Chicago Update

Andy and I are excited to be back from the Broker/Owner conference in Chicago. We are diligently working with our team to put together some good information to share with you all. Much of this will be presented at our upcoming Sales Rallies in September. My favorite piece from the event was the new RE/MAX video entitled DID YOU KNOW? Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/remaxintl then post it to your email signature lines, your Facebook pages, and your websites. It's good information to share with buyers and sellers alike.

In addition to the conference, Andy and I had the great pleasure of attending the RE/MAX International Broker Strategy Task Force which consists of the top 55 RE/MAX brokerages across the country. In our meetings we met with Dave Liniger, Gail Liniger, Margaret Kelly, and other top executives to talk about the state of our market and the challenges our agents face every day. Andy and I are privileged to be part of this elite group and we admire the time and effort that our top management team at RE/MAX has dedicated to making RE/MAX the #1 real estate firm in the country. Attending these meetings has helped us gain insight on how to become better brokers and managers. As well, they have given us the opportunity to share our feedback and industry knowledge in order to help our RE/MAX family grow and prosper around the world.

Obviously the distressed real estate market continues to play an important role in all of our lives. We learned that in the past 12 months, agents with the CDPE designation closed an average of 25 transaction sides, more than double that of the average RE/MAX agent and quadruple that of any real estate agent. For this reason we look forward to watching more of our agents attain this important designation in the coming months. In fact, we have been working with the region to bring Alex Chafrin and the CDPE training program right to Massachusetts at a price discounted for our agents. We will be sending out detailed information on this event in the coming week.

This morning, RE/MAX International sent you a quick recap of this week's conference. Please take a moment to read the story below as I truly feel there is information that will help you with your business plan for the coming year.

Liniger in Chicago: 'Demand Will Come'

By George White, RE/MAX Times Managing Editor

CHICAGO - Demand built on demographics and population – rather than questionable lending policies – will spark the next wave of strong home sales in the U.S., Dave Liniger told nearly 700 Affiliates at the 2009 RE/MAX Summer Conference for Broker/Owners and Managers on Monday.

The confluence of two massive population groups – 80 million Baby Boomers born from 1946-1964 and 74 million Millennials born from 1980-1995 – will fuel a huge increase in transactions from 2012 onward, the RE/MAX International Chairman and Co-Founder said at the conference's Opening General Session. Immigration and minority household trends will add to the upturn, he noted.

As the Millennials, who are 15-29 now, reach their prime homebuying years – the average first-time buyer is 33, though that number appears to be trending downward – the Baby Boomers will be selling and downsizing. The rise in demand will drive the market upward, Liniger said.

"Very good years are coming," he said, adding that RE/MAX International – through technology, training, social media and other initiatives – will help Broker/Owners and Associates connect with these consumers.

Being successful today
For the time being, though, local markets will stay as they are, Liniger said. In fact, unemployment and a second wave of foreclosures in 2010 and 2011 are likely to make things worse before they get better. He urged Broker/Owners to help their Sales Associates close transactions through distressed properties, REOs, first-time homebuyers and investors. His constant theme: Affiliates cannot sit back and wait for a quick turnaround – because it's not coming.

"I'm not negative; I'm realistic," he said. "If you're not realistic, you can't make the adjustments you need to make in order to survive and prosper."

Liniger said RE/MAX leaders have met many times with key lenders and government officials to push for foreclosure solutions and a standardized and streamlined short-sale process.

He also called the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) course the best training he's ever encountered. More than 6,000 RE/MAX Associates have earned the designation, he said, and others should consider it.

"Short sales are the key for the next 18-24 months. Our people must be trained to handle them," he said, noting that true recovery simply isn't possible until the foreclosure problem is solved.

The smartest place to be
RE/MAX continues to be the best network for top agents, Liniger said. Its unmatched technology, brand name awareness, training, market share and advertising provide significant competitive advantages for Broker/Owners and Sales Associates.

Liniger also thanked Affiliates for their enduring support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and children's hospitals, noting that RE/MAX will soon reach the $100 million mark in Children's Miracle Network contributions.

Rousing life lessons
Following Liniger's address, former Notre Dame and NFL star Joe Theismann explained how he has approached life since his football career ended suddenly – his leg was broken on national TV – in 1985. He drew parallels between his adversity and the real estate industry's current struggles.

"We all face obstacles and hurdles; the test is what you do about them," Theismann said. "Real champions don't stay down. They figure out what to do, and then they do it. Why is RE/MAX where it is? Because they reject the idea of failing."

I hope you enjoyed this article and have taken away information that will help improve your business.