United Real Estate’s Future-Focused Model Continues to Change Competitive Real Estate Landscape
To say that Rick Haase has hit the ground running since stepping into the roles of president of United Real Estate and COO of United Real Estate Group just three short months ago would be a serious understatement. With dozens of opportunities to consider after nearly a decade running one of the largest brokerages in the country, Haase chose to join a company that is squarely in the fast water of the change happening in the real estate industry today.
With a storied career with a number of the largest traditional brokerages—and more recent experience building one of the nation’s largest 100-percent commission brokerages—Haase brings a unique perspective to his position on the leadership team of United Real Estate, providing a key point of differentiation in today’s competitive landscape.
“The real estate brokerage business has been static with comparatively minor changes throughout the last 30 years; however, the last five years have brought an intense acceleration of new technology, business models and practices,” says Haase, underscoring the importance that differentiation and diversification play in today’s brokerage landscape.
Built around a proprietary technology platform designed to deliver agent workflow support, lead acquisition, marketing and training/education services at a small fraction of the cost of traditional real estate brokerages and franchises, United Real Estate’s scale enables the company to have a cost-effective broker operations platform. In turn, the brokerage’s agents benefit financially through their 100-percent commission program.
“What attracted me to United after months of due diligence was the diverse team of professionals with specialized skills and experience from inside and outside the real estate industry. This allows us to see things differently as we build a differentiated business positioned for the future,” says Haase.
In fact, it’s this unique set of skills that differentiates United Real Estate’s ability to deliver what brokers, agents and large agent teams need for success today and for the future.
“In essence, our brokerage is designed and implemented as if we started with a clean sheet of paper and built the brokerage without the legacy issues that threaten the viability of longstanding traditional companies,” adds Haase. “By focusing on delivering to agents what they need to be successful, we’ve substantially reduced or eliminated those expenditures that agents no longer need or value.”
By driving these types of costs out of the organization, agents have additional funds to invest in their business, rather than paying the brokerage for items they most likely aren’t utilizing.
According to Haase, this focus on running an efficient and effective operation is paying big dividends, as United Real Estate’s growth continues to accelerate.
“Agents and brokerages are rewarding us by joining the company, and due to our scale and efficient process, we are still delivering tons of value and services,” explains Haase.
As one of the fastest-growing real estate companies in the U.S., United Real Estate has experienced tremendous growth since its inception in 2011. Having launched in Dallas, Texas, the company has grown at a blistering pace over the past eight years.
“We own our broker operations in Dallas, Chicago, Houston, D.C., and Philadelphia, which are leveraged as proof of concept and best-practice incubators so that those techniques and processes can be adopted within our franchise network, which now exceeds 90 franchises (at press time),” says Haase.
While the support services and training and education that United Real Estate provides have been a key factor in attracting agents—both new and experienced—the culture of commitment to family and higher purpose built into the culture can’t be ignored.
“The culture built by this incredible group of broker/owners, agents and employees is the company’s most valuable asset. It is unique—and it makes for an exciting place to live and work,” says Haase, later explaining that “while the company’s nationwide support of Autism Speaks has been an overwhelming success, giving back to the community is ingrained in our values and guiding principles. Each year, thousands of acts of charity worth tens of millions of dollars are performed throughout the United network by our offices (over 500 offices when including United Country Real Estate, United’s sister brand), agents and auctioneers, underscoring our commitment to the local communities we serve.”
As the United team works to build the bridge between the past, present and future—while keeping the company’s core values and guiding principles intact—Haase has a laser-like focus on doing everything he can to set the brokerage apart from the competition.
“The diversification of United Real Estate has only begun to surface, and the strength and agility of our business model, specialized business units, support services and our culture assures us that we’ll own a preeminent spot in the minds of our brokers, agents and consumers,” concludes Haase.
Agents interested in learning about career opportunities, please visit JoinUnitedRealEstate.com. To learn more about United Real Estate’s franchise or conversion opportunities, please visit GrowWithUnited.com, call 888-960-0606 or email Rick@UnitedRealEstate.com.Â
Paige Tepping is RISMedia’s managing editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at paige@rismedia.com.
