Tag: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hilton Head Bluffton Realty today expanded its reach into the Lowcountry by opening a new office in Bluffton, one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing communities.

The office, a brand-new facility located on The Promenade in the city’s Old Town historic district, gives Hilton Head Bluffton Realty a second location and immediate access to greater Bluffton’s burgeoning real estate market.

“We already conduct a lot of business in Bluffton so it has always made sense for us to open an office there,” said Broker/Owner Randy Smith. “Bluffton is a wonderful community and strategically important to our company for greater access to the Lowcountry. We’re excited to open our doors there.”

The office, located at 212 Bluffton Road, features Charleston-style architecture with array of modern amenities including open-concept collaboration space, soft seating, coffee bar, a large monitor for virtual home tours and all the supporting technology.

“The office is bright and inviting,” said Bill True, a broker and principal at Hilton Head Bluffton Realty. “Today’s agents can make calls or get online anywhere, but they still need a physical space to network, collaborate with colleagues and meet with clients,” True explained. “Our Bluffton office provides such space and promotes collaboration and interaction with our clients and fellow agents. It’s just a great place to conduct business.”

Smith and True also chose the location for its access to architects, builders, legal professionals and others in the area supporting the real estate process. The Promenade boasts an abundance of restaurants and a vibrant art scene, as well. “There’s a lot of foot traffic on The Promenade – it’s where people want to be,” said Smith.

Hilton Head Bluffton Realty joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in the fall of 2017. Besides Bluffton and Hilton Head, the brokerage serves Belfair, Berkley Hall, Callawassie, Colleton River, Hampton Hall, Hampton Lakes, Oldfield, Palmetto Bluff and Sun City.

© 2018 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.

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty has announced that the Chadd Dempsey Real Estate Experts team, one of New Hampshire’s most productive real estate sales groups, has joined its brokerage.

The team, formerly of Keller Williams Realty Metropolitan in Hooksett, includes Chadd Dempsey, wife Caren Dempsey, Mark Hammond and Anne Anctil. It generated more than $28 million in closed sales volume in 2017 and is a fixture in Bedford, Bow, Londonderry, Manchester, Hooksett, Goffstown, Merrimack and Auburn.

“We’re proud to welcome the Chadd Dempsey Real Estate Experts team to Verani Realty and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network,” said Gino Blefari, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “This team is professional, hard-working and flat-out good at what they do. We expect the group to grow its business to new heights representing Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty.”

Added Giovanni Verani, president of Verani Realty: “For many years we’ve appreciated the work Chadd Dempsey and his team do for clients – they’re tough to compete against. We’re glad they’re now a part of our brokerage and we’re ready to help them achieve even more success in the service of clients.”

Chadd Dempsey said Verani Realty’s family culture and marketing support were significant factors in his team’s move, as were the brokerage’s superior technology and long-standing reputation in the marketplace. “We’ve found a terrific new home at Verani Realty and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand is second to none in real estate,” he said. “With new tools, resources and support available to us through Verani Realty and the brand, we expect to win more business and reach new markets.”

The Chadd Dempsey Real Estate Experts team builds lasting relationships with clients through relentless service and expertise. In fact, a full 75% of its business is generated by referrals from existing clients. Trust and care help form the foundation of each client relationship. “We simply care about our clients and want the very best for them,” said Caren Dempsey. “Our motto sums it all up: ‘We are in the business of helping people. We just happen to sell houses.’”

Chadd Dempsey entered the real estate business in 2004 after a successful career in health club sales and as a certified personal trainer. His business accelerated quickly and later Caren, a registered nurse, made a career change to help out. Hammond brings more than 30 years of real estate sales experience to the Chadd Dempsey Real Estate Experts team, and Anctil provides important administrative support.

The group is active in the local community and supports the ROCA Kidz Club in Manchester, which provides a fun and safe environment for local kids where they can have hot meals, a place to play, and access to homework help and activities.

Chadd Dempsey said he and his team expect to exceed last year’s volume total as they step forward to a new era with Verani real estate. “We are excited, and our clients are excited, that we’re a part of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty,” he explained. “Through our new relationship we’ll be able to serve clients better and enhance the customer experience overall.

© 2018 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.

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, part of the HSF Affiliates LLC family of real estate brokerage franchise networks, has announced that Century 21 Van Der Wende Associates has joined its network, operating as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Van Der Wende Properties.

The full-service brokerage, serving the greater North Jersey market, remains independently owned and operated by local real estate veterans Bob and Lorraine Van Der Wende. The two founded their company in 1980 and have grown it into a local powerhouse known for market expertise and superior client service. In fact, Van Der Wende Properties has led the Passaic Valley in home sales volume the last 27 years, according to Garden State MLS data. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices remains among America’s fastest-growing real estate brokerage networks with 47,000+ agents and 1,400 offices named to the brand since its September 2013 launch.

“Van Der Wende Properties is a terrific brokerage and a clear market leader for nearly three decades – that’s huge for our brand,” said Gino Blefari, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “The company is as much known for sound leadership and skilled, attentive sales professionals as it is for its work ethic and love for the business. We’re proud to welcome this team to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.”

“As brokerage owners, our responsibility is to provide our agents with the very best resources so that they may be their very best for their deserving clients,” said Broker Bob Van Der Wende. “I interviewed and researched every brokerage network you could imagine, and the one that met my tough criteria was Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.”

The brand is fresh, progressive and distinctive, he continued, with core values closely aligned with those of his company: trust, integrity, stability and longevity. “Simply put, we think Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is the best brand name in real estate, and when our agents are sitting across from a client that homebuyer or seller will feel instant trust and credibility.”

Lorraine Van Der Wende said Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ tools, resources and support will help her team win business, operate more efficiently and better serve clients. With their network membership, Van Der Wende Properties’ agents gain access to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ Global Network Platform, a powerful tool suite driving lead generation, marketing support, social media, video production/distribution and more. The brand also provides international listing syndication, relocation referrals, professional education and the exclusive Luxury Collection marketing program for high-end listings.

“The network is committed to providing the best tools and systems to enable their franchisees to stand apart from the competition and be even more productive,” she said. “We are excited for our future with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices.”

Bob Van Der Wende added that the brand will help Van Der Wende Properties recruit more of the region’s top sales professionals and reach new markets. “The possibilities are endless for a hard-working brokerage charged by the momentum and power of a brand that’s aggressively increasing market share, agent tools and support,” he said. “We will grow and serve more clients, from entry-level and move-up buyers to sellers of our markets’ finest luxury homes.”

© 2018 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.

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties, one of the nation’s fastest-growing, 100% woman-owned real estate brokerages, has opened three new Sonoma County offices focused on the luxury market.

The offices, located in Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Windsor, extend Drysdale Properties’ northern reach and provide further exposure to the upscale real estate market of California’s Wine Country.

“We are thrilled to add these terrific offices and agents to the Drysdale Properties family,” said Gretchen Pearson, brokerage president and CEO. “Each office is well established in its market and staffed by skilled and experienced real estate professionals. The acquisition will help us grow our luxury business as we’re now positioned in the hotbed of popular Sonoma County.”

The bustling Santa Rosa office includes 80 agents, while Sebastopol opens the fertile, west county market to the brokerage. Windsor serves a community drawing thousands of people each year with shows, festivals and a charming, small-town lifestyle.

Drysdale Properties’ move is the second this spring to advance its luxury real estate operations. In April, the brokerage named industry veteran Paula Gold-Nocella, a highly regarded production leader and luxury-property authority in Northern California, as broker of Drysdale Properties and Regional Partner for its San Francisco and North Bay operations. Immediately following Gold-Nocella’s appointment, she relaunched the San Francisco office and will be opening a second San Francisco office in Pacific Heights this summer.

Gold-Nocella will oversee operations in the North Bay. “Our Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand is a natural fit for Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Windsor and their respective lifestyles,” said Gold-Nocella, a board director of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® for the past seven years. “The region is affluent and highly desirable to a global audience, and we look forward serving its real estate needs for years to come.”

Pearson added that many of the clients her brokerage serves in the Bay Area want to buy second and vacation homes in Sonoma County. “This is a natural step for us,” she said. “The possibilities are endless.”

Gino Blefari, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, applauded Drysdale Properties’ expansion. “This is a terrific achievement for Gretchen and her team and their strategy to develop their luxury business,” he said. “Drysdale Properties is well positioned for growth in Sonoma County, and throughout its Northern California and Nevada markets. We’re proud to support them every step of the way.”

Drysdale Properties now counts 46 offices and more than 1,200 agents throughout Northern California and Nevada. The brokerage, which is completely woman-owned, ranks No. 13 in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network for gross commission income.

© 2018 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.

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has announced that independent brokerage Bay Street Realty Group has joined the network operating as Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group.

The full-service brokerage, serving greater Beaufort and the Sea Islands, remains independently owned and operated. It is a market leader in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

“We are thrilled to bring the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand to Beaufort and the Sea Islands,” said Brokerage Owner Ken Willis. “The brand is fresh, progressive and ideally suited for our coastal communities. Its namesake is Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and it’s built on Berkshire Hathaway’s core values of trust, integrity, stability and longevity. We believe consumers throughout the Lowcountry will appreciate these virtues and embrace the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand.”

Willis plans to double his agent count over the next two years and extend the brokerage’s reach to neighboring markets. He said the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand will help his team recruit. “We think seasoned agents in the area will want to take their businesses to new heights representing Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group. As important, the brand, which builds its strategies and programs with input from its leading millennial agents, will appeal to sharp, younger professionals.”

With their affiliation, Bay Street Realty Group agents gain access to the network’s Global Network Platform, a powerful real estate tool suite that supercharges lead generation, marketing support, social media, video production/distribution and more. The brand also provides international listing syndication, professional education and the exclusive Luxury Collection marketing program for high-end listings.

“The brand’s real estate tools and resources are second to none and will help our agents be their very best for clients,” said Brokerage Owner Will Thurman. “Since Beaufort and the Sea Islands are becoming popular destinations for foreign travelers and investors, we’re particularly excited about Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ global listing syndication program. Our listings will appear monthly before more than 12 million additional consumers abroad.”

Both Willis and Thurman are eager to begin a new era with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “Our agents are pumped up, the market is percolating — buoyed by our strong, local economy — and Bay Street Realty Group is positioned to grow for years to come.”

Gino Blefari, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, applauded the brokerage’s transition. “Bay Street Realty Group is highly respected in the marketplace and led by skilled operators. We’re proud to welcome this group to our network family.”

© 2018 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.

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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.

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, the United States-based real estate brokerage franchise network owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has set its sights on international expansion beginning in 2017.

The initial focus of the international expansion is in major financial centers around the world, with countries such as China, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom being high on the list  Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ Chief Operating Officer and President, Stephen Phillips says.

Phillips said that the company is setting up regional offices that will cover Asia, Europe, and South America.

Also key to its expansion plans is the network launch of a powerful, new property-search platform on its popular www.BerkshireHathawayHS.com website; and a listing-syndication program now broadcasting Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network listings to 70 real estate websites worldwide.

The platform, developed in conjunction with Aliso Viejo, CA-based Real Estate Digital, offers the industry’s most complete search experience for global shoppers of U.S. real estate. With two mouse clicks, consumers may choose to translate the website in any of 10 languages besides English including Chinese, French (European and Canadian), German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian and European) and Spanish (European and Latin American). The site also seamlessly converts currency and measurements.

Consumers may then search for homes in any U.S. city or state serviced by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchisees. What they find they can’t get on any other single site: full Multiple Listing Service data containing all listings in their search area. By registering on www.BerkshireHathawayHS.com, consumers also gain proprietary “Inside Access” features including the latest pending and sold information, market reports and property-price history.

“Until now, global shoppers of U.S. real estate see only a portion of homes for sale in their searches of states, cities and postal ZIP codes,” explained Gino Blefari, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “When you register and search for U.S. real estate on our website, you see every property for sale in your search area, and then you can filter and sort those searches as you would on other sites. It’s a much more effective way to begin searches of homes in America.”

“Regardless of nationality, today’s home buyers want as much information as possible to make informed decisions on their real estate investments,” said Stephen Phillips, president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “Our website and property-search platform are an indispensable resource for any global buyer of U.S. real estate.”

To complement the home-search platform, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is now broadcasting its network listings abroad. Most of the residential listings priced at $200,000 (USD) and above are now displayed on 70 real estate websites serving consumers in 37 countries on five continents.

“A key priority in global expansion is to help our existing U.S. franchisees earn more business from beyond our borders,” said Peter Turtzo, senior vice president of International Operations for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. “Our investment in these resources will help our network capture international client leads and generate transaction opportunities. These resources will also help our existing franchisees win more domestic listings, and recruit and retain more top sales professionals.”

The international expansion will be growing source of revenue for the company, and Phillips says that he expects Asia to be 5%-10% of that revenue.

© 2016 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.