Month: June 2017

Categories
BNSF

Rise in Carloads Show Good News for BNSF

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Higher carload numbers are continuing to bring good news to BNSF Railway when compared to 2016.

Slumping volumes in 2016 saw the total intermodal and carload volumes down 4.94% from 2015 levels, with coal shipments slumping 20.88% from 2015 levels.

This time, coal is leading the way in the recovery, with shipments up a strong 22.56% year-to-date through May 27, as compared to the same period in 2016.

Also up a solid 4.55% are intermodal shipments.

While petroleum shipments continue to slide, with year-to-date numbers down 13.07%, the combined intermodal and carloads numbers are up 7.53% in the aggregate.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Categories
HomeServices of America

Real Living Real Estate Touts Industry-Leading Customer Satisfaction Rating

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s Real Living Real Estate has announced that its agents received a 97% customer satisfaction rating for 2016, according to independent ratings service, Quality Service Certification, Inc.
(QSC).

This is the second consecutive year the brokerage network scored 97%.

Through Real Living’s innovative Real Living 360 Service® program, the network asks customers to candidly rate the performance of their sales agent. QSC administers and validates these customer service satisfaction results following closed transactions for participating agents.

“The high ratings are a real win for our brand, especially when coupled with Real Living Real Estate recently being named Real Estate Agency Brand of the Year and Most Trusted Real Estate Brand in the 2017 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study,” said Robert McAdams Jr., president of Real Living. “We are most trusted because of the industry-leading
service we consistently provide to buyers and sellers.”

The latest results from QSC place Real Living at the top of the real estate industry for customer satisfaction, based on responses from thousands of home buyers and sellers. A full 92% of buyers reported being very satisfied with the buying process and service provided by Real Living network professionals, while 89% of sellers said they were very satisfied with the selling process. In the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS®, only 60% of buyers said they were very satisfied with the buying process and service provided by their real estate professional while 61% of sellers said they were very satisfied with the selling process.

“Sharing performance guidelines and expectations speaks volumes about how genuinely we care about giving everything we can to our buyers and sellers,” said Lou Ann Pittman, director of relocation services at Real Living Pittman Properties. “Real Living 360 Service is not just a trade tool; it is a lifestyle our agents have developed and continue to improve upon each and every day in order to be the very best in the industry.”

Gino Blefari, CEO of HSF Affiliates, congratulated Real Living on the network’s industry-leading scores. “As the latest numbers show, Real Living network agents continue to deliver quality service year after year,” said Blefari. “This 97% overall satisfaction rating further proves the network’s dedication to only the very best in customer
care.”

Real Living Real Estate is a network brand of HSF Affiliates LLC, which is majority owned by Berkshire Hathaway’s HomeServices of America, Inc.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is
no guarantee of future results.

Categories
Minority Stock Positions Stock Portfolio

BYD Adds 20 More Cars to Ecuador’s Pure Electric Taxi Fleet

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

After the delivery of the largest e-taxi fleet in Ecuador last month, Chinese new energy technology company BYD has delivered twenty more of its pure electric e6 taxi to Uruguay’s capital city, Montevideo.

The BYD pure electric taxi fleet was launched in 2015, as the country’s pioneering initiative towards electrified public transportation.

Key to the program is that the e6’s operational cost is 6-8 times lower than that of a traditional gasoline taxi.

The Uruguayan government is supporting the move to electrified transportation. The government offers unprecedented subsidies and advantages to potential buyers: 60,000 USD subsidy for a pure electric taxi license, which is 50% less as compared to a conventional taxi; owners will also be exempted of the 23% import tax on the vehicles; as well as a 5,000 USD subsidy for installing the charger, totaling up to 100,000 USD in incentives.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million is now worth roughly $1.8 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2017 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.