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SERVING UP SATISFACTION. • Top 100 agents share their insights. • Saying it boldly.
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T H E R E / M A X M A G A Z I N E
LE A R N F R O M TH E B E S T : TOP 100 AGENTS SHARE THEIR INSIGHTS
SAYING ITBOLDLYPAGE 30
R E / M A X A S S O C I A T E S H O N O R E D W I T H T W O P R E S T I G I O U S A W A R D S
Serving UpSatisfaction
FP
Bank of America Home Loans is proud of its ongoing relationship with RE/MAX.
Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender © 2011 Bank of America Corporation. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. All trademarks are the property of Bank of America Corporation or their respective owners. Bank of America and other advertised companies are separate entities; each is independently responsible for its products, services and incentives. 08-2011 ARX5P416
Bank of America would like to congratulate RE/MAX on your recent industry award recognizing highest overall satisfaction for home buyers and sellers.
Your commitment to agent education, industry excellence and distressed property training is reflected by your recent achievement. Bank of America is pleased to partner with you in serving the needs of your clients and agents.
To learn more about working with Bank of America Home Loans, call 800.243.0717 or visit bankofamerica.com/alliances.
FP
Today's key to connecting with your agents!
Web-based system allowing you & your agents
to connect anytime, from anywhere!
1.866.CRY.WOLF (279.9653) • [email protected] • www.thekeytoyouroffice.com
Lead Management & Distribution
Listing Management
Showing Tools & Feedback
Drip Marketing
Online File Cabinet & Documents
eConcierge & Haves + Wants
Event Management/Online Calendar
Full Message Center
Lone Wolf Agent Reports
CRM Tools
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 3
plan to using the many tools that
come with your RE/MAX affiliation.
Having a flagship print vehicle for
this type of exchange is something
we’ve been missing in recent years,
and ABOVE will fill that void perfectly.
But this is not your father’s maga-
zine, not by a longshot.
ABOVE is also available digitally
via computer, tablet or smartphone,
with a variety of enhanced content,
especially video, taking you deeper
into relevant topics. This aspect of
the project will be especially dynamic
and constantly evolving. There are no
limits, and that’s exciting.
Ultimately, ABOVE is about you.
And you can help us create the
informational mix you want. When
you have a moment, please send
your comments, suggestions and
story ideas for upcoming editions to
In the meantime, enjoy this first
edition and finish 2011 strong. Thanks
for all you do.
Dave Liniger
RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder
THIS PREMIERE EDITION OF
ABOVE reflects a whole new
way of communicating within
the RE/MAX network. Each quarterly
magazine will be a valuable resource,
a connection point and an ongoing
conversation within our organization.
That process will develop over time.
ABOVE will bring you stories and
insights from the world’s most-pro-
ductive real estate agents, along with
expert advice from leading voices
outside our network.
In this issue, you’ll meet super-
stars like Ryan O’Neill (page 26), a
team leader from Minnesota whose
764 transaction sides ranked No. 1
nationally in a recent industry sur-
vey, and Kerri-lyn Holland (page 35) of
Alberta, whose passion and attention
to detail serves the interests of all
her clients – and provides a success-
ful blueprint for others to follow.
You’ll also find dozens of practical
tips, on everything from closing
short sales to building a business
Welcome to ABOVE, the start of something big.
D A V E ’ S D E S K
4 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
features
26VALUE DRIVEN Minnesota’s Ryan O’Neill has led his team to the very highest levels of real estate achievement. In addition to being a tireless professional, he’s a really good guy who puts the success of others ahead of his own. He also plays a mean piano.
SAYING IT BOLDLY A new logo leaves no doubt as to where RE/MAX stands in the competitive landscape. Measured by transaction sides, agent productivity and a host of other metrics, RE/MAX is the No. 1 brand in real estate.30
35A PERSONAL APPROACH Canadian star Kerri-lyn Holland’s dedication to her clients stands at the center of her business strategy. A smart team structure and savvy approach to marketing set her apart in a crowded Edmonton market.
C O N T E N T S
33BEST ON
BOTH SIDES J.D. Power and Associates
bestows top honors to RE/MAX in both buyer and seller satisfaction
GO DIGITAL An e-version of ABOVE becomes available on RE/MAX Mainstreet shortly after the publication of each quarterly print edition. It’s a fun, interactive way to experience and share the magazine, with enhanced video content throughout. Between editions, keep up on all things RE/MAX via the RE/MAX Weekly, Facebook and Twitter.
HOW CAN HOOTSUITE HELP YOU?
PAGE 16
PAGE 35
PAGE 26
6 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
FP
FULL SPECTRUM
38 SHORTSALESIt’s getting easier to deliver real solutions to distressed homeowners
40 TOUCHESOFCLASSLuxury sales require a different level of care
42 COMMERCIALVICTORIESThree agents share insights on three very different markets
44 ATIMETOTAKEACTIONHow can you help end breast cancer?
45 HEALTHY,HOPEFUL &HAPPY
Cindy Pelletier is dedicated to the cause
46 20YEARSOFMIRACLESRE/MAX is honored for its long-term support of kids
ABOVE & BEYOND
3DAVE’SDESKThe start of something big
8GLOBALPRESENCERE/MAX around the world
48INCLOSINGAsk Margaret
IN EVERY ISSUE
INSIDE STORY
10 SNAPSHOTSR4 2012 - RE/MAX goes viral - Long Drive Championship - Google+
14 DESIGNCENTER5 easy steps to a Craigslist ad
15 RE/MAXUNIVERSITYChoose the right class for you
HOW WILL
YOU SUPPORT
THE CAUSE?
PAGE 44BUILDING BLOCKS
16 DIGITALTOOLBOX10 iPad apps every agent needs
18 TIMETOSHINETom Ferry pumps you up for Q4
20 WHAT’STHEPLAN?Mapping out a successful 2012
22 4X4Four top agents, in four markets, answer four questions
23 THERIGHTMOVETOMAKEWhy Prudential’s leading agent joined the RE/MAX network
24 TURNINGLEADSINTOCLIENTSHow to make LeadStreet work for you
25 TECHTIPS8 ways to build business with social media
6160 S. Syracuse Way, Ste 300 Greenwood Village, CO 80111
T: 303.662.5200 F: 303.397.7619 www.custompublishingco.com
MANAGING EDITOR Brendan Harrington
ART DIRECTOR Lindsay Burke
PROJECT MANAGER Susan Humphrey
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Sandy Haworth
ASSOCIATE DESIGNER Astrid Storey
Copyright © 2011 RE/MAX, LLC. All rights reserved. The material herein may not be duplicated, copied or reproduced – in whole or in part – in any way without written permission. ABOVE magazine is provided to RE/MAX Affiliates as one of many benefits. The opinions of guest contributors and interviewed guests are their own and not necessarily those of RE/MAX, LLC, or its Affiliates, or any of its own-ers, officers, employees or agents.
Legal Notice: RE/MAX, LLC, is not responsible for the content of ad-vertisements and assumes no liability for any claims arising therefrom.
RE/MAX, LLC, is an Equal Opportunity Employer and supports the Fair Housing Act. Each RE/MAX® Office is independently owned and operated.
RE/MAX, LLCCHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER Dave Liniger
VICE-CHAIRMAN & CO-FOUNDER Gail Liniger
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Margaret Kelly
PRESIDENT Vinnie Tracey
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, U.S. & INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT William Soteroff
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBALCOMMUNICATIONS AND BRANDING Mike Ryan
ABOVEDIRECTOR, CHIEF NEWS EDITOR George White
CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Collin Meek
EDITOR Amanda Okker
EDITOR Deborah Ball Kearns
AD COORDINATOR Whitney Sample
AD SALES Sarah Blankman, Kelly Tracey, Rich Foristal
To reach ABOVE, call 303.770.5531 or email [email protected]. To order additional copies, call the RE/MAX Order Desk at 303.796.3672 or visit www.remax.net.
ABOVEFALL 2011, VOL. 1, NO. 1
ABOVE, a quarterly publication (January, April, July,
October) is the official magazine of RE/MAX, LLC,
the international real estate franchisor serving the
industry’s most productive Sales Associates.
RE/MAX World Headquarters5075 S. Syracuse St. Denver, CO 80237-2712remax.com®
RE/MAX, LLCP.O. Box 3907Englewood, CO 80155
Just who is Barney Hasbin?
PAGE 13
FP
We are honored to be selected by RE/MAX as an Approved Supplier of 1031 Exchange Services
Q u a n t i t a t i v e E x c e l l e n c eWTP EXCHANGE
For the last 90 years, informed and savvy commercial real estate investors have reduced their tax bill by taking advantage of 1031 exchanges. WTP Exchange is the nation’s trusted provider of all types of Qualified Intermediary services.
At WTP Exchange, we are dedicated to providing your clients with the highest level of 1031 exchange tax expertise. Our firm has received numerous accolades for its burgeoning success, much of which stems from our dedication to client service. Inc. magazine ranked WTP in the top 15 percent of its fifth annual 500/5000 list of America’s fastest growing companies. WTP was also recognized in Fortune magazine for its client retention and avoidance of bureaucracy.
Call today for a free consultation Ron Hodgeman, Tax Attorney and 1031 Exchange Practice Leader [email protected] 1-888-733-1031
AROUND THE WORLD
CONSUMERS IN AFRICA
and Australia know the
RE/MAX Balloon, as do South
Americans and Europeans.
With recent expansions
into Egypt and Barbados,
the RE/ MAX network now
has a presence in more than
80 countries worldwide – a
number that keeps growing as
more entrepreneurs see the
value of aligning themselves
with the world’s No. 1 real
estate brand.
What does global presence
mean for Sales Associates
and Broker/Owners? It means
widespread brand awareness,
a worldwide referral network
and unlimited potential for
international business.
Despite global economic
uncertainties and challeng-
ing housing conditions in
many locations, RE/MAX has
entered more than 20 coun-
tries since 2008. All told, over
36,000 RE/MAX agents live
and work outside the United
States. That marks a real dif-
ference between RE/MAX and
other brands.
“Being part of a worldwide
network of nearly 90,000 sav-
vy businesspeople provides a
huge competitive advantage
for individual agents and
offices,” says Larry Oberly,
RE/MAX Vice President,
International Development.
B Y D E B O R A H B A L L K E A R N S
Opening Up Your World
THE BRAND’S GLOBAL PRESENCE BUILDS CONSUMER
CONFIDENCE AND CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR AGENTS
THE RE/MAX
NETWORK HAS
EXPANDED
INTO MORE
THAN 80
COUNTRIES
AROUND THE
GLOBE.
CANADA
As part of a partnership with the Western Hockey League, RE/MAX of Western Canada sponsors the RE/MAX Home Team Contest to give game tickets away to fans.
MEXICO
RE/MAX of Mexico scores big with its advertisements at a vari-ety of sporting and charity events.
ARGENTINA
More than 3,000 people attend RE/MAX Argentina’s RE/MAX Kids Tour client-appreciation event. The region, known for community outreach, is a 2011 RE/MAX Region of the Year.
G L O B A L
8 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
AROUND THE WORLD
“Whether they are sharing
insights or referrals, RE/MAX
agents benefit from their
connection to colleagues
thousands of miles away.
It’s an amazing resource for
everyone in our system.”
The annual RE/MAX R4
Convention offers the best
way for agents to meet in
person. At this year’s event,
attendees traveled to Las
Vegas from 57 different coun-
tries. The meeting rooms and
hallways were filled with an
array of languages, clothing
styles and cultures, and a
Global Referral Exchange was
one of the convention’s most
dynamic sessions.
When clients want to
relocate to another country or
invest in a faraway vacation
property, RE/MAX Associates
can confidently refer them to
an experienced, capable peer
within the system, Oberly says.
“RE/MAX agents share a
mutual desire to provide the
best service possible and
keep the trust of referring
agents and their clients, so
exchanging global referrals
and tapping destination
markets is a win-win for
everyone,” Oberly says. “It’s
a simple way to generate a
steady stream of income.
The hidden gem in all of this
is that agents learn from
each other and get a better
sense of how real estate
works in different interna-
tional markets.”
SOUTHAFRICA
RE/MAX of Southern Africa hosts the National Long Drive Finals. Winner Erik van der Walt smashes a 407-yard drive to earn the right to represent South Africa at the world finals.
EUROPE
Over 700 RE/MAX Associates attend the 3rd annual RE/MAX European Convention, a sold-out event, in Vienna, Austria.
AUSTRALIA
Agents with RE/MAX Colonial in Annerley and RE/MAX Colonial Riverside in Yeronga (both in Queensland) are inducted into the City South News Gold Hall of Fame for business achievers.
INDIA
In regions throughout the country, entrepreneurs purchase over 45 franchises YTD, the highest na-tional total outside North America.
SPAIN
Javier Sierra, President of RE/MAX Spain, receives the 2011 ACEGI award for his work in improving real estate brokerage standards in the Canary Islands.
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 9
10 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
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IT’S THE TIME OF YEAR WHEN THE RE/MAX
World Long Drive Championship takes center
stage, with the finals in November followed
by the annual ESPN telecasts – as well as air-
ings around the world – in December.
The 2011 edition of Long Drive is shaping
up as one of the best ever, with over 13,000
competitors at 180 qualifying events in 16
countries attempting to slam their way to
the finals in Mesquite, Nev.
RE/MAX has sponsored Long Drive since
1995, and in addition to the U.S. national
TV exposure – Christmas Eve on ESPN and
Christmas Day on ESPN2 – coverage of the
finals extends to Canada, Europe, Africa, the
Middle East, the Caribbean and beyond. As
a result, Long Drive puts RE/MAX into the
minds of millions of consumers worldwide.
But Long Drive visibility isn’t limited to
November-December, as a thriving scene
surrounds the art of hitting golf balls farther
than humans should be able to. For instance,
2011 champion Joe Miller of the United
Kingdom, who blasted a 393-yard drive
to win the title last year, has traveled the
world to appear at exhibitions and charity
events. Want to see some amazing stuff? Visit
YouTube and search for Long Drive clips.
LONG DRIVE FINALS AN ESPN SMASH
TOP5VIDEOSBYVIEWERSHIP:“RE/MAX is Wack”
(65,000+)
“The Problem With RE/MAX”
(37,000+)
“Disappearing Agent”
(21,000+)
“Short Sale” (15,000+)
“Downline” (14,000+)
LTHOUGH THE SHORT sale process must be
streamlined even further, it has improved in the past year, Dave Liniger wrote in the September edition of DS News, one of the default servicing industry’s pre-mier publications.
In his Ground Forces column, Liniger said “a key is having three components in place: (1) a servicer with a true interest in short sales and an empowered staff that can handle the work flow, (2) prescreened homeowners who can’t be helped with a loan modification and carry mortgages with no or few encumbrances, and (3) a network of real estate agents with high levels of training, skill and experi-ence. When these elements come together, aided by a spirit of cooperation and a
shared commitment to the goal – a closing – it changes the game.”
Improving short sales and providing foreclosure-avoiding solutions to families who cannot afford their homes has been a RE/MAX priority for several years. Progress is being made, Liniger said, in part because major servicers are recogniz-ing the benefit of working with skilled agents to help families relocate before it’s too late.
“Within the new frame-work, things are bet-ter,” Liniger wrote in DS News. “Not perfect by any stretch, but much better.”
Although not identified in the column, two of the nation’s largest lenders, Bank of America and Citi-Mortgage, have ongoing programs with RE/MAX
that drive potential short sales to highly qualified, experienced RE/MAX agents.
All told, thousands of distressed properties in the programs have been paired with RE/MAX agents since the beginning of the year. Thousands more are processed each month. And additional ini-tiatives are in the pipeline.
To be selected for these efforts, agents must have credentials such as the CDPE, the SFR or the Five Star certification, or a demonstrated expertise in short sales. RE/MAX agents lead the industry, by far, in distressed prop-erty education, and have three times more CDPEs than any competitor.
Proactive Short Sales Provide Distressed Property Solutions
VIRAL VIDEOS SURPASS A QUARTER-MILLION VIEWSThe “Why RE/MAX” viral videos recently topped
the 250,000-view mark on YouTube. The 17 funny,
high-quality clips, available on the RE/MAX YouTube
Brand Channel, have now been watched more than
257,000 times.
Find-Feed-LoveYour 800 Pound Gorilla(and we are here if you need help)
COACHING TRAININGAN
D
Find out more about us at:
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877-435-5232All Rights Reserved.
by the numbers{ {
22New franchises, YTD
through August, in Florida,
the fastest-growing region
of 2011. Worldwide sales to-
taled 414 in that time frame.
MONTHS SINCE
REMAX.COM
REGISTERED A
LISTING-VIEW
TOTAL THAT
HIGH (MAY 2009),
ILLUSTRATING
THAT TRAFFIC
(AND BUYER
INTEREST) HAS
PICKED UP.
2737,070,722LISTING VIEWS ON REMAX.COM DURING AUGUST 2011.
Languages, other than English, spoken by at
least 1,000 active RE/MAX Associates. The
list ranges from Spanish (7,406) and French (4,340)
to Afrikaans (1,123) and Hindi (1,105).
10
TOTAL NUMBER OF
LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN THE NETWORK, WHICH INCLUDES JUST ONE SPEAKER OF MONGOLIAN.
84
BARENAKED LADIES Check out their song “Five Nights a Week,” from the CBS show “Big Bang Theory” on the band’s YouTube channel.
R4 2012: A Party You Can’t Miss Reignite. Reconnect. Recognize. Rediscover. These themes
wil l dominate the 2012 RE/MAX R4 Convention, March 5-8, 2012 ,
at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The
annual gathering draws thousands of agents and
brokers from around the world for four days of
education, networking, philanthropy and fun.
The early-bird registration rate is $525 per
person. A special RE/MAX hotel rate of $189 per
night is available as well . Visit Mainstreet for more details,
or email [email protected].
A BONUS R: Rockin’ Canada’s Barenaked Ladies wil l perform
such hits as “One Week” and “It’s All Been Done” at the Party
With a Purpose on March 8.
12 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
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X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XS N A P S H O T S
ugust home sales showed promising signs in major U.S. cities as 18 percent more transactions were closed than in August 2010, according to the monthly RE/MAX National Housing Report.
The report, based on MLS data in 53 metro areas, found that August sales out-paced sales in June, which is traditionally the year’s highest sales month. August
sales also were 3.7 percent higher than in July. The report reveals that housing inven-tory levels dropped for the 14th consecutive month, while total inventory remains al-most 19 percent below August 2010 levels.
Although the median price of homes sold in August dipped fractionally from July, the drop from last year’s higher price level continues to shrink.
-35%
-30%
-25%
-20%
-15%
-10%
-5%
0
+5%
+10%
+15%
+20%
YEAR-OVER-YEAR CHANGE IN MONTHLY SALES
JUN
JUL
AU
G
SEP
OCT
NO
V
DEC
JAN
FEB
MA
R
AP
R
MAY
JUN
JUL
AU
G
2010 2011
RE/MAX HOUSING REPORT: PROMISING SIGNS IN AUGUST
A
Nearly 110 attendees from
the United States, Canada,
Turkey, Costa Rica and
Brazil gathered at RE/MAX World
Headquarters in late September
for the 2011 RE/MAX Commercial
World Symposium.
For RE/MAX
Commercial brokers, the
symposium is an ideal
opportunity to meet
peers and exchange referrals. Richard
Juge of Louisiana, a former national
CCIM president, says this year’s event
was the best yet. “We have the high-
est caliber commercial agents in the
business, and this is the best place to
meet them,” he says.
Highlights included an outing at
the renowned Sanctuary golf course;
a fun and fast networking business-
card swap; and educational sessions
on using RE/MAX Commercial to be
profitable in commercial’s recovering,
stable and distressed markets.
First-time attendee Patricia
Walden of Florida summed up the
gathering perfectly: “There’s so much
value in hearing what other people
are doing, because it inspires you to
tweak your business plan and change
your approach. I’ve made connec-
tions here I couldn’t have made
anywhere else.”
TECH NOTE
Google+ Will Be BIGThis keeps the popular Google Suite
close at hand. Many of the features
of Google+ have been designed to be
more user friendly than other social
media platforms.
Chinello’s best advice if you’re
already a Google+ user: Spend time de-
veloping your communication strategy
and deploy it in stages as your Google+
network grows. Save your best ideas to
use when the majority of your social
media contacts have made the switch.
Expedite the process by inviting your
clients and sphere to join. And if you’re
not there yet, set up your Google+
profile soon and gain access to all the
tools in the Google suite.
YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THE buzz about the latest and greatest
social network that just launched in
September: Google+. John Chinello,
RE/MAX Senior Manager, Technology
Training, wants you to know it’s living
up to the hype so far.
Chinello is among the lucky ones
invited to use Google+ early on in the
testing phase, and he sees tremendous
potential for agents to network and
boost their social media exposure.
Users will have a powerful bridge
between their Google+ profile and
Gmail, Picasa, Google Calendar, Goog-
le Docs and other Google accounts,
in a highly customized environment.
Valuable Connections, Profitable Ideas
COMMERCIAL SYMPOSIUM
THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS TO REACH.THREE WAYS TO REACH THEM.
In the mail. Online. On the phone.
VISIT VALPAK.COM ORCALL 800-669-1778 TODAY. SEE RESULTS TOMORROW.Valpak® and Push, Click, Tap™ are trademarks of Valpak® Direct Marketing Systems, Inc., its subsidiaries and affiliates. Copyright ©2011 Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
PUSH CLICK TAP
• Valpak flagship envelope
• Custom solo mail
• Valpak digital network
• Email campaigns
• SMS texting
TM
All RE/MAX Associates receive the RE/MAX Weekly email on Tuesdays, with Broker/Owners getting a management edition on Thursdays. News contained in the emails is also posted on RE/MAX Mainstreet.
BESTOFTHERE/MAXWEEKLY
5POPULARARTICLESOFPAST60DAYS 10EssentialStepstoCloseShortSales
6TechTips:Bethe‘CompletePackage’
VirtualRoundtable:GenerateNewLeads
TackleExpiredListingsin8EasySteps
5TechMovestoSaveTime,Money
REAL ESTATE
has been tough
in recent years,
and it’s easy to get
discouraged by
the constant barrage of negative
news. Seeing what was happen-
ing in her market, Stacey Alcorn
wrote a book as an antidote for
the real estate blues.
“Tuned In: Eight Lessons to
Sales Success a Great Salesman
Did Not Know He Knew,” is a
fun, easy-to-read story about an
older agent, Barney Hasbin, who
receives an unexpected recharge
by mentoring a young, eager col-
league named Eric. The experi-
ence rejuvenates the veteran and
gets him back on track.
Alcorn, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX
Prestige offices in New Hampshire
and Massachusetts, says her book
is meant to inspire agents who feel
burned out and beat up in today’s
challenging climate.
“People who succeed are those
who find the good in anything
that’s happening,” Alcorn says. “If
you help enough people get what
they want in life, you end up get-
ting what you want, too.”
Feeling Battered?SPEND A FEW HOURS WITH THIS BOOK
“Tuned In” is available on Amazon.com and staceyalcorn.com for $9.99.
14 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
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HowtoCreateaWebAdforCraigslistIN THE RE/MAX DESIGN CENTER – where agents can access more than 2,300 customizable
marketing templates – the most popular project in August was a Craigslist web ad. You’ll
find this new and very popular template, along with several others, in the Craigslist Ads
folder within the RE/MAX Library; you’ll also find detailed instructions on posting your ad to Craigslist. It’s a simple
piece to create, and it provides a high-quality, branded look that most ads can’t match. Andbestofall:it’sfree.
That’s it!Your web ad is ready for a final preview and hosting. Simply choose the host option in the Project Overview window to generate HTML cod-ing to copy and paste into your Craigslist posting.
For step-by-step hosting instructions, refer to the guide to hosting also availa-ble in the “Craigslist Ads” folder.
STEP 4Enter any disclaimer text and click “Next.”
STEP 5Upload the property photos using the Image Assistant and click “Next.” Add headlines and descriptions of the fea-tured property in the spaces provided. Spell check and click “Done.”
STEP 1Make sure your Design Center profile is updated with accurate con-tact information and your best agent photo.
STEP 3If your auto-populated pro-file information is correct, click “Next.” If not, make the necessary changes and click “Next.”
STEP 2Select your preferred web ad template from the “Craigslist Ads” folder in the RE/MAX Library. Then name your project and click “Save.”
FOLLOW THESE FIVE EASY STEPS FOR CUSTOMIZATION:
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R E / M A X U N I V E R S I T Y
Access more than 1,000 RU videos on
the go with the free RU app. Visit
remax.onmediafly.com or your iPhone,
iPad, Android or BlackBerry mobile apps
store, and put the future of your educa-
tion in your hands.
TAKE IT WITH YOU: DOWNLOAD THE RE/MAX UNIVERSITY APP
In the new RU Catalog, you'll find details on more than 1,000 training opportunities.
Everyone Has a Favorite.Find Yours.
AGENTS EXPLAIN WHICH RU COURSES THEY RECOMMEND
EARNING PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS – ONLINE OR ON DEMAND – IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. BUT DECIDING WHERE TO
invest your time and money can be difficult, given the wide range of accredited class choices (more than 25 different options!)
available through RE/MAX University. The thoughts below might help you choose which course to take next.
JOHN KENT (ABR, CLHMS, FSS&R)
RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest
Palatine, Ill.
“ Luxury is my niche, and I EARNED THE CLHMS TO HELP ME SHOW MY AFFLUENT CLIENTS THAT I’M COMMITTED. Education doesn’t stop with getting your license, and RE/ MAX University offers a convenient and competitively priced opportunity to learn more.”
“Earning the CDPE has helped reassure a lot of my clients
that I’m well-qualified
and know the ins and
outs of the short sale
process. The forms are
probably my favorite resources; they
are not state specific and they help
me establish consistency in my packages for prop-
erties I handle in several states.”
LISA FARMER (CDPE, ePRO, FSS&R, SFR)
RE/MAX On Track
Germantown, Tenn.
“I’m impressed with Tom Ferry’s en-ergy in the Sales Power for RE/MAX course. I finished each section feeling pumped and ready for what’s ahead.
I found the 90-day plan helps me stay focused. And now I include market updates in my
communications; I learned consumers wonder about that more than anything.”
LAURA McCULLOCH RE/MAX Rouge River Realty Toronto, Ontario
KATHY RUSH (ABR)
RE/MAX Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Mo.
I work with buyers, and the ABR Buyer Agency and Marketing for Buyer’s
Agents courses helped me understand what my responsibilities and obligations are – and what they are not. If you work with buyers or want to, you need this information. The RU format is great for busy agents, because I was able to pause and pick up where I left off later.
RE/MAX Associates who watch RU programming on a
Roku or PopBox digital media player can choose from
preprogrammed daily playlists of the best of RE/MAX
University. Be sure to add the RE/MAX University
channel to your Roku or PopBox lineup.
DIGITAL MEDIA PLAYERS MAKE CHOOSING VIDEOS A BREEZE
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HOOTSUITE There is no better way to keep up with your social
media marketing efforts than HootSuite. It creates
a dashboard with your feeds from Facebook, Twit-
ter, LinkedIn, Foursquare and others. The ability
to engage with your social sphere regularly is a lot
easier with HootSuite.
PHOTOGENE Photos of homes are
still the number one
request from buyers
shopping for real estate
online. Photogene is an
app that will make your
listing pictures really
stand out. Simple-to-
use filters and effects
can take a picture from
ordinary to stellar.
Photogene also makes
sharing your pictures
socially very easy once
you’ve enhanced them
through a two-click
process.
EVERNOTE Evernote was one of the first-ever iPhone apps and has continued to
be extremely popular on the iPad. Taking your notes in Evernote –
rather than the default Notepad app – syncs the
notes wirelessly across your CPU, mobile device
and tablet. Evernote also allows for categories
and tags to organize your content. This will be-
come your back-up brain.
iMOVIE Video and real estate are a
match made in heaven. The
challenging part of doing video well can be in
the editing process. The iMovie app makes this
a breeze. The screen space available on the iPad
is great for viewing and using the app’s intuitive
controls. Several pre-made themes also make for
a polished final product.
10iPad Apps Every Agent NeedsCONGRATULATIONS! YOU BOUGHT AN
iPAD. NOW LOAD IT WITH THE BEST APPS
FOR REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS. B Y C H R I S S M I T H
PHOTO/VIDEO APPS
CONTENT APPS
PRODUCTIVITY APPS
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 17
360PANORAMA The 360 Panorama app creates stunning 360-de-
gree interactive images using the ’s camera. The
images can be shared socially and even embed-
ded as content on your website. Consider adding
a “360 Degree [insert your city name]” tab to your
website and posting shots of your market that
you take while you’re out and about.
ZITE Zite is a free app that becomes more
intelligent as you use it. Read an
article on Zite, and your rating of it
will determine content you see in the future.
Over time, your magazine is personalized for you!
Zite integrates with Evernote for saving articles to
read later. Zite also makes it easy to share your
favorite reads on your social media sites.
DROPBOX Having access to any file any time has become a
lot easier with the advancements in cloud tech-
nology. DropBox has emerged as the leader in
this space. With the Dropbox app, not
only can you access your documents
without taking up any space on your
iPad’s hard drive, you can also quickly
and easily share any of your images,
presentations, PDFs or videos via email
while you’re on the go.
REALTOR.COM There are many real estate apps
that pull in MLS data, but the
Realtor.com app is simply the best.
When an open house visitor comes
through the door, you can use the
app to show other listings in the neighborhood.
You can even have them draw on the map to cre-
ate their own “neighborhood.” It’s sure to wow,
and then you can transition into Open Home Pro.
GOODREADER The GoodReader app
will quickly become
your PDF reader and
editor of choice. Many
real estate contracts
are still in PDF format,
so the ability to open,
edit and sign directly
into the PDF using your
finger really is priceless.
OPENHOMEPRO Getting an accurate email address and phone
number from an open house visitor can be
harder than you think. By having visitors regis-
ter directly into the Open Home Pro app, rather
than using the pen and paper option, your client
conversion rate will go up dramatically. The app
even sends follow-up emails when there is a
price reduction.
C R E A T E D B Y :
Chief Evangelist, Inman News
Contributing Editor, InmanNext
CHRIS SMITH
next.inman.com
facebook.com/inmannext
@InmanNext
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I LOVE THE FOURTH QUARTER. THIS IS, BY FAR, MY
favorite time of the year. The summer selling season has
passed and the real gamers in real estate begin to shine.
This is the time of year when the best get better and
the weak plan out their holidays.
The fourth quarter is where the finishers
step up, stand out, list and sell more, and
close out the year. This is your time to shine.
As always, this journey begins with a
choice. You have to decide which agent
you want to be, starting the new year:
The depressed agent: Desperate for a
deal, upset with themselves for not work-
ing in Q4, worried about finances after
overspending without any pending sales;
slithers back into the office around Jan. 15
wondering, “Where do I start?” Or …
The agent who did the work in Q4 and
is experiencing the benefits: They have a strong inventory of sell-
able homes listed, with several listings
secured from December appointments
set to go live in early January. Their scheduled closings from sales
in November and December have them
feeling bullish about 2012. Their lead pipeline of buyers and sell-
ers is huge. They are in communication
and have 10 pre-scheduled appointments
for January. Their teams are feeling informed, involved, well
trained and empowered to conquer the world. Actions in
Q4 have created a culture of success.
As a RE/MAX agent, you’re choosing option two, I’m sure.
So here are eight tips to help you finish the year strong:
1. Mark out your path.The first step in your journey is to pull out your calendar
and schedule all the time off that you want in the fourth
quarter. Thanksgiving. Check. Two weeks in December.
Check. Holiday parties. Check. Now, count up the
number of days you have left to build your business.
Think about what you can do in that time frame. This
exercise is important. By scheduling time off, you can
work in smaller bursts, knowing there are
plenty of fun breaks along the way.
2. Create a B.S.G. That’s right: A Big Sexy Goal. Decide how
many listings taken, listings sold and
buyer sales you want in Q4. Stretch your-
self. Remember, in Q4 your competition is
winding down, so this is the time to step
it up. Once you’ve established your goals,
make them tangible and visual. Hang them
in your office, laminate them and put them
in your shower, give a copy to your man-
ager, your coach and, most importantly, to
the people who love you the most. Create
incentives for completion and painful con-
sequences for falling short.
3. Tersus satus! (Latin for a “clean start.”)Schedule a day to completely clean your
environment. In studying peak perform-
ance, we see that agents who have taken
time to clean up, organize, throw away,
file away and reset their systems always create a break-
through in production. So schedule a day for it.
4. Fish where the fish are.In Q4, focus your marketing and lead generation activi-
ties on the sources that have created the most transac-
tions this year to date. Has it been your database? Open
houses? Expireds? Your farm? Online campaigns? In Q4,
it’s critical that you step it up on what works rather than
trying new campaigns or marketing strategies.
C O A C H I N G
“This is the time of year
when the best get better
and the weak
plan out their
holidays.”
Time to ShineQ: HOW CAN YOU SET YOURSELF UP FOR A GREAT 2012?
A: START NOW! B Y TO M F E R R Y
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 19
BOOST YOUR SALES POWERTheRE/MAXexclusive“TomFerry’sSalesPowerforRE/MAX”coursehelpsagentsdiversifyleadgeneration,increaseskills,closemoresales,andwinovermorebuyersandsellerstoestablishasustainableandpredict-ablestreamofbusiness.
THE 16 TRAINING MODULES COVER THESE TOPICS & MORE:
Strategiestogeneratemorereferralsonline
Howtodrivemorequalifiedbuyerstoopenhouses
Masteringthebuyerpresentation
Creatingapowerfullistingpresentation
Advancedsocialmedialead-generationsystems
Winningexpiredlistings
Distressedpropertiesmarketing
Workingatlevel10
Increasingyourbusinesswithateam
Learn more at salespower.remaxuniversity.com
5. Anticipate the obvious question:
Why should I list during the holidays?You know the objection is going to come
up, so create a marketing campaign that
answers it in a consumer-centric way.
We all know the world-famous “Top 10
Reasons to List During the Holidays”
flier: No. 10 – Only serious buyers look at
homes during the holidays; No. 9 – Your
house looks more like a home, allowing
prospective buyers to fall in love with
it; and so on. The bottom line is: If you
have a flier, a blog, or a video post about
this, you’ll be poised and ready to han-
dle the objection.
6. Take inspired action. After coaching thousands of people, we
know there are three types of actions. (1)
No action: Stuck in your head, which is
a pretty scary place for a salesperson to
be. (2) In action: Making the calls, show-
ing a house, doing your thing, basically,
going through the motions. (3) Inspired
action: Where you are radiating success,
joy, expertise, professionalism and even
some fun. When you operate in inspired
action, you generate significantly better
results. Prospects are more attracted to
you. You schedule more appointments
and win more business.
7. Accept no drama.If you want a big Q4, I’m going to strongly
encourage you to post a few signs in your
office and home that state, “Drama-Free
Zone.” Now, the drama-free zone begins
with you. Find your solution. It might be
a combination of meditation (or prayer),
exercise (break a sweat!), diet (eating five
or six small healthy meals a day) and
sleep (yes, I recommend seven hours a
night).
8. Consider a program. When we are in a program, we do more,
act more and produce more. Whether
it’s an office sales competition or
participating in a mastermind group,
a coaching program, or a structured
learning program like our new Sales
Power (exclusively) for RE/MAX, we
simply do better when surrounded by
others who are going all out.
I promise you this: Take inspired
action on these eight coaching tips and
when I see you at RE/MAX R4 in March
2012, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear.
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#6 Canada Individuals
#8 Individuals Worldwide
S T R A T E G Y
I’ve developed a sixth sense about how my production is look-ing throughout the year. If you’re
systematic about your business, over time you see when something is not working out before you have to evaluate it on paper. It’s a good place to be; I can calibrate my strategies as needed and focus on service and diligence. I approach my plan a little conservatively, and I don’t get greedy. I give to receive, which I believe has helped me reach a magnitude of sales that made it possible for me to donate $100,000 to build a local arena.
PETERHOGETERP
TOP 100 PRODUCERS AGREE THAT HAVING
A SOLID BUSINESS PLAN IS ESSENTIAL. HERE’S
HOW THEY MAP OUT THEIR YEAR. B Y A M A N DA O K K E R
What’s
JESSICACHAN
I set a new production goal at the beginning of each year. I look back at my goal for the previous year, and I determine a new amount that I think I can achieve without increasing my work hours. Although I base my goal on production, the most important thing to me is balance and time off. I have a new team, and I’m looking forward to developing our systems to free up my time even more. Good time management is a must for achieving our goals.
Every year, I sit down with my agents and team members to go over their business plans, and when their transaction and sales volume goals are set I can build my own. With a volume estimate, I can take out expenses for advertising and other programs, and decide what new tools I can bring in for agents. Travel to international RE/MAX events always fits in my budget.
ASIELGRESSY
RE/MAX Escarpment Realty
Stoney Creek, Ontario
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
#33 Canada Individuals
#56 Individuals Worldwide
RE/MAX Real Estate (Mountain View)
Calgary, Alberta
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
#1 Commercial Individuals Worldwide
#7 Individuals Worldwide
RE/MAX City
Haifa, Israel
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
UST AS IT’S HARD TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B
without a route in mind, reaching your full potential in
real estate becomes infinitely more difficult – or impos-
sible – without a strong, strategic business plan in place.
As 2012 approaches, it’s important to map out a direction
for the year. Where do you want to go? How do you expect
to get there? What sort of detours will you allow yourself
on the way?
Here are some business-plan ideas from seven members of
the 2010 RE/MAX Top 100. Take their advice on goals, budgets
and activities, determine what elements would work in your
situation, and craft your own personal pathway to the top.
the Plan?
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 21
#24 U.S. Individuals
#68 Individuals Worldwide
I focus on marketing and plan to spend no more
than 10 percent of my gross. If my marketing plan isn’t effective, it’s not how much I’m spending but where I’m spending it. I want to make the low-est investment for the greatest return, and that means tracking the returns on various tools, such as Google AdWords. I’ve decided to allocate more for Internet marketing because I’m following the changing paradigm. If you’re complete-ly comfortable with your strategies and have decided you won’t do more, there could be tough times ahead.
MARTIHAMPTON
Always review the cur-rent year’s plan prior to the new year, and make any necessary tweaks; then pick something new you’re going to try. Top producers are risk-takers, and no great return has come without some element of risk. You have to calculate for yourself how far that will go. And invest in advertising, because advertis-ing doesn’t cost – it pays. Be prepared to track the return on your advertising investments, because you’ll find there are smarter ways than others to spend those valuable dollars.
JOEYSCHLAGER
RE/MAX Commonwealth
Richmond, Va.
HALL OF FAME
RE/MAX Acces
Sainte-Foy, Quebec
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Your business plan should be a roadmap only, because things always
get kicked around. When the resale market slowed a few years ago, I shifted my focus to REO. That market is changing dramatically now with the halts on foreclosures. It’s forced me to reinvigorate my resale business, which is working out because I understand it’s important to follow the trends. The key, however, is to never abandon segments of your business that once made you money, because you never know when you’ll need to tap into them again. Your business plan should account for mul-tiple pillars of your business and the ways you’ll prioritize them in the coming year.
MIKEPATRICK
My team evaluates the business plan on a continual basis. We have weekly meetings and feed off of each others’ reports to set us all in the right direction. I hired the right assistant, too, which creates a unique synergy and efficiency. Every year, I travel to the United States for the RE/MAX R4 Convention and other industry events, where I can monitor international trends and see what’s coming. I follow what customers are looking for and expect, and every year I raise the bar of my service. I figure out what I need to do to stay relevant, because no one is obliged to work with us. They do it because we provide great personal service.
#24 Canada Team Leaders
#54 Teams Worldwide
TOMDONOVAN
#7 U.S. Team Leaders
#18 Teams Worldwide
RE/MAX One Realty
Raleigh, N.C.
CIRCLE OF LEGENDS #18 U.S. Individuals
#58 Teams Worldwide
RE/MAX United Real Estate
Upper Marlboro, Md.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
22 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
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FROM LEFT: Martine Deschesnes, Trois-Riveres, Quebec (Lifetime Achievement Award); Justin Harrell, Franklin, N.C. (Platinum Club); Paul Kiger, New Albany, Ind. (100 Percent Club); Jean VanOosterwyk, Clinton Township, Mich. (100 Percent Club).
A L L - S T A R P A N E L
WHAT KEY CUSTOMER-SERVICE ESSENTIAL SHOULD ALL AGENTS PRACTICE?
MARTINE: Availability is crucial. Make yourself available at any time. In the competitive markets we are working, customers are not always patient. If you are unreachable, they will look for another agent.
JUSTIN: Call clients back immediately. It doesn’t mat-ter if it’s 8 p.m. or 8 a.m., or whether clients have a dime or $1 million: Treat all of them like they are your first priority.
PAUL: Be your clients’ Google. Do all the legwork for them, like searching for vendors, services and other resources. I have a sphere of home inspectors, insurance agents, contractors and other trusted professionals that I can pass along to clients.
JEAN: Talk to clients the way they talk to you. If they call you, call them back. If they text, text them back. The same goes for email. Communicate in your clients’ comfort zones, not yours.
Q WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GENERATE NEW LEADS?
MARTINE: Frequency and consistency in advertis-ing. We want “Martine Deschesnes” to be the first name that comes to mind when local residents think about real estate.
JUSTIN: Determine where your leads are coming from, so you can use your adver-tising dollars strategically. Also, build strong networks in your market, which cre-ates omnipotent word-of-mouth advertising.
PAUL: Strengthen your sphere by constantly build-ing and evaluating it.
JEAN: Listings have always been the best way to obtain leads. I do tours on all my listings, send postcards to neighbors, and put QR codes on my yard signs. Neighbors tend to save the postcards if they’re thinking of moving in the next year or so.
Q
WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE SALE?
MARTINE: All of them are memorable in their own way.
JUSTIN: I had a past client pay for a newspaper ad and write about my performance. He had tried working with a bunch of Realtors with no results. He was ready to let the house go into foreclos-ure, but I was able to help him out and avoid it. It was gratifying to be recognized and appreciated.
PAUL: A past client of mine (a LeadStreet lead) wanted to buy a house for her son. He had no idea. We closed on it and I brought the son to the property under the premise that he was scouting it for his mom. When I told him the place was his, he was very happy.
JEAN: My first short sale was a few years ago. I remember seeing the look of sheer relief on my sellers’ faces at the closing table. They thanked me for lifting a weight off their shoulders. Also, I recently helped a 75-year-old woman buy her first home. It was fun to be a part of her new experience.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE RE/MAX?
MARTINE: Brand recog-nition, for sure. When consumers think about real estate in Quebec, they think about the red-over-white-over-blue RE/MAX Balloon.
JUSTIN: The networking and referrals are huge. So far this year, I’ve received about seven referrals from other RE/MAX agents. Our agents are the most edu-cated and best prepared.
PAUL: RE/MAX provides a corporate structure and the essential tools to own your own business. Even though I’m not a managing broker or a principal, I have my own team and I can run it how I see fit. There’s no reason why you can’t look at your real estate business as truly being your own.
JEAN: I love having the professional support of an international company. It scares me to see other agents cut expenses, espe-cially marketing, and pay as they go. RE/MAX keeps expanding in advertising, education and business-generating tools like Lead-Street.
Q QWhat’s the best way to become more successful?
Ask RE/MAX top producers about their business
strategies. Then take action, adjusting their ideas
to fit your situation. Try it; it works.
4x4FOUR QUESTIONS FOR FOUR TOP AGENTS
P O I N T O F V I E W
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STELLA PRICE BEGAN HER REAL ESTATE
career at Prudential in Burnaby, British
Columbia, after a successful career build-
ing houses. Within a year, she was one of
the top agents in her office and soon became Prudential’s top
producer in North America (for 2008 and 2009). Price goes
after it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, selling hundreds of
mid-to-high-end homes and condos each year. Everything is an
opportunity to her: When she had her appendix removed, she
sold a house to the nurse taking care of her at the hospital.
As a top agent, Price was very much in demand and was
constantly being wooed by the competition, including RE/MAX.
She knew RE/MAX had the No. 1 market share in Canada and
people were constantly asking her why she wasn’t with the
leading company.
Enter Scott McDonald, the Broker/Manager of RE/MAX Sabre
Realty in Port Coquitlam, who immediately made a positive
impression on Price – a woman
not easily impressed.
Price liked that the RE/MAX Sabre office was always
open, staffed by knowledgeable people, and able to quickly
provide her with any answer she needed. She also felt
RE/MAX afforded her many more opportunities, including
the chance to work with more developers and the ability
to sell to a wider range of customers. That was important,
because Price’s team speaks several languages, including
Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Indonesian, and works
with many Asian customers looking for real estate in the
Greater Vancouver area.
Finally, in October 2010, after carefully vetting RE/MAX,
Price joined the network. And she couldn’t be happier. “If
you’re going to make a move, you should go with the best –
and RE/MAX is the best,” she says. “Everyone knows the
RE/MAX brand, so top producers really ought to be here.”
THE RIGHT MOVE TO MAKEWHY PRUDENTIAL’S NO. 1 AGENT JOINED RE/MAX
24 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
1. USE DRIP EMAIL, WITH ONE CAVEATOne of Cooley’s favorite features of LeadStreet is drip email. She can schedule mailings to her contacts and establish regular touch points. “But be sure to blind copy yourself on anything you send out, because you don’t want someone to call you about an email they just received and not know which one they’re referring to because you set up the mailing a month ago.”
2. DON’T THROW AWAY RENTAL LEADSSome agents are too picky, claiming rental leads don’t pay, Cooley says. “I’ve helped peo-ple find a rental, and then they come back and buy from me later. A rental lead can turn into a sale; if not with those tenants, then maybe with somebody they know.”
3. NEVER STOP FOLLOWING UPCooley received a LeadStreet lead more than a year ago that she doubted would go anywhere; she kept sending drip messages to the individual anyway. Recently, he called. His wife had become ill and passed away since the lead, and now Cooley is helping the man sell his home. “You never know what someone’s circumstances are,” Cooley says. “The best thing I did was keep in touch.”
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VENITA COOLEY JUST CLOSED HER
12th LeadStreet transaction in
two years.
She first contacted the buyers, Vic-
tor and Wanda Johnson, after receiv-
ing the lead through her LeadStreet
account. She set them up with a lender
right away, and after four months ex-
changing emails and phone calls, she
finally met them face-to-face.
“The delay is not uncom-
mon with buyers and sellers
I meet through remax.com,”
Cooley says. “Although most
people start their property
search online, they’re not
necessarily ready to pull the
trigger. It’s my job to make
that instant contact, let them
know I’m here to help and be
ready when they are.”
The Broker Associate with
RE/MAX Warner Robins in Warner
Robins, Ga., says there’s nothing
more critical to closing LeadStreet
leads than instant follow-up, be-
cause she knows she has one chance
to make a first impression.
QUICKANDDILIGENTCooley made quite an impression
on Gregory Garcia, who hadn’t bought
a home in 37 years before he began
searching for properties on remax.com.
“Venita contacted me within a
half-hour, and we started communi-
cating regularly,” says Garcia, who was
unsatisfied with another agent he’d
been referred to. Garcia felt
obligated to give the referred
agent a chance, but while
that agent was invisible,
Cooley was attentive.
Over the next month,
although they never met,
Cooley answered Garcia’s
questions and sent him
property reports she gener-
ated in LeadStreet. Garcia was
impressed by her service and
decided to make a change.
“I finally told her ‘You’re my agent
now,’ and 10 minutes later she emailed
me information about 10 properties we
might like to see,” says Garcia, who closed
on his 3.8-acre country home in August.
“She was the right one for me all along.”
REGAINEDCONFIDENCECooley says she owes much more
than closed transactions to Lead-
Street. Before joining RE/MAX in 2009,
she was primarily a broker with her
previous company and was out of the
selling arena for a number of years.
“LeadStreet helped me get back on my
feet, rebuild my sphere and regain confi-
dence I thought I had lost,” Cooley says.
“I make friends when I sell a
home,” she says, reflecting on how
touched she was to receive a dozen
roses and a card from the Johnsons
after their September closing. “Buy-
ing a home is the largest purchase
most people will ever make; I take it
quite seriously, no matter where the
lead comes from.”
MILLIONS OF POTENTIAL BUYERS AND SELLERS VISIT REMAX.COM EACH
MONTH, AND LEADSTREET CONNECTS THEM TO AGENTS WHO CAN HELP
B Y A M A N DA O K K E R
More than 10 million remax.com leads
have been delivered to RE/MAX Associates through LeadStreet.
It’s closing day for Venita Cooley (center) and her clients Victor and Wanda Johnson, who she met through remax.com.
Turning Leads Into Clients
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 25
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8 WAYS TO MAKE SOCIAL MEDIA A BUSINESS BUILDER
If you approach social
media correctly, you will
meet new clients and earn
referrals, says Kimberly
Cameron.
A technology coach at RE/MAX Properties
West in Wildwood, Mo., and for her local
real estate board, Cameron guides agents
in effective uses of social media; plus she
successfully connects with her own sphere
there, too.
The Platinum Club member offers these
eight tips for making social media the best
platform for staying in touch:
Start looking for people in your sphere on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other top networks to determine where you need to be.
Continue to build a social media database by reconnecting with people you otherwise wouldn’t connect with.
Organize contacts into groups (such as “high school” or “church”) on Facebook to streamline interaction and make it easier to manage.
Make sure you have an effective smartphone so that you can monitor your social networks on the go.
Be relatable by sharing your passion for family, pets, hobbies and anything else that’s important to you so your online friends and followers learn who you are – not just what you do.
Maintain a professional demeanor by sharing only the photos and de-tails that portray you in the best light.
Provide real estate insight and information if asked, without requesting anything in return, because it’s about service and not sales.
Share good news about your business (such as open houses and success-ful sales) in ways that simply remind people you’re a real estate agent who can help. Let them see that you love what you do for a living.
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26 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
B Y J AY G A B L E R A N D G E O R G E W H I T E
P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y S A R A J O R D E
Ryan O’Neill’s tireless work ethic is based on a genuine
desire to help others succeed and have fun doing it
VALUEDRIVEN
FORTUNATELY FOR RYAN
O’Neill, the drive, passion and
creativity it takes to succeed as
a working musician translates well to the
world of real estate. As half of a piano-
playing duo with his brother, Tim, he has
sold more than 2 million CDs in the past
15 years. And as the leader of a growing,
50-member sales team in Minnesota, he
ranked No. 1 nationally in “The Thousand”
survey released in September by REAL Trends
and the Wall Street Journal.
It takes a certain kind of person to build,
organize and manage a team that closed 764
transaction sides for $139 million in sales
volume last year. It takes a certain kind of
energy, a certain kind of extra gear.
“I go nonstop, and that’s exactly how I like
it,” says O’Neill, 36, a Broker Associate with
RE/MAX Advantage Plus in Lakeville, Minn.,
on the southern end of the Minneapolis-St.
Paul metro area. “But I don’t force that style
on anyone else. Our team has a fun, fair
environment where agents have incentive
to do their very best. They’re making money
and leading balanced lives.”
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 27
ALL IN, ALL THE TIMEGiving his all to whatever he’s doing comes naturally
to O’Neill, one of those rare individuals able to create a
name for himself in two completely different arenas.
From 1997 to 2002, O’Neill worked tirelessly to perfect
and promote his piano duo, the O’Neill Brothers (see
page 28). When he shifted to real estate full time, joining
the regional chain Edina Realty, he applied the same ap-
proach to building his new career.
“Being young, and looking young, was a challenge at
first,” O’Neill recalls. “I realized quickly that this was a
tough business, but I had no plans to quit.”
O’Neill had purchased a few investment properties, so
he decided to target that part of the market.
“As an investor, I had encountered a few pushy, high-pres-
sure agents, and that’s just not how I operate,” he says. “I saw
a need and I understood the process, so I went after that busi-
ness and tried to provide something better. I placed a couple
of little ads in the Minneapolis newspaper, built a website and
would meet with anyone and everyone who was interested in
investment property. It was a real grassroots approach.”
In the red-hot market of the mid-2000s, Minneapolis-
St. Paul was thriving and home sales were soaring.
“Investing in properties was cool,” O’Neill says, and there
was no shortage of clients.
Moreover, he discovered that if he took great care of his
investor clients, he could create an endless stream of repeats
and referrals. So he helped them find properties. He helped
them find tenants. He helped them find contractors. And he
soon found himself too busy to handle the workload.
THE BEGINNINGS OF A TEAMIn some respects, O’Neill’s early experience with in-
vestors laid the groundwork for everything that followed,
because he realized that others – with the right direction,
coaching and support – could fill in for him quite well.
“I built terrific relationships with the investors I worked
with, but they didn’t really care whether or not they
were dealing directly with me,” O’Neill says. “What they
expected was a certain level of service, and as long as that
was being provided by people I trusted, they were happy.”
O’Neill brought a few friends on board as team mem-
bers. And his operation flourished.
At about that same time, he began to look at his bro-
kerage options. He had several conversations with Eric
Malmberg, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Advantage Plus, and
he liked what he heard.
“I’m a numbers guy, and the numbers at RE/MAX worked
for me. Also, RE/MAX attracts the sort of business-minded
agents I wanted to associate with,” O’Neill says. “I knew
I could fashion a team that combined the best aspects of
RE/ MAX affiliation with the unique things I was bringing to
the table. It seemed like a natural step forward in my career.”
A WINNING CONCEPTO’Neill and Malmberg talked about O’Neill’s plans for
the future.
“We set up some models and dissected what it would
take to do what he wanted to accomplish,” Malmberg re-
calls. “Ryan is a visionary: He had the ability to see how
the industry would be using technology.”
Notably, O’Neill had recognized the growing impor-
tance of online search engines in generating business
for real estate agents. By strategically marketing his
Minnesota Real Estate Team, he hoped
to reach the first page of Google results
whenever a buyer or seller sought prop-
erty information in his state.
“At its core, real estate is a lead busi-
ness; you need to have ways to make
the phone ring,” O’Neill says. “We did all
sorts of things to promote the team and
connect us to people who could benefit
from our services. And the phone rang.”
Bringing on solid team members was
another key. From the start, O’Neill kept
the focus off himself. Kevin Curtis, a 100
Percent Club member who joined the
team in 2005, says O’Neill’s approach
has always combined strong leadership
with valuable independence.
“People ask me, ‘Why would you want to be on a
team?’” Curtis says. “What they need to understand is
that this isn’t set up as the Ryan O’Neill show. I’m able
to promote Kevin Curtis, member of the Minnesota Real
STEADY CLIMBINGRyan O’Neill’s Min-
nesota Real Estate
Team has moved
quickly up the
rankings of the top
RE/MAX teams.
YEAR U.S. WORLDWIDE
2007 42 86
2008 14 24
2009 3 8
2010 2 6
28 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
FP
Estate Team. Ryan allows you, as an agent, to grow your
business however you want. If you only want to work
with buyers, that’s great. If you want to do listings, that’s
great too. He provides training if you need it, and he has
a fantastic support system in place.”
Tim O’Neill wasn’t surprised at his brother’s ability to
attract strong team members.
“Ryan is really good at reading people,” Tim says. “He
finds out what they need and then helps them get it,
instead of trying to sell them something they might not
want. His emotional IQ is very high.”
For Ryan, it was all about quality.
“My job is finding the right people and retaining them,
and a large part of that is giving them control over their
own careers,” he says.
Growth and success came swiftly. By 2007, the Min-
nesota Real Estate Team – now up to about 10 members
– had taken O’Neill into the RE/MAX Top 100 rankings
of the network’s best producers. Just two years later, he
reached the Top 10.
ALWAYS WILLING TO SHAREWithin the group structure, members of the Minne-
sota Real Estate Team are able to market themselves in
their own way. With such a large force in place, O’Neill
spends most of his time managing and mentoring team
members. He tries to create an environment in which
everyone succeeds.
On Saturday mornings, he hosts a weekly real estate
show on the radio. He likes knowing that many Twin Cities
agents listen in.
“I think the radio show has created good mojo for us,”
O’Neill says. “We don’t beat anyone over the head with who
we are, or how great we are. We just provide some informa-
tion that we hope people find relevant. It’s a lot of fun.”
Giving away information has never been a problem
for O’Neill.
“In this business, everyone has the same opportuni-
ties, but some people make more of them than others,”
Malmberg says. “I’ve chastised Ryan because he’ll share
his entire business plan with everyone. I’ll say, ‘Aren’t
you worried about doing that?’ And he says, ‘I’ve had
people take 50 percent of what I do, or 75 percent, but
no one does 100 percent.’ Ryan is competitive, but at the
same time he’s very willing to help others.”
Ryan’s wife, Kathy, agrees. “People just want to be around
Ryan, so he’s always had a million friends. He always tries
to inspire people to do their best, and I think that’s why he’s
grown the team as quickly and successfully as he has. He’s
got business sense, he’s got people sense, and he’s got heart.”
Even when O’Neill is relaxing, he’s all in: He’s a dedi-
cated runner (“very amateur,” he says), a die-hard fan
of the Minnesota Vikings (and his two fantasy football
teams) and still very much a part of the O’Neill Brothers
(they will be doing a holiday concert tour in December).
Ultimately, his life reflects the lessons learned in
childhood, not too far from where he still lives today
with Kathy and their Cockapoo, Poky.
“I’m a reflection of how my parents raised me,” O’Neill
says. “I’m motivated by seeing the potential in others – a
tree that’s always growing. When you treat people fairly
– whether it’s a team member, a client or anyone else –
good things generally happen. That’s the foundation of
everything I’ve accomplished.”
RYAN O’NEILL GREW UP IN
the small town of New Prague,
Minn., as the youngest of five
children. His mother, a musically
talented grade school teacher,
and father, an attorney, made
sure all five kids took piano les-
sons. Ryan’s talent was evident.
In 1997, after graduating from
Notre Dame, Ryan joined his older
brother Tim in forming the O’Neill
Brothers – an easy listening piano
duo – and a recording company.
They began producing CDs.
Through several innovative
marketing ideas – including
one that resulted in their music
being stocked in JCPenney
stores nationwide – the O’Neill
Brothers grew in popularity.
Live performances added to
the momentum.
They’ve released more than
30 CDs, covering a wide variety
of styles, from lullabies to
showtunes to holiday favorites
and more.
For several years, it was a
tough, demanding schedule.
“On any given day, I might fly
somewhere, say D.C., and go
from store to store, playing and
checking on the displays,” Ryan
recalls. “We’d also do arts-
and-crafts shows, where you
sit and play piano all weekend
long. For CD sales, it was like
a feeding frenzy. We’d perform
holiday concert tours, and we
started bringing along guests
– Deborah Gibson one year, and
Katie McMahon another.”
The brothers eventually ap-
peared on QVC for a Christmas-
in-July promotion and sold
more than 30,000 three-packs
of holiday music “in about eight
minutes,” Ryan recalls. They even
hit the Billboard album charts.
With Tim managing the
business, the O’Neill Broth-
ers remain a well-known act
among fans of relaxing piano
music. Their recordings still
sell well, and are often used in
movies, TV shows, videos and
other projects.
creative S A L E S M A N S H I P
FP
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QualityProtectionDesignedwith Youin MindSince 1993!
7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1500E Bethesda, MD 20814www.cpim.com/rpp • [email protected]
30 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
Saying it BOLDLY
WHEN YOU’RE THE NO. 1 BRAND IN YOUR INDUSTRY, IT’S GOOD TO LET PEOPLE KNOW
B Y G E O R G E W H I T E
“THIS IS A UNIQUE COMPETITIVE
advantage enjoyed by every RE/MAX
Sales Associate,” says RE/MAX
Chairman and Co-Founder Dave
Liniger. “Our agents sell more real
estate than anyone in the world,
and have for a long time. We’re the
No. 1 brand, in many different ways,
and that serves the interests of our
agents as well as their customers
and clients. People want to know
where to find the best, most produc-
tive agents, and this logo helps them
with that.”
RE/MAX has held No. 1 market
share in the U.S. for nearly two
decades and in Canada for almost 25
years – a position that solidified the
“Nobody in the World Sells More Real
Estate Than RE/MAX” slogan several
years ago. That fact alone is enough
to validate the new No. 1 label.
But there’s much more to it than that.
PUBLIC IMAGE AND PERFORMANCE
One factor in moving to the
bolder approach is the consumer
feedback embedded in the find-
ings of two key consumer studies.
Both of the reports illustrate how
the public feels about the RE/ MAX
brand and the professionals
aligned with it.
In the 2011 J.D. Power and Associ-
ates Home Buyer/Seller study, both
buyers and sellers ranked RE/MAX
highest for customer service among
the national full-service brands. It
was a major victory on the world’s
most visible customer service stage.
As if that weren’t enough, the
results of a second national survey
of U.S. buyers and sellers, commis-
sioned by RE/MAX but conducted
by a leading research company,
go even further. The results of the
survey, which are not for use in
any consumer marketing, provide
some interesting insights (exam-
ples at right).
A NEW LOGO that debuted in August leaves no doubt as to where RE/MAX stands in the competitive landscape. Measured by market share, transaction sides, agent productivity, web presence, consumer awareness, customer feedback and a host of other metrics, RE/MAX is the No. 1 brand in real estate.
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 31
Buyers were asked, “What one company would you be most
likely to consider if buying a home in the next two years?”
RE/MAX stood at 28 percent, well ahead of Coldwell Banker
(20 percent), Century 21 (16 percent), Prudential
(7 percent) and Keller Williams (6 percent).
When sellers were asked about choosing a company to
help them sell a house, the results were similar, with RE/MAX
at 28 percent and no competitor reaching even 20.
In top-of-mind awareness, RE/MAX came out ahead again.
When asked to name a national real estate company, 34 percent
of the respondents said RE/MAX. That figure nearly eclipsed
the combined total of Century 21 (25 percent) and Coldwell
Banker (11 percent). It was 11 times greater than Keller Williams
(3 percent).
Overall, 95 percent of the respondents were aware of both
RE/MAX and Century 21, with Coldwell Banker and Prudential
following. Less than half of the participants had heard of the
Keller Williams brand, and ERA, GMAC, Sotheby’s and Realty
Executives trailed far behind.
RE/MAX is also the national brand consumers are
most apt to recommend. RE/MAX ranked highest as
the “most likely” choice (at 25 percent, with Century
21 trailing at 16 percent) as well as the overall choice,
when “most likely” and “next most likely” were com-
bined (41 percent, over Century 21’s 34 percent and
Coldwell Banker’s 26).
RE/MAX also ranks highest in top-of-mind advertis-
ing awareness. Some 30 percent of the respondents
mentioned RE/MAX when asked to recall any ads
they had seen or heard lately. That was nearly triple
the Century 21 figure (12 percent), six times more
than Coldwell Banker, 15 times more than Prudential
and 30 times more than Keller Williams.
30% RE/MAX
12% CENTURY 21
5% COLDWELL BANKER2% PRUDENTIAL1% KELLER WILLIAMS0% SOTHEBY’S 0% GMAC 0% ERA 0% REALTY EXECUTIVES
BUY
SELL
RE/MAX 28%
ColdwellBanker 14%
Century 2116%
Prudential 7%
KellerWilliams 6%
RE/MAX 28%
ColdwellBanker 20%
Century 2119%
Prudential 7%
KellerWilliams 8%
RealtyExecutives 2%
RealtyExecutives 1%
ERA 1%
ERA 2%
Sotheby’s 1%
Sotheby’s 1%
GMAC 1%
OtherNationals 2%
OtherNationals 3%
MOST LIKELY TO CONSIDER AMONG NATIONAL BRANDS
ADVERTISING AWARENESS AMONG NATIONAL BRANDS
Not for use in consumer marketing.
TOP-OF-MIND AWARENESS AMONGNATIONAL BRANDS
RE/MAX ..............34%
CENTURY 21......25%
COLDWELLBANKER .............11%
PRUDENTIAL ....4%
KELLERWILLIAMS ..........3%
ERA .....................1%
GMAC..................0%
SOTHEBY’S ........0%
REALTYEXECUTIVES ......0%
TOP-OF-MIND AWARENESS AMONG NATIONAL BRANDS
MOST LIKELY TO RECOMMEND AMONGNATIONAL BRANDS
PRUDENTIAL7%
COLDWELLBANKER 13%
1% REALTYEXECUTIVES
GMAC
1%
KELLERWILLIAMS
7%
CENTURY 21 16%
RE/MAX 25%
SOTHEBY’S
1%
ERA
1%
MOST LIKELY TO RECOMMEND AMONG NATIONAL BRANDS
32 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
Results this positive, Liniger says, have a tangible impact
in today’s ultra-competitive marketplace.
“This feedback from consumers is tremendously powerful
for our agents,” Liniger says. “The brand’s reputation, built on
the performance of our agents over many years, drives business
back to our agents. And when our people deliver, the brand gets
even stronger. No one in the industry can match us on this.”
The consumer data reinforces and complements pre-exist-
ing No. 1 areas such as per-agent productivity, TV advertising,
professional education and corporate online presence. Even the
network’s most fundamental element, the RE/MAX Hot Air Bal-
loon, enjoys No. 1 status as the world’s largest corporate fleet.
An advertising campaign and a variety of marketing
materials are being developed to help RE/MAX Associ-
ates make full use of their No. 1 advantage. In fact, many
resources are already available on RE/MAX Mainstreet and
through the RE/MAX Design Center.
“This isn’t about bragging, but about maximizing our
competitive position,” Liniger says. “It’s an exciting time to be
with RE/MAX.”
Respondents were asked to choose attributes that apply
to four companies (RE/MAX, Coldwell Banker, Century
21 and Keller Williams), and RE/MAX ranked highest in all
seven statements:
• Agents are familiar with the area I’m interested in.
• Agents show properties in my price range.
• Agents are responsive to me.
• Agents are helpful in determining fair listing price.
• Agents are knowledgeable about marketing my home.
• Agents know how to optimize the Internet to market.
• Agents are excellent.
The RE/MAX brand itself ranked highest among those
same four franchises in these 12 key statements:
• Is a leader in the real estate industry.
• Has a strong local presence.
• Has the most listings on the website.
• Has a website with all the information I am looking for.
• Helps people who are relocating from outside the area.
• Lists properties at the right price.
• Is a trustworthy national real estate company.
• Has a wide range of listings.
• Provides online/Internet marketing of my home.
• Produces the best online search tools.
• Sells more real estate than anyone else.
• Stands out from other real estate companies.
1. remax.com 4,575,316
2. Century 21 2,851,769
3. Coldwell Banker 2,174,159
4. Keller Williams 1,640,086
5. Prudential 717,509
6. ERA 289,999
7. Real Living 262,977
8. Sotheby’s 198,073
9. Better Homes & Gardens
113,032
Total Visits for Month of July 2011
WEBSITE TRAFFIC
1. remax.com
2. Coldwell Banker
3. Century 21
4. Keller Williams
5. Prudential
6. Sotheby’s
7. ERA
8. Real Living
9. Better Homes & Gardens
Page Views for Month of July 2011
PAGE VIEWS
42,168,349
19,566,257
16,124,672
4,525,690
3,341,160
2,427,160
2,101,603
1,268,285
231,192
Not for use in consumer marketing.
FAMILIAR WITH THE AREAI’M INTERESTED IN
SHOW PROPERTIES INMY PRICE RANGE
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
COLDWELL BANKER
KELLER WILLIAMS
KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUTMARKETING MY HOME
RESPONSIVE TO ME
HELPFUL IN DETERMININGFAIR LISTING PRICE
KNOW HOW TO OPTIMIZETHE INTERNET TO MARKET
ARE EXCELLENT
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
CB
KELLER WILLIAMS
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
COLDWELL BANKER
KELLER WILLIAMS
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
COLDWELL BANKER
KELLER WILLIAMS
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
COLDWELL BANKER
KELLER WILLIAMS
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
COLDWELL BANKER
KELLER WILLIAMS
RE/MAX
CENTURY 21
COLDWELL BANKER
KELLER WILLIAMS
IMPRESSION OF AGENT ATTRIBUTES AMONG FOUR NATIONAL BRANDS
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 33
USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE“ The results tell the story: Our home sold a day and a half after it hit the market, for above our asking price, and our rental property sold a few weeks later for close to what we were asking.” (Calgary, Alberta)
“ Paul helped me calmly navigate a complicated bidding war. I never had a problem reaching him, never had to ask him twice for something, and he was usually two steps ahead of everyone. He never made me feel like I was anything less than his most important client.”(Boston)
“ What set Marilyn apart is the sensitivity and respect she showed my parents. She helped them with things that had nothing to do with selling their house; she even volunteered to take them to the airport.” (Fort Collins, Colo.)
RE/MAX Associates can connect themselves to
the J.D. Power and Associates trophies through
a variety of approved resources on Mainstreet .
The tools include ads, images, email signatures
and more. They can even customize much of
the material through the RE/MAX Design Center.
Best onBoth Sides
IN DAVE LINIGER’S
eyes, the two mas-
sive J.D. Power and
Associates trophies
displayed at RE/MAX World Head-
quarters in Denver are there for one reason: Because
RE/MAX has the best agents.
“From the very start, RE/MAX was designed as the
home of the industry’s top producers,” the RE/MAX
Chairman and Co-Founder says. “Our system appeals
to people who view real estate as a profession, not a
part-time job. And that’s why we have the most experi-
enced, most productive sales force in history.”
That sales force now includes nearly 90,000 agents
in over 80 countries, and its U.S. contingent pulled
off an impressive double victory in the J.D. Power and
Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM. Among
national full-service real estate firms, RE/MAX ranked
highest in Overall Customer Satisfaction for BOTH
groups of consumers.
“On both sides of the transaction, consumers today
need an agent who is trustworthy, dependable and an
absolute expert on local market conditions. And RE/MAX
agents fit that bill,” says RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly.
“We’ve always focused on being the best, not the big-
gest, and I think the recognition from J.D. Power and
Associates reflects the soundness of that decision.”
The J.D. Power and Associates methodology measures
a variety of aspects within the consumer experience.
Some of them relate directly to the agent (negotiation
skills, timeliness in responding, helpfulness on price,
follow-up, etc.) while others focus on the brokerage and
additional services.
In Overall Satisfaction among sellers, RE/MAX was
the lone brand to score five out of five. RE/MAX was five
for five among buyers as well.
“These awards confirm what we’ve always known
– that education, experience and professional com-
mitment lead to outstanding results for consumers,”
Liniger says. “Our Sales Associates do an incredible job.
These awards belong to them.”
RE/MA X RECEIVES
PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL
AWARDS FOR BOTH BUYER AND SELLER
SATISFACTION
}
IN THEIR OWN WORDS...HappyclientsoftenraveabouttheirRE/MAXagents.Afewemailexcerpts:
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A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 35
BY C
AITL
IN C
RAW
SHAW
//
PHOT
OGRAPHY BY J IMM Y J EO N G
a personalapproach Kerri-lyn Holland’s
commitment to her clients has her riding high
in one of Edmonton’s
most prestigious neighbourhoods, a new 3,000
square-foot home is nothing out of the ordinary.
Crestwood is one of the city’s most coveted
neighbourhoods, but remained a well-kept se-
cret until the late 1980s. These days, high-end
new builds and dramatically renovated homes
are typical of the area.
And yet even here, Kerri-lyn Holland’s house
stands out. With its ultramodern stone work and
dramatic entry, the home, which Holland and
her husband, a professional hockey player, built
from the ground up, has a certain sparkle.
And in that sense, it’s reminiscent of
Holland herself: A sparkling suc-
cess in a crowded market.
ONAQUIETSTREET
}
36 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
inspired into a careerSince joining RE/MAX River City in 2006, the former
marketer has worked hard to build her business. Already
a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Holland has a
database of contacts and former clients that constantly
generates new opportunities. And she has the skills and
systems in place to take advantage.
In some respects, Holland’s upward climb in real
estate began with an unremarkable commercial building
on the other side of the country.
Raised in St. Albert, Alberta, Holland moved to Mon-
treal in the early 2000s to study marketing. On her walk
to campus each morning, she’d pass a burned-out, va-
cant brick building and wonder whether someone would
ever fix it up. With a facelift, Holland mused, this build-
ing could become a stylish condo complex. And eventu-
ally it happened. “By the time I left Montreal, someone
had purchased that building and turned it into condos. It
was exciting that they took this older, dilapidated place
and turned it into something fabulous,” she says. “That
really piqued my interest in real estate.”
After moving back to the Edmonton area after univer-
sity, Holland took a marketing job but retained her curi-
osity about pursuing a real estate career. She earned her
license and quickly realized that her marketing savvy,
social skills and business mind would serve her well.
detailed preparationHolland joined RE/MAX River City at the start of the
housing boom in Edmonton, where RE/MAX brokerages
hold more than 40 percent market share in listings sold
and outsell the next four competitors combined.
“Many buyers who move to Edmonton because of the
area’s oil industry already know the RE/MAX name in
other parts of the world,” Holland says. “The brand-
name recognition helps generate calls from prospective
buyers and sellers.”
Her first year in real estate was demanding, especially
since she was doing everything herself. She attended as
many networking events as possible, helped fellow Real-
tors constantly and effectively worked open houses. As
more and more transactions closed successfully and her
database expanded, her stream of referrals grew as well.
Eventually, when she reached the point where she
was referring would-be clients to her colleagues, Holland
brought a licensed assistant/office manager, Catherine
Evasiuk, on board. The position entails running the
operation, organizing the flow of buyers and sellers, and
helping coordinate daily activities.
“Catherine is licensed, and has the knowledge, education
and experience to meet with clients and assist with open
houses,” Holland says. “She also works on creating and
executing my marketing activities. Essentially, she acts as
a representative of my business whenever necessary and
frees me up to spend face-to-face time with clients.”
Her group also includes a home stager and profes-
sional photographer.
“Everyone’s busy with their own life, so we need to
make it easy for buyers to picture themselves in a proper-
ty,” says Holland, who often works from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“With good staging and photos, they love it online first,
book a showing, and are excited to come and look at it.”
Of course, the real thing must live up to the promise.
“I won’t list a property until it’s ready, because we have
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 37
one chance to make a first impression,” she
says. “If we don’t do the hard work before-
hand, it won’t sell. I know how particular
buyers are. Whether they’re spending
$200,000 or $2 million, they expect a lot.
And they should.”
At this point in her career, Holland has
strong relationships with every major bank
in the community and with other business-
es related to real estate, including builders,
land developers, and condo developers.
More importantly, her systems include
constant communication with buyers and
sellers to help ensure their satisfaction.
“Satisfied clients turn into referrals,” she
says. “If you make one person happy, you
can make 10 more people happy.”
above and beyondFor repeat client Karen Breakey, Holland’s accessibility and
willingness to guide her purchasing decisions have been invalu-
able. After renovating and selling her own home last year, the
Edmontonian is now rehabbing a second home and has relied
on Holland’s advice throughout the process. “She’s helped me
find cleaners and contractors. She’ll go and
get the Real Property Report done or surveys.
Both times I’ve worked with her, she’s had
additional appraisals done so we had our
own ballpark figure going in,” Breakey says.
Adds Shami Sandhu, Broker/Owner of
RE/MAX River City: “I highly encourage my
agents to conduct business in a manner that
can’t be replaced by a website. A website
can’t serve a client the way a skilled profes-
sional, especially a skilled RE/MAX profes-
sional, can.” Holland exemplifies this, says
Sandhu: “She excels in her ability to go the
extra mile for her clients.”
That extra mile is sometimes a world away.
When Holland is visiting her husband in
Europe, where he plays in the German Elite
League (DEL), she continues to work on transactions – even though
she’s often up at 3 a.m. to chat with clients and agents back home.
Fortunately, this juggling act will end when her husband
winds down his hockey season – and career – and returns to
Edmonton. But rather than enjoy some time off, he’ll be jump-
ing right into Holland’s real estate practice alongside her. “He
loves real estate almost as much as I do,” she says.
Holland uses new technolo-
gies to market her business,
including social media and
ConnectCode Media QR
codes on her marketing
materials. “This is a very use-
ful and increasingly popular
marketing tool,” says assist-
ant Catherine Evasiuk.
Find out how Holland
leverages social media on
Facebook (Kerri-lyn Holland
& Associates); on Twitter
(@KerrilynHolland); or on
LinkedIn (Kerri-lyn Holland).
HOLLAND’S “TECH”NIQUE
Solu
tions
for B
roke
rsSo
lutio
ns fo
r Age
nts
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X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XD I S T R E S S E D P R O P E R T I E S
FOR SIX YEARS, WENDY DUNKIN WAS em-
battled in a bitter divorce. The ordeal not only
left her scarred emotionally, but financially
too. Suddenly, she was a single working mom
underwater on her mortgage.
With one less household earner and
nearly 50 percent of her income going into
her doomed home, Dunkin found herself
struggling to make payments. Desperate for
a solution, she went to her bank for help and
was told to contact a real estate agent.
A friend referred her to Frank Helderle with
RE/MAX Best Choice Realty in St. Louis, and
he suggested trying a short sale. Dunkin’s
initial reaction? Skepticism. But she gave it
a shot, willing to do whatever she could to
avoid foreclosure.
Dunkin’s short sale closed on July 13. At
last, she’s moving on.
“Frank gave me the chance to wipe my slate
clean,” Dunkin says. “The minute he suggested
a short sale, I was skittish because I had heard
how difficult they were. He walked me through
every step. Whether it was through text, email
or by phone, I could get a hold of Frank 24/7,
and he made the process so much easier.”
It’s estimated that 4.4 million households
are more than 30 days past due on their mort-
gage payments, while 1.89 million are more
than 90 days behind, according to Lender
Processing Services, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based
technology data and analytics provider.
These homeowners, now more than ever,
need the help of a trained, experienced real
estate professional.
And that’s where RE/MAX agents can make
a difference.
“When Dave Liniger said that short sales and
REOs were going to be a big deal and he pushed
the education, I was one of the first in line for
the CDPE and the SFR,” Helderle says. “When I
look at my short sale clients, I’m conscientious
that sickness, job loss or other unexpected is-
sues could very easily put me in their shoes.
“This isn’t your typical transaction where
you sign paperwork, go to closing and move on
to the next one. You really get involved with
these people and become part of their lives.”
ITTAKESTOTALFOCUSShort sales are complex transactions, but
agents with the right training, attention to
detail and commitment can help change the
game in their markets. They require meticu-
lous paperwork, constant communication,
and reassuring anxious sellers and over-
whelmed loss-mitigation departments.
Success in this niche takes total focus;
B Y D E B O R A H B A L L K E A R N S
With Skill and Resolve, You Can
Get Them Done
S H O R T S A L E S :
LENDERS ARE
COMING ON
BOARD, SO MORE
AGENTS ARE
ABLE TO HELP
DISTRESSED
SELLERS
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 39
there’s no faking it, says Rebecca McKenna, a
top producer with RE/MAX Advantage in Las
Vegas. When her market was hit by a wave of
defaults in 2008, McKenna, like Helderle, wast-
ed no time getting the CDPE. When she first
started out, she was barely getting a 7 percent
approval rate from banks on short sale offers.
Now, three years later, that rate has im-
proved to 75 percent. Ultimately, though, McK-
enna’s goal is to keep her clients in their homes.
“Vegas is ground zero for distressed proper-
ties – 85 percent of the homeowners here are
upside down on their mortgages,” McKenna
says. “It’s truly mortifying what families are go-
ing through. I recommend that my clients take
advantage of mediation. We can use it as a tool
to prolong the process; it gives us time to negoti-
ate with banks and avoid foreclosure.”
Having a strong system and a team is key to
McKenna’s success. She has a short sale coor-
dinator who processes and tracks transactions
on Equator, an online distressed property
portal. Sometimes, banks take months to re-
spond but give agents only a day or two to turn
around documents or comps. Agents spend a
lot of time on the phone and in the office, and
that doesn’t appeal to everyone, she says.
“It takes tenacity to move things along;
you’re constantly fighting for your client,”
McKenna says. “When you work with banks,
develop a good relationship with the point per-
son in the escalation department. If you don’t
get prompt responses to emails and phone
calls, take your requests to a supervisor. Don’t
be afraid to pick up the phone and push the
contract through.”
NOWISTHETIMETOJUMPINThe number of short sales in the market is
growing. CoreLogic, a national data provider
for property and ownership information,
estimates that there will be 25 percent more
short sales in the United States this year.
Banks, which were initially slow to respond
to short sales, are now eager to close them, so
the time frame has shortened significantly,
says Robert Orr. The Sales Associate with
RE/ MAX Anchor Realty in North Port, Fla., be-
gan working the transactions in 2010 because
he saw banks getting more aggressive about
moving the files along.
“Now that lenders have a grasp on the situa-
tion and more manpower in place to deal with
the files, short sales are moving more quickly,”
says Orr, who earned his CDPE two days after
joining RE/MAX.
A big part of the puzzle is education, and
that extends particularly to buyers, Orr says.
As a listing agent, he makes it a point to inter-
view buyer’s agents to gauge their awareness
of how a short sale works and how well they
educate their own clients. If buyers don’t un-
derstand that short sales come with extended
time frames – it can take months to get an
approval – they’ll get impatient and walk.
“It’s so important to educate everyone on both
ends of the transaction,” Orr says. “Buyers don’t
understand that most short sales are sold as-is;
your marketing needs to be clear about that.”
Some agents are reluctant to work short
sales because of the long waiting periods and
complex issues and paperwork, but Orr has
embraced them and earned the trust of many
homeowners in his market.
“I think now is a great time to jump in,” Orr
says. “After I closed my first short sale and
helped a family out, I realized that it goes far be-
yond earning a commission check. We’re trying
to help as many people out there as we can.”
TIPS FOR
WORKING SHORT SALES
GET EDUCATEDRE/MAX Univer-sity offers several distressed property courses such as CDPE, SFR, Five Star and others.
PARTNER WITHSPECIALISTS A lawyer, a title coordinator and a certified public ac-countant are good resources to have.
SUBMIT COMPLETE PACKAGESPackages should be complete with all required documen-tation and the best offer possible.
BUILD RAPPORT WITH BANKS Communicate constantly, respond quickly and create a strong reputation among the people handling the file.
BE PREPARED AND ORGANIZEDAlthough the proc-ess has improved, short sales are still complex transac-tions. Have systems in place to track, manage and docu-ment every step.
SCHEDULE PRICE ADJUSTMENTSAgree with sell-ers up front on scheduled price reductions if they become necessary and/or practical. Be mindful of how much time you have before the property slips into foreclosure.
CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: Robert Orr, Rebecca McKenna and Frank Helderle’s team recognize the unique challenges and opportunities that short sales offer.
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X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XL U X U R Y
7 Ways to Impress Luxury Clients
T O U C H E S O F C L A S S
Selling luxury homes takes a certain kind of panache and
dedication. So how do you become a sought-after real es-
tate adviser to your market’s wealthiest movers-and-shakers?
It comes down to superior customer service and market
knowledge, says Shannon Ferguson.
“This is a great time to go after the luxury market, but you
have to be aware of the size of your commitment; this is a
hands-on niche,” says the Broker Associate with RE/MAX
Select One in Dana Point, Calif. “On a $14 million transaction I
closed recently, I met with the buyers every time a document
needed to be signed because they didn’t like doing business by
phone or fax. I gladly did it because that’s what they preferred
and their interests came first; it’s never about me.”
If you want to impress high-end buyers and sellers and earn
future referrals, here are seven of Ferguson’s tips to exceed
their customer service expectations:
“ This is a great time to go after the luxury market, but you have to be aware of the size of your commitment; this is a hands-on niche.” – SHANNON FERGUSON
1
FOCUSONQUALITY,NOTQUANTITY.Ferguson never carries more
than a handful of listings at
a time because she wants
to give the best service she
possibly can to each client.
Don’t take on more listings
than you can handle, other-
wise details will fall through
the cracks, she advises. Con-
sider hiring an assistant to
tackle administrative tasks
so you have more face time
with clients.
2
USETHERE/MAXCOLLECTION®.Multimillion-dollar proper-
ties need sophisticated,
high-quality marketing to
help them stand out. The
RE/MAX Collection gives
Ferguson and other luxury
agents these resources, such
as access to coveted adver-
tising spots in publications
like duPont Registry, Unique
Homes and The Wall Street
Journal. In addition to print
advertising, Ferguson also
uses presentation binders,
business cards and yard signs
from the program.
3
INVESTINYOURLISTINGS.Ascribing to the adage,
“Spend money to make mon-
ey,” Ferguson budgets $20,000
per listing for marketing
expenses. She suggests
hosting broker previews for
agents in your market, as
well as building an online
database of luxury agents in
high-end markets around the
world. “I email listing fliers
to 80,000 contacts, especially
when I do price reductions,”
she says. “Wording is the key
to generating interest, so use
an eye-catching phrase like
‘Million-Dollar Price Reduc-
tion’ as your subject line.”
4
BEDIRECTABOUTPRICING.Speaking of price reductions,
there’s no way around it: It’s
a sticky topic for sellers. But
agents should be prepared
to make their case if one is
needed. Go in armed with
comparables and market
reports to justify a reduction
to a seller. “When a high-end
home is in a great location and
it’s staged right but there’s no
buyer traffic, pricing is the is-
sue,” Ferguson says. “Be direct
about why a price reduction
is needed, and make sure you
have the numbers and facts
to back your assertion up.
Remind clients that properties
have to be priced competi-
tively to create interest.”
B Y D E B O R A H B A L L K E A R N S
5
WORKONLISTINGS.This is a challenge if
you’re just getting started.
Ferguson suggests going
on broker previews of
luxury properties in your
market, then offering
to host open houses for
those agents to assist their
marketing efforts. It’s a
great way to get in front
of buyers and learn the
niche, but make sure you
do research about the area
ahead of time, she adds.
“Getting that first luxury
listing is hard, and some-
times it comes down to
selling yourself and your
market knowledge.”
6
SHOWTHEMYOURFULLATTENTION.Luxury clients tend to be
well-read, savvy business
people who expect prompt
responses to phone calls
and emails. They also want
a responsive agent who isn’t
taking other clients’ calls in
front of them. “They will call
you often and expect your
undivided attention; if they
have questions, you need
to have answers because
they’re not used to wait-
ing,” Ferguson says. Having
strong communication skills
and anticipating problems
as well as solutions must be
crucial components of your
customer service.
7
JUSTBEYOU.Enjoying what you do
and the people you’re
working with makes it
all worthwhile, Fergu-
son says. Avoid being
someone you’re not, and
leave your ego at the
door. “If you treat luxury
clients right, they’ll be
loyal to you for many
years,” Ferguson says.
“Keep the relationship
goal-oriented and cas-
ual, and don’t be stuffy.
Add some laughter and
humor to the mix, and
have fun!”
THE RE /M A X COLLECTION
gives luxury listings a sophisticat-
ed marketing advantage in today’s
competitive high-end arena.
With an elegant look and a
name that commands atten-
tion, The RE/MAX Collection
creates a strong impression
among buyers and sellers in
the luxury market.
The program offers special-
ized tools and resources for
RE/MAX agents who work
with high-end properties. The
materials reflect the excep-
tional service and treatment
that luxury-home buyers and
sellers expect from their real
estate professional.
There are no fees or course
requirements to participate in
the program, which includes:
Specialized marketing
materials and promotional
items with The RE/MAX
Collection logo and tagline
A featured area for
The RE/MAX Collection
listings on the RE/MAX
consumer website –
www.theremaxcollection.com
The RE/MAX Collection
distinctive signage
Advertising programs in
The Wall Street Journal,
duPont Registry and
Unique Homes
Partnership with the Institute
for Luxury Home Marketing,
which offers the Certified
Luxury Home Marketing Spe-
cialist (CLHMS) designation
ABOUT THE RE/MAX COLLECTION
Fine Homes & Luxury Properties
Shannon Ferguson recently closed on this $6 million waterfront estate in Newport Beach, Calif., with the help of The RE/MAX Collection marketing materials.
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X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XC O M M E R C I A L
CommercialVICTORIES
BY BEING QUICKER, SMARTER AND
MORE ATTENTIVE THAN THEIR
COMPETITORS, RE/MAX COMMERCIAL
STARS BUILD MOMENTUM
B Y M A R Y E L L E N B I E R Y
billion in investment sales and leasing
transactions closed by RE/MAX agents
in 2010. And they’ve helped make
RE/MAX Commerical, with 380 offices
or divisions and 3,000 practitioners
in 42 countries, a growing, thriving
aspect of the overall network.
STRONGBRANDRECOGNITIONThe three say the RE/MAX name
lends instant credibility to their intro-
ductions. For instance, even though
the network’s recent J.D. Power and
Associates awards were based on the
responses of home buyers and home
sellers, the recognition impacts the
commercial side as well. “When we
go into a room to meet clients, they all
know RE/MAX, and they know RE/MAX
delivers,” Bragg says.
Shalabi actually sells both residential
and commercial properties, which helps
his bottom line. “I’ve never known an
investor who owns commercial prop-
erty who doesn’t also own a house,” he
says. Because he sells houses, provides
NATHAN BRAGG, DAVE SHALABI
and Neil Warshafsky come
from different backgrounds and sell
commercial real estate in three very
different cities, but some common
traits and insights have helped them
all become successful.
Bragg, a former Marine, works with
RE/MAX Time Realty – Commercial
Division in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.,
where industrial properties are mixed
with office and retail spaces. It’s a
market that’s beginning to stabilize
after several tough years.
Shalabi is with the Commercial Divi-
sion of RE/MAX Synergy in the Chicago
suburb of Orland Park, where high
county taxes contribute to major vacan-
cies in industrial, retail and office space.
And before Warshafsky set up his
RE/MAX Commercial Advisors broker-
age in Toronto, where the office leasing
market remains strong but competitive,
he studied urban planning and helped a
developer appeal taxes.
Each of them is a standout performer
who contributed to the more than $5.1
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 43
property management and sells commercial real estate
too, Shalabi can advise his clients on all fronts.
Adding value to each transaction is another strategy
the three share.
Warshafsky’s office concentrates on
investment sales and office leasing, but he
also has built a strong multifamily resi-
dential business. Aligning with the right
specialists, with different strengths, allows
him to meet a client’s needs in whichever
arena. He doesn’t want a client to ever have
reason to approach another firm for help.
Warshafsky tells of a prospective client who
emailed from Las Vegas on a Saturday, saying
he was looking for office space in Toronto.
It wasn’t going to be a big transaction – 4,000
square feet. But Warshafsky responded quickly
to line up a suitable lease. The client and his
business partner later moved to Toronto, where
they began buying large tracts of land. “They’re
now buying through me exclusively,” Warshaf-
sky says. “I’ve sold them 400 acres and have
four other properties under contract.”
Similarly, Bragg uses his construction
experience to help clients in a way other agents cannot. A
former licensed general contractor, Bragg can give clients
with distressed properties a full report on what’s needed
to secure the property and fix it up enough to get the most
from a sale. Distressed properties generally draw buyer
interest, Bragg says. “If we can present a nice one that’s
distressed, we’ll get a better price for the client.”
Shalabi strengthens his relationships with his com-
mercial investor clients by managing many of their
properties. “When I manage somebody’s property for
a year or more on a weekly basis, I’m their adviser,” he
says. As a result, when it comes time to sell, those cli-
ents don’t look to other commercial real estate compa-
nies, even if they’re larger. “They want someone who’s
going to tell them the real deal.”
That approach has paid off. One of Shalabi’s larger deals
recently was with a nationally recognized bank that was
also a satisfied property management client of his. The bank
has now approached Shalabi’s firm to sell 160 housing units,
including apartment buildings and single-family homes.
TECHNOLOGYPROVIDESANEDGETechnology is another theme that connects these three
commercial agents. Each believes in investing in technology
that provides a competitive edge – whether it’s an informa-
tion system, marketing or communications.
Warshafsky’s firm spends about $30,000 (CAN) a year
on data feeds to access comps from anywhere. As a
result, he’s able to get proprietary information on market
leasing activity and comps for clients even
on weekends when he’s away from the
office. That’s a key part of his ability to be
responsive, he notes.
Shalabi is working to make his firm nearly
paperless this fall, and he’s launching a
website where property management clients
can make payments. Bragg gets the jump
on competitors by calling tenants when
their leases are set to expire, thanks to data
he gets as a subscriber to CoStar ’s listing
service. A big believer in leveraging time and
resources, he also makes use of email mar-
keting to generate leads efficiently.
Shalabi, Bragg and Warshafsky constantly
look for ways to run their businesses better
so they can spend time with their families,
something all three stars consider key to
their happiness. Their RE/MAX affiliation
provides them with brand power, support
and a great deal of independence.
“I decide who I want to do business with, when I want
to do business, and how,” Warshafsky says. “I’m in con-
trol. And that’s important to me.”
“When we go into a room to meet clients, they all know
RE/MAX, and they
know RE/MAX delivers.”
NREI magazine ranks RE/MAX Commercial among ‘Top 25’RE/MAX Commercial has gained a spot on National Real Estate Investor magazine’s list of the Top 25 Commercial
Brokerage Networks, positioning the brand alongside commercial heavyweights such as CB Richard Ellis and Cushman & Wakefield. Be-ing included on the list gives RE/MAX Commercial – which outranked commercial-only firms Sperry Van Ness, Transwestern and Lee & As-sociates – a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.
RE/MAX Commercial educationREGISTER FOR ACCREDITED COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL COURSE
There’s a new commercial real estate designation offered only to RE/MAX agents via RE/MAX University. Register today for the Accredited Commer-cial Professional course, created by Dan Andrews, President of Commer-cial Real Estate Advisors. Sign up on Mainstreet for the discounted rate of $399, which includes 24/7 access to the online course, as well as a user-friendly, 250-page training and resource guide.
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X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XC I T I Z E N S H I P
EVERY 69 SECONDS, A WOMAN DIES OF BREAST
CANCER. DON’T WAIT ANOTHER 69 SECONDS TO
START MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
WAYS TO HELP END
BREAST CANCER
1 GOTHEDISTANCERE/MAX is a national sponsor of the Race for the Cure®, and you can reflect the networkwide commitment by registering a race team or manning the RE/MAX booth at your local event. Contact your RE/MAX region for details.
2 KEEPTHEMOMENTUMSign up for the exclusive Home for the Cure® program for RE/MAX agents who want to help fight breast cancer through their business. Susan G. Komen for the Cure® paid for nearly 500,000 screenings last year and funded research aimed at preventing breast cancer with the help of dedicated donors. For more information, visit komen.org/homeforthecure.
3 FLAUNTYOURPINKPink is the color of a global community united to end breast cancer. Throw on something pink today, and wear it proudly. You’ll find co-branded options through the RE/MAX Approved Supplier Program via the RE/MAX Mainstreet Shop tab.
4 SPREADTHEWORDShow your support on your social networks with videos, images, photos and updates, and join the Susan G. Komen for the Cure global community on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
5 BEAVOICEFORCHANGESign a petition at komenadvocacy.org to make women’s cancers a global priority.
Top: In St. Louis, Greg Koch brings a small helium balloon to the race. Bottom: In Bloom-ington, Minn., representatives of the RE/MAX North Central region make a statement.
Whether cameras are there to capture them or not, these types of images of RE/MAX Associates in action are visible at Race for the Cure events in hundreds of cities each year.
SCENES OF COMMITMENT
RE/MAX ASSOCIATES STEP UP (AND OUT!) TO SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER
A Time to Take Action
A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE F A L L 2 0 11 45
WHEN CINDY PELLETIER WAS undergoing chemotherapy for
breast cancer, she did a lot of thinking
about her future.
“I told my husband, ‘If I get through
this, I want to sell real estate again,’”
says Pelletier, who started her career in
1991 in California and relocated to Min-
nesota in 1997.
Now marking the five-year anniver-
sary of her diagnosis on Oct. 3, 2006,
Pelletier finds herself healthy, hopeful
and happily selling real estate again,
now with RE/MAX Results in Eden Prai-
rie, Minn. She’s a passionate supporter
of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in her
personal life and through her business.
After traveling the long road to being
cancer-free and overcoming the crippling
fear of what other health problems could be
ahead, Pelletier says she found a new focus
by joining the fight against breast cancer as a
donor, volunteer and survivor. She was even
inspired to host a fundraiser at her home
that raised $7,000.
As her spirits continued lifting, Pelletier’s
husband reminded her about the goal she set to
get her Minnesota real estate license. She met
her goal and interviewed with five companies,
and she says RE/MAX was the clear choice.
“I was sitting in the office for an initial
meeting when I spotted a brochure about
the RE/MAX partnership with Komen for the
Cure,” Pelletier says. “I went home after the
meeting and told my husband that I saw the
sign I was looking for.”
Wearing her RE/MAX pink-ribbon pin and
showing her support on her business cards,
Pelletier is not shy about
sharing her passion for the
cause. Clients are honored
by her frequent donations
in their names, and Pelletier
even received a referral from a California
agent whose decision to contact her was
based on her support of Komen for the Cure.
Pelletier is actively involved in the cause
in so many ways, from volunteering at a local
cancer center to recently taking part in the
60-mile Komen 3-Day for the Cure. One of the
most fulfilling ways to give back, she says, is
making surprise donations to young walkers
who are having trouble reaching their dona-
tion goals for the three-day events. She has
donated nearly $3,000 this year.
“I know there are times when people don’t
always have money to give, but just spread-
ing the word about what Komen for the Cure
does – wearing the pin and the T-shirts –
helps build awareness. And that can be just
as powerful.”
RE/MAX HAS BEEN A proud supporter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure since 2002. Through sponsor-ship of the race series, the Home for the Cure fund-raising program for agents, and general donations, RE/ MAX and its Associates have contributed over $5 million to the fight against breast cancer.
working together to find the cures
B Y A M A N DA O K K E R
Healthy,Hopeful &Happy
Cindy Pelletier receives a well-deserved high-five as she completes the 60-mile Komen 3-Day for the Cure
46 F A L L 2 0 11 A B O V E THERE/MA XMAGAZINE
INS
IDE
STO
RY
BU
ILD
ING
BLO
CK
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FU
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SP
EC
TRU
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AB
OVE
& B
EYO
ND
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XC I T I Z E N S H I P
DAVE AND GAIL LINIGER ARE THE
distinguished recipients of the 2011
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
Founder’s Award.
The RE/MAX Co-Founders join
an elite group of honorees (only five
individuals have received the award)
for their support and leadership
that inspired RE/MAX
agents to raise more
than $100 million for
children’s hospitals.
The award
recognizes North
America’s greatest
leaders, from board members to hospi-
tal CEOs to fundraising experts, who’ve
seen the power of Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals and embraced it.
“Nearly 20 years ago, we decided
to align with a charity that cares about
families as much as RE/MAX agents do,”
says Gail Liniger. “Children’s Miracle Net-
work was doing amazing things for sick
children and their families, and we just
had to be part of it. We’re very proud of
the way RE/MAX people have worked so
hard for kids in their communities.”
What $100 Million Can DoRE/MAX Associates have raised more
than $100 million for Children’s Miracle
Network Hospitals since 1992, making
RE/MAX one of the top three donors of
all time. Here are just some of the impor-
tant purchases possible with $100 million:
200,000,000 preemie-sized diapers
25,000,000 baby blankets
20,000 pediatric wheelchairs
1,786 Giraffe OmniBed incubators
1,370 yearlong rounds of cancer treatment
432 bone marrow transplants
20 YEARS of Miracles RE/MAX Co-Founders Receive Elite Honor
Associates from RE/MAX Time Realty in Rancho
Cucamonga, Calif., visit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
The Miracle Home pro-gram is an exclusive
program for RE/MAX Associates who want to support Children’s Mira-cle Network Hospitals. Agents who participate can make a difference in several impactful ways:
Making regular pledges on behalf of buyers and sellers
Sponsoring client-appreciation parties, golf tournaments and other fun events to raise funds
Raising awareness of the important work happening at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
OnehundredpercentofalldonationsreceivedthroughtheMiracleHomeprogrambenefitRE/MAXagents’localChildren’sMiracleNetworkHospital.
THE MIRACLE
HOME® PROGRAM
RE/MAX Associates helping local kids
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X X X X X X X X X X X X X X XI N C L O S I N G
Q: Why should agents be optimistic
about housing?
A: The global economic crisis is affecting us all.
And while we don’t create the market, we can con-
trol how we guide people through it. Be confident
in your skills and knowledge, and wherever you
are in the world be sure to look at all the economic
signs there. In the U.S., there are some indicators
of a turnaround. Looking at mortgage resets, we’re
through the worst of it. On top of that, we’re seeing
Gen-Y and immigrant buyers coming into the mar-
ket more and more. Family formation that dropped
so low is now going back up to 1.25 million families
being formed every year. Going back to 1973, home
sales went up after every recession; it will happen
again. We have to be ready.
Q: What role do you see
investors playing?
A: Investors are going to be a key
to recovery, because they’re the
ones who are buying and renting
out properties. And we’re not
talking about the institutional
investors who buy properties in
bulk; we’re talking about the
individual investors like
you and me who are using
their 401(k)s and IRAs to
buy homes they intend to
rent. They ride the price
of the property back
up, and in the future
all that profit goes
back into their IRA for
retirement. It’s going to
become a more com-
mon practice in the
next couple of years.
Q: What do you enjoy most about RE/MAX R4?
A: My husband always encourages me to do things that
keep my personal “energy gas tank” full. R4 is one of
those things. The energy amazes me, and interacting
with agents from all over the world is the best. When I at-
tend the Global Referral Exchange, where representatives
from dozens of countries network and share informa-
tion, I imagine it’s probably a lot like the beginning of
RE/MAX in the U.S. People didn’t know what RE/MAX
was, but the pioneers were determined to make it work.
It’s thrilling to see excited, passionate leaders show-
ing the same resolve in countries all over the world.
Q: What’s the secret to success?
A: I get this question a lot, and I immediately think
of my dad, who always told me: Don’t get discour-
aged by what may lie ahead; think instead about all
the great things you accomplish along the way. I love
to hear about agents celebrating the victories in their
markets. Whether they finally sold that tough listing
or they earned a new designation to better serve
their clients or they’re making a splash by embrac-
ing technology and social media. The attribute all of
these agents have in common is persistence. When
you stop setting goals and taking risks, that’s when
success is going to be hard to come by.
Q: What is your Breast Cancer Awareness
Month message for agents?
A: Think locally. Most likely, there’s a Komen for the
Cure Affiliate right near you, and they need volun-
teers, supporters, RE/MAX representation at the local
Race for the Cure and so much more. As a breast
cancer survivor, I know awareness is the real key to
saving lives. So wear your RE/MAX pink-ribbon pin,
tie a pink ribbon around a tree in your yard each
October, tell a friend to do her breast self-exam, put
the Home for the Cure sign rider on your listings. And
remember: All the little things add up to a big impact.
YOU’VE GOT HER UNDIVIDED ATTENTION! SEND YOUR QUES-
TIONS TO [email protected], AND RE/MAX CEO MARGARET
KELLY WILL ANSWER THEM IN FUTURE ISSUES. A FEW STARTERS:
HAVE QUESTIONS?CEO Margaret Kelly has answers.
?
Ask Margaret!
March 5 - 8, 2012
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