seen a huge spike in searches.” This confirms that mobile is becoming the leading source of information for homebuyers, so agents need to be thinking mobile. Here are a couple rules to follow: 8Use responsive design. Capture more leads by targeting mobile users with websites that are responsive and optimized.

70 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

8Be succinct. Provide the most important and necessary information for your website and listings to encourage consumers to contact you for more.

2

Use mobile apps and software Real estate agents have helpful apps, software and optimization tools at their fingertips these days. Mobile apps can also offer customized experiences as agents can connect with clients throughout the home-search process via email, private messages, push notifications and personalized listings. Apps also offer price and property comparisons to make the search much easier for both agent and client.

5

Boost your social media Keeping up with social media helps brand your online business. If you have a website or a blog, you can post articles or listings on your page, in addition to market information to keep potential clients informed and impressed by your market knowledge and dedication. Social media posts can also improve your website and blog through the eyes of Google and get your postings into the various social-channel news feeds.

6

Perfect plug-ins If your website is on WordPress or other CMS systems, real estate plug-ins can help you get information, analytics and enhancements for your site. From adding a professional listing feed to mortgage rate widgets and calculators, plug-ins are a great technology resource for the savvy agent. RE Dana Larsen is a writer for Pro.com. This article originally appeared on RISMedia’s blog, Housecall.

Visit us at blog.rismedia.com.

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Jerry, and the Journey of ‘53 Million & One’

by Nayeli Pelayo

I

f you would have asked Jerry Ascencio two years ago if he could see himself as an actor, the broker/owner of San Fernando Realty would have probably chuckled and said no. As a multimillion-dollar business owner who manages about 60 employees, and a key leader for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP), being an actor for live theatre would have seemed farfetched and outside of his wheelhouse.

That remained true until the day Gary Acosta, NAHREP co-founder and CEO, approached him about an idea he had to create a live theatrical presentation about Latinos achieving the American Dream, and the barriers they face along the way. Gary was familiar with Jerry’s personal story, and believed there was no better way to illustrate the idea than to write about Jerry’s tenacious journey from humble immigrant to millionaire real estate entrepreneur in the land of opportunity.

The script was laboriously written, edited, edited some more, and then re-written to create what is now “53 Million & One,” titled as such to reflect the 53 million Latinos in the U.S. at that time. “53 Million & One” is a one-man show following the Latino format of Billy Crystal’s “700 Sundays” and Mike Tyson’s “Undisputed Truth.” Jerry took on yet another endeavor and is now the actor for the play where he charismatically narrates his own story, assumes different personas of people who’ve touched his life, and displays his chops as a Mariachi guitarist to guide audiences through a powerful Latino-American story.

At its initial performance at NAHREP’s 2014 National Convention & Latin Music Festival, the play was enormously successful. Drawing hundreds to the show, it received strong reviews, and requests for encore performances. Viewing it as an opportunity to bridge barriers and celebrate cultural differences,

Century 21 became a title sponsor, which propelled the show to go on a national 25-city tour. “53 Million & One” has been making stops across the U.S. for the past year, highlighting the common challenges, experiences and aspirations that bind the millions of Latinos who call America home. By popular demand, the show will continue to tour into 2016 in full force to reach cities in California, New York, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Utah and Nevada.

Catch the performance that audiences are calling inspirational, entertaining and enlightening as part of the 2015 Nuevo Latino Tour. Learn more and buy tickets at www.nuevolatinotours.com. RE

By popular demand, the show will continue to tour into 2016 in full force to reach cities in California, New York, Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Utah and Nevada.

For information and pricing on corporate booking, please contact Rose Reyes at 858-622-9046, or email rreyes@nahrep.org.

Nayeli Pelayo is the Communications and PR director for NAHREP. For more information, please visit www.nahrep.org.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 73

Celebrating 20 Years of Power Broker History

by Maria Patterson and Paige Tepping

D

uring a gala celebration in San Diego this past November 13, RISMedia celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Power Broker Events—The Power Broker Forum and The Power Broker Reception & Dinner—held in conjunction with the annual REALTORS®Conference and Expo. From high-level discussions and networking opportunities, to award presentations and keynote speakers, the events provided brokers and executives with a comprehensive day of education and entertainment.

74 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

SAVE THE DATE! RISMedia’s 21st Annual Power Broker Event, Nov. 4, 2016 in conjunction with the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando, Fla.

RISMedia’s 20th Annual Power Broker Forum: Building a Sustainable Brokerage Business As the industry continues to strengthen, it’s more important than ever that brokerage leaders set the stage for continued success. This was the overarching theme at RISMedia’s 20th Annual Power Broker Forum, “Building a Sustainable Brokerage Business,”* where a panel of industryleading executives provided 600-plus attendees with an in-depth look into the various strategies they’ve employed for long-term success.

Moderated by RISMedia President & CEO John Featherston, and CENTURY 21 Award President & CEO David Romero, panelists included:

From left to right: Todd Sumney and Marissa Leon, HomeSmart; Alissa Harper, Zillow

Ben Stein and Buffini & Company’s Brian Wildermuth

Randy Courtney - CEO, Courtney Valleywide Properties Rick Davidson - President & CEO, Century 21 Real Estate LLC Howard W. “Hoby” Hanna, IV - President, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Kuba Jewgieniew - CEO, Realty ONE Group Pam O’Connor - President & CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Tom Tognoli - President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate * For a full recap of the Power Broker Forum, please see page 42.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 75

Honoring the Ultimate Achievers During RISMedia’s Power Broker Dinner, held at the Hilton Bayfront on the evening of November 13, RISMedia inducted six more executive leaders into its elite group of honorees. The invitation-only event was sponsored by many industry-leading companies (see sidebar, page 77), including Platinum Sponsors Quicken Loans and Xome.

Top left: David Mele, Homes.com; Christina Pappas, The Keyes Co.; John Featherston, RISMedia Top right: Featherston; David Charron, MRIS; Jim Sherry, James F. Sherry & Assoc.; Darryl MacPherson, RISMedia Above left: Dermot Buffini, Buffini & Company; Mary Lynn Stone and Todd Hetherington, CENTURY 21 New Millennium; Brian Buffini, Buffini & Company; Featherston Above right: MacPherson; Featherston; Geoff Lewis, RE/MAX, LLC

76 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

RISMedia’s Tech Titan Award Sponsored by Homes.com RISMedia’s Tech Titan award, presented this year by Homes.com President David Mele, was given to Michael Pappas, president and CEO of Florida’s The Keyes Company. Accepting the award for Pappas was his daughter, Christina Pappas, district sales manager for the firm. The Tech Titan Award is presented to brokerage leaders who have demonstrated an exceptional ability to adapt and integrate new and innovative tools and services within their organization to improve and enhance the overall consumer experience.

RISMedia’s National Homeownership Award Sponsored by RISMedia Presented this year by RISMedia President and CEO John Featherston, the National Homeownership Award is bestowed upon a member of the real estate community who continuously demonstrates extraordinary contributions toward increasing homeownership and building better communities. This year’s award recipients were Jim Sherry, president of James F. Sherry & Associates, Inc., and David Charron, president and CEO of one of the na-

RISMedia extends its sincerest appreciation to the sponsors of its 20th Annual Power Broker Reception & Dinner Platinum Level

Host Level

Quicken Loans® Xome

American Home Shield DocuSign HSA Home Warranty Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Pillar To Post Home Inspectors Realtors Property Resource® Zillow

Master Level

Kurt Francis, CENTURY 21 Award, and Lisa Rice, American Home Shield

tion’s largest MLSs, the Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS). Sherry and Charron were instrumental in founding the concept for the Power Broker Dinner with Featherston and RISMedia Executive Vice President Darryl MacPherson.

RISMedia’s Real Estate Leadership Award Sponsored by Buffini & Company Presented this year by Brian Buffini, chairman and founder of Buffini & Company, and Dermot Buffini, Buffini & Company CEO, the Real Estate Leadership Award is designed to honor an industry visionary who embraces innovation and exercises resilience to blaze new paths to success for real estate professionals and consumers alike. The winners of the 2015 Real Estate Leadership Award were Todd Hetherington and Mary Lynn Stone, CEO and president, respectively, of the metropolitan D.C. area’s CENTURY 21 New Millennium.

Ed Krafchow, Better Homes and Gardens Mason-McDuffie, and Ben Stein

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Buffini & Company Century 21® Real Estate ERA Real Estate Homes.com National Association of REALTORS® realtor.com® RE/MAX, LLC Wells Fargo Home Mortgage

Event Level David Knox Productions Inc. Delta Media Group Listingbook Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies MRE – Win Local® Matterport RealtyTrac

RISMedia’s ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ Award Sponsored by RE/MAX The ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ Award was created to recognize those individuals whose efforts, works, deeds and character exemplify superior achievements in and for the real estate industry, yet whose efforts often go unnoticed. In a surprise presentation, this year’s ‘On the Shoulders of Giants’ award was presented by RE/MAX President Geoff Lewis to RISMedia President and CEO John Featherston, who is celebrating both the 20th anniversary of the Power Broker Reception & Dinner and the 35th anniversary of RISMedia.

Ben Stein Keynotes Event RISMedia capped off the evening with a special presentation by guest speaker Ben Stein. Stein’s appearance was made possible by Platinum Sponsor Xome. Wellknown for his comedic role as the droning economics teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Stein is a powerful speaker on economics, politics, education, and history.

He has written or co-written roughly 30 books, along with a column about economics for The New York Times. He also co-hosted the show “Win Ben Stein’s Money” with Jimmy Kimmel, which won seven Emmys, including best game show host. Presently, he writes a column for The American Spectator and for NewsMax, and is a regular commentator for Fox News, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN. RE Find more in-depth coverage of RISMedia’s 20th annual Power Broker Forum, Reception & Dinner at RISMedia.com. Visit the Power Broker Event photo album on our Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/1REoni2.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 77

{Trending}

Brokers Ready for Long-awaited

Interest Rate Increases

by Andrew King

A

fter years of speculation about interest rates, it appears the Federal Reserve is finally poised to raise them. The move—which sets the cost of borrowing for banks and, consequently, the price of mortgages for homebuyers—has been one that brokers across the nation have been bracing for ever since the rates were lowered to near-zero levels during the financial crisis.

78 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

With the move at hand, there is concern that more expensive mortgages will hamper the housing recovery, which is just starting to take hold in many real estate markets. David Fauquier, a broker with RE/MAX Preferred Professionals in New Jersey, notes that borrowers who now qualify for a $200,000 mortgage at 4 percent would see their borrowing power plunge more than 10 percent to $177,600 if their rate rises to 5 percent.

While a full percentage point increase is unlikely to occur all at once, investment bank Goldman Sachs warned on Nov. 24, 2015 that December’s increase could be the start of a series of increases—possibly four—that bring the rate up a full point by the end of 2016. That’s the type of forecast that has brokers concerned about the long-term im-

pact of a series of increases.

“If that happens, I don’t believe that’s good for the real estate market,” says Jon Paul Molfetta, a broker with Keller Williams in Rockland County, N.Y., and Bergen County, N.J. “Maybe somebody who was going to stretch their purchase might have to scale back on what they are going to buy because they are still worried about that monthly mortgage payment.”

The psychological theory that has emerged among brokers is that potential homebuyers have been watching prices inch up slowly during the low rate period, and many of them do not feel any sense of urgency to buy. Due to the Fed’s unwillingness to raise rates after several years of headlines saying that an increase was imminent, the latest hype about rates is falling on deaf ears.

“While we’ve been warning consumers about rates going up for years, the message has become stale while rates have remained relatively flat,” says Sam DeBord, managing broker at Seattle Homes Group, Coldwell Banker Danforth.

However, once the first rate hikes are finally implemented, that will signal that the government is actually serious and force buyers into the market, driving prices up. Simply put: two 0.25 percent increases would be good, but anything beyond that could be bad.

“Every expert has said they’re going up and you have to get in on it now. First-timers aren’t feeling the urgency because the market has been pretty level,” Molfetta says, adding that an increase in prices and rates at the same time could be the “perfect storm” to get this segment off the fence.

Such a trend would mimic the activity seen in 2005 when interest rate hikes correlated with rising sale prices.

“So many say when rates go up,

prices go down,” Molfetta explains.

“That trend has been completely the opposite for the past 10 years.

Rate hikes often reflect what’s going on with the economy.”

If someone is buying up, Molfetta says that brokers need to be cognizant of the math that affects them in a rising-price environment. For instance, if prices were to rise 10 percent a year and a client is buying up—selling a $300,000 house and buying a $500,000 house—they

they’re already six months late to the market.”

Whenever the financial landscape changes, it becomes even more important for brokers to communicate with their clients.

“A rate increase will give brokers a factual reference point to start the conversation about likely future increases,” DeBord says. “A significant rate increase can be developed into visual marketing and education materials that show what effect it

“While we’ve been warning consumers about rates going up for years, the message has become stale while rates have remained relatively flat.”

– Sam DeBord Managing Broker, Seattle Homes Group, Coldwell Banker Danforth

can’t wait a year for their house to sell for $330,000 because the house they want to buy would be $550,000 by then and they’d essentially lose $20,000.

“If they’re downsizing, though, they just gained 20 grand on the reverse,” he adds. “You just have to know what they’re doing.”

Of course, Molfetta points out, different regions will react differently and it really depends on each individual buyer; therefore, he’s using this time to communicate with clients to see how their specific goals would fare under different financial scenarios.

“I ask my clients ‘what is your plan?’ If someone in the Northeast is planning to move to Florida, I know that the Florida market is appreciating faster than our market is appreciating,” he explains. “If they already have the vacation home in Florida, maybe they wait it out and don’t sell their primary residence in the Northeast right away, but if they are doing a sale and purchase, I feel

had on buyers’ mortgage expenses, and what a likely future increase would do to compound that effect on their buying power. It gives us a teaching tool that’s based on tangible recent events that consumers will understand.”

Another point that brokers might want to make is that the reason rates are going up is because the economy is improving. In its recent report, Goldman Sachs pointed to a healthy labor market, steady consumer spending, and stronger home sales and construction—all bullish indicators that suggest a flurry of deals could be beginning in the first quarter of 2016. RE

Andrew King is an award-winning journalist with 15 years of experience with the Gannett newspaper company, appearing in The Journal News (Westchester, NY), Asbury Park Press and USA Today. He also contributes to The Real Deal, TheLadders.com and TechPageOne.com.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 79

{RISMedia’s Great Spaces}

The Powerscourt Estate houses a four-star hotel, spa, two golf courses, Ireland’s tallest waterfall, and much more.

The Real Estates of Ireland

by Lisa Johnson Mandell, athomeinhollywood.com

With temperatures in the triple digits here at home in Hollywood (at press time), the real estate market has been too hot to handle. No one wants to house hunt in this stifling heat. While driving from listing to listing you hear Steve Carrell on the radio haranguing you to turn the water off when you brush your teeth, and when you finally arrive at your destination, you find that the lawn has “gone golden,” and the agent has switched from touting “lush green lawns” to “drought-resistant landscaping.”

So the invitation from celebrated designer Grania Murray to attend her Irish Retreat couldn’t have come at a 80 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

better time. She promised to take us into the homes, studios and palatial estates of some of Ireland’s most prominent historical landowners, as well as the Emerald Isle’s best modern craftsmen, artists and designers. It took me about 30 seconds to decide to tell her to “Sign me up!”

Anyone can go to Ireland and see churches and castles and kiss the Blarney Stone, but you have to join forces with a true Irish insider like Grania to actually go behind closed doors to see how Ireland’s aesthetically gifted live. And with the dollar so strong against the Euro and the Irish people being so welcoming, you can’t help but wonder what it would be like to live there, and perhaps to have a little Irish pied-à-terre to call your own.

Once there, you start asking yourself, which lifestyle would you choose? In central Dublin, you would likely go for one of the arresting

Georgian townhouses. Many of them were built by 18th century property developers, and have been meticulously restored and designed. Most of the lower floors hold professional offices of attorneys, accounting firms, etc., and the upper floors are the residences of the business owners themselves.

Such is the case with internationally acclaimed fashion icon Louise Kennedy, who has designed for royals, politicians and movie stars.

She’s actually appeared on an Irish postage stamp. The basement of her exquisitely designed Georgian mansion houses her business offices, the first and second floor are design showrooms for her fabulous fashions, and she lives on the top floor, taking the definition of working from home to a whole new level.

There are many ways to get a feel for the area without actually buying or renting. You could spend several

days in the elegant, centrally located Merrion Hotel, which has one of the largest private art collections outside of Ireland’s National Museum, and an exquisite afternoon art tea, not to mention lovely gardens where weddings and other family events are frequently hosted. You must get a glimpse of an Irish wedding while you’re in country—the fashions and the hats will make you swoon.

Of course, the vast majority of the Irish reside outside the city, and I was stunned to see that plebeians like myself could actually live like aristocracy here. Great estates such as Russbourough House, a Palladian style mansion in County Wicklow built between 1741 and 1755, may be open to the public for tours of its period treasures, but you can also rent an entire wing as a private residence, for that unique Downton Abbey-esque experience.

Or, if you’re really feeling special, you could have a stay in Luggala, as all the celebs do, from Michael Jackson to Bono. Also known as the Guinness Estate because it’s been in the brewing family for years, it features thousands of acres of green rolling hills and mountains, with frolicking deer and an amber Guinness-colored lake, so tinted by the water that flows into it from surrounding peat bogs. Grania arranged a cocktail reception for us in the lodge, or castle as some call it, where we were treated to fascinating stories of guests and residents from Garech Browne, the owner and a Guinness descendant. Luggala is one of Ireland’s most popular Hollywood production spots, as “Braveheart,” “Excalibur,” “P.S. I Love You” and the History Channel’s “Vikings” have all been shot there.

You can also get a true taste of upper-crust life in Ireland by staying at any of the grand estates that have been cunningly converted into resorts and country clubs, without sacrificing their historical charm. Perhaps the most prominent of these is

the Powerscourt Estate, which not only has a four-star hotel, a spa, two golf courses and a Gordon Ramseyfashioned restaurant on the premises, but an extensive garden not unlike those at the Huntington Library, an arts and crafts shopping area, and Ireland’s tallest waterfall.

County Kildare’s Carton House is another stunning estate with championship golf courses, spa and world-class restaurants, traversed by walking paths that can easily take you from village to village, or past the property’s lovely River House, Shell House and Folly. I stayed in

the historical Sir Edward suite, which was comprised of a living room, dining room and spacious bedroom, all with fireplaces, as well as two bathrooms. Poshest accommodations I’ve ever had.

Most of what I’ve mentioned so far is for visitors. What would a domestic lifestyle be like for those who make the ultimate commitment and actually invest in real estate in Ireland? Well, it’s almost as varied as it is in the U.S., but I found two private residences particularly appealing. Grania rents a fabulous flat in downtown Los Angeles, but owns

Space can be rented in the Russbourough House, located in County Wicklow, for those wanting an authentic “Downton Abbey” vibe.

Luggala (aka the Guinness Estate) has played host to Michael Jackson, Bono, and movies such as “Braveheart” and “Excalibur.”

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 81

More RISMedia’s Great Spaces

by Nick Caruso & Zoe Eisenberg

Connecticut’s Big Blue House Uses Revolutionary Building Technology

A glimpse of Louise Kennedy’s exquisitely designed Georgian mansion.

a 1,000-square-foot “apartment” in a seaside village in Ireland, just 20 minutes by DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) from the city. When she’s not there, she offsets the expense by renting a room out on AirBnB. com for $150 per night. Two-bedroom apartments in her building are currently selling for 500,000 euro, and there’s a penthouse available for 1,395,000 euro.

But it’s the country life in Ireland that appeals to me most. My friends Pat and Marie O’Mahoney were kind enough to invite me into their contemporary four-bedroom home in the village of Leixlip, County Kildare, which, like all good Irish villages, has its own castle and a number of manor houses. Private residences in this upscale area are scarce, but are currently available from about $300,000 to $600,000. I couldn’t help but feel that their home was

82 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

priceless, as I sat in this engaging couple’s warm and cozy kitchen, sipping Marie’s superlative Irish coffee and gazing out at their lush and verdant garden, which is only possible in lands with ample rainfall, on my last night on the Emerald Isle. If only I could trade them a week of our sunshine for a sky-full of their rain…ah, well. Time to go home.

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an author, critic and reporter who has been featured on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, Fox News, CNN, PBS and the BBC, as well as publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. She has interviewed hundreds of celebrities, and as the Los Angeles Correspondent for HGTV’s Frontdoor.com, has toured their homes. For more of her Hollywood real estate scoops, visit her website athomeinhollywood.com.

If you’re driving down Greenwich, Conn.’s, iconic Old Church Road, you might notice something strange: a very big, very blue house. Known as “The Big Blue House,” the green building project spurred by designer and real estate developer Sabine H. Schoenberg is wrapped in Blueskin, a new adhesive house wrap designed to revolutionize the construction process. Unlike the more popular Tyvek house wrap, this new product is adhesive on one side and does not require staples to install.

The breathable material can also be used on the roof, not typical in traditional home building, and can prevent moisture build-up. This means the entire home can be sealed, which allows construction to continue year-round—even in the chilliest of New England winters.

Big Blue, spanning 4,800 square feet, is the first home in Greenwich to use Blueskin, typically utilized along the coast where building projects need to be protected from salty, damp atmospheres. In addition to the high-tech wrap, the home’s layout features all the latest in innovative and eco-friendly products and technologies. Pressed lumber and rotproof, eco-friendly windows are just a few of the green features, which cost more to install, but will save heaps of cash in the long run.

Schoenberg, founder of This New House, is using the build-site as an educational platform, where she is teaching architects and builders about up-and-coming, innovative construction trends.

Source: ThisNewHouse.com Represented by: Sabine H. Schoenberg, PrimeSitesCT

Greenwich, Conn.’s “Big Blue House” is comprised of a breathable adhesive allowing for construction to continue year-round.

For Sale: Michelangelo’s 16th Century Tuscany Home Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni’s products range from sculptures to paintings, poetry, engineering and architectural design, through the refinement of the High Renaissance and into the artistic age of Mannerism. He is considered by many to be the greatest artist of all time, and a major influence for Western Art. In 1549, at the age of 72, 30 years after completing the frescos in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo bought and periodically lived in a villa in Tuscany, halfway between Florence and Siena, that stayed in the Buonarroti family for over 300 years.

Located on over six acres above rolling hills, the 12,915 square feet of living space is contained in three multi-story buildings, including an ancient tower believed to date back to the 11th century. The original architecture is accented throughout with large stone fireplaces, and beamed and barrel ceilings. Consisting of eight bedrooms and seven full baths, all rooms pay homage to the period, with modern conveniences, though all available, blending into the background. The kitchen has all the rustic romance of the early centuries with high-end appliances that do not take away from the original architecture.

Grounds are park-like with lawns

and mature plantings with a lemon orchard, olive grove and Chianti vineyards, as well as the original olive oil mill.

Born in 1475, it was clear to Michelangelo’s banker father that his son’s only interest was in the arts, so he apprenticed him with painter Domenico Ghirlandaio, where he learned the art of fresco painting.

Recognizing his advanced talent, Ghirlandaio suggested he move to the palace of Florentine ruler, Lorenzo the Magnificent, to study sculpture in the Medici family sculpture gardens. During this time, Michelan-

gelo became exposed to important poets and scholars who would influence his future. He also obtained permission from the Catholic Church to study cadavers to learn anatomy and create two relief sculptures, Battle of the Centaurs and Madonna Seated on a Step, when he was just 16. He would soon go on to the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library, and in 1546, was appointed chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Some of his most notable works include the statues of David and Pieta, and the ceiling frescos in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, including The Last Judgment.

The Tuscan home has been preserved and restored by its current owner and is now listed for sale at $8,162,821. The original deed held

by Michelangelo, wherein he was described as a “dear sculptor and Florentine citizen,” will be passed on to the new owner.

Listed by: Joni Hazelton of Handsome Properties International Listed for: $8,162,821

Here, the drop-dead gorgeous scenery of Michelangelo’s 16th century Tuscan abode.

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 83

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Lack of Affordable Options Will Drive First-time Buyers Out to the Suburbs in 2016 expensive homes on the market.

3

Rising rents won’t let up in 2016, and will continue to set new records. The next year will bring the least affordable median rents ever.

4

As affordable housing close to city centers grows increasingly scarce, people will move farther out. Dense, walkable suburbs with an urban feel—especially those that offer good access to the city— will be 2016’s new hot spots.

D

eteriorating housing affordability will drive 2016 housing trends, according to a recent Zillow forecast. A lack of affordable homes near city centers will push new and first-time homebuyers to suburbs that feel like walkable,

amenity-rich mini-cities. Rising rents will force more young renters to wait longer before buying a home. And the looming threat of rising mortgage interest rates will slowly erode some of the terrific mortgage affordability the market has enjoyed for the past few years.

“Rents will continue to increase at a brisk rate in 2016, but many potential first-time buyers are living in hot markets where buying a home is really expensive,” says Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. “In 2016, we’ll start to see more people in hot coastal markets forced to move further from the core of the city to find housing.”

86 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

2016 Housing Market Predictions

1

The median age of first-time buyers will reach new highs in 2016 as millennials put off homeownership and other major life decisions.

2

Growth in home values will outpace incomes, especially for low-income Americans. In 2016, those whose incomes fall in the bottom third of all incomes will be priced out of homeownership and unable to afford even the least

5

The median expectation of more than 100 economic and housing experts surveyed in the latest Zillow® Home Price Expectations Survey was for home values to grow about 3.5 percent in 2016.

“As renters gradually transition into homeowners, the historically low homeownership rate should stop falling quite as quickly as it has been,” says Gudell. “However, the median age of first-time homebuyers—already the highest it has ever been at about 33—will climb higher. Millennials want to buy, but they are waiting longer than previous generations.

“All of this will happen against a backdrop of slowly increasing interest rates. That will make some homeowners think twice about selling, and many of them will decide to remodel their current homes instead.” RE For more information, visit www.zillow.com.

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Index of Preferred Providers The leading companies providing services to the real estate and relocation industries ABR®....................................................................................... 89 American Home Shield............................................................. 89 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices........................................... 89 Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate LLC............................ 89 Buffini & Company................................................................... 89 Carrington Real Estate Services................................................ 89 Centralized Showing Service..................................................... 89 Century 21 Real Estate LLC...................................................... 89 Certified New Home SpecialistTM............................................... 89 Coldwell Banker®..................................................................... 89 Contractor ConnectionSM........................................................... 90 CRS Data................................................................................. 90 DocuSign................................................................................. 90 Dotsignal................................................................................. 90 Engel & Völkers........................................................................ 90 The Entrust Group.................................................................... 90 ERA Franchise Systems, LLC..................................................... 90 Equity Real Estate.................................................................... 90 FeedbackCentral...................................................................... 90 First American Home Buyers Protection Corporation®................ 90 HomeFinder.com...................................................................... 91 Homes.com............................................................................. 91 HomeSmart International......................................................... 91 HomeTeam Inspection Service.................................................. 91 HSA Home Warranty................................................................. 91 Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.......................... 91 MRE – Win Local®.................................................................... 91 National Association of REALTORS®.......................................... 91 On The Move, Inc...................................................................... 91 The Personal Marketing Company............................................. 92 Pillar To Post Home Inspectors.................................................. 92 Point2...................................................................................... 92 Quicken Loans......................................................................... 92 The Real Estate Book............................................................... 92 Real Living Real Estate............................................................. 92 Real Pro Systems..................................................................... 92 Realogy Holdings Corp............................................................. 92 realtor.com®............................................................................ 92 Realtors Property Resource®.................................................... 92 Realty ONE Group.................................................................... 93 RE/MAX, LLC............................................................................ 93 RentalRoost, Inc....................................................................... 93 RIS Consulting Services........................................................... 93 RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network®................................ 93 Showing Beacon...................................................................... 93 Stewart Title............................................................................. 93 Top Producer® CRM.................................................................. 93 VoicePad.................................................................................. 93 Workman Success Systems...................................................... 93 zipLogix.................................................................................... 93

88 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

RREIN Service Providers

Ascent Real Estate, Inc............................................................. 94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate..... 94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner, REALTORS®......94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty........ 94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty..................... 94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®.......94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties.............. 94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Nevada Properties.............. 94 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties................... 95 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Mason-McDuffie.......... 95 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Rand Realty................. 95 Calcagni Real Estate................................................................ 95 CENTURY 21 AllPoints Realty.................................................... 95 CENTURY 21 Award.................................................................. 95 CENTURY 21 New Millennium................................................... 95 Coach REALTORS®................................................................... 95 Coldwell Banker Advantage....................................................... 95 Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS®............................... 95 Coldwell Banker Kappel Gateway Realty.................................... 96 Coldwell Banker Prime Properties............................................. 96 Diane Turton, REALTORS®......................................................... 96 Fillmore Real Estate................................................................. 96 First Team® Real Estate............................................................ 96 GARDNER, REALTORS®............................................................. 96 Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate................................................ 96 Harry Norman, REALTORS®....................................................... 96 J. Rockcliff REALTORS®............................................................. 96 Jordan Baris, Inc., REALTORS®.................................................. 96 Kinlin Grover Real Estate Real Living......................................... 97 Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.................................................. 97 Lusk & Associates Sotheby’s International Realty...................... 97 McCOLLY Real Estate................................................................ 97 Page Taft Real Living................................................................. 97 Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate................................................ 97 Randall, REALTORS® Real Living..................................................... 97 RE/MAX 440 and RE/MAX Central........................................... 97 RE/MAX of Boulder, Inc............................................................ 97 RE/MAX Gateway..................................................................... 97 RE/MAX Professionals.............................................................. 97

ABR®

CARRINGTON REAL ESTATE SERVICES

(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.

(877) 330-2773 • Carringtonrealestate.com/Join Carrington Real Estate Services is one of the 18 companies under the Carrington Holding Company, LLC. Together, these businesses cover virtually every aspect of the single-family residential real estate transaction, including investment in U.S. real estate and mortgage markets, loan origination and service, asset management and property preservation, rentals, and title and escrow services. By leveraging our family ties, we have grown to be one of the largest residential real estate brokerages in the country in just five short years. Join our network of more than 1,200 sales professionals serving 26 states.

AMERICAN HOME SHIELD (800) 735-4663 • www.ahs.com/realestate American Home Shield, a subsidiary of The ServiceMaster Company, founded the home warranty industry in 1971 and remains the industry leader. Servicing more than 1.3 million customers across 49 states, the company also issues and administers preventive maintenance contracts on major home systems and appliances in 48 states. The Memphis-based company operates three customer service centers, employs approximately 1,600 people and has a national contractor network made up of more than 10,000 independent home-service contractors.

CENTRALIZED SHOWING SERVICE

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES

(877) 221-2765 • www.century21.com • Madison, N.J. • Rick Davidson, President & CEO Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a leading global residential franchise real estate sales organization, with approximately 6,900 independently owned and operated franchised brokerages and more than 100,000 independent real estate professionals in 78 countries and territories worldwide. The Century 21® System capitalizes on brand marketing, promotions and sponsorships, and fundraising efforts with Easter Seals to build brand awareness and preference.

Technology 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.

(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.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS® REAL ESTATE LLC (866) 616-4224 • Madison, N.J. • Sherry Chris, President & CEO Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate LLC launched its international franchise system in the residential real estate marketplace in July 2008. In October 2007, Realogy, a global franchising with company-owned real estate brokerage operations doing business under its franchise systems as well as relocation and title services, entered into a 50-year agreement to license the Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate brand from Meredith Corporation, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing companies. For more information, visit www.realogy.com/media, or participate on the company blog at www.bhgrealestateblog.com.

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.

(877) 688-SHOW (7469) • www.showings.com • Overland Park, Kan. Established in 1994, Centralized Showing Service is one of the nation’s premier home-showing, appointment-setting services, with six call centers that service 70+ markets across the country. Each year, more than 15 million showings are scheduled for their more than 139,000 agent members. Agents can compile detailed showing reports and enter feedback into reports that can be given to sellers to keep them informed.

CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC

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 contactus@sellnewhomes.com.

COLDWELL BANKER® www.coldwellbanker.com/join Coldwell Banker®, the original Silicon Valley real estate start-up founded in 1906, continues to lead the real estate industry with an insatiable appetite for innovation and exceptional experiences.

Following a series of industry firsts, including the debut of the Coldwell Banker On LocationTM YouTube channel, the consumerfacing Blue Matter blog and the revamped coldwellbanker.com

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platform that allows sellers to post their own comments, photos and videos about their home, Coldwell Banker recently launched CBx, an exclusive iPad app that allows Coldwell Banker affiliated agents to utilize big data to augment their listing presentations.

grams and tools; multiple platforms for mobile, social and web; as well as access to its global network of real estate professionals, property listings and market data.

CONTRACTOR CONNECTIONSM

(800) 392-9653 • www.TheEntrustGroup.com The Entrust Group (“Entrust”) has been the industry leader in account administration services and education for Real Estate IRAs for more than 34 years. Entrust helps real estate professionals grow their business by assisting their clients in the purchase of real estate with their retirement funds, an option typically unavailable through banks and brokerage firms. Entrust provides personal service, a knowledgeable staff, and education to make real estate investing with IRAs straightforward and compliant.

www.contractorconnection.com Contractor Connection®, an industry leader in contractor-managed repair and home improvement services, provides insurance carriers and consumers a national network of residential and commercial contractors who are vetted and managed for performance, measuring quality, timeliness and customer satisfaction. For more information, please visit www.contractorconnection.com.

CRS DATA www.crsdata.com Since 1989, CRS Data has provided you with a wealth of tax data. Our new, customized MLS Tax Suite by CRS Data 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.

DOCUSIGN (866) 219-4318 • www.docusign.com/nar • Seattle, Wash.

• Suzanne Alberti, Marketing Campaigns Program Manager - Web DocuSign is part of the National Association of REALTORS®’ Second Century Ventures investment portfolio and is the official and exclusive provider of ESIGN services for NAR members under the REALTOR Benefits® program. Offering the exclusive REALTOR® Edition, DocuSign is the safe, secure way to electronically send, sign and store real estate documents. DocuSigned documents are legally binding and backed with an audit trail.

DOTSIGNAL (866) 403-6010 • www.dotsignal.com Dotsignal is a mobile platform company with a single focus of helping clients engage with consumers using mobile technology. Dotsignal RE is designed to make “mobile” a significant part of the real estate brokerage business. Dotsignal was founded by CEO Matthew Simons in 2010 and represents the mobile initiatives of enterprise clients spanning a range of industries, including some of the largest and most respected brands in real estate. For more information, visit www.Dotsignal.com and www.facebook.com/dotsignal.

ENGEL & VÖLKERS (212) 234-3100 • www.evusa.com Since its beginning in 1977 as a specialty boutique providing exclusive, high-end real estate services in Hamburg, Germany, Engel & Völkers has become one of the world’s leading companies specializing in the sale and lease of premium residential and commercial property and yachts. Engel & Völkers currently operates a global network of over 5,000 real estate advisors in 500 residential brokerages and 43 commercial offices spanning 38 countries across six continents, offering both private and institutional clients a professionally tailored range of luxury services. Committed to exceptional service, Engel & Völkers supports its advisors with an array of premium quality business services; marketing pro90 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

THE ENTRUST GROUP

ERA FRANCHISE SYSTEMS, LLC (800) 869-1260 • www.era.com • Madison, N.J. • Charlie Young, 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 more than 33,000 brokers and independent sales associates throughout the United States and 34 other countries and territories. ERA Franchise Systems, Inc. is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp.

EQUITY REAL ESTATE (800) 789-9995 • equity-usa.com Equity Real Estate was founded in 2002 on the premise of being just and fair in all dealings. The company achieved prominence in its market of origin with a 17% market share and has since expanded across the nation with an impressive 20%+/year growth rate.

Equity provides an unprecedented suite of tools and resources for the amazingly low, flat fee of $499/transaction. Equity Real Estate is a privately-owned, debt-free company.

FEEDBACKCENTRAL (366) 369-3215 • www.feedbackcentral.com • Bedford, Texas FeedbackCentral.com contacts showing agents on behalf of sellers or listing agents to collect the feedback necessary to more effectively communicate buyer reaction to their homes. This service is available in two plans. FeedbackCentral.com Online is an automated email system in which showing agents are contacted to provide online feedback. FeedbackCentral.com Voice utilizes FBC representatives to contact showing agents via telephone to gather information on showings.

FIRST AMERICAN HOME BUYERS PROTECTION CORPORATION® (800) 444-9030 • https://homewarranty.firstam.com/realtor.aspx First American Home Buyers Protection is a leading provider of home warranties. We offer homeowners, home buyers and home sellers protection against costly repairs and replacements for their home’s essential systems and appliances. Our services are supported by a national network of independent pre-screened and qualified contractors. Founded in California in 1984, the company operates two call centers in California and one in Arizona, and is a member of the First American Financial Corporation family of companies.

HOMEFINDER.COM (866) 920-9493 • www.homefinder.com/agents-and-brokers • Chicago, Ill. HomeFinder.com is a leading online real estate search site and provider of strategic digital marketing solutions. The 20,000 real estate agents that comprise the HomeFinder.com advertising network utilize a unique suite of product offerings, including a patent pending Single Property Website. Through a national affiliate network of 375 online newspaper partners, HomeFinder.com is the only real estate search site to also provide relevant listing content to homebuyers through local online newspaper portals.

HOMES.COM (866) 697-3308 • http://connect.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 fastest growing real estate companies in the nation with 66 offices in 14 different states, two countries and more than 7,500 agents.

HomeSmart International strives on the fundamental principles of efficiency and innovation by offering the systems and technologies necessary to stay on the leading edge of success.

HOMETEAM INSPECTION SERVICE 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 onsite. 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.

HSA HOME WARRANTY (800) 367-1448 • www.onlinehsa.com • Madison, Wis. • Mike Clear, President HSA Home Warranty provides home warranty coverage in 48 states and E&O insurance in all 50 states. The HSA Home Warranty repairs or replaces mechanical systems and appliances that fail due to normal wear and tear during the coverage period. With HSA Home Warranty, real estate professionals minimize their risk by lowering their exposure to liability. They avoid post-sale disputes about who should pay for the repair, and they can get the problem fixed quickly and conveniently by making just one call to HSA.

LEADING REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OF THE WORLD® 312-424-0400 • www.LeadingRE.com Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® is the home of the world’s market-leading independent residential brokerages in over 50 countries, with over 500 firms and 120,000 associates producing over one million transactions valued at $321 billion

annually. LeadingRE provides these leading local brands with world-class business resources and national and global connections, offering products and services for brand enhancement and marketing; technology and systems; lead generation; career development; and industry advocacy.

MRE – WIN LOCAL® (877) 720-0988 • www.MobileRealEstateID.com · Seth Kaplan, National Sales Director MRE – Win Local® is a mobile marketing and technology company that helps real estate agents, brokers and real estate-related firms power their mobile initiatives. Our suite of products for real estate professionals allows them to incorporate complex mobile technology throughout their existing marketing mix to reach consumers on all mobile devices. MRE – Win Local® will ensure real estate professionals are positioned to promote their brand and listings to buyers and sellers across all mobile devices.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (800) 874-6500 • www.REALTOR.org • Chicago, Ill. • Dale Stinton, Chief Executive Officer • Bob Goldberg, Sr. VP, Sales & Marketing, Business Development & Strategic Investments, Professional Development, Conventions • Kenneth Burlington, VP, Strategic Alliances, Business Development, Product & Sales Management • Karen Bebart, VP, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Marketing Research • Matt Lombardi, VP, Conventions • Marc Gould, VP, Business Specialties; Dean, Student Services, REALTOR® University • Mark Birschbach, VP Strategic Investments, Second Century Ventures 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, the official member benefits resource for discounts and special offers on products and services just for REALTORS®. Program partners are industry leaders who understand the unique needs of real estate professionals and are committed to your success. Visit www.REALTOR.org/RealtorBenefits. NAR is also proud to make the .REALTOR domain available exclusively to members to help them stand out in the marketplace as the trusted source for real estate for consumers. Visit http:// about.REALTOR. And, for a lifetime of learning, REALTOR® University can take your career to the next level with continuing education courses, earning a designation or certification, or a Master in Real Estate degree. Visit www.REALTORU.com. The REALTOR® Store features print and ePublications including top-selling “The Little Red Book: Safety Rules to Live by for REALTORS®,” and the “2015 NAR Profile of Home Buyers & Sellers.” Visit http://store.REALTOR.org.

Additionally, NAR’s venture capital arm, Second Century Ventures, has invested in companies that push forward innovation in the real estate industry and can benefit NAR’s members. Visit www.secondcenturyventures.com.

ON THE MOVE, INC. (800) 645-9949 • www.onthemovetrucks.com • Boerne, Texas • Susan Nash, President/CEO • Sylvain Mallaise, Director of Sales • CJ Steen, Marketing Director On The Move’s trucks are moving billboards personalized with your company’s graphics and can be used for free by your clients.

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This moving billboard can be driven around town by drivers you do not have to pay, using gas you do not have to provide, while making thousands of visual impressions daily. A billboard can cost more than $1,000 per month. For less money you can obtain a rental truck for your clients to use and to even donate its use for community goodwill.

personal branding and lead generation tools and the most complete integrated media buy available. Included are interactive and locally distributed print ads; SMS text lead generation; personally branded Web, tablet and mobile sites; GPS-enabled yard signs and more. Go to Store.RealEstateBook.com to find your local Real Estate Book representative.

THE PERSONAL MARKETING COMPANY

REAL LIVING REAL ESTATE

(800) 458-8245 • www.tpmco.com • Lenexa, Kan. The Personal Marketing Company creates marketing systems for agents to become known in their market and attract clients for long-term success. Our marketing development team brings proven marketing expertise, cutting-edge technology and personal service to develop customized marketing solutions which can include: direct mail, email marketing, contact management, prospecting and farming, newsletter programs, FSBO and expired campaigns, client follow-up systems and marketing planning services.

(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 was recognized by Entrepreneur magazine, has received Inman Innovator Awards, and was named “the Most Promising New National Brand” by the 2013 Swanepoel TRENDS Report. Real Living Real Estate is a network brand of HSF Affiliates LLC, majority owned by HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate.

PILLAR TO POST HOME INSPECTORS (800) 294-5591 • www.pillartopost.com • Tampa, Fla. · Jay Gregg, Marketing Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post is now the largest home inspection company in North America with over 400 franchisees located in 47 states and eight Canadian provinces. The Pillar To Post difference includes printing a computer generated report on-site at the time of the inspection, requiring each inspector to carry $1 million in E+O insurance that covers both the agent and the broker, and three unique home inspection packages designed to better suit the individual needs of our clients.

POINT2 (888) 955-7900 • www.Point2Agent.com • Saskatoon, Canada • Linda Moola, Director of Sales, Syndication, MLS and Association Services (lmoola@point2.com) Point2 (www.point2.com) provides real estate marketing and lead management software to brokers and agents in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa, as well as listing data aggregation and syndication solutions to real estate MLSs, Boards and Associations across the U.S. and Canada. Point2’s solutions also include the consumer real estate listings portal, Point2 Homes, as well as end-to-end property management software for small to medium size organizations, managing up to 1,000 units.

Point2 is a Yardi Systems Inc. (www.yardi.com) brand.

QUICKEN LOANS (866) 718-9842 • AgentRelations@QuickenLoans.com For nearly 30 years, Quicken Loans has been celebrated for providing amazing mortgage services. For five years in a row, J.D. Power has ranked Quicken Loans highest in customer satisfaction for Primary Mortgage Origination. And this year, they’ve also ranked us highest in satisfaction for Mortgage Servicing. We’re currently the leading online lender and the second largest retail mortgage lender in the country. By creating industry-leading technology, we introduce clarity and speed to the mortgage experience. Every Client. Every Time. No Exceptions. No Excuses.

THE REAL ESTATE BOOK (770) 962-7220 • www.realestatebook.com • Lawrenceville, Ga. The Real Estate Book’s multimedia marketing packages combine print with mobile and digital tools to create the most effective 92 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

REAL PRO SYSTEMS (541) 743-8510 • www.realprosystems.com Real Pro Systems is the leading provider of lead capture and management systems for agents and brokers. Our systems provide integration with many tools that make it a complete Internet marketing system that will engage and manage all your leads. Our systems have over 35 commercially available lead sources that are automatically routed into the system. Since we were founded by active real estate agents, we understand the unique needs of your business. We offer basic solutions for new agents just getting started, robust systems for established agents, and complete management systems for brokers and teams. Best of all, we listen!

REALOGY HOLDINGS CORP. (973) 407-7215 • www.realogy.com • Madison, N.J. • Mark Panus, SVP, Corporate 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®, Coldwell Banker®, Coldwell Banker Commercial®, The Corcoran Group®, ERA®, Sotheby’s International Realty®, ZipRealty®, NRT LLC, Cartus and Title Resource Group. Collectively, Realogy’s franchise system members operate approximately 13,600 offices with more than 257,700 independent sales associates doing business in 110 countries and territories worldwide.

ENGAGE WITH REALTOR.COM® (800) 878-4166 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®.

REALTORS PROPERTY RESOURCE® (888) 914-7771 • http://blog.narrpr.com • Chicago, Ill. • Dale Ross, CEO • Marty Frame, President • Jeff Young, Chief of Operations Realtors Property Resource® (RPR) is a national, parcel-centric data-

base which 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 ONE GROUP www.RealtyONEGroup.com • (888) 461-0101 Realty ONE Group is a full-service real estate brokerage with more than 4,000 associates. It focuses on providing ethical, professional and results-oriented services to property owners and prospective real estate buyers. Since its inception in 2005, the company has grown to become the No. 1 real estate brokerage in Nevada and the fastest-growing real estate company in Arizona and California.

For more information, visit www.RealtyONEGroup.com.

RE/MAX, LLC (303) 770-5531 • www.remax.com • Denver, Colo.

RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, who still manage the company today. From a single office in Denver, Colo., RE/MAX has grown to be a global real estate franchise network with more than 100,000 Sales Associates in nearly 100 countries. 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.

RENTALROOST, INC. (925) 357-3783 • www.rentalroost.com • Pleasanton, Calif.

• Nitin Shingate, CEO & Co-founder • Vikram Raghavan, President & Co-founder • Harini Venkatesan, COO & Co-founder • Gabriel Balanag, Director of Business Development • Silvia Englert, Marketing Manager RentalRoost, Inc. is a technology-based rental search and recommendation engine that utilizes social media data and proprietary algorithms to help match users with rental properties. RentalRoost focuses on the users’ livability in each property they search, including how kid-friendly, pet-friendly, and commute-friendly a property is. RentalRoost was founded in 2012. In November 2013, RentalRoost launched nationally.

RIS CONSULTING SERVICES (203) 852-4304 • Norwalk, Conn.

• John Sculley, Managing Dir. • Peg Guinta, Projects Dir. RIS Consulting Services is an independent relocation consulting firm dedicated to designing and implementing comprehensive solutions to mobility issues. We deliver a full range of consulting services to our diverse corporate and relocation service company clients. The executives of RIS Consulting utilize their industry and specialty knowledge to analyze your situation, develop strategic options and implement designed solutions.

RISMEDIA’S TOP 5 IN REAL ESTATE NETWORK® (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.

SHOWING BEACON (877) 277-6622 • www.showingbeacon.com • Lenexa, Kan. The Showing BeaconTM is a revolutionary showing notification system that alerts sellers when they can return to their residence after a showing. This patent pending, wireless device can be placed on a counter or tabletop, or hung on the inside of the front door.

At the conclusion of the showing appointment, the agent simply pushes the red button as they leave the residence and a text or voice message is immediately sent to the seller’s mobile device.

STEWART TITLE Stewart is a customer-focused, global title insurance and real estate services company offering products and services through our direct operations, network of approved agencies and other companies within the Stewart family. Stewart offers personalized service, industry expertise and customized solutions for virtually any type of real estate transaction. Real estate services include title insurance; mobile applications; eco-friendly closings; SureClose® document management system; specialty insurance services; commercial and global expertise and more. For more information, visit www.stewart.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. Visit TopProducer.com.

VOICEPAD Toll-free: (888) 595.7347 • www.voicepad.com VoicePad is the real estate industry’s premier source for lead-generating mobile and Telecom technology. VoicePad supplies real estate brokerages with a comprehensive system that provides listing information on any phone, generates high-quality, actionable leads, tracks all leads on an online dashboard, and helps agents promote their listings through marketing and social media tools.

WORKMAN SUCCESS SYSTEMS (801) 987-0085 • www.VerlWorkman.com • Salt Lake City, Utah · Rusty Keys, Events Manager For more than a decade, Verl Workman has been one of the real estate industry’s most popular speakers. Verl delivers the necessary performance skills, the latest and most effective tools, practical lead-generating methods, proven dialogues and systems that work in order to achieve top performance and industry excellence.

ZIPLOGIX (866) 693-6767 • www.zipLogix.com With more than 20 years of experience developing real estate-focused 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 is 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 areas that we service. 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 the exclusive San Diego affiliate of Leverage Global Partners, Ascent Real Estate is a hyper-local brokerage with a global reach.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES AMBASSADOR REAL ESTATE (402) 493-4663 or (800) 477-7653 agents@BHHSamb.com • www.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 look forward to helping you sell your home or find that dream home you are looking for. We believe in each other and ourselves. We understand that trust is earned and that good, professional service is an essential part of that.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES C. DAN JOYNER, REALTORS® (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 275 agents on board and nine offices serving the Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson area, 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 NETWORK REALTY (904) 296-1906 • www.FloridaNetworkRealty.com or www.BHHSFloridaNetworkRealty.com Since 1988, Founder, President and CEO Linda H. Sherrer has led a team of more than 300 real estate professionals in eight branch 94 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

offices in the buying and selling of residential property throughout Northeast Florida. The company also operates a corporate REO and relocation division, a builder sales and marketing division, a title company, a referral company and is in a mortgage partnership with EverBank. During the past decade, the company has sold more than 31,000 homes valued at more than $8.5 billion.

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 (formerly Prudential Florida Realty) is a full-service brokerage servicing 17 counties throughout Florida and is a wholly owned subsidiary of WCI Communities, Inc. It is a franchise member of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. The company is the fifth largest brokerage in the nation among the affiliate network brokers and offers residential and commercial services, seasonal rentals, property management, REO & foreclosures, corporate relocations, referral services, mortgage, title, insurance, home service plans, and personal concierge services. BHHS Florida Realty is the No. 1 Fundraiser for The Sunshine Kids, having raised over $2.3 million since 2001.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES FOX & ROACH, REALTORS® (610) 889-7705 • www.foxroach.com Now the nation’s second largest provider of total home services, the company has 4,000 Sales Associates in 65 sales offices throughout the Tri-State area. These two legendary companies have joined forces to begin a new era in real estate. 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 on Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, go to www.foxroach.com.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES GEORGIA PROPERTIES (770) 992-4100 • www.BHHSGeorgia.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties has 22 locations and 1,100 agents, and is an independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Under the leadership of CEO Dan Forsman, the company is known for innovation and delivering exceptional value to associates and their clients. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties is ranked No. 1 in homes sold, buyers represented and overall transactions for 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010 for the Greater Metro Atlanta area.

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES NEVADA PROPERTIES (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 Ho-

meServices 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 takes pride in being recognized in the community for high standards and ethics.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE MASON-MCDUFFIE (888) 971-4636 • www.bhghome.com Founded in 1887 as Mason-McDuffie Real Estate and transitioning to the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Mason-McDuffie name in 2010, we are the 17th largest real estate services firm in the nation (RISMedia), No. 1 in the San Francisco East Bay (SF Business Times), and a leading innovator of real estate technology solutions to our agents and clients. With 29 offices and 1,700 agents, we bring a fresh approach to the business through the universal awareness of the Better Homes and Gardens brand.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE RAND REALTY info@randrealty.com • www.RandRealty.com Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty, founded in 1984, is the No. 1 real estate brokerage serving the northern suburbs of New York City, covering the counties of Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Sullivan and Putnam in New York and Bergen and Passaic in New Jersey. Rand has more than 850 sales associates, a commercial real estate company (Rand Commercial Services) along with title, mortgage, and insurance services (Hudson United). The companies can be found online at RandRealty.com, RandCommercial.com and HudsonUnited.com.

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 ALLPOINTS REALTY (800) 525-7793 • www.C21AllPointsRealty.com CENTURY 21 AllPoints Realty is an award-winning, full-service real estate company with six offices serving Connecticut. We work with buyers and sellers in our own communities and throughout the country, establishing lifelong relationships by delivering outstanding service when it comes to any of their real estate needs.

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, 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 18 locations and approximately 750 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 hand selected 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, 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 ADVANTAGE (800) 274-5345 • info@AdvantageCB.com Coldwell Banker Advantage is a leading real estate company in the Fayetteville/Triangle area of North Carolina and is a nationally ranked Coldwell Banker office serving the communities of Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Cary, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Creedmoor, Clayton, Durham, Benson, Southern Pines, Pinehurst and Lake Gaston. Coldwell Banker Advantage represents the highest levels of experience, knowledge and customer service. Our full-service office can assist with mortgage financing, insurance, title insurance and in-house Concierge Service.

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.

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COLDWELL BANKER KAPPEL GATEWAY REALTY (800) 426-0898 • 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 in 2012 and welcoming more than 240 agents in seven offices serving Solano County, 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.

COLDWELL BANKER PRIME PROPERTIES (866) 323-2277 • www.ColdwellBankerPrime.com With 15 sales offices and 500+ full-time real estate professionals, Coldwell Banker Prime Properties is the No. 1 Coldwell Banker affiliate in New York State. Coldwell Banker Prime Properties is a full-service brokerage dedicated to meeting and exceeding the needs of their clients, customers and sales associates. If you want a successful career in real estate, call us today.

DIANE TURTON, REALTORS® (877) DTURTON • www.dianeturton.com Founded in 1986, Diane Turton, REALTORS® is a full-service real estate company with 16 offices throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or rent in New Jersey, you’ll receive service that will surpass your expectations. Diane Turton, REALTORS® consistently ranks in the top of the markets it serves. The firm also provides a full range of financial services through Turton Signature Services, including home mortgages, property and casualty insurance and title insurance.

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

96 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

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 home grown, 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, owned by Dick Schlott, has serviced the most discerning buyers and sellers of residential real estate in New Jersey for over 35 years with more than 700 sales associates within our 23 offices throughout New Jersey and Bucks County, Pa. As an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, along with our luxury lifestyle magazine we offer our clients and associates the most cutting edge marketing services both, globally and locally. For additional information about Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate, please visit www.glorianilson.com.

HARRY NORMAN, REALTORS® (404) 504-7300 • www.harrynorman.com Founded in 1930, Harry Norman, REALTORS® is Atlanta’s oldest and largest residential real estate firm with 12 sales offices, various franchise and satellite offices, and more than 1,000 real estate professionals. Harry Norman, REALTORS® is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate. Harry Norman, REALTORS® is the exclusive Atlanta affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate and achieves additional international exposure through membership in such exclusive real estate networks as Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, the largest network of independent residential real estate firms with 600 members representing 5,000 offices and 150,000 associates across the U.S. and in more than 35 countries.

J. ROCKCLIFF REALTORS® (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.

JORDAN BARIS, INC., REALTORS® (800) 4-JBARIS • (973) 736-1600 • www.JordanBaris.com info@jordanbaris.com Founded in 1952, Jordan Baris Inc., REALTORS® 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. 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 REAL LIVING (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 largest independent residential real estate company in the country, is part of The Long & Foster Companies, which includes Prosperity Home Mortgage, Long & Foster Insurance and Long & Foster Settlement Services. It is the exclusive affiliate for Christie’s International Real Estate throughout select parts of the Mid-Atlantic, and a founding affiliate of LeadingRE, a prestigious global network that includes Luxury Portfolio International®. Long & Foster represents over 10,000 agents in seven states, plus Washington, D.C.

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. Call us today for your real estate needs.

MCCOLLY REAL ESTATE (800) 348-2100 x206 • www.mccolly.com Since 1974, thousands of families in Northwest Indiana and Chicago Southland have trusted their home-buying, -selling and relocation needs to the more than 500 sales professionals at McCOLLY Real Estate. We’ve created a one-stop shopping environment to save you time and money with our in-house mortgage, title and rental services.

PAGE TAFT 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.

PATTERSON-SCHWARTZ REAL ESTATE (877) 456-4663 • www.pattersonschwartz.com pattersonschwartz@psre.com Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate is Delaware’s largest independent

REALTOR® with 50 years of service to the Delaware real estate market and surrounding communities in nearby Pennsylvania and Maryland. With seven offices and 350 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® REAL LIVING (401) 364-3388 • www.randallrealtors.com Randall, REALTORS® Real Living 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 OF BOULDER, INC. (800) 825-7000 • www.BoulderCO.com Established in 1977, RE/MAX of Boulder was one of the first RE/ MAX franchises in the country and has been a model of success.

RE/MAX of Boulder offers one-stop shopping for the benefit of its clients and customers with a mortgage broker, an independent insurance agent and a title company all under one roof. A recognized leader in real estate sales for over 30 years, RE/MAX of Boulder specializes in relocation.

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.

RE/MAX PROFESSIONALS (303) 455-3300 • www.homesbythepro.com RE/MAX Professionals boasts the finest REALTORS® in the Denver Metro Area. For more than 30 years we have led the industry in sales, technology and professionalism. Recently, RE/MAX Professionals was recognized as the fastest growing RE/MAX in the world with nearly 400 licensed agents.

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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: Client Services • Tel: (619) 325-4140 Email: info@ascentrealestate.net URL: www.ascentrealestate.net Coverage Areas: San Diego Offices: 7 • Associates: 140 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Mason-McDuffie 2260 Douglas Blvd., Ste. 140, Roseville, CA 95661 Contact: Linda Howard, President, Network Services Tel: (916) 488-1787 (Direct) • (800) 451-3131 (Toll Free) • Fax: 916-488-3749 Email: linda.howard@bhghome.com URL: www.bhghome.com Coverage Areas: Northern California, Northern Nevada Offices: 29 • Associates: 1,700 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: Loretta Neubert Phone: (707) 427-5344 or (800) 426-0898 • Fax: (707) 446-9830 Email: relo@kappelgateway.com URL: www.KappelGateway.com Coverage Areas: Vacaville, Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, 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 Toll Free: (855) 858-8028 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: (O) (925) 251-2501, (C) (925) 324-1323, (TF) 877-JRCKCLF (572-2523) 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 98 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

COLORADO

RE/MAX of Boulder, Inc. 2425 Canyon Blvd., #110, Boulder, CO 80302 Contact: D.B. Wilson, CDPE, SFR, CRS, GRI Broker Assoc./Mgr., Relo. Svcs.

Tel: (303) 449-7000 • Toll Free: (800) 825-7000 • Fax: (303) 449-8554 Email: dbwilson@BoulderCO.com URL: www.BoulderCO.com Coverage Areas: Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Broomfield, Niwot, Nederland, Lyons, Superior, Westminster, Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Jamestown, close in mountains and the entire Boulder Valley. Covering much of Adams, Larimer, Weld, Denver, Jefferson, Gilpin and all of Boulder and Broomfield counties Offices: 1 • Associates: 85 RE/MAX Professionals 390 Union Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80228 Contact: Brad Whitehouse, Broker/Owner Tel: (303) 268-4236 (office) • (303) 887-5159 (mobile) Email: bradwhitehouse@remax.net URL: www.homesbythepros.com Coverage Areas: Denver and surrounding areas Offices: 8 • Associates: 380

CONNECTICUT

Calcagni Real Estate 330 South Main St., Cheshire, CT 06410 Contact: Steven Calcagni, President Tel: (203) 272-1821 ext. 302 Email: Steven_Calcagni@calcagni.com URL: www.calcagni.com Coverage Areas: New Haven County, Central Connecticut Offices: 4 • Associates: 140 CENTURY 21 AllPoints Realty 117 North Main St., Southington, CT 06489 Contact: Kelly Peterson, COO • Tel: (800) 525-7793 Email: C21KellyPeterson@gmail.com URL: www.c21allpointsrealty.com Coverage Areas: Southington, Cheshire, Plainville, Bristol, Farmington, Newington, Berlin, New Britain, Waterbury, Watertown, West Hartford, Enfield, Somers, Suffield, Manchester, Windsor, South Windsor, East Hartford, Vernon, Tolland, Granby, New Haven, Branford, Northford, Meriden, Wallingford, North Haven, East Haven, Guilford, Old Saybrook, Orange, Naugatuck, Milford Office: 6 • Associates: 214 Page Taft Real Living 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® Real Living 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, SE 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: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+ Patterson-Schwartz Real Estate 7234 Lancaster Pike, Ste. 220B, Hockessin, DE 19707 Contact: Marjorie Murray, RCC, Relocation Manager Tel: (302) 234-3600 (Office) • (302) 234-3605 (Direct) • (800) 443-2295 (Toll Free) Email: mmurray@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: 8 • Associates: 350

FLORIDA

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Florida Network Realty 4190 Belfort Rd., Ste. 475, Jacksonville, FL 32216 Contact: Linda Lindenmoyer, Dir. Relocation, Referral Services and Bus. Dev. Tel: (800) 456-8036 • Direct: (904) 296-6400 ext. 313 Email: Linda.Lindenmoyer@Prunet.com URL: www.prudentialnetworkrealty.com or www.BHHSFloridaNetworkRealty.com Coverage Areas: Northeast Florida including: Jacksonville, Avondale, Ortega, San Marco, Riverside, Neptune Beach, Arlington, Southside, Atlantic Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Mandarin, St. Johns, World Golf Village, St. Augustine, St. Augustine Beach, Crescent Beach, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Middleburg. Serving Clay, St. Johns, Duval, Flagler counties 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 URL: www.BHHSFloridaRealty.com Relocation Contact: Sharon Sapp, Vice President, Relocation, Referrals & REOs Email: sharonsapp@BHHSFloridaRealty.com Coverage Areas: 17 counties throughout Florida, including Southeast Florida, Southwest Florida and Orlando area Offering mortgage, title, insurance, home service plans, 1031 exchange services!

Offices: 39 • Associates: 1,350

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: 22 • Associates: 1,100

Harry Norman, REALTORS® 532 East Paces Ferry Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 Contact: Patsy Alston, patsy.alston@harrynorman.com Tel: (404) 504-7950 Email: patsy.alston@harrynorman.com URL: www.harrynorman.com Coverage Areas: Atlanta, Ga. Offices: 12 • Associates: 1,000

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, Beecher, Blue Island, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Burbank, Burnham, Calumet City, Channahon, Chicago, Chicago Heights, Chicago Ridge, Clearing, Coal City, Country Club Hills, Crestwood, Crete, Dolton, Evergreen Park, Frankfort, Glenwood, Grant Park, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Hegewisch, Hickory Hills, Homer Glen, Homewood, Joliet, Kankakee, Lansing, Lemont, Lockport, Lynwood, Manhattan, Manteno, Markham, Matteson, Midlothian, Mokena, Momence, Monee, Morgan Park, Mount Greenwood, New Lenox, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Park Forest, Peotone, Plainfield, Posen, Richton Park, Riverdale, Romeoville, Roseland, Sauk Village, Shorewood, South Holland, St. Anne, Steger, Tinley Park, University Park, Worth Offices: 15 • Associates: 550

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, Burns Harbor, Cedar Lake, Chesterton, Crown Point, DeMotte, Dyer, East Chicago, Fair Oaks, Gary, Griffith, Hammond, Hebron, Hessville, Highland, Hobart, Kentland, Kouts, La Crosse, La Porte, Lake Station, Lake Village, Lakes of Four Seasons, Lowell, Merrillville, Michigan City, Morocco, Munster, Ogden Dunes, Portage, Porter, Rensselaer, Roselawn, Schererville, Schneider, Shelby, St. John, Sumava Resorts, Thayer, Valparaiso, Wanatah, Westville, Wheatfield, Wheeler, Whiting, Winfield Offices: 15 • Associates: 550

LOUISIANA

GARDNER, REALTORS® 3332 N. Woodlawn Ave., Metairie, LA 70006 Contact: Nancy Harmann, Director of Relocation & Corporate Services Tel: (504) 200-5080 • Cell: (504) 402-9567 • Toll Free: (800) 256-5677 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: Scott Becker, Director, NM Relocation Email: move@c21nm.com URL: www.c21nm.com Coverage Areas: Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Southern Maryland

RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 99

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: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+

MASSACHUSETTS

Kinlin Grover Real Estate Real Living 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 • Cell: (504) 402-9567 • Toll Free: (800) 256-5677 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 • Direct (314) 835-6050 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

Coverage Areas: Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin and Pahrump Offices: 6 • Associates: 1,050 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Mason-McDuffie 2260 Douglas Blvd., Ste. 140, Roseville, CA 95661 Contact: Linda Howard, President, Network Services Tel: (916) 488-1787 • (800) 451-3131 • Fax: (916) 488-3749 Email: linda.howard@bhghome.com URL: www.bhghome.com Coverage Areas: Northern California, Northern Nevada Offices: 35 • Associates: 2,000

NEW JERSEY

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, SE Pa., Southern and Central N.J., Northern Del. Offices: 65 • Associates: 4,000 Diane Turton, REALTORS® 511 Forman Ave., Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742 Contact: Dawn Fetherston, Director of Relocation & Corporate Services Tel: 1-877-DTURTON Email: dturton@dianeturton.com URL: www.dianeturton.com Coverage Areas: Monmouth County and Ocean County (N.J.) Member Organizations: Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, Luxury Portfolio, Luxury Real Estate Offices: 16 · Associates: 350 Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate 826 Alexander Rd., Princeton, NJ 08540 Contact: Patricia (Tricia) Kobos Relocation Line: (888) 467-MOVE • Direct: (609) 750-7605 Email: pkobos@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+

NEBRASKA

Jordan Baris, Inc., REALTORS® 50 Mt. Pleasant Ave., West Orange, NJ 07052 Contact: Carol Abdo, Relocation Director Office: (973) 736-1600 • Toll Free: (800) 4-JBARIS • 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

NEVADA

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate 13340 California St., Omaha, NE 68154 Contact: Katie Adams, CRP, GMS, VP Corp. Relocation and 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 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

100 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

NEW YORK

Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty 10 Schriever Ln., New City, NY 10956 Contact: Janet Farsetta, Vice President, Relocation Tel: (845) 825-8071 Email: janet.farsetta@randrealty.com • URL: www.randrealty.com Coverage Areas: The major New York suburbs, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties in New York Offices: 25 • Associates: More than 800 Coach REALTORS® 66 Gilbert St., Northport, NY 11768 Contact: Elaine Elish, Inbound Referral Coordinator Tel: (800) 321-7356 x138 Email: elaine@coachrealtors.com URL: www.coachrealtors.com/buying-and-selling/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: Elaine Elish, Kathy Brandofino and Roseanne Tourto. These 3 professionals draw upon more than 50 years of combined relocation experience in order to make the client transition a comfortable one.

Offices: 18 • Associates 618 Coldwell Banker Prime Properties 10 Osgood Ave., Green Island, NY 12183 Contact: R. James Long, Broker/Owner Tel: (518) 640-4008 • Fax: (518) 456-8980 Email: jim.long@ColdwellBankerPrime.com Coverage Areas: New York State, primarily Capital Region and Central New York Offices: 16 • Sales Associates: 500

Region, SE 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: Patricia (Tricia) Kobos Relocation Line: (888) 467-MOVE • Direct: (609) 750-7605 Email: pkobos@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: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+ 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

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

RE/MAX 440 and RE/MAX Central 701 West Market St., Perkasie, PA 18944 Contact: Tom Skiffington, Broker/Owner • Tel: (215) 453-7653 • (215) 643-3200 Email: tom@tomskiffington.com URLs: www.pahomesforsale.com and www.lehighvalleyrealestate.com Coverage Areas: Pennsylvania counties: Bucks, Berks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Lehigh, North Hampton, and New Jersey Offices: 10 • Associates: 170

NORTH CAROLINA

RHODE ISLAND

Coldwell Banker Advantage 7610 Six Forks Rd., Ste. 100, Raleigh, NC 27615 Contact: Benina Drake, CRP, SVP Relocation and Referral Services Tel: (800) 274-5345 • Direct (919) 846-3330 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 Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com • URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+

PENNSYLVANIA

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

Randall, REALTORS® Real Living 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: Karen Taylor, Director of Relocation, ktaylor@cdanjoyner.com, (864) 678-5244 Jo Anne Conner, Network Mgr., jconner@cdanjoyner.com, (864) 678-5227 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: 9 • Associates: 275+

TEXAS

Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper, REALTORS® 18756 Stone Oak Parkway, 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, RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE January 2016 101

Bandera, Kerrville and surrounding areas Offices: 8 • Associates: 350+

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: Scott Becker, Dir., NM 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: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+ RE/MAX Gateway 4090B Lafayette Center Dr., Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Scott MacDonald, President Tel: (703) 652-5776 • Cell: (703) 727-6900 Email: scottmacdonald@remax.net URL: www.gateway2realestate.com Coverage Areas: Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia Offices: 4 • Associates: 108

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: Scott Becker, Dir., NM 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: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+

WEST VIRGINIA

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. Headquarters Office: 14501 George Carter Way, Chantilly, VA 20151 Contact: Pandra Richie, President of Corporate Real Estate Services Tel: (800) 336-0356 Email: Pandra.Richie@Longandfoster.com URL: www.LongandFoster.com Coverage Areas: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia Offices: 170+ • Associates: 10,000+

INDEX OF SERVICE PROVIDERS ABR®...................................................................................20

On The Move, Inc. .........................................................102

American Home Shield...................................................17

The Personal Marketing Company..........................41, 71

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices...............................BC

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors...........................................2

Buyside..............................................................................60

The Real Estate Book.......................................................31

Century 21 Real Estate LLC...............................................1

Real Living® Real Estate...................................................13

Contractor Connection®.................................................45

Realtors Property Resource®...........................................29

Engel & Völkers...................................................................5

Realty ONE Group............................................................27

The Entrust Group.............................................................59

RE/MAX, LLC.....................................................................10

Homes.com........................................................................7

Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS) Certification......................................................................50

HSA Home Warranty...................................................... IFC Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®................19 MRE – Win Local®.......................................... 11, 65, 69, IBC National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)®..................................................35 National Association of REALTORS®............................8, 26 National Association of REALTORS® Global.................103

RISMedia’s Content Solutions...........................................9 RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network® (RREIN)...............................................................................48 RISMedia’s Top 5 in Real Estate Network®...............72, 87 Stewart Title.......................................................................14 Workman Success Systems.........................................84-85

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{re: Real Estate} REALTOR®: Celebrating 100 Years of Distinction

O

ne hundred years ago, the term “REALTOR®” was adopted by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to identify members of a group of individuals deeply committed to integrity, community, and protecting the American Dream of property ownership.

8 Provide a competitive advantage 8 Understand and have insights into local markets 8 See what can’t be uncovered in a simple online

This was a revolutionary perspective in 1916. The real estate landscape a century ago was vastly different: chaotic, unregulated, and without even the most basic consumer protections. “Buyer beware” was the law of the land. Fortunately, REALTORS® stepped up and changed an entire industry.

In short, we are urging consumers to Get REALTOR®.

Watch for Get REALTOR® messaging across social, digital, radio and TV, beginning in late January and early February.

Still Making a Difference This year, the centennial of the REALTOR® mark is an incredible opportunity to reinforce the value of NAR membership, which celebrates you—the REALTOR®— and the essential role you play. REALTORS® hold the power in protecting the American Dream, advocating for property ownership and vibrant communities.

To help celebrate our members and all that they do, NAR has developed a website for REALTORS® to submit pictures and stories highlighting the good work they’re doing as a REALTOR® all across the country. You’ll find many members’ stories at 100years.REALTOR, an online project that showcases who REALTORS® are and what they’re made of. How do you support your community?

Share your story. Take a picture of a charitable endeavor you’re proud of and tell us about it at 100years.REALTOR/add-your-story.

Encourage Consumers to ‘Get REALTOR®’ Ironically, in today’s world, there are more ways to reach consumers, and yet it’s harder to reach them. With an affinity for technology, most consumers begin their real estate search online, which can create a false sense of self-sufficiency and confidence. Many consumers may not appreciate or understand what a REALTOR® can do for them.

In conjunction with the centennial celebration, NAR’s latest consumer advertising campaign focuses on clearly defining the value of the REALTOR®brand among hyper-connected consumers, and particularly among upand-coming generations of homebuyers, sellers, owners and investors. We want today’s consumers to understand that NAR’s members: 104 January 2016 RISMedia’s REAL ESTATE

search

8 Are consumer advocates 8 Form connective tissues in a community

This year, the centennial of the REALTOR® mark is an incredible opportunity to reinforce the value of NAR membership, which celebrates you—the REALTORS®—and the essential role you play.

Add Your Voice With your help, we can spread the Get REALTOR® message even further. There are several ways to add your voice: 8 Follow HouseLogic on Facebook to access images, infographics and videos created for consumers. Use these materials in your own consumer outreach.

8 Add the Real Estate Today radio show through your website. Go to the “For REALTORS®” section of retradio.com to download the widget to offer buyers and sellers critical and credible information on the real estate market.

8 Talk to your clients, because in the end, the one-onone relationship between you as REALTORS® and the clients and customers you work with has the most impact on how consumers perceive the REALTOR® brand.

Time and technologies may have changed the industry over the past 100 years, but our members’ strong ideals haven’t. Join us in celebrating our history, our future, and our REALTORS®.

Re:sources 8 100years.REALTOR 8 http://www.REALTOR.org/consumer-advertising-campaign 8 REALTOR.org/consumer-advertising-campaign

“Our transition to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has been even better than we imagined. From brand recognition to top-of-the-line tools, this change is growing our business.”

Nancy L. Quinn, President/CEO

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices N.E. Prime Properties

Good to know.

®

Residential • Commercial ©2016 BHH Affiliates, LLC. Real Estate Brokerage Services are offered through the network member franchisees of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Most franchisees are independently owned and operated. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Information not verified or guaranteed. If your property is currently listed with a broker, this is not intended as a solicitation. Equal Housing Opportunity.

BHH Affiliates, LLC, 18500 Von Karman, Suite 400, Irvine, California 92612 (949) 794-7900. For New York Residents: This advertisement is not an offering. An offering can only be made by a prospectus filed first with the Department of Law of the State of New York. Such filing does not constitute approval by the Department of Law. For Minnesota Residents: BHH Affiliates, LLC is registered in the State of Minnesota, Registration number F-7072.

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