Author: admin

By Susanne Dwyer

In the following interview, Phillip Romero, president, and Joshua Robertson-Tucker, executive vice president of Business Development and Relocation, at CENTURY 21 Award in San Diego, Calif., discuss disruption in real estate, their reintroduced value proposition, and more.

Region Served: Southern California
Years in Real Estate: Philip: 30; Joshua: 4
Number of Offices: 17
Number of Agents: 1,000
No. 296 in Sales Volume in RISMedia’s 2017 Power Broker Report

Your company is one of the highest volume performers in the CENTURY 21 franchise. What goes into reinventing an established brand once you’re already known as a leader?
Philip Romero: It’s important to understand that being established as a leader in the past won’t necessarily carry you into the future, a notion that’s been at the forefront of our reinvention. For us, the process began with a heavy dose of self-reflection in order to understand where we are in the industry, our strengths/weaknesses/deficiencies and to honestly assess the needs of our consumers. Whether you’ve been in the business many years or are just getting started, you need to examine these areas before you jump into rebranding or reinventing yourself.

How do you keep the company innovative and positioned as a leader in the marketplace, rather than resting on the past and the status quo?
PR: Resting is obviously the much easier choice…until it’s not. And resting is not an option for us. Part of our strategy for remaining innovative comes in the form of realizing a new leadership team. In fact, we’ve transformed our leadership team into a bunch of creative types—those who have an energy like Josh [Robertson-Tucker]. With four years of experience under his belt, he brings a fresh set of eyes to the things we’ve maybe taken for granted over the years.

What will success look like once you’ve achieved your goals?
PR: Marketshare growth. Simply stated, this is telling us that we’re aligned correctly with our clients’ expectations and that they find value in the approach that we take as a company.

Joshua Robertson-Tucker: Success is culture, too, so we’re focused on creating a thriving environment of innovative thinkers. And this doesn’t just include our staff. In fact, we want agents who are looking to grow and turn real estate into a career they can grow into. This comes from energy and enthusiasm, in addition to educating each and every agent as to how to grow their business in today’s environment.

Can you provide any specific examples in terms of what you’re doing?
JRT: One area we’re currently focusing on is new licensees. In fact, we’ve created a training program called Accelerate that’s set up to infuse one’s business with adrenaline through coaching, activities and instruction by immersing our new licensees into business generation from the get-go. The program, powered by tools such as FiveStreet, Market Snapshot and Top Producer that we’re purchasing from realtor.com®, is instrumental in teaching new licensees how to engage and activate their sphere of influence while springing in contractual items along the way. It’s all about …read more

From:: Real Estate News

By Susanne Dwyer

Since Amazon announced its search for a second headquarters site, experts have speculated on what city will become home to HQ2. In January, the company narrowed down its selections to 20. The area Amazon chooses can expect its economy to surge, and, in the housing market, an influx of new residents.

According to experts recently surveyed by Zillow, Atlanta and Northern Virginia are frontrunners. Twelve of the 85 experts who participated in Zillow’s 2018 Home Price Expectations Survey believe affordability, the availability of land and business-friendly incentives are what make Atlanta a prime spot.

Another 12 experts believe that, though costly, Northern Virginia is ideal for its proximity to Washington, D.C. Eleven others chose Austin, nine chose Raleigh and six chose Denver.

Los Angeles, Miami, Newark and New York are the least likely to be selected, according to the experts, chiefly due to congestion, high home prices and lack of incentives.

Whichever city wins, how Amazon has benefitted Seattle—where its current headquarters is located—could indicate how it will impact HQ2’s market.

“As the experience of Seattle suggests, Amazon will not only directly bring thousands of high-paying jobs to the chosen city, but also has the potential to transform the regional economy,” says Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow. “The local jobs boom that Amazon’s HQ2 promises will spur demand for the full spectrum of housing types, ranging from urban apartments to suburban single-family homes.

“Atlanta has the benefit of being one of the most affordable markets in the country, and is undergoing an urban renaissance with new public infrastructure providing attractive opportunities for employers seeking to lure young urbanites,” Terrazas says. “Northern Virginia has its benefits, as well, as it’s close to a highly educated workforce and a well-developed public transit infrastructure in the D.C. area.”

Amazon’s benefits, however, could come with drawbacks. A boom in the housing market could pressure prices, and more commuters could impact infrastructure.

“The potential economic benefits of hosting Amazon HQ2 are tantalizing, and will tempt the 20 municipalities still in the hunt to dangle significant tax incentives to get a deal done,” says Terry Loebs, founder of Pulsenomics, which conducted the survey with Zillow. “These cities should be prepared not only to justify their financial inducements, but to carefully weigh the social risks and costs that could accompany their HQ2 commitment. The mix and degree of these potential risks, such as diminished affordable housing stock, more congested roadways, and greater income inequality, vary considerably across the 20 markets.”

Amazon announced it would build the headquarters in October. The contenders: Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Montgomery County, Md.; Nashville, Tenn.; Newark, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Raleigh, N.C.; Toronto, Canada; and Washington, D.C.

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

Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

The post <a target="_self" rel="nofollow" …read more

From:: Real Estate News

By Susanne Dwyer

Since Amazon announced its search for a second headquarters site, experts have speculated on what city will become home to HQ2. In January, the company narrowed down its selections to 20. The area Amazon chooses can expect its economy to surge, and, in the housing market, an influx of new residents.

According to experts recently surveyed by Zillow, Atlanta and Northern Virginia are frontrunners. Twelve of the 85 experts who participated in Zillow’s 2018 Home Price Expectations Survey believe affordability, the availability of land and business-friendly incentives are what make Atlanta a prime spot.

Another 12 experts believe that, though costly, Northern Virginia is ideal for its proximity to Washington, D.C. Eleven others chose Austin, nine chose Raleigh and six chose Denver.

Los Angeles, Miami, Newark and New York are the least likely to be selected, according to the experts, chiefly due to congestion, high home prices and lack of incentives.

Whichever city wins, how Amazon has benefitted Seattle—where its current headquarters is located—could indicate how it will impact HQ2’s market.

“As the experience of Seattle suggests, Amazon will not only directly bring thousands of high-paying jobs to the chosen city, but also has the potential to transform the regional economy,” says Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow. “The local jobs boom that Amazon’s HQ2 promises will spur demand for the full spectrum of housing types, ranging from urban apartments to suburban single-family homes.

“Atlanta has the benefit of being one of the most affordable markets in the country, and is undergoing an urban renaissance with new public infrastructure providing attractive opportunities for employers seeking to lure young urbanites,” Terrazas says. “Northern Virginia has its benefits, as well, as it’s close to a highly educated workforce and a well-developed public transit infrastructure in the D.C. area.”

Amazon’s benefits, however, could come with drawbacks. A boom in the housing market could pressure prices, and more commuters could impact infrastructure.

“The potential economic benefits of hosting Amazon HQ2 are tantalizing, and will tempt the 20 municipalities still in the hunt to dangle significant tax incentives to get a deal done,” says Terry Loebs, founder of Pulsenomics, which conducted the survey with Zillow. “These cities should be prepared not only to justify their financial inducements, but to carefully weigh the social risks and costs that could accompany their HQ2 commitment. The mix and degree of these potential risks, such as diminished affordable housing stock, more congested roadways, and greater income inequality, vary considerably across the 20 markets.”

Amazon announced it would build the headquarters in October. The contenders: Atlanta, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, Ill.; Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Los Angeles, Calif.; Miami, Fla.; Montgomery County, Md.; Nashville, Tenn.; Newark, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; Northern Virginia; Philadelphia, Pa.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Raleigh, N.C.; Toronto, Canada; and Washington, D.C.

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

Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

The post <a target="_self" rel="nofollow" …read more

From:: Finance and Economy