Editor's note: These quotes originally appeared in this month's edition of Real Estate magazine, which you can view here.
RISMedia recently released its 2019 Power Broker Report which ranks the nation's top real estate firms by 2018 sales volume and total transactions. The Top 1,000 Power Brokers reported a collective sales volume of $1,424,776,652,825, with NRT again capturing the largest share of that figure with $176,431,375,000 in sales volume.
Additionally, the Top 1,000 hit 3,881,412 transactions—and for the first time, HomeServices of America took the No. 1 spot for transactions, closing 346,629 last year.
Here's what some of this year's Power Brokers have on their mind as the spring market heats up:
For David MacIntyre, COO and broker/owner of Arizona Best Real Estate, the most important factor in real estate success has and always will be relationships. "I believe my role as a broker/owner is to help the individual agent earn the money they need to provide a balanced quality of life," he says. "A life where the most important part is family, friends and relationships. Our culture of cooperation and friendship with our owners, managers, staff and agents makes this easier."
Looking ahead, changes from federal, state and city governments will trigger challenges. "Government actions change the mood of consumers—positive news, negative news, interest rates up, interest rates down…it all changes consumer decisions," explains MacIntyre.
Fresh off a rebrand, Halstead's offices are singing. According to CEO and Chairman Diane M. Ramirez, adapting the brand cemented its leadership in the market, and brought a competitive differentiator to the forefront: its culture.
"Our rebrand was huge for us. To compete in the market today, we're looking at who we are and making certain that we're the best we can be for our agents, and, in turn, for their customers," Ramirez says.
With 26 branch offices in three Florida counties, Michael Saunders & Company relies on 43 years of experience and has deep local roots and a passion for helping buyers and sellers from every walk of life.
"Trust and care are two elements essential today, and always will be," says Michael Saunders, founder and CEO. She notes that it's easy to see why people are moving to Florida in record numbers.
With a trio of offices in Northern New Jersey, Jordan Baris, Inc., REALTORS® is prepping its team for success with an abundance of regularly scheduled training. "We offer Lunchtime Learning Tuesdays and Tech Talk Thursdays," says Ken Baris, president of the firm. "Friday Morning Power Hour is a weekly meeting with guest speakers on timely topics. This, along with our online academy, Institute, powered by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, helps us continually evolve and stay at the forefront."
The key to the firm's ongoing success is a willingness to adapt to ever-changing markets while staying true to its culture. "We have weekly WIG (Wildly Important Goal) calls with our entire support team, where each person offers something that will enhance the experience for our team and clients," Baris says.
The San Francisco Bay Area seems to create its own reality and market conditions, believes Chris Trapani, founder and CEO of Sereno Group, serving San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties.
"In Silicon Valley, home prices have increased incredibly over the past eight years. While we remain at relatively inventory-deprived levels, we have sensed a slowing sales pace since mid- to late 2018," he says.
