PARSIPPANY, NJ--(Marketwire - Jul 25, 2011) - Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate LLC is celebrating its third anniversary with a growing network of 6,858 agents across 198 offices in 22 states. Since launching the franchise in July 2008, the lifestyle real estate brand has continued to grow significantly and maintain exciting momentum throughout one of the country's most challenging housing markets.
"It's been said often that necessity is the mother of invention, and Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate is clear proof of the truth to this adage," said Sherry Chris, president and chief executive officer for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. "Major shifts in both the economy and the demographics of the home-buying population, along with significant advancements in technology and communications, have forced the real estate industry to reevaluate its most ingrained business practices. We launched Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate with a clean slate in 2008. We architected our brand with the mission to transform the real estate industry for the better -- for brokers, agents and for consumers. Three years later, our continued growth, momentum, and the recognition we enjoy for our service and technology innovation reinforce that we are delivering on that promise."
Driven by a culture of innovation, service, commitment to franchisees, and industry-leading innovation, Chris, along with her team, have -- versus last year -- grown the agent base of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise network by 35% and increased the brand's office count by 45%. The brand has achieved all of this while remaining committed to strategic growth. Since its launch, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has partnered with companies that share the brand's business values of passion, authenticity, innovation, growth and excellence. These companies embody the characteristics of the next-generation brokerage -- specifically, a commitment to using technology to transform their businesses, embracing new business models, empowering the informed consumer with better service and information, and looking beyond the transaction to form meaningful, long-term relationships with clients.
With the recent signing of Phoenician Properties earlier this month, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is now represented in Arizona as well as many of the nation's top real estate markets in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Over the past 12 months alone, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has achieved a number of major growth milestones worthy of celebration, including one of the largest real estate franchise transactions in parent company Realogy's history. In September 2010, Pleasanton, California-based Mason-McDuffie Real Estate, Inc. joined the Better Homes and Real Estate family serving the Northern California and western Nevada markets. Since their affiliation with the brand, they have added six offices to their company.
"Becoming part of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has energized our company on many different levels," said Ed Krafchow, chairman, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Mason-McDuffie. "Everyone knows the brand -- it has local and global appeal. It has given our agents something new and exciting to talk to their clients about, and has helped put us on a great recruiting growth path now and for the foreseeable future. This was one of the most strategic, beneficial decisions we have made in our company's long and successful history."
According to Joseph Rand, managing partner and general counsel of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Rand Realty, whose company joined the brand in the spring of 2009, the decision to affiliate with the brand was based on many different factors. "We believe Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is the future of the real estate industry, and we are proud to be a part of it. It focuses beyond the transaction, and is committed to a greater quality of life for individuals, families and communities. Beyond all of this, we saw the opportunity to join forces with a brand that gave us growth opportunities we simply did not have with other franchise systems. In the more than two years since we have been part of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, those opportunities have been realized."
Industry thought leadership, technology innovations, and the creation of unique lifestyle content have helped distinguish the brand from the competition since its launch. Sherry Chris also continues to push the franchise to the forefront of social media adoption by leveraging her personal appreciation for innovative and emerging technology. Taking a lead from Chris, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brokers and agents across the country are engaged with their spheres of influence via Twitter, Facebook and other multi-media platforms. In addition, the brand rolled out a number of exciting technology and social media innovations this year:
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is dedicated to the success of its franchisees through a number of unique network-wide tools and initiatives. Some of the most talked about initiatives over the past 12 months include:
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate seeks to continually raise the bar of excellence within the real estate industry. As a result, the brand has received a number of important industry honors and awards for everything from its innovative service and technology to its business leadership. A few of the most notable accolades from the past 12 months include:
"I could not be more proud of the transformative impact Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has made on the industry in the past three years," added Chris. "As exciting as it has been thus far, I can say with confidence that the best has yet to come."
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and homebuyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. The growing Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network includes approximately 7,000 sales associates and more than 200 offices serving homebuyers and sellers in 22 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. For more information, please visit www.BHGRealEstate.com.
Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated.
Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate LLC is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers.