Professional One Franchising

I’ve spent more than 15 years studying most of the major real estate franchises. I’ve worked at a few of the biggest brands on the planet as an agent. I’ve looked under the hood and kicked the tires of many a real estate brand. In fact, I nearly purchased a franchise of three of these [...]

At our office meetings (we don’t have “sales” meetings), we use words like “service,” “excellence,” “communication,” “under-promise” and “over-deliver.” We discuss topics like “managing expectations” and “providing value-added service” and “becoming the trusted expert.” We talk about challenges we’ve had with clients and situations…and we share what we’ve learned from those experiences with one another. [...]

On summer mornings, I used to often be awakened by the zigzagging cadence of the newspaper delivery vehicle coming down my street… *accelerate* *PLOP* *accelerate* *PLOP* *accelerate* *PLOP* I haven’t heard that sound in two years… I used to go the mall a lot. To buy things I don’t need. Now I buy things I [...]

The new issue of Realtor Magazine came to our office today. On page 4, a graphic appears detailing the results of a Reader Poll that was conducted by the magazine. A simple question was asked: “Should real estate brokerage have a higher bar for entry?” A whopping 64% said, “Yes, much higher.” The next highest [...]

Sometime in September of 2009, before I ever saw or heard of the #RTB hashtag on Twitter, I had a lengthy Twitter exchange with Stefan Swanepoel (@Swanepoel). We were talking about the need for an increase in the level of professionalism in real estate. Here’s my best recollection of the conclusion of our dialogue: Swanepoel: “I [...]

Jay Thompson (@phxREguy) wrote yet another sensational blog post recently. This one is entitled “Does the Real Estate Brokerage Matter to the Home Buyer/Seller?” As of this moment, there are 211 – 211! – comments following that post. Amazing! If you haven’t already read Jay’s post and all the comments that follow, please do so. [...]

The issue of the “value of the brokerage/the brand” continues to rage across Social Media. I wrote a post called “The Brand Illusion.” Jay Thompson (@phxREguy) wrote a blog post called “Does the Real Estate Brokerage Matter to the Home Buyer/Seller?” Marc Davison (@1000WattMarc) wrote a blog post called “Can a Real Estate Brokerage Matter?” [...]

Brian Boero (@1000WattBrian) of 1000 Watt Consulting wrote a blog post recently entitled “Knuckleheads Beware.” This is how that post opens: In real estate, stupid scales. Excellence lives in small pockets. That’s how it’s always been. And it will be this way until, someday soon, a rising tide of technology and consumer frustration reaches flood [...]

I recently read with great interest the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) “2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.” One thing that really stood out as I read the NAR Profile is that, when it comes to the factors people emphasize when selecting a Realtor, brand/company is not very important. Let me say that again: [...]