Innovative firm cites like-minded, fresh thinking culture and lifestyle branding as reasoning behind national brand affiliation
MADISON, N.J. and CARY, N.C. (Aug. 19, 2014) — Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate today announced the addition of Go Realty, one of North Carolina’s prominent independent real estate brokerages, to its franchise network. The newly named Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Go Realty will continue under the leadership of co-owners Jim Garman and Kevin Woody, serving Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Holly Springs, Garner, Apex, Morrisville, Knightdale and Clayton.
“Go Realty caught the industry’s attention at inception for the company’s dynamic approach to real estate brokerage,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. “Jim and Kevin’s nimble team of sales professionals understands the value in consumer relationships and has created a culture and office environment that transcends traditional models. They emphasize all-encompassing real estate education for their affiliated agents and a remarkable company culture that fosters excitement for helping buyers and sellers alike, making their brokerage an ideal fit for our brand.”
Since 2010, Go Realty has adhered to its trailblazing philosophy to serve as “not your father’s real estate company.” This innovative mindset and approach to real estate earned the brokerage recognition within the Beta Brokerage Project, a platform that highlights brokerages challenging traditional norms to encourage the evolution of the real estate industry. The company attributes its success to creating a community of storytellers who not only move people from place to place, but find the right lifestyle fit for their clients.
“We would only affiliate with a national brand that would enhance, not conflict, with our company’s fresh flavor, and after extensive research, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate was the only brand for us,” said Garman. “We have joined this brand to share in its infectious enthusiasm for the end consumer and its lifestyle approach to real estate that will help us serve our clients beyond the transaction. The agent education, technology infrastructure and marketing support we gain with this affiliation will be true differentiators for us.”
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Go Realty will maintain its four office locations in Cary, Durham, Garner, and Holly Springs and will seek to grow its current affiliated agent base of 65 self-proclaimed creative and client-obsessed local residential real estate professionals. The company offices have been designed specifically to embrace a personal, inviting and collaborative culture. A mix of vibrant colors, natural wood and light, communal work areas and fun zones gives their modern offices an industrial chic meets home feel.
“We like to say that Go Realty just got ‘Better,’” said Woody. “In Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, we have found our tribe on a national level, so to speak. We are not a traditional company, and while we had a strategic growth plan, after understanding the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate value proposition, we realized we are better with them than without them. By reconciling an independent brokerage with the power of a national brand, we now have the best of both worlds.”
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Go Realty agents have the opportunity to contribute to the company’s culture book, inspired by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Delivering Happiness. Each year agents write short stories about something related to the brokerage that inspired them, changed their thinking or surprised them. The company then takes the collection of stories and publishes a book, which serves as an artifact of their culture and helps communicate what makes the brokerage different to potential agents and consumers.
Beyond the company’s investment in their agents’ growth, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Go Realty remains an active supporter of the community. Since the company’s launch, a portion of each real estate transaction commission has been contributed to a local charity. This practice will continue, and the brokerage just announced its partnership with Garman Homes to build the Miracle Home for Duke Children’s Hospital.
For more information, visit www.GoRealty.biz.
About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services.
The growing Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network includes more than 8,900 affiliated sales associates and approximately 270 offices serving home buyers and sellers in offices serving homebuyers and sellers across the U.S and Canada. U.S. states served include: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Washington DC.
Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC and used with permission. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Franchise is independently owned and operated.
