Ed Rae
President and CEO, RE/MAX Select Realty
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
https://selecthomefinder.com
Region served: Pittsburgh and the surrounding communities
Years in real estate: 27
Number of offices: 11
Number of agents: 330
Jameson Doris: What originally attracted you to the RE/MAX brand?
Ed Rae: I had been selling real estate in traditional brokerages for more than six years and had hit the glass ceiling both personally and professionally. I was looking for an agent-centric brokerage that allowed me to expand my entrepreneurial mindset, and I happened to be in a transaction at the time with a RE/MAX agent who suggested I look into RE/MAX. The business model was exactly what I was looking for, but there were no local options to choose from. That’s when I decided to purchase my first franchise in 2000.
JD: You have been focused on growth before, during and after the pandemic. What do you think is helping your office grow right now?
ER: Growing this company is always the goal. Everything we do is centered on making the sales associates and our offices more productive. It’s not quantity as much as it’s quality for us. We focus on state-of-the-art offices, technology, education and training as well as a unique value proposition—all of which will help us continue to grow.
JD: How do you differentiate your office from the competition?
ER: We aren’t a fit for everyone. That’s not the goal. At RE/MAX Select Realty, I believe the sales associates have unlimited potential. We can do this by offering one of the highest commission splits in the industry while keeping the fees at a minimum. And the agents still have the support and infrastructure they need. The RE/MAX Select Realty “Simply Better” culture promotes full-time agents, and we have performance expectations.
JD: Which RE/MAX tools and resources do you and your agents find most valuable?
ER: There are too many to list, but I will begin with the fact that RE/MAX leads the industry in brand awareness*. RE/MAX is the most recognized brand in real estate. Just the brand alone gives our sales associates immediate credibility. Megaphone and booj, through RE/MAX, LLC, are also phenomenal. These marketing and CRM tools help elevate our agents’ productivity and earning potential. Combined with the training and assistance from our office’s in-house marketing team, it’s a gamechanger.
Additionally, we have an exceptional management staff who support the agents with whatever they need, from tech training to answering all their transaction questions. We also recently added an in-house school, which allows us to offer our agents designation and continuing education classes and pre-licensing courses. Aside from our company websites, we constantly look to implement and improve technology that heightens RE/MAX Select Realty and our agents’ exposure to the public.
JD: What do you think today’s agent finds most valuable when considering which brokerage to join? How do you ensure your office provides that value?
ER: Trust and transparency are key. Of course, every real estate agent is different, but those two components make us who we are. We are a versatile company that attracts the most entrepreneurial spirits in our area. RE/MAX Select Realty provides those individuals with structure and freedom.
*Source: MMR Strategy Group study of unaided awareness.
For more information, please visit www.remax.com.
Jameson Doris is RISMedia’s social media/blog editor. Email him your real estate news ideas to jdoris@rismedia.com
