2011 Ends with a Big Bang for Real Living | News from around our Real Estate Network

A Message from Real Living Real Estate’s President, Harley E. Rouda, Jr.

To the Real Living agents:

Recently, I had the privilege to announce that our parent company, Brookfield Residential Property Services, acquired Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services.

This means that we are now under the umbrella of the #3 player in the North American residential real estate brokerage market. We now exist within an entity that consists of almost 80,000 real estate agents and 2,800 locations.

When many companies are retreating with doubts about the U.S. market, through this transaction Brookfield RPS is showing confidence in the real estate market and commitment to the industry. I hope you share my sentiments that it is fantastic to be a part of this company.

Through such an expansion, we reach a prominent position within the industry. Our goal is to continue to grow and provide you with technologies and services that help you build your client roster, personal brand, and business as a whole.

I hope each and every one of you is as excited about this news as I am. This is a great time to be a part of Real Living. What was already a hugely successful year has come to a close with a bang, and I can’t wait to see what 2012 has in store.

Wishing you the best of holidays and a happy New Year!

Real Living in the NewsReal Living Northwest REALTORS^® hosts annual holiday event, garners leads

The holidays are always a time to celebrate. Real Living Northwest REALTORS^®takes the opportunity during this time to host an annual holiday event for their clients, family, friends, and vendors.

Get Real was able to sit down with Stephanie McCarthy, broker/owner at Real Living Northwest REALTORS^®, to talk about a recent holiday event her brokerage put togetherGR – What was the event?

SM – “The Real Living Tree Hunt” is an annual event we do for our past and present clients, family and friends. It is a way of saying ‘thank you’ while creating a tradition.

We partnered with Stocker Tree Farm, who gave all of our attendees a discount of 10% off on the tree they cut down. A Title Officer we work with dressed as Santa and we had a photographer for family photos. There was a station for making tree decorations and holiday cookies, hot chocolate and coffee were also available. Great fun was had by all!

GR – Why did you decide to put the event together?

SM – We wanted an event that is fun for the whole family. This event is so special because it gives our office and agents the ability to re-connect with their clients and sphere, and then to spend a couple of hours with their families instead of just receiving a card via email or through the mail.

GR – How many people attended the event?

SM – As it turned out, we had 124 people come to the event. We received a lot of positive feedback saying it was great!  We had many past clients come who now use this event as one of their holiday traditions.

GR – Did you utilize any Market Advantage materials in preparation for this event?

SM – As for the preparation for the event, we had our Marketing Manager create an invite through Market Advantage and create a group called Events where we place our contacts. We also told our agents to do the same and then created an initial invite explaining the event and used it as a save the date.

We sent this out one month in advance.  We then sent a second reminder the following week.  The last two weeks before the event we called everyone to touch base and get a final head count for food and decorations.

GR – How has this event helped your business so far?

SM – From the Santa Pictures we took, we created a cute frame around each photo and sent them out as a ‘thank you’ for attending the event. During this time, I had three people refer a family or friend that we are now currently working with in finding homes.

Long ago, I learned that having a gathering over sending a special gift or card would be better money spent because you would get the opportunity to strengthen an existing bond and remind them about what we do.  It really works!

Congratulations to Stephanie and her team for a successful event.

Network Testimonial – Finding success with the Real Living eNewsletter

One of the most popular marketing tools provided by Market Advantage is the eNewsletter. Blake Eudailey, CRS, of Real Living Eudailey Real Estate, began using the eNewsletter during the summer and months later; he has found it a complete success.

“After the first month of them going out, one of the contacts called me for a listing appointment. That resulted in a listing that sold after 30 days,” says Blake. “Now I’m selling that seller another house. I already have two more listing appointments as a result of the last eNewsletter that went out this past week.”

The eNewsletter comes in many different formats, ranging from ‘pre-built’ with a variety of topics to ‘build your own’ where you can write about what is most important to your target audiences.

In addition to generating leads, Blake points out that he is able to engage with many of his existing contacts who respond directly to him, appreciating the information and complimenting the content.

“I can’t believe how simple and user friendly it is, and it’s free! I can’t think of a more effective and simple way to stay in front of people.”

If you haven’t created one yet, consider it. A video tutorial on Market Advantage guides you through the easy step-by-step process of creating your own personal eNewsletter. It’s a simple way to keep prospects, clients and leads in the loop.

 

Real Living HER Awarded Best Real Estate Agency

For the third year running, Real Living HER has been named the Best Real Estate Agency (Residential) 2011 by Columbus CEO Magazine’s Best of Business 2011. The award was accepted by Jim Stevenson, SVP of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives for Real Living HER and Real Living Realty Services.

“We are humbled that the readers of Columbus CEO have awarded us with the designation of Best Real Estate Brokerage,” says Jim. “This shows the level of professionalism and visibility of our associates, and their ability to deliver services to the central Ohio community.

Since Harley E. Rouda, Sr. founded Real Living HER in 1956, it has been a brokerage of choice for residents of central Ohio and many reasons are attributed to its continued success. “The momentum created from having established strong local roots more than half a century ago is a powerful force,” says Jim.

“Now coupled with state-of-the-art technology tools, the most professional associates in the business, and more recently, the partnership with Brookfield, has created a unique one-two punch – we have the local knowledge and heritage combined with the global resources to truly deliver an exceptional real estate experience from start to finish.”

On behalf of the Real Living network, we would like to congratulate Real Living HER on receiving this award, and wish them continued success.

 

Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living Celebrates New Office

On Wednesday, October 12, Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living held a gala event in celebration of the grand opening of their newest office located at 600 Brand Blvd., Suite 210, Glendale, California.

As 5:00 p.m. rolled around, Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living opened its doors to over 150 real estate agents, affiliates, and local celebrities who all wanted to be a part of the celebration with Shannon Cistulli, Branch Manager, and her team.

“This new office has a modern look and better visibility in the community,” says Shannon. “It’s smaller, but designed more for meeting clients with a large conference room and wide screen monitor. This also accommodates the new working style of agent who does not require a large private office.”

“Shannon and her team have extensive expertise and knowledge of the Glendale housing market and are committed to delivering Full-Service Real Estate Services to the local housing market,” said Mark Dilbeck, President of Dilbeck Real Estate Real Living in a recent press release. “This team will be a tremendous asset to real estate buyers and sellers in the Glendale community.”

This new office will help serve the Glendale region with residential sales and relocation, commercial sales, corporate sales, new home sale, estate home sales, along with related escrow, title, and, financing services. For pictures of the grand opening, view the album on Facebook.

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