Vitals: HER REALTORS®
Years in Business: 62
Size: 81 offices, 1,250 associates
Region Served: Ohio
2017 Sales Volume: $2.5 billion
2017 Transactions: 12,681
No. 76 in sales volume in RISMedia’s 2018 Power Broker Report
www.herrealtors.com
With 81 offices and 1,250 associates, HER REALTORS® deftly serves Central, West Central and Southwestern Ohio. Matthew Watercutter, the firm’s principal broker and senior regional vice president, has been helping to lead the company for almost a decade.
How would you characterize your market in 2018 so far?
Matthew Watercutter: While the overall market has been strong, it’s definitely a seller’s market as a shortage of inventory and a lack of motivation from a high percentage of sellers to move is creating a vacuum for buyers. This is making every transaction and every negotiation competitive, which is driving up home values. However, in some instances, sellers are homeowners and they still aren’t listing and selling because of the increase in home values. In some cases, a move-up seller would spend more than they gain in the increase in their current home’s value.
Are there any plans on the horizon to grow the firm?
MW: With the belief that real estate is still local, we’re continuing to add new offices regularly through our community office program, which puts local experts in contact with local buyers and sellers to help maximize the local knowledge to the benefit of the buyer and seller. We’re also continuing to recruit both new and experienced agents to our firm using some of the most intuitive technology platforms and aggressive commission structures in the industry.
What sets HER REALTORS® apart from others in the Ohio marketplace?
MW: With offices in local communities, as well as being local market experts, we’re able to provide professional and individualized services that cannot be replaced by algorithms or call centers on the other side of the country. With local offices and full-service agents, managers and brokers, we’re able to provide unparalleled service.
What do you consider to be some of the biggest challenges the industry is facing today?
MW: First and foremost, low inventory is creating a very competitive market; however, through our professionalism and experience, we’re able to provide a seamless experience for the consumer, which is allowing us to market to sellers and help them decide if moving is the right decision for them. An additional challenge is the increasing number of syndicated websites attempting to provide information to both buyers and sellers without actual local knowledge. This misleads buyers and sellers, creating unrealistic expectations of the home-buying process.
What are the biggest opportunities for increasing business right now?
MW: With the lower unemployment rate and companies not only hiring, but transferring employees, we’re taking advantage of these opportunities and marketing to those individuals who are transferring into or out of the area. These new employment opportunities are creating an opening for the brokerage to increase marketshare with education and marketing to these buyers and sellers.
What’s the secret to retaining top producers?
MW: Our top talent is retained through a very beneficial product offering of tools and technology, as well as training and support to help them both maintain and increase their business.
What do people enjoy most about working at your firm?
MW: Even though we’re a large firm spread out over a large part of Ohio, we strive to and succeed at maintaining a family atmosphere coupled with professionalism and positivity. Although each office has somewhat of an individualized culture, those individualized cultures provide an overall positive culture. I believe in starting at the local level and trickling up, as opposed to starting at a macro level and trickling down.
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