Think BIG, Act BOLD, Live LARGE

We are proud to announce that two of the most prestigious research and media organizations in our industry have confirmed what we believe is one of the most awesome trends in real estate: As our competitors slip backwards, Keller Williams Realty is gaining ground.

The annual RISMedia Power Broker Survey and the REAL Trends 500 Report, recently released, offer definitive proof of this trend.

This year, Keller Williams Realty had more brokerages — based on closed transactions and closed volume — on both lists than any other real estate franchise. We also outranked all others on the reports in terms of number of agents added and total closed transactions.

On RISMedia’s Power Broker Survey, Keller Williams Realty again had the largest majority on the list — accounting for 35 percent of all the brokerages listed — 57 percent higher than any other real estate company.

As for REAL Trends: 143 Keller Williams franchises made the cut. We represent 25 percent of the entire report.  Click here to see our official press release on these results.

What is Keller Williams Realty RED DAY?

“RED Day”, an acronym for Renew, Energize and Donate, is a company wide effort dedicated to improving our local communities.
All KW associates across the US and Canada will engage in a coordinated effort to donate one day projects, related to renewing and energizing aspects of their local communities on May 14, 2009.  This day has been dedicated in honor of Vice Chairman, Mo Anderson because of her commitment to the culture of our company. 

On this day Keller Williams Realty Partners in Yorktown Heights and its associates will donate their time by performing painting and maintenance service at C.H.O.P., Inc., (Caring for the Homeless of Peekskill, Inc.).

The Yorktown office is very excited about the 1st Annual Keller Williams Realty RED Day program and confident that the success of this program will encourage others to donate their time for the benefit of our community in future efforts.

According to Swanepoel TRENDS Report, Keller Williams is ranked #3 in Top 10 Trendsetters for 2008.

Below is the post from Stefan Swanepoel:

TOP 10 TRENDSETTERS FOR 2008

As part of the annual Swanepoel TRENDS Report we also every year include a look back at the year that just passed and list the Top 10 Newsmakers, Top 10 Events and Top 10 Trendsetters for 2008. 

This week I am discussing the Trendsetters. Trendsetters are defined as those companies that during 2008 set forth actions that were different and memorable and could potentially have a far reaching impact on the real estate industry in the years to come.

                                                        
The Top 10 Trendsetters in Real Estate for 2008 are:

1. Brookfield Real Estate Services

The acquisition of a Top 10 national franchise happens but once or twice a decade.  So when it does occur it’s important news - when it’s done by a non-U.S. company it’s very big news.  The acquisition of GMAC Real Estate by Brookfield Real Estate Services, the holding company of Royal LePage, Canada’s largest real estate company, solidifies them as a major real estate player in North America.

2. Cyberhomes

For its dynamic growth and rapid rise during the last year to become one of the strongest new forces in consumer facing websites we recognize Cyberhomes as a newsmaker.  After various earlier missteps with FNIS and Dwayne Walker, Fidelity seems to have picked a winning horse in Cyberhomes.

3. Keller Williams

Despite the steep slide in real estate sales and the sharp reduction in the number of real estate agents among most large national real estate franchises, KW apparently bucked the trend in both cases.  The company has continued to grow rapidly in size, stature and market share since 2000 as well as during the 2006-2008 housing bubble, to become one of top national real estate franchises in the industry.

4. Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac

These two Government Sponsored Entities (GSE), long considered economic pillars of stability in the real estate industry, shocked the world with their financial collapse and the extent to which their leadership apparently mismanaged funds and their responsibilities.  The fact that government intervention was necessary to rescue them from total failure remains shocking.

5.     Engel & Völkers

The #1 real estate company in Germany, and according to some reports all of Europe, expanded its real estate shop franchise concept to over 500 offices in 25 countries.  It also aggressively expanded into the U.S. by opening shops in Florida, Connecticut and New York and with openings in California scheduled for 2009.

6. National Association of Realtors^®

This institution celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2008 and as we reflect on all of its accomplishments it is evident that the industry would not be where it is today without the National Association of Realtors^® (NAR).  However, what makes NAR newsworthy is not its survival but the announcement of their second century initiatives, which if successful, could significantly reshape the real estate brokerage industry. 

7. Casa Latino

Rising rapidly during the last two years, Casa Latino has become the undisputed national leader in the Hispanic market with offices in 14 states as well as 14 countries and territories in South America and the Caribbean.

8. Realogy

There is no doubt that the higher the tree the stronger the wind.  The industry leader and mega-brand real estate franchise enjoyed success and expanded during the strong real estate market of 2000-2005.  The financial crisis and housing collapse have taken their toll on the company however, resulting in hundreds of offices being closed and almost half a billion in estimated losses in 2008.  The company is large enough to survive, yet it carries an enormous debt to be restructured.  2009 might provide the answer.

9. Frontdoor.com

Since the launch of HGTV’s frontdoor.com late in 2007, the site has been a true bright spot for the industry.  The site has enjoyed significant growth while also offering a large selection of information for the home buying, selling and owning community.

10. Broker Agent News

Coming late to the Online Community world did not stop Broker Agent News. During the latter part of 2008 it not only changed its name from Broker Agent News to Broker Agent Professional, but also launched a new Social Network for real estate agents named Broker Agent Social. Within the first month participation exploded past 5,000

The 2009 Swanepoel TRENDS Report will be published the first week of February. You can still save $50 off the cover price by ordering pre the publication date at www.realestatebooks.org.

This month not to be cliché is about Thanksgiving. We start by reflecting on the past year and really focusing on what we have to be grateful for. In our line of service there is much to be thankful for, although some may disagree. We certainly should be thankful for the opportunities given to us each and every day, whether we take advantage of them or not is a story for another month.
Our career choice also affords us the flexibility to spend time with loved ones and pursue passions outside of real estate. We should also take solace in the fact that we will have people to share the holidays with and that we will have warmth, shelter and food.
Yes, these are the tip of the iceberg of things we can all be thankful for. Now, we look at the equally important “giving” part of the holiday. Sometimes when our careers take a downturn or are not reaching the heights we have expected we are susceptible to feeling sorry for ourselves and possibly begin to blame circumstance for our perceived misfortunes.
This past year probably more so than ever, our industry has felt the belt tighten and a lot of agents are at a real crossroads, understandably so. I am here to tell you, that no matter how poorly of a year you may have had, you still have something to give. I would think that the majority of us have warmth, shelter, food and people whom care about us. Reality is though, that there are people out there who lack one or more of these, not to mention the capacity to seek for them. We have an opportunity to give, no matter how little we think we have. It can be in the form of money, various donations of coats, canned goods, blankets, etc. However, the one thing and probably the most impactful we could give is our time.
We have no excuse to not lend ourselves to our communities and to the people in them who truly need our assistance. They often have not had the luxuries and opportunities that we enjoy, and that no matter how down of a year we have had, we are often still in a place to lend a helping hand.
Believe me when I tell you, you will get back way more than you put in when you take the time to help those less fortunate, and who of us isn’t looking for something to make us feel great.
Happy Thanks - Giving, I look forward to the tremendous impact our real estate professionals will have on our communities this year. Please share any and all of your stories, I would be delighted to share the light with everyone.

Contributed by Walter Sadowski

Gary Keller has taught us the 12 tactics on how to thrive in a shifting market, the first one being GET REAL, GET RIGHT – Mindset and Action. It is so important to maintain a positive attitude, learn from your mistakes and capitalize on what we currently are dealing with. Not only is our business being undermined by the economic condition but our mind gets the negative information and must then process it. We cannot change what’s going on but we can learn how to manage it and use it to our advantage. 

There will be no better time to invest in real estate then right now. Help your clients to make a decision to sell that home that may be too big and buy in a market where prices are under market value. 

Teach your sphere of influence about the cycles of the real estate market and that the value will increase. Let’s face it we are a suburb of NYC, and that alone has value. Communicate to everyone that asks, and they do, (when was the last time you were in a group of people and someone did not ask you about the market?), that YES you can get a mortgage, YES you can sell your house, and finally YES IT IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY! 

Contributed by Elisa Bruno-Midili

Keller Williams Realty Partners will be the first real estate company in Area 1 to utilizing CellularRE as an opportunity to extend exposure to their Seller’s property listing. 

CellularRE is the latest real estate marketing tool offering information on properties for sale through text messaging.  The consumer has the ability to get price, square feet, taxes, photo, videos and more ALL ON THEIR CELL PHONE.  Yard sign riders with a keyword will be displayed on each KW listing sign.  The customer texts the keyword to the phone number on the sign, click on the link to view the property with photos/floor plan and specifics.

SMS(Text Messaging) is a breakthrough communication medium as evidenced by growth year after year. As of December 2006, over 18.5 billion text messages are sent every month - and that number has grown by 250% each month. (stats from www.messagebuzz.com).

Welcome to Keller Williams Realty Partners Blog! This blog will provide you with valuable information, tips, and general insight into the real estate market in Northern Westchester/Putnam County. Serving Yorktown Heights, Carmel, Cortlandt Manor, Peekskill, Somers, Putnam Valley and surrounding area. We look forward to your feedback.