REALTY EXECUTIVES INTERNATIONAL RANKS ON ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE’S 2009 FRANCHISE 500® LIST

By Marissa Leon

PHOENIX, Ariz. – January 14 – Realty Executives International announced today that it has once again been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500® list for 2009. The company ranked at number 179 worldwide for 2009, making it only the fourth real estate franchisor to appear on this year’s list.

The list is compiled annually by Entrepreneur Magazine and lists franchises in a variety of industries based on specific criteria including company objectives, financial stability, growth rate, size, number of years in the business and length of time franchising. The 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores are then ranked in order on the general listing.

“We are thrilled to be included in this prestigious report for 2009 and look forward to continuing to drastically improve our rankings in the coming years,” said Rich Rector, president and CEO of Realty Executives International. “A renewed focus and growth strategy for the next several years will, no doubt, continue to keep Realty Executives in the forefront of both the real estate and franchising industries.”

Since the firm started its franchising operation in 1988, Realty Executives International has been named as a top franchise on 19 Entrepreneur Magazine lists, as well as in many other notable national rankings. In fact, in the last several years, the company has repeatedly improved its ranking on the Franchise 500® list.

Realty Executives International, Inc. is one of the fastest-growing real estate franchises in the United States, with nearly 15,000 sales associates and more than 750 franchises. The Phoenix-based, privately held company has offices in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Greece, Panama, Nicaragua, Belize, Israel, Australia, Poland and Spain. Publications like Entrepreneur, Success and Inc. magazines have recently ranked Realty Executives International as a leader in the real estate industry based on franchise growth, management stability and financial soundness. For additional company information visit www.RealtyExecutives.com.

Realty Executives Makes Cover of Real Estate Magazine!

REFINING A BRAND

Realty Executives and the Art of Supporting Professionals

By Maria Patterson

Forty-four years ago, the idea of forming a real estate company based on a 100% commission model was a radical concept-certainly nothing the industry had ever seen before. Today, decades after company Founder Dale Rector revolutionized the industry and put Realty Executives on the map, company President & CEO Rich Rector is keeping that spirit alive by reinventing the company with a fresh approach and a compelling value proposition.

When you’re fundamentally different right out of the gate, it’s hard to settle for anything else. As many companies adopted the 100% commission concept over the years, Rich Rector knew that the founding principles on which Realty Executives was created were something much deeper and more profound than a commission plan. “Our mission is to provide the best possible leadership, environment, support and tools for the Realtor who strives to be a productive professional in their career,” says Rector.

“It should not be news to anyone,” he explains, “that there has been an ongoing revolution in our industry in the areas of information technology, communication and delivery of services. However, one core theme endures, which is that easy access to helpful and relevant information, and guidance from knowledgeable professionals has compelling value to the consumer of real estate services. In 2005, we set about a process of reinventing our core support and communication services to do just that.”

Luckily, being a longtime part of the established company prepared Rector for the task with the gift of perspective. “We revolutionized the industry once before and we needed to make sure we continued to differentiate ourselves in a relevant and compelling way to do it again,” says Rector. “While we experienced significant growth during the last 15 years, I was keenly aware of the dangers of losing our differentiation in the industry as a result of the easy growth we all experienced.” In 2004, Rector challenged his leadership team to refocus and renew the brand.

According to Realty Executives Chief Operating Officer Glenn Melton, who joined the firm in 2005, “When Dale started the company, he built a company that catered to entrepreneurs who were capable of building a business and didn’t need a large bureaucratic burden. At the same time, those people sought low fees and an environment that offered real freedom to operate as they saw fit-and to do so in the company of other professionals.”

As various real estate business models emerged over the years, along with a growing skepticism regarding the role of the Realtor in general, home buyers and sellers, real estate professionals, and the industry as a whole were clearly looking for better solutions.

“We held a meeting with key thought leaders in the franchise community, our regional developers and our broker/owners to ask their perspective on the industry and determine if they were getting what they needed from our franchise,” says Melton. “This is a brand that always made sense from day one and instead of completely rebirthing the brand, we wanted to understand how we could use our founding principles and concepts in a more effective way for today’s business environment.”

For the complete article, CLICK HERE.

Realty Executives Int'l Ranks in Franchise 500

Entrepreneur Magazine recently published their Franchise 500 which ranks the top 500 franchises overall as well as other categories such as Low-Cost Franchises & America's Top Global Franchises. Below are our rankings.

Franchise 500® rank:#179 (2009); #63 (2006); #73 (2005);Fastest-Growing Franchises:#37 (2006); #44 (2005);Low-Cost Franchises:#36 (2009); #16 (2006); #17 (2005);America's Top Global Franchises:#140 (2009); #58 (2006); #64 (2005);

For the complete online posting, please CLICK HERE.

Realty Executives Grows Into the New Year

RISMEDIA, January 6, 2009-Realty Executives Gulf Coast has announced that four more experienced real estate agents have decided to join its team. Betty Bronnenberg, Paula LeBlanc, Ba Porterfield and Larry Orr will be practicing as real estate sales professionals out of the company’s office located at 3479-B Gulf Shores Parkway in Gulf Shores.

“I am excited about the growth and experience level here at Realty Executives,” said Broker/Owner, Randy McKinney. “While other companies are closing and contracting, we are determined to attack a challenging market head on with a well-equipped team of professionals ready to serve the buyers and sellers in our community.”

Larry Orr is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and relocated to Orange Beach five years ago. He has been active in real estate for over three years. “I am looking forward to a new year with a great company with dynamic leadership. Tough times require new ways of doing business, and Realty Executives provides the platform from which to reach for greater successes,” said Orr.

Ba Porterfield has lived on the Gulf Coast for over five and a half years. She has been a licensed real estate professional for 15 years now. Prior to real estate she spent many years in Mortgage Banking Loan Administration servicing real estate loans in all 50 states. This profession led to her living all over the United States. “I am excited and optimistic about my future with Realty Executives Gulf Coast. I look forward to serving my clients with the outstanding resources and guidance offered by our office & the franchise,” said Porterfield.

Paula LeBlanc moved to the Gulf Coast area in 2004 from New Iberia, LA and began her career in real estate about a year ago. Prior to working in the real estate industry she practiced nursing at Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley and was in sales a number of years prior to that. “It has been a learning and rewarding experience. I’ve not only had customers, but have created new friendships. My decision to join Realty Executives was based on the exciting marketing tools and plans that Realty Executives offers and the way I was made to feel at home immediately. I look at this as a great opportunity to work with our community to fulfill their housing needs,” said LeBlanc.

Betty Bronnenberg is originally from Meridian, Mississippi and has lived on the Gulf Coast for more than six years. She has been actively involved in the real estate industry for over five years. “I look forward to starting the New Year with Realty Executives, a company that provides positive, solid leadership and offers the latest in technological tools and support that is crucial in today’s market,” said Bronnenberg.

Each of these real estate executives may be reached at (251) 968-4300. For more information, visit www.RealtyExecutivesGulfCoast.com.

REALTOR Convention & Expo in Orlando

Realty Executives stole the show again this year! The front of the Orange County Convention Center displayed two giant Realty Executives banners flanking the three REALTOR banners in the center. We also had larger than life-size column wraps at the entrance as well.

While Randy McKinney, our Regional Developer was busy in meetings serving as your NAR Region 5 Vice President, Drew Rambo, Director of Franchise Development for our region was working our International booth. We were literally everywhere again this year!

In addition to the fun everyone had, there were several important topics covered at the Convention including the Economic Stimulus Package, policy changes and the new REALTORS Federal Credit Union that will be entirely Internet based and will begin in mid-2009.

• Another noteworthy topic is the new NAR green designation. This designation fully supports 'a green philosophy and excellence in green leadership.'
• NAR also announced the launch of the new and improved Realtor.com. To get a tour of the new site and all of its benefits, visit TourtheNewRealtor.com.
• NAR's FHA Toolkit ("an interactive publication providing valuable information on the use of FHA for financing mortgages") is available online at Realtor.org for members.

Stay informed on the many important issues facing our industry today. Take a look at the above links and continue to learn and improve the services we provide our consumers, customers and clients.

MidSouth Meeting Has "Meaty" Content

Our Realty Executives MidSouth Regional Meeting took place last week here in Gulf Shores. We focused on mazimizing opportunities, increasing profitability and marketing in today's market. Attendees were pleased they made the trip. We welcomed two guests from Realty Executives International: Todd Sumney, Director of Marketing & President of Brand Architects and Marissa Leon, Communications & Public Relations Manager. In addition, two representatives from the Warranty Group came to discuss our branded Realty Executives Home Protection Plan. The shrimp boil Monday night was also a success, thanks to our "Shrimp Bake" chef, Drew Rambo! A huge thanks to those who participated. Below are a few comments from Executives who attended.

"...I just wanted you guys to know how much I learned, needed and enjoyed our mini convention! To all of the agents who didn't attend, they don't know what they missed out on!"

"Good facilities, good time, meaty subject matter...encouraging; great ideas"

"Good information...The services have been greatly improved since I last accessed the website."

Next year we are looking to hold our Regional Meeting in conjunction with the Southern Region in Savannah, Georgia around the same time of year. We look forward to a productive 2009!

Realtors hoping markets rebound

Below is an article by Trevor Stokes, Staff Writer for Times Daily, in which our Regional Developer and Broker/Owner of Realty Executives Gulf Coast, was quoted. Different Brokers from around the state speak on the condition of the market in their area. Good to know. Please read...

By Trevor Stokes

Alabama real estate has been relatively sheltered from the ongoing national foreclosure and mortgage crises, but the state's housing market has slowed significantly, which has been a topic of discussion this week during the Alabama Association of Realtors convention at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center.

From January to July, home sales decreased 22 percent; during the same period in 2007, prices increased a slight 0.4 percent on average and homes stayed on the market 10 percent longer, according to the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama.

"We're coming out of a difficult market," said Randy McKinney, owner of Realty Executives Gulf Coast. Many condo flippers - so called because they are short-term buyers who intend to sell at an inflated price - got trapped when Hurricanes Ivan and Rita increased the area's insurance costs and when subprime mortgages adjusted and increased their rates. McKinney said that after Ivan in 2004, the condo-flipping market heated up, but after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the market cooled down. Condo owners were stuck with mortgages worth more than the actual property. "They gambled - they lost the gamble," McKinney said.

Across the state, McKinney said that some of the best markets in Alabama are in regions associated with the military's Base Realignment and Closure Act, areas such as Huntsville, Phenix City, Dothan and Enterprise.

According to the Alabama Center for Real Estate, the Muscle Shoals region ranked first in the state's smaller markets for the greatest stability in home sales for the year to date.

"We're lacking listings; our inventory is low," said Joy Long, president of the Shoals Area Board of Realtors. Last year was slow in new construction, keeping the Shoals market stagnant.
One local trend, Long said, is homeowners who downsize from a large house to a patio home.
Unlike the Shoals, Montgomery has suffered from overconstruction.

Sandra Nickel, a real estate agency owner in Montgomery, said the state capital's market was down 14 percent over a year ago. The biggest drag is oversupply of new construction. She said that existing home sales were even from 2007. Like all real estate markets, location is key. Nickel said that in Montgomery's historic downtown pocket, supply was lower than demand, but in some outlying suburbs, the housing supply far outpaced the demand.

Statewide, the number of new construction permits in July was down 44 percent compared to July 2007, a decrease many say comes from increasing labor, materials and land costs. Closer to the Shoals, Huntsville presents a unique market because of its diversified employment pool, an influx of industrial workers and the upcoming BRAC, which is projected to bring additional residents.

"We're not so heavily tied to one industry," said Sid Pugh, a Re/Max broker in Huntsville.
Although Huntsville gained 665 jobs for a total of 197,773 from a year ago, its unemployment rate increased from 3 to 4.2 percent, according to the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations.

"What's hurting our market is people coming in from a depressed market and can't sell (their former property)," Pugh said. For example, someone who might afford a $400,000 home will instead buy a $150,000 home or may even rent a home while their former residence, in another state, stays on the market. "More people would buy in Huntsville if other markets were stronger elsewhere," Pugh said. Pugh said that a February report from Market Graphics, a market research group, indicates that if Huntsville maintained its current trajectory, the demand would outstrip supply by 2010 without factoring in BRAC. Pugh said the current overstock of houses would take one to two years to be absorbed into the market, and that sellers have begun to offer prospective buyers incentives. Interest rates remained at historic lows with the rate for a 30-year mortgage recently dipping below 6 percent. Pugh, who has worked for 30 years in real estate, said he remembered when the rate was 16.5 percent. "There's no reason why people shouldn't be buying," Pugh said, even as credit tightens as the market readjusts from loosened credit requirements.

Robert Scott, a Birmingham broker for Re/Max, said that the UAB Health System, the city's largest employer, "has been our stabilizer and our salvation. If we still relied on steel, we would be hurting." Like the Shoals market, Birmingham saw gradual and modest growth in its real estate market, Scott said, unlike other areas that saw unsustainable booms.

Trevor Stokes can be reached at 740-5728 or trevor.stokes@TimesDaily.com.