Category: Uncategorized

By Susanne Dwyer

HomeServices Chairman Kicks Off RISMedia CEO Exchange With Candid Look at Industry

Set within the hallowed halls of the Harvard Club of New York City, RISMedia’s 2017 Real Estate CEO Exchange opened last week with a candid look at the state of the real estate union from HomeServices of America Chairman and CEO Ron Peltier.

Peltier’s address on Sept. 12 came after RISMedia President & CEO John Featherston welcomed the crowd of more than 230 real estate brokerage leaders and C-level executives, pausing to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as those suffering from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Featherston then turned his attention to the state of the real estate industry. “We live in an era where the consumer has become more sophisticated than ever before,” he said. “Our value proposition as real estate professionals is under constant attack.”

To address this concern for the CEO Exchange audience, Featherston turned to old friend and industry icon—“someone who walks the walk”—Ron Peltier.

“One thing I can’t do is tell this group how to get another listing or sale,” said Peltier to the crowd. “But we’re all in the same business and at the end of the day, the ultimate achievement is superior customer experience in the homeownership space.”

When it comes to the state of the housing economy, Peltier said it’s a “tale of the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Giving his perspective on the national market, Peltier referred to the first 8.5 months of 2017 as a “Goldilocks” market. “It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold…it’s just right,” he explained. “Although it’s very hot in unit-driven markets or entry-level markets where there is no inventory.” In fact, keeping with his movie-title theme, Peltier referred to the entry-level homebuyer market as “gone in 30 seconds. Conversely, we’re seeing a very slow marketplace in the luxury market as it relates to units,” said Peltier.

Peltier believes we will end the year at 5.5 million home sales and experience a slight increase next year to 5.6 million. “It’s a goldilocks market—it’s ok, it’s normal. It’s not perfect and it’s not great, but it’s one we can navigate in. We can plan and predict and build a budget around. Pricing is continuing to move up, but affordability is still good, although it’s starting to get challenged on the lower end.”

Problems dot the economic landscape, however, including a very little wage growth and “not a lot of fire” in the marketplace. GDP is growing but is probably not going to be robust, said Peltier, but the good news is there is no recession on the horizon and inflation is low. “I think we’ve got a good run ahead of us.”

That said, there are several concerns that keep Peltier “up at night,” one of them …read more

From:: Finance and Economy

By Susanne Dwyer

HomeServices Chairman Kicks Off RISMedia CEO Exchange With Candid Look at Industry

Set within the hallowed halls of the Harvard Club of New York City, RISMedia’s 2017 Real Estate CEO Exchange opened last week with a candid look at the state of the real estate union from HomeServices of America Chairman and CEO Ron Peltier.

Peltier’s address on Sept. 12 came after RISMedia President & CEO John Featherston welcomed the crowd of more than 230 real estate brokerage leaders and C-level executives, pausing to honor the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks as well as those suffering from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

Featherston then turned his attention to the state of the real estate industry. “We live in an era where the consumer has become more sophisticated than ever before,” he said. “Our value proposition as real estate professionals is under constant attack.”

To address this concern for the CEO Exchange audience, Featherston turned to old friend and industry icon—“someone who walks the walk”—Ron Peltier.

“One thing I can’t do is tell this group how to get another listing or sale,” said Peltier to the crowd. “But we’re all in the same business and at the end of the day, the ultimate achievement is superior customer experience in the homeownership space.”

When it comes to the state of the housing economy, Peltier said it’s a “tale of the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Giving his perspective on the national market, Peltier referred to the first 8.5 months of 2017 as a “Goldilocks” market. “It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold…it’s just right,” he explained. “Although it’s very hot in unit-driven markets or entry-level markets where there is no inventory.” In fact, keeping with his movie-title theme, Peltier referred to the entry-level homebuyer market as “gone in 30 seconds. Conversely, we’re seeing a very slow marketplace in the luxury market as it relates to units,” said Peltier.

Peltier believes we will end the year at 5.5 million home sales and experience a slight increase next year to 5.6 million. “It’s a goldilocks market—it’s ok, it’s normal. It’s not perfect and it’s not great, but it’s one we can navigate in. We can plan and predict and build a budget around. Pricing is continuing to move up, but affordability is still good, although it’s starting to get challenged on the lower end.”

Problems dot the economic landscape, however, including a very little wage growth and “not a lot of fire” in the marketplace. GDP is growing but is probably not going to be robust, said Peltier, but the good news is there is no recession on the horizon and inflation is low. “I think we’ve got a good run ahead of us.”

That said, there are several concerns that keep Peltier “up at night,” one of them …read more

From:: Real Estate News

By Susanne Dwyer

In the following interview, Terrence Murphy Sr., broker, CEO and founder of TM5 Properties, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE), in Bryan Texas, discusses agent development, luxury and niche marketing and specializations, and more.

Region Served: Bryan/College Station, Texas
Years in Real Estate: 11
Number of Offices: 1
Number of Agents: 30+
Best Tip for Getting the Right Listing Price: Do your due diligence and study the market trends.
Best Tip for Dealing With Difficult Clients: Never waver in your integrity. Be truthful, speak the facts, and always respect others.
Most Effective Way to Motivate Agents: Lead by example. We maintain a high standard in everything we do at TM5 Properties.

What are some of the most important things you learned as a professional football player that have helped you succeed in real estate?
Being a pro athlete gave me a good background for running a good organization. The Green Bay Packers are a billion-dollar company, but I wasn’t just catching touchdowns; I was watching how they maintained a successful organization. Being in real estate, you work with a lot of agents and brokers, and knowing the numbers and how to read details within contracts are things I learned as an NFL player.

Tell me a little bit about how you develop newly-recruited agents.
Above all, I try to give my agents accountability and responsibility. We’ve created a track record through our training, continually producing newer agents who close 30 to 40-plus transactions per year. By doing this, we’re building a culture around hard-working, persistent people who desire to evolve and grow personally and professionally. Their success speaks for itself.

Do you recruit different agents to represent farm and ranch clients versus luxury market clients?
I look to develop core competencies in three areas: luxury/residential, farms and ranches, and property leasing. I tend to recruit agents who find their niche specializing in one of these three areas. We try to coach our agents to get into the business and become an expert in one area at a time because if you try to do it all, it’s much more challenging to become successful. At the end of the day, you become successful because you put in the time and effort to bring value to the clients you represent.

What made you decide to affiliate with LeadingRE, and why has the affiliation been so successful?
I was being courted by a lot of big franchises, but when I decided to become independent, I saw just how hard LeadingRE is working to become one of the leading real estate brands in the world. I find that the company leadership at LeadingRE is really genuine, and they’re willing to pass down their wisdom. They didn’t feel intimidated by me, which has provided the opportunity to sit down and share ideas, helping TM5 Properties achieve a distinct level of success in the markets we serve.

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

For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.

The post Leading by Example appeared first on <a target="_self" …read more

From:: Real Estate News

By Susanne Dwyer

In the following interview, Shannon Daniele, broker/owner and franchise partner of HomeSmart Realty Group in Signal Hill, Calif., discusses the firm’s agent growth, training and more.

Regions Served: Los Angeles and Orange County, Calif.
Years in Real Estate: 18
Number of Offices: 1
Number of Agents: 90
Best Tip for Getting the Right Listing Price: Not only is it important to look at comps, but you also need to be aware of what’s currently trending and what’s active.
Favorite Part of Your Job: Motivating agents and getting them to believe in themselves

You’ve grown your agent count significantly in the past six months. What has contributed to your success in this area?
We have the HomeSmart competitive advantage, which allows our agents to take the lead in our local area as the rock stars that they are. When you have that competitive advantage, along with the tools and technology, agents feel like it’s too good to be true. When they join our firm, they’re blown away by our business model, and the fact that we give them everything they need to succeed. It’s not hard to grow when you have all of this.

Please describe the training you offer your agents.
While HomeSmart provides training on the backend stuff, we take it a step further and dive deeper into various topics such as 1031 exchanges, listing presentations, text marketing and more. We’ve even brought in a world-class inspector to do a first-time buyer class to educate agents as to what they can expect with an inspection and how to talk to clients, especially first-timers. In addition to offering a biweekly class that focuses on new, emerging technology, we also spend a great deal of time on social media training. The importance of these sessions is to let our agents know how big a part social media plays in today’s environment, and how they can leverage their time through various platforms.

Can you talk about some of the current trends you’re seeing in your market?
We’re seeing a new breed of smart, sophisticated buyers who have taken the time to educate themselves on the buying process. In addition to knowing what they want, they’re also asking serious questions—which is why we equip our agents with regular training so they can share the knowledge and expertise those customers demand. Another major trend we’re experiencing is millennials entering the market.

How does your company stay current and flexible?
With HomeSmart, we’re on the front wave of everything. Not only is the technology we have all-inclusive and cutting-edge, but our fee structure acts as another competitive advantage as it allows agents to pick up checks from escrow—something that’s missing from the industry. The training we provide on top of all this is another thing that keeps us flexible and current. In the end, it all comes down to keeping an eye on the competition to see if they’re doing something new or of value.

What sets your firm apart from the competition?
One of our office’s defining characteristics is its culture. No one is pretentious or presumptuous. In …read more

From:: Real Estate News

By Susanne Dwyer

With 14 locations throughout North and South Carolina, the Wilkinson ERA team managed more than 5,400 real estate transactions last year, generating $1.3 billion. Eb Moore, CEO of the firm, was a big reason why.

Moore first started in the biz in the mid-’70s after he and his wife purchased a home and felt lost throughout the process. He went to a real estate class to figure out what he had gotten himself into, and the broker that sold him the house convinced him to get a real estate license.

“I had no intention of doing it as a career, but I kept getting more and more involved, and more than 40 years later, here I am today,” Moore says.

According to Moore, his market is doing well, but he feels too many REALTORS® compare 2017 to the heyday of 2004-2006, and, therefore, think business could be better. But the numbers tell the real story: Last year, the firm was 25 percent ahead of the previous year, and so far in 2017, Moore is seeing a 10 percent increase in units and a 24 percent increase in gross commission income.

“Like everyone else, we’re a little lean on listings, but the market is getting stronger and more solid, and I think there are a whole bunch of people waiting on the sidelines,” he says. “I think there are people who would put their homes up for sale if they thought it would put some bucks in their pocket. As we see the prices rise, I think more of those people will be selling.”

Wilkinson ERA is actively looking for acquisitions and hopes to be adding to its office and agent count in late 2017. The firm recently did an expansion in the Winston-Salem market, with a 1,800-square-foot coffee bar-style office, which has been great for recruiting.

“We have the best compensation plan in every market we’re in and we won’t be beat,” Moore says. “Therefore, our agents earn more on every transaction they close with us. That allows them to reinvest in marketing themselves, which, in turn, helps them grow their business even more.”

The company places a great deal of importance on technology, as well, looking at every product and program that can help its sales professionals connect more quickly and effectively with consumers.

“Any time we think we are ahead of the pack, we’re probably just on par with everyone. Our philosophy is that we have to stay out in front,” Moore says. “The consumer today is more connected to technology in more significant ways and you have to stay on top of that, which we do through our networking and investigating the latest and greatest.”

Of course, the main goal of the firm is to make sure no one feels like Moore did when he was a confused homebuyer.

“We teach our agents not to treat the consumer as an opportunity to make a sale, but to approach every interaction as an educational opportunity,” he says. “A chance to sit down and help the consumer step by …read more

From:: Real Estate News