MP: What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for the franchisor of one of the world’s largest real estate sales organization?
RD: Growth. Growth of our global franchise system, growth of our brokers’ businesses, and most importantly, growth for our sales professionals’ business.
The market has shifted. Sellers are in a much stronger position today. The opportunity for sales professionals to earn more listings and grow market share is here. Our theme for the 2013 Global Conference was “It’s Our Time.” I believe this statement holds true for the entire industry.
We recently released the results of our Spring Seller Survey. Our survey results showed that 33 percent of buyers have been searching for a home for more than one year and 42 percent made an offer in the past six months.
Our survey indicated that 85 percent of buyers are willing to compromise on amenities, such as a finished basement or swimming pool, and the same number are willing to go above and beyond to close on a home—things like being flexible with the closing schedule, purchasing the home as-is and putting more money down.
Based on our survey results, 88 percent of those searching for a home are willing to compromise on location—things like proximity to their work, restaurants and shopping, and friends and family. These results represent a major shift in the attitudes of consumers. This represents an extraordinary opportunity to leverage our value proposition to homebuyers and sellers by explaining what our platform has to offer and by helping homebuyers and home sellers close the expectations gap.
