Five years ago, Century 21 Real Estate launched its SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.® brand campaign, focused on updating the industry’s perception of the 45-year-old real estate brand, one of the originators of the franchisor/franchisee model.
Today, the global powerhouse has a lot to be proud of as it celebrates the second-year sweep of the annual J.D. Power Home Buyer/Seller Study(SM) for 2014 and 2015 with the “Highest Overall Satisfaction for First-Time and Repeat Home Buyers and Sellers.” Not only does C21® remain the industry leader in consumer preference and awareness, the company is also rapidly becoming the brand of choice for industry professionals as well. The combination of a broker- and agent-centric value proposition and a focus on one of the company’s core values of delivering the highest standards of quality service throughout the consumer’s decision-making journey, has helped keep System members front and center in the hearts and minds of today’s consumer. The numbers speak for themselves. In 2015 alone, the company welcomed 497 new offices globally, with 405 new offices in the international markets and 92 new offices in core and strategic markets here in the U.S., including: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
The brand’s 2015 performance growth was significant, and halfway through 2016, the C21® System is well on its way to having another record-setting year of growth. As President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Davidson proudly states: “We have developed our momentum through a keen focus on the value of our platform and quality of local market affiliates. The people affiliated with the CENTURY 21 brand are by far the System’s most valued asset as we grow our iconic global brand.”
An integral part of having earned the trust of consumers and confidence of real estate entrepreneurs began when Davidson and his leadership team developed and deployed a fundamental strategy that turned the heads of many people across the industry. The company spent countless hours focused on the market’s perception of local affiliates within its existing franchise base in virtually every primary, secondary and tertiary market in the U.S. Davidson personally visited hundreds of offices and interviewed competitors, ancillary service providers and other industry professionals to assess and understand how the brand was viewed in the local marketplace.
Ultimately, CENTURY 21 made the difficult but strategic decision to part ways with hundreds of affiliates in the U.S. alone. Now, six years later, the end result of this strategy to “prepare the landscape” is that the organization is affiliating with companies that are able to meet operating standards in a manner consistent with the C21 franchise system’s core values who can uphold the professionalism, honesty, integrity, and the highest standards of quality service associated with the Century 21 brand.
“As a leading global franchisor, eliminating franchisees during the deepest downturn in the real estate industry since the Great Depression was a difficult decision, however, one we knew would pay significant dividends in years to come,” says Davidson. “We believe that quality, not quantity, is far more important in establishing the CENTURY 21 brand as the brand of choice for real estate consumers and industry professionals alike.”
Davidson adds, “We knew the risk going in that our competitors would use our strategy against us as we weren’t publicizing our long-term objective. It was a tough several years, but today, we are well-positioned for continued growth and expansion throughout the U.S. and around the world.”
As a former commercial real estate sales professional, Davidson knows the value of proper due diligence. He personally interviews every new franchisee considering joining the System and analyzes not only the prospective affiliate’s market position and opportunity for growth, but as importantly, their human capital as a means of remaining steadfast in affiliating only the best companies, ensuring a proper fit between the owner(s) and the brand. There is also a focus on the opportunity to increase sales associate productivity and to growing profitable marketshare. Not only are franchisees of the CENTURY 21 System now operating in once dark and underperforming global markets, many existing members of the broker franchise network are experiencing tremendous office and sales associate growth.
So, let’s visit with the people—the “assets”—who are realizing significant growth within the CENTURY 21 System and, like their peers, are SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.® in their approach to making a difference for homebuyers and sellers, and in the communities in which they live and work.
A Record New Franchise Affiliation
On April 20, 2016, Century 21 Real Estate LLC announced that Southern California’s Troop Real Estate joined the CENTURY 21 Franchise System by entering into a partnership with Midvale, Utah-based CENTURY 21 Everest Realty Group. Troop, a 29-year unaffiliated brokerage with 550 agents and 14 offices in and around Ventura and Los Angeles counties, is now operating as CENTURY 21 Troop Real Estate. Led by seasoned management teams, the combined entity of CENTURY 21 Troop Real Estate and CENTURY 21 Everest Realty Group now consists of approximately 1,100 sales associates in 18 offices (4 in Utah and 14 in California).
CENTURY 21 Affiliated, Madison, Wis.
Broker/Owner(s): Dan Kruse
Office Count Growth: 75 percent
“The value proposition of the brand is clear: we are in the sales associate business. Our shared goal is to help affiliated sales associates better serve clients, communicate more effectively, and build short- and long-term relationships. In doing so, we leverage the assets provided by the CENTURY 21 System and put our affiliated agents front and center in our marketing and advertising efforts, first-class learning opportunities, and in the suite of tools and technologies they can use to stay in touch with contacts, nurture relationships, capture repeat and referral business and stay ahead of the competition. The outcome is that they are increasingly being noticed, liked, and talked about by industry peers as well as appreciative real estate consumers. Of course, our office managers are supportive of this strategy, as it helps them run more successful businesses and attract the attention of other companies and sales professionals who want the value proposition we are delivering to the market.”
CENTURY 21 Everest Realty, Midvale, Utah
Broker/Owner(s): George Morris/John Ciet
Increase in Number of Sales Associates: 69 percent
(exclusive of Troop partnership. See Sidebar.)
“Our affiliation with the CENTURY 21 System allows us to not only grow our market presence beyond what we could have alone, but, more importantly, we are able to look outside our base markets for accelerated growth and to make bold, strategic moves like the partnership we announced this past April with Southern California’s Troop Real Estate, a 29-year unaffiliated brokerage with 550 agents and 14 offices in and around Ventura and Los Angeles counties in California. We believe that what helps us grow is what separates us from the competition: the C21 value proposition of personalized attention, growth orientation, and the highest quality of professional service to our affiliated sales associates and, in turn, to the clients and customers they serve. Our internal systems, coupled with the C21 platform, are agile and dynamic enough to stay ahead of the evolving industry while helping sales associates affiliated with our company earn the affinity and trust of home-buying and -selling consumers in the marketplace.”
CENTURY 21 North Shore, Peabody, Mass.
Broker Owner(s): Jim D’Amico
Office Count Growth: 90 percent
“We love the SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.® vision and what it means for consumers and sales associates. First, it provides for a System that is built to consistently evolve with its affiliated professionals, to move with global real estate markets and to adapt to technological innovation, which are all necessities to not only thrive and remain competitive, but also allow for making growth a strategic priority. Second, by its very nature, SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.® is all about providing our affiliated sales associates with the tools and technologies to find, understand and build relationships—both offline and online—with today’s diverse home-buying and -selling consumers. Lastly, we have been privileged to work with a corporate headquarters team that creates a strong foundation for success by focusing not only on innovation, but also a partnership-oriented approach with us and our customers and clients, which frees me and my leadership team to execute on future growth opportunities.”
CENTURY 21 Blue Marlin, Destin, Fla.
Broker/Owner(s): Jerry Sullivan and Johnathan Hughes
“We have a System in place that helps us become a trusted resource and a knowledge-base that consumers have come to rely on. We respect and value the fact that most consumers we help guide through the transaction process are making the single largest purchase of their lifetime. So, a key that works to separate the CENTURY 21 brand from other real estate companies is that our value proposition is not only grounded in assisting in the overall business growth and success of affiliated sales associates, but it is also focused on the families, individuals and communities in which we live and work. For example, CENTURY 21 has raised in excess of $114 million for Easter Seals, the brand’s philanthropic partner since 1979. In today’s socially-conscious world, where consumers seek out and choose to partner with companies that reflect their values, it’s yet another difference that helps separate us from the competition.”
CENTURY 21 Northwest Realty, Kirkland, Wash.
Broker/Owner(s): Chad Storey
“Access to the comprehensive suite of technology and tools provided by the CENTURY 21 System is certainly a primary driver for the success of affiliated sales professionals, but it is also the cache of affiliating with a brand that holds a continued position as the leader in consumer awareness, and its reputation for focusing on the importance of its people to deliver outstanding customer service. That’s why we have been able to grow so quickly as CENTURY 21 Northwest Realty. That said, as a broker, I can assure you that having a partner and leader like Rick is a definite value-add for us. We are excited to partner with a company who shares in our passion for real estate and the people we serve. The work of his team helps to ensure that we have access to a System that molds with the needs of our affiliated sales associates, giving us the ability to structurally evolve and adapt to new technologies and consumer preferences (and demands). The brand’s collective vision, stability and consumer-centric approach to business have helped us beat the competition to market and anticipate innovative change like the movement to smartphones, digital devices and big data analytics. Competition is fierce and no matter the volatility of the real estate market, we are uniquely positioned to stay aggressive and add marketshare. That’s the CENTURY 21 brand in a nutshell: growth for us as franchisees, and helping to engage, connect and validate the decisions of real estate consumers.”
The C21 Brand Market Momentum
Following is a list of new companies who selected Century 21 Real Estate as the best platform for their affiliated agents, their market, and their growth and long-term success in 2015, and for the first quarter of 2016.
CENTURY 21 Adams Lawndale, Belmont, Mass.
CENTURY 21 Asa Cox Homes, Painesville, Ohio
CENTURY 21 Blue Marlin, Destin, Fla.
CENTURY 21 Bob Leigh and Associates, Jackson, Miss.
CENTURY 21 Capital Brokers, Aventura, Fla.
CENTURY 21 Capstone Commercial Group, Gastonia, N.C.
CENTURY 21 Champions, Downey, Calif.
CENTURY 21 Connect Realty, Roswell, Ga.
CENTURY 21 Cornerstone, Wayne, Pa.
CENTURY 21 Emerald, Wilmington, Del.
CENTURY 21 Equity Realty Plus, Brockton, Mass.
CENTURY 21 First Choice, St. James, Mo.
CENTURY 21 Innovative Realty, Jersey City, N.J.
CENTURY 21 J. Bolos, Irmo, S.C.
CENTURY 21 Kierman Realty, Randolph, Mass.
CENTURY 21 KoRes, Weston, Fla.
CENTURY 21 KR Realty, Lawrence, N.Y.
CENTURY 21 Meridian Realty, Fayetteville, Ga.
CENTURY 21 Metro Brokers, Davison, Mich.
CENTURY 21 Northwest Realty, Kirkland, Wash.
CENTURY 21 Patriot, Fayetteville, N.C.
CENTURY 21 Peak Commercial, Woodland Hills, Calif.
CENTURY 21 Peak, Woodland Hills, Calif.
CENTURY 21 Platinum Partners, Atlanta, Texas
CENTURY 21 Premiere Real Estate, Columbus, Ga.
CENTURY 21 Realty Associates, West Bridgewater, Mass.
CENTURY 21 Realty Pros, Jacksonville, Fla.
CENTURY 21 SELA, New Orleans, La.
CENTURY 21 Seven Oaks Realty, Wesley Chapel, Fla.
CENTURY 21 Smart Realty Group, Staten Island, N.Y.
CENTURY 21 Strayer & Associates, Inc., Cresson, Pa.
CENTURY 21 Thomson & Co., Red Bank, N.J.
CENTURY 21 Toma Partners, Phoenix, Ariz.
CENTURY 21 Top Realty, Houston, Texas
CENTURY 21 Transcendent Realty, Medina, Ohio
CENTURY 21 Trenka Real Estate, Denver, Colo.
CENTURY 21 Troop Real Estate, Simi Valley, Calif.
CENTURY 21 Universal Luxury, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
CENTURY 21 University Realty, Loma Linda, Calif.
CENTURY 21 Veterans, Levittown, Pa.
CENTURY 21 WC Realty, Wellington, Fla.
CENTURY 21 Wieder Realty, Pompano Beach, Fla.
CENTURY 21 World Connection, Miami, Fla.
Internationally, the CENTURY 21 System welcomed 405 new franchises, and the following new territories:
CENTURY 21 Croatia
CENTURY 21 Macedonia
CENTURY 21 Montenegro
CENTURY 21 Slovenia
CENTURY 21 United Arab Emirates – Dubai
Sales Associate Growth throughout the C21 System
In addition to the companies recognized in the main article, there are several other notable CENTURY 21 System offices who have realized significant increases in the number of sales associates since December 2013 (by total number of offices). They are:
CENTURY 21 Martinez & Associates, Las Vegas, Nev.: 227 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Olympian, Houston, Texas: 170 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Carioti, Orlando, Fla.: 145 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty Group, Wappingers Falls, N.Y.: 90 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Judge Fite Company, Dallas, Texas: 48 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty, Ashburn, Va.: 44 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Northshore, Peabody, Mass.: 40 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Beggins Enterprises, Apollo Beach, Fla.: 37 percent increase
CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty: A Manifestation of the Brand’s Culture
CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty, led by co-founders Edward Berenbaum, Shawn Milletary and Nick Pasquini, is one of many companies in the CENTURY 21 System that personifies the brand’s SMARTER. BOLDER. FASTER.® culture. Redwood’s visionary approach to real estate leverages their agents’ local knowledge to connect with consumers—both in person and online via their 2,800+ neighborhood, school and “live near” profile pages. Their state-of-the-art offices with contemporary work spaces and “homey” touches like fireplaces, cafes and foosball tables promote collaboration. Redwood is making a difference by creating a client-focused company along every consumer touchpoint in the real estate transaction process.
For more information, visit www.century21.com.
