Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Launches Industry-First Program Designed to Eliminate the Real Estate Loyalty Gap
The sophisticated program lays out a clear path for real estate professionals throughout the industry to create a highly successful business Irvine, Calif., March 22, 2021 -- Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, one of the world's fastest-growing residential real estate brokerage franchise networks, held its annual convention, virtually welcoming thousands of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network members from around the globe. The convention celebrated a successful 2020 year with over 360,000 transactions and nearly $140 Billion in sales volume. The global company's CEO, Chris Stuart unveiled a transformational new real estate platform, designed to exponentially increase the performance and productivity of the network's brokerages and their agents. The National Association of Realtors stated in a recent report on Buyer and Seller trends, that 91 percent of buyers surveyed said they'd utilize the same real estate agent again on their next transaction, yet only 13 percent of those that had previously transacted actually used the agent from their previous transaction. The 78 percent difference is what Chris Stuart, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has defined as the Real Estate Loyalty Gap. This gap in consumer loyalty represents the single greatest economic threat, and therefore opportunity, to the individual agent and must command more of the industry's focus moving forward. Further, Stuart explains that the Loyalty Gap hasn't been created by a lack of awareness given that most consumers receive countless solicitations and personal promotional material from agents regularly. Nor is The Loyalty Gap a function of a lack of representation by agents given that 90 percent of all buyers and sellers are represented by an agent on transactions. The elusive quality that might be missing from the industry's value proposition, Influence. Stuart collaborated with a very diverse team of colleagues and top-producing agents, teams and leaders from across the global network to carefully design and created the exclusive platform, The Real Estate I.Q. System. The System combines the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand, marketing resources and technology with progressive education, training, coaching and consulting. The System and its related Influencer Network, have been purposefully created to elevate its network agents' range, reach and influence (the "I" in I.Q. stands for Influence) by providing them with the essential tools and guidance to build stronger, and more valuable, long-term relationships with clients and prospects. "It is incredibly fulfilling to finally see this vision come to fruition. I've been envisioning and planning for the execution of this platform for nearly a year," said Chris Stuart, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. "The strategic content that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices' network agents will have access to through the Real Estate I.Q. System, along with professional development, is unprecedented," says Allan Dalton, SVP, Industry Research and Development for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. The former CEO of Realtor.com enthused, "After all my years in the industry I have never come across such a concept that will set real estate's agents up for success and when utilized properly, will contribute to closing the Real Estate Loyalty Gap and help agents achieve forever success, as a Forever Agent." The convention also featured a performance by eleven-time Grammy-award-winning artist, John Legend which benefited The Sunshine Kids Foundation, raising over $100,000. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network agents who were in attendance had the opportunity to participate in unforgettable general sessions, world-class entertainment, 30+ live and on-demand university sessions, an incredible virtual exhibitor showcase, keynote presentations, digital networking events and live Q&As. For more information visit: www.bhhs.com About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is one of the world's fastest-growing residential real estate brokerage franchise networks, with more than 50,000 real estate professionals, nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East, and more than $138 billion in real estate sales volume. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability and longevity. Visit: www.bhhs.com

Leading Moving Concierge Service to Partner with Natural Gas Company in Southeastern US
June 22, 2020 Roswell, GA -- MooveGuru, the real estate industry's most extensive moving concierge service today announced a new partnership with Gas South, leading natural gas provider throughout the southeastern U.S. MooveGuru will now have the ability to offer partner brokerages in the South competitive natural gas pricing for consumers as they move into a new home, as well as relieve movers from the task of activating the gas services for their new property. MooveGuru is an automated white-glove mover engagement program free for real estate brokers and agents that enables brokerages to provide moving related services for their clients. In addition to their concierge-style utility connections center, MooveGuru sends discounts on services frequently used by homebuyers/sellers to clients branded on behalf of agents and their brokerages, with partners including ERA, Keller Williams, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Berkshire Hathaway, Century 21, Realty One Group, and The Realty Alliance. Gas South enhances MooveGuru's value by saving homebuyers' wallets in a deregulated gas industry, eliminating the hassle of calling gas companies to find the best deal, and creating an exceptional customer service experience that translates to client satisfaction and trust. "MooveGuru's proprietary marketing automation solution integrates with all of the major real estate transaction management software applications," said Kamden Robb, Gas South senior manager of sales channels, "which will allow us to reach a wider audience of homebuyers at that critical moment when they're selecting a natural gas provider for their home. MooveGuru enhances that service connection experience on behalf of the agent at no cost to the broker, benefiting both consumer and provider of moving services with valuable assistance via fluid communication." Scott Oakley, founder and CEO of MooveGuru, designed this service to act as a painkiller for homebuyers' and sellers' biggest headache: the move. According to a proprietary research study by the University of Colorado, on average, consumers spend about $10k per move and up to four or five hours on the phone. In addition to connecting all utilities to a new home via one 20 minute phone call, agent-branded emails deliver discounts to consumers for popular locations such as The Home Depot during their move, keeping agents connected to past clients once a quarter following their relocation with coupons for local restaurants and services – customizable by the agent. Partnering with Gas South will launch MooveGuru's next step in connecting with utility companies and natural resource providers. "MooveGuru strives to partner with firms that mirror our dedication to service and consumer experience" says Scott Oakley, CEO of MooveGuru. "We knew right away working with the team at Gas South that our most important common ground was a shared goal of customer satisfaction, which entails fair pricing and stellar communication." MooveGuru eagerly welcomes Gas South to their partner network as they continue to blaze the trail towards a greater experience for brokers, agents, and movers. About Gas South Gas South is a leading provider of natural gas in competitive markets throughout the southeastern U.S. The company serves more than 300,000 residential, business and governmental customers in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. Gas South offers simple and competitively priced rate plans, outstanding local customer service, and a promise to give back 5% of its profits to help children in need. Gas South is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cobb EMC, one of the country's largest electric cooperatives. For more information, visit www.GasSouth.com. About MooveGuru In 2016, Roswell, GA based MooveGuru Inc. launched a free mover engagement program to real estate agents and brokers with the idea of connecting home buyers and sellers to convenience and savings on moving services. Using just-in-time delivery through artificial intelligence algorithms, MooveGuru Inc. ensures consumers receive agent-branded savings from national and local retailers as they step through the relocation process. Today, more than 300 brokerages, their agents, and clients are connected to the MooveGuru platform.

BHHS New England, New York and Westchester Properties Launches Complimentary Concierge for Life Service
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties is now offering an exclusive concierge for life service to their clients through MoveEasy's multi-channel lifetime concierge platform. With over 1,800 agents in over 50 offices across Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties has always been committed to providing excellent service to their clients. This new alliance will further enhance their commitment by extending their relationships with their clients for life, which is in line with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network's tagline, "Real Estate's Forever Brand." The MoveEasy service will enable Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties to provide its clients with everything they'll need for moving and home management. Any Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties client will be able to access their sales executive's preferred vendors and benefit from moving deals available through the platform. When a homebuyer or seller works with a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties agent, they are automatically granted exclusive access to the "Concierge for Life" program. Some of the features of the program include: Getting help with mortgage, insurance and title services Getting moving quotes from top-rated moving companies Setting up utilities at the new home Scheduling digital services such as internet, cable and home security Mail forwarding with the USPS Getting updated driver's license information Reserving storage space and arranging vehicle shipment Connecting with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties agents' preferred vendors, such as painters, cleaners, etc. Receiving personalized recommendations for home-related services through a MoveEasy Concierge for Life Every homebuyer or seller that utilizes the MoveEasy Concierge for Life program through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties will also be assigned a dedicated concierge. This personal, human concierge will remain with the client throughout their lifetime, and provide free assistance with various moving, home management and utility needs. Clients can access their personal Concierge for Life through call, text and email, as well as their Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. Integration with these voice-activated technologies makes it incredibly simple for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties clients to access MoveEasy's wide range of services. Katie Redican, VP of Operations for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England, New York and Westchester Properties, says, "Our sales executives can offer their clients a truly personalized real-life concierge that helps them with all of their moving and home management needs from one centralized location. This partnership is a game changer for the way our sales executives do business. MoveEasy not only provides them with the assurance that their clients are being guided through all tasks of the moving process, but also that they are provided with access to preferred and trusted vendors for an even more seamless and stress-free moving process." "We are excited to partner with an industry leader like Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England. Closing on a home is exciting, but once the reality of moving and homeownership sets in, it can completely kill the joy," says Venkatesh Ganapathy, MoveEasy's CEO. "Instead of stressing over all of the different things one needs to do during this time, MoveEasy figures it all out for the homeowner. In addition, our service is fully integrated with the technologies that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England uses, making it extremely easy for their agents to share this service with their clients." "Feedback from our agents and clients has been positive! Everyone is very excited about the partnership. They love how easy it is to communicate with their concierge (text, email, phone)," says Redican. For more information, please visit www.moveeasy.com/realestate.

eXp Realty Preferred Partners to Provide Marketplace for Home-buying Services
Mortgage and Warranty Services Among First Offerings BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- Aug. 12, 2019 -- eXp Realty, The Real Estate Cloud Brokerage and a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings, Inc., today announced eXp Realty Preferred Partners, a new program that provides eXp Realty agents and their clients with a marketplace for home-buying services. All eXp Realty Preferred Partners are vetted by eXp Realty to ensure that they will offer agents and their clients their best industry-leading services. The first, national partners accepted into the eXp Realty Preferred Partner program are: IntroLend First Cloud is eXp Realty’s national mortgage platform. It will provide U.S. agents and home buyers with all their lending needs as well as seamlessly integrate with eXp Realty’s existing technology to improve the consumer experience and better manage transactions. America’s Preferred Home Warranty is eXp Realty’s preferred home warranty partner. It will allow eXp Realty’s U.S. home buyers and sellers to choose their own licensed contractors when repairing or replacing home systems and appliances. Silverline Title & Escrow will offer title, escrow and settlement services to eXp Realty residential clients in the United States. Movinghub allows eXp Realty buyers and sellers to manage, move, switch and compare utility and home service providers at no cost. “We are excited to begin providing additional services that our agents can offer to their clients. With consumer value and satisfaction as guiding principles, eXp Realty is engaging the best product providers in real estate as partners,” said Ted Laatz, eXp Realty Vice President of Affiliated Services and Partnerships. “We are bringing the cream of the crop to work with our agents and I couldn’t be more thrilled with our choice of partnering with these respected companies.” About eXp Realty eXp Realty is an eXp World Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPI) company. eXp World Holdings also owns eXp World Technologies, LLC, which operates VirBELA. eXp Realty, The Real Estate Cloud Brokerage is the largest residential real estate brokerage by geography in North America. It is one of the fastest growing real estate brokerage firms in North America with more than 21,000 agents across 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces. The company recently announced expansion into the United Kingdom and Australia. As a subsidiary of a publicly traded company, eXp Realty uniquely offers real estate professionals within its ranks opportunities to earn eXp World Holdings stock for production and contributions to overall company growth. VirBELA offers a modern, cloud-based environment focused on education and team development with clients in various industries from government to retail. VirBELA developed eXp Realty’s current cloud campus, which provides 24/7 access to collaborative tools, training and socialization for the company’s agents and staff. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.exprealty.com.

MoveEasy Adds Amazon Alexa to Entire Platform
New Automation Service Gives Brokerage Clients a 'Concierge for Life' COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 23, 2019 -- Consumers using Amazon Alexa now can access a free "Concierge for Life" service to help them move into a new home, and keep their home in great shape. Real estate's leading customized moving and post-transaction service for brokerages, MoveEasy, announced today that it has fully integrated its entire platform with Amazon Alexa. The fast-growing start-up MoveEasy provides brokerage clients with broker-branded moving assistance and after-the-transaction services that fuse a human concierge with technology and automation. "MoveEasy's entire platform is now powered by Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa," said MoveEasy co-founder Ven Ganapathy. "Any moving service or home services assistance that can be requested online or in a conversation with a concierge can be done with Alexa," he explained. "We're taking MoveEasy to the next level by combining online technology with human assistance and automation, allowing brokerages to give every one of their clients a free 'concierge for life.'" Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty, based in Mason, Ohio, is set to debut the MoveEasy Alexa skillset in early May, giving access to the clients of its more than 550 agents and brokers. MoveEasy is making its Alexa feature free to all its existing brokerage customers, making it available to the clients of more than 30,000 agents and brokers nationwide by the end of May. MoveEasy will include its Alexa feature for new broker customers as part of its standard broker-branded offering. How Alexa works with MoveEasy With the new Amazon Alexa integration with MoveEasy, a brokerage's agents provide every client access to that brokerage's unique Alexa skillset. After the client takes a few steps to set up their MoveEasy account on Alexa, they can access the entire skillset. For example, a client can say, "Alexa, ask my concierge if they know of a good moving company." Alexa will reply using the local brokerage's name, saying, "Your My Town Realty concierge has found three movers rated A+ with the Better Business Bureau." The MoveEasy integration with Alexa even connects each client to the original agent that helped them with their transaction. If a client says, "Alexa, are there any carpet cleaners that my agent recommends?" then Alexa will answer, "Your My Town Realty concierge has found one carpet cleaner that your agent, Jane Smith, recommends. Would you like me to have them call you?" If the client answers yes, this information is shared with a MoveEasy human concierge who places the call. The client does not have to lift a finger – and neither does the agent. Harnessing the full power of Alexa's capabilities, MoveEasy taps into Alexa's ability to schedule tasks and appointments. For example, a client can say, "Alexa, remind me next Thursday to file a change of address with the Post Office," something MoveEasy can do automatically. To stay on track with their own move, a client can also ask Alexa for help, by saying, "Alexa, what are my moving tasks for this week?" and Alexa will share the most recent updates from their MoveEasy checklist. "The best part is agents and brokerages get immediate access to the power of Alexa," explains Ganapathy. "Alexa helps keep the agent and brokerage top of mind, something research tells us agents struggle doing. But most importantly, communications channels have evolved from email to text to Facebook and now Alexa. To compete in today's market, MoveEasy empowers agents to tap into the way more and more consumers are communicating. Alexa is where agents and brokerages need to be and MoveEasy puts them at the cutting edge of this innovation." A new MoveEasy brochure featuring the Alexa services offered is available as a PDF download. More information about MoveEasy and its new Alexa-powered platform also can be found online at moveeasy.com. About MoveEasy MoveEasy is the fastest-growing moving concierge service for the real estate industry. Its human concierge plus tech and automation service connects brokerages and their agents to a client's move and throughout the client's homeownership experience. MoveEasy is a Diamond Supplier for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and a Realogy Preferred Alliance partner. Clients include several leading BHHS and Realogy firms, as well as members of The Realty Alliance and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Based in Columbus, Ohio, discover more at moveeasy.com.

RE/MAX of TEXAS Agents Make Moving More Affordable
Roswell, GA, August 28, 2018 – RE/MAX of Texas in concert with MooveGuru launched a new customer for life program available to over 5400 RE/MAX of Texas agents. Under the new program, agents may invite home buyers and sellers to save up to 15% or more on moving expenses and home ownership-related expenses though the partnership with MooveGuru. Spearheading the new service launch is Dana Tuggle, Regional Vice President of RE/MAX of Texas, a subsidiary of RE/MAX, LLC. "I am ever vigilant in my quest to discover ways that the RE/MAX brand can deliver additional value to our franchise owners, our sales executives, and over 82,000 customers that we serve each year," says Tuggle. "It is an awesome prospect to imagine that this program has the opportunity to save Texans over $129M ($10,500 per customer at 15% average savings) on their moving expenses." The MooveGuru program begins when RE/MAX agents invite their clients during the pre-closing process. It stays connected to the customer throughout the process and years after the transaction. "One of the key features of MooveGuru is the incorporation of national, regional, and local service providers," says Tuggle. MooveGuru has national partners like Home Depot, PODS and others, and they have added RE/MAX of Texas regional partners like Reliant Energy as well as local companies that our franchise firms and agents rely upon to deliver services to clients. "Given the size of our organization and the volume of consumers we serve, these partners are eager to extend valuable discounts to our customers." MooveGuru "For RE/MAX of Texas, the MooveGuru program was first rolled out to the office owners," says Jonathan Peterson of MooveGuru. Peterson and their team attended regional events and held one-on-one meetings with RE/MAX franchise owners to explain the program and manage the launch in their office to their agents. Peterson explains that a big part of achieving success is the inclusion of local service providers and creating a frictionless onboarding process for agents and their clients. MooveGuru works in the local market to onboard the service providers that the offices choose. Moreover, MooveGuru supports dozens of integrations with the technology tools that are used across the industry to manage customer transactions. In the case of RE/MAX of Texas, the key integrations include Back Agent, DocuSign, Dotloop, SkySlope, and zipLogix™. In the second phase of the MooveGuru launch, Tuggle has designed continuation programs that will drive the value of the service to the office owners, agents, and consumers. "We would like to develop a consumer campaign that informs the consumer about the savings they get when choosing a RE/MAX of Texas agent," says Tuggle. "Also, in the works are integrations into the new agent onboarding programs, the recruiting process, and our agent education programs." For a program like this to reach its potential, Tuggle believes that it needs to be integrated into all of the touchpoints for both the agents and their customers. About MooveGuru Roswell, GA based MooveGuru – In 2016, MooveGuru Inc. launched a free mover engagement program to real estate agents and brokers with the idea to connect home buyers and sellers to savings on moving services. Using just-in-time delivery through artificial intelligence algorithms, MooveGuru Inc. ensures consumers receive agent-branded savings from national and local retailers as they step through the moving process. Today, more than 120,000 agents are connected to the platform. About the RE/MAX of Texas RE/MAX of Texas is a subsidiary of RE/MAX, LLC and RE/MAX Holdings (NYSE: RMAX). The RE/MAX Network includes more than 120,000 agents in more than 100 countries and territories. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX, as measured by residential transaction sides. Dedicated to innovation and change in the real estate industry, RE/MAX launched Motto Mortgage, a ground-breaking mortgage franchisor, in 2016 and acquired booj, a real estate technology company, in 2018. RE/MAX agents have lived, worked and served in their local communities for decades, raising millions of dollars every year for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals® and other charities. To learn more about RE/MAX, to search home listings or find an agent in your community, please visit www.remax.com. For the latest news about RE/MAX, please visit www.remax.com/newsroom.

Redfin Announces Trial of Concierge-Style Home-Selling Service in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Redfin Concierge Service Gives Home Sellers the Option to Let Redfin Take Care of Deep Cleaning, Painting, Staging and Landscaping for a 2% Listing-Agent Fee SEATTLE--Nov. 29, 2017 — Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage, today announced the trial of Redfin Concierge Service, a new offering in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In addition to the in-person service and custom online marketing of Redfin's current 1-percent home-selling service, Redfin Concierge coordinates, supervises and pays for services such as deep cleaning, painting, staging and landscaping, all for a 2-percent listing fee. Redfin will create a custom plan for each home to deliver the optimum presentation to buyers. "With Redfin Concierge, our technology-driven efficiency lets us pay for painting, staging, cleaning and landscaping, all while saving customers thousands in fees," said Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman. "No other major brokerage includes all of this in a standard offering." Redfin Concierge Service offers more than many traditional listing agents, at a fee of 2 percent rather than the typical 2.5 or 3 percent. Redfin Concierge Service is available for homes priced at $500,000 or higher. The 2 percent fee does not include the buyer's agent commission, a separate fee that's also typically between 2 and 3 percent, and paid by the seller. "With Redfin Concierge Service, you hand us the keys, approve the action plan, and we take care of everything, including the bill," said Roddy de la Garza, a Redfin listing agent in Los Angeles. "You just transform your home to get top dollar. And you still pay a lower fee than with a traditional real estate agent." Sellers who want to get their home ready for market themselves can save the most money by choosing Redfin's full-service listing service by itself, which is just 1 percent of the home's price in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and most other markets. All Redfin-listed homes, no matter the service level, get the following services, paid for by Redfin: A dedicated listing agent with experience selling homes in the local area, backed by a team of support staff who make the process run smoothly; One of the industry's most thorough pricing analyses, which combines Redfin's proprietary algorithms for estimating the value of a home, and the expertise of a local Redfin agent; Professional photography; A Redfin 3D Walkthrough, letting buyers view a three-dimensional floorplan, then interact with every aspect of the home from any direction online, as if walking from room to room; Open houses, hosted by a Redfin agent, with visitors registered by our own iPad application for immediate follow-up; Online marketing, with the listing featured above others on Redfin.com, the U.S.'s #1 brokerage website. For each listing, Redfin also runs email and digital advertising campaigns for reaching just the right buyers; Pre-launch market research to Redfin buyers, with tools for gathering feedback on the number of interested buyers and what price they would pay for the property; Professionally designed and beautifully produced print brochures; The Redfin Home Dashboard, letting sellers track online visits to their listing and the latest competitive market conditions in their neighborhood. "Our goal is to offer, hands down, the best home-listing service out there, and that means serving more than one kind of home seller. Redfin Concierge Service reaches a new audience of home sellers who want to get their home in top shape for selling, but want their agent to handle everything," said Karen Krupsaw, Redfin senior vice president of real estate operations, based in Washington, D.C. "We're thrilled to offer these folks concierge-level service that complements the local expertise of our real estate agents, and the technology and marketing that Redfin has become known for." For three consecutive years, Redfin has sold listings for more money, while charging a lower fee. Specifically, homes listed with Redfin sell for an average of $3,000 more than comparable listings across the country. Redfin publishes comprehensive information about each of its agents, including homes they have sold, areas of expertise and customer reviews, so sellers can feel confident that their agent has the local knowledge and experience that's right for them. Homeowners who are interested in selling can visit https://www.redfin.com/why-sell to connect with a Redfin agent and learn more about Redfin's service. To see the Redfin Estimate for your home or sign up for a free Redfin Home Report, click here. About Redfin Redfin is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer's favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry's lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $50 billion in home sales.

Responsive Relationship, Effective Marketing Crucial for Home Buyer-Seller Satisfaction, J.D. Power Finds
Century 21 Ranks Highest among First-Time Home Buyers and Sellers for Fourth Consecutive Year COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 1, 2017 — Realtors who invest time and effort in their relationship with home buyers and those who effectively market on behalf of sellers earn the highest levels of customer satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power 2017 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study, released today. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), current home sales reflect the best quarterly existing sales pace in a decade and are poised to climb 3.5% in 2017,1 a strong indicator that now is the time to capitalize on the market, especially with first-time buyers. The study, now in its 10th year, measures satisfaction with the nation's largest real estate companies among customers in four segments: first-time buyers; repeat buyers; first-time sellers; and repeat sellers. Overall satisfaction is measured across four factors of the home-buying experience: agent/salesperson; real estate office; closing process; and variety of additional services. In the home-selling experience, the same four factors are evaluated plus a fifth factor, marketing. Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale. "With the real estate market remaining strong, it is more important than ever that agents, buyers and sellers focus on the trade basics, especially for first-timers," said Greg Truex,senior director of the at-home practice at J.D. Power. "When agents remain transparent, informative and responsive, they can greatly impact customer satisfaction and increase agent reputation and recommendations." Following are some key findings of the study: Updated and consistent marketing strategies are key: An agent's relationship with a buyer is the most important factor in determining customer satisfaction. For sellers, marketing of the home is the most important factor, as it is the most visible way for the seller to gauge the agent's support. First-time buyers are most impressed: Overall satisfaction with real estate companies is higher among first-time buyers, compared with satisfaction among repeat buyers or sellers. The average overall satisfaction score among first-time home buyers is 857, and is slightly lower (842) among first-time home sellers. Hand-holding is worth it: Satisfaction is strongly influenced by the amount of time agents invest in keeping customers informed vs. when they are not kept informed. Among first-time buyers and sellers, satisfaction is 117 points higher among buyers (874 vs. 757, respectively) and 93 points higher among sellers (859 vs. 766, respectively). Among repeat buyers and sellers, satisfaction is 210 points higher among buyers and 192 points higher among sellers when they receive a timely response to questions and concerns vs. when they do not (870 vs. 660 and 862 vs. 670, respectively). Word-of-mouth is still vital: First-time home buyers and sellers report good reputation and recommendations from friends, family and colleagues as the two main reasons for selecting a real estate company. More than one-third (35%) of first-time buyers and 44% of first-time sellers indicate they chose their real estate company based on its reputation, while 24% of first-time buyers and 17% of first-time sellers made their selections based on recommendations. First-Time Home-Buyer Satisfaction Ranking Century 21 (867) ranks highest for a fourth consecutive year and performs particularly well in the agent/salesperson, closing process and variety of additional services factors. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (862) ranks second and performs particularly well in the real estate office factor. Repeat Home-Buyer Satisfaction Ranking Keller Williams (863) ranks highest and performs particularly well in the closing process, real estate office and variety of additional services factors. Coldwell Banker (857) ranks second. First-Time Home-Seller Satisfaction Ranking Century 21 (859) ranks highest for a fourth consecutive year and performs particularly well in all five factors in the segment. Repeat Home-Seller Satisfaction Ranking Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (858) ranks highest and performs particularly well in the agent/salesperson, marketing and closing process factors. Century 21 (846) ranks second and performs particularly well in variety of additional services. The 2017 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study includes 5,117 evaluations from 4,170 customers who bought and/or sold a home between March 2016 and April 2017. The study was fielded in March-April 2017. For more information about the J.D. Power Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study, click here. J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. J.D. Power is a portfolio company of XIO Group, a global alternative investments and private equity firm headquartered in London, and is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer.

Want to Create Videos, But Don't Have the Hardware?
No video camera? No problem! Create original videos with your own photos, clips or just an idea More than 35 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and with the motto of "Broadcast Yourself", it's hard to believe that anyone is left out of the YouTube experience. But the truth is, sites like YouTube do largely leave out people who don't have a video camera. That's changing with the beta launch of youtube.com/create, where anyone can use video creation sites Xtranormal, Stupeflix and GoAnimate to make personal videos or animations and post them directly to YouTube. Create original animations Creating animation can be pretty hard and often requires expensive software, but GoAnimate and Xtranormal Movie Maker let you create animated videos with just a text storyline. In minutes, you can make two bears discuss fiction-writing, or create your own cooking show parody. Use your own photos, clips and music to create dynamic videos Stupeflix lets you pull together your own images, clips and even maps into a dynamic video slideshow. You can tell a personal story or even make a jazzy promo for your craft company. Start creating! So give it a test drive. Here are some ideas: Create an educational video Reenact a scene from your favorite movie or play Create a digital 2010 year book, or a 2011 graduation video This is still early and we look forward to adding more sites, so check them out and give us some feedback in the comments section below. We look forward to seeing what you come up with! Stanley Wang, Software Engineer, recently watched "First Test on This...GoAnimate App on YouTube" and Shenaz Zack, Product Manager, recently watched "IT'S FRIDAY! (v2)" (created using Xtranormal Movie Maker) To try these out for yourself, visit www.youtube.com/create and click on each title to learn more, watch a tutorial and see video examples. You can make an original creation in minutes--and it's free (though some sites have premium services which you can access from their sites directly).

SentriLock Releases BlackBerry Card Utility
RISMEDIA, March 8, 2010—SentriLock, a property access control system for Realtors®, announced the release of its BlackBerry Card Utility. SentriLock users will be able to renew their SentriCards using any BlackBerry phone running OS 4.2 or higher and a BlackBerry Smartcard Reader. Chris Ralstin, senior manager of Customer Relations for the company, says, “REALTORS® always want more face time with their clients and this new tool allows them to be even more productive and focus on what’s most important: generating showings to make the sale happen.” Among the smart phone users responding to the 2009 Technology Survey by the National Association of REALTORS®, 32% use a BlackBerry as their primary mobile device. Always looking for ways to improve agent efficiency, SentriLock developed the BlackBerry Card Utility for this large market segment. Says Ralstin: “REALTORS® on the SentriLock system will now be able to complete full SentriCard renewals on the go, anytime and anywhere their busy day takes them. System users can purchase a BlackBerry Smartcard Reader V2 directly from SentriLock for $199, with shipping included. The SentriLock BlackBerry Card Utility application for the phone is free. For more information, visit www.sentrilock.com. To view the original press release, please Click Here.