(BRK.A), (BRK.B)
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has signed a marketing agreement with Juwai.com to syndicate all of its franchisees’ residential listings to the China-based international property portal that attracts roughly two million visitors monthly.
In addition, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices also launched a banner advertising campaign on Juwai.com to promote its brand, home page and listings to Juwai.com’s audience.
The alliance makes Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices a dominant brand on one of the world’s most popular real estate search sites.
“The Chinese have overtaken all nationalities besides Americans as the leading buyers of property in the U.S.,” said Gino Blefari, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “Our efforts through Juwai.com, and through existing marketing agreements with The Wall Street Journal/Asia and Mansion Global Wechat Channel, make it much easier for Chinese real estate buyers to find and shop our property listings.”
Juwai.com and Juwai.com/luxe attract high-net-worth consumers who are ready to buy homes in the U.S. Site traffic comes from more than 400 cities in China and from 165 countries around the world. Juwai.com hosts its sites and services on both sides of China’s “great firewall,” enabling Chinese consumers access no matter where they live and buy.
“Our listings and banner ads are on display inside and outside of China,” said Kerry Donovan, vice president of Marketing for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “This is a huge differentiator for us.”
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ home page on Juwai.com offers a network introduction and statement about the brand’s values and heritage. The site includes Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ real estate market perspectives and it provides access to the network’s listings – lots of them. Listings are in click-to-translate mode for consumers and a dedicated “concierge” team based in China stands by to help home buyers with translation, questions and referrals to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices listing agents.
“We will continue refining our global listing-syndication program to bring the most value to our domestic franchisees based on international buying activity and search patterns,” said Donovan. “Juwai.com is an important step toward our overall strategy.”
© 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.