Help-U-Sell Updates – Help-U-Sell® Connect

Chris Reed to Retire January 24

On January 24, 2020, Chris Reed will hang her hat on the doors of Help-U-Sell Real Estate and officially retire after 11 dedicated years of service to the company at the Sarasota-based corporate headquarters.

If you’ve ever spoken to Chris on the phone, it’s not difficult to guess she moved here from Massachusetts. Arriving to Florida in 2000 with her husband, she previously worked as a controller for a manufacturing company up north, but quickly found work with a Florida home builder.

“Once I started with Help-U-Sell, it was interesting to learn the aspects of selling real estate versus the building side of real estate. All of that knowledge has come full circle for me,” Chris said.

Whenever Help-U-Sell opens an office in a new state, Chris gets the Federal Disclosure Documents in order so the franchise will be allowed to operate there. She ensures the incoming franchisees have the right paperwork to get started, and handles anything from a change of ownership, transferring ownership from an individual to a corporation, taking care of location and name changes, and other amendments to the franchise agreement.

Moving forward, those duties will be handled by Joey Trowbridge.

Since Chris came on board during the economic recession, she has witnessed many changes. She added,“I saw first-hand how hard this industry became for everyone: the many broker/owners struggling to stay open, and the home owners and communities trying to stay afloat. What’s wonderful to see are folks who had the will to stay with us and make their businesses grow again. People with that spirit make coming to work a pleasure. They love what they do, and I’m definitely one of those people.”

Not surprisingly, once she is fully immersed in retirement, Chris will still be very busy. She will continue to volunteer for the Salvation Army, as an usher at the Van Wezel Performance Center, and will become more involved in her husband’s graphic design business.

A huge bird lover, Chris also volunteers at the Birds of Paradise aviation sanctuary, and serves as a board member for the Florida West Coast Avian Society.

“I’ve been working towards this moment of retiring for a while. Five years ago, I cut down my work week to four days. More recently, I cut down to 2.5 days weekly. I’ve really enjoyed watching what Robbie (Robert Stevens, CEO) has done with the company since taking over. Working with him, all of the people in the corporate office, and the Broker/Owners and all of their people – they made this a really good experience for me,” she shared.

We wish Chris all the best in her retirement!

Client Education: The Key to Leads

Beverly Sonnier has been the proud owner of Help-U-Sell South East Rita Ranch Realty for 15 years. Last weekend, Beverly joined forces with Maria Powell, the owner of Help-U-Sell Galleria Realty, at the SAHBA Home Show (Southern Arizona Home Builders Association) to spread the word about Help-U-Sell Real Estate and saving home sellers thousands of dollars.

Last year, Beverly and her husband, Jimmie, exhibited at the show on their own. This year, it made more sense to double up because the attending audience grew larger. “The show is held on two floors,” Beverly explained, “Downstairs are the companies that sell larger items such as spas, windows, and doors. Upstairs there is space for smaller vendors in the community, and that’s where we set up a booth. Last year we were the only realtors at this event.”

Beverly went on to share, “We had a very good response and ended up with lot of qualified leads. We gave away a small TV, and a large, flat-screen smart TV. The folks that registered are definitely interested in selling or buying a home. The great thing about these events is the opportunity to explain how the Help-U-Sell set-fee works. A commonly heard response is: ‘Wow, we had no idea’. So education is really a key component of success when it comes to the Help-U-Sell Real Estate model.”

With more than 27 years of real estate experience behind her, Beverly is a solid expert. She spent the first 12 years of her real estate career learning from one of our most successful mentors and coaches, John Powell. “I started off as an agent working with John, and went through all of his training. Prior to that, I was a mortgage banker. When Jimmie retired from the Air Force and Postal Service, he became an agent, too, which was a great contributor to our success when we opened our own shop,” she added.

To spread the word about Help-U-Sell in their Tucson community, Beverly advertises in a local newspaper with a 12,000 to 15,0000 audience reach. They also employ the automated postcards for “Center of Influence” contacts and the “Arounds” program. “That connects us with past and potential clients,” Beverly said, “It keeps us present in their minds. We are also starting a sanitation station (for shopping carts) at a local grocery store. Our signage is included, and we’re handing out reusable grocery bags with marketing materials and a snack bar inside. We’re excited to see how that’s going to go. We do not underestimate the benefit of being live in front of people. It makes a big difference in the number of qualified leads we get.”

Help-U- Sell® Westside Realty Shatters Spring Sales With $10.5M Home Sale

Los Angeles, CA (May 15, 2017) – It’s always brisk business at the Help-U-Sell Westside Realty but recently things have taken a decidedly sharp turn upwards at the busy Los Angeles office, where just a few days ago franchise owner/broker Henry Ho reported the successful sale of a $10.5M home in Bel Air.

“Because of the flat-fee system we use here at Help-U-Sell, we were able to save the seller well over $350,000 over the traditional commission based model, which is truly monumental savings,” said Henry Ho, who established the franchise office in 2007.

“Detractors have implied from the beginning 40 years ago that we’re just a discount broker. We are in different times where people don’t want to throw money away on outsized commissions – it’s just unnecessary. This successful sale of this home proves that our model excels just as well in the luxury home market as it does the residential,” said Robert Stevens, Chief Operating Officer.

The custom-built home boasts a gorgeous, one-of-a kind pool, housed in a cathedral styled glass-dome. In addition to two complete bedroom suites and a primary master bedroom suite, there is a temperature controlled wine cellar and breathtaking views of Moraga Vineyards and The Getty.

Instead of the traditional percentage-based commission, Help-U-Sell Real Estate charges its sellers a set fee and a menu of services, allowing clients to participate in the selling process to save as much money as they would like. Help-U-Sell brokers are fully licensed members of the National Association of REALTORS and can offer sellers and buyers a full-service experience.

About Help-U-Sell Real Estate

Created 40 years ago, the Help-U-Sell Real Estate model was the pioneer for providing an alternative to the dated commission structure, something that had gone uncontested for years in a market overrun by a monopoly of traditional brokerage firms. Help-U-Sell Real Estate forged a revolution in the real estate industry by proactively challenging the commission structure, and has continued to perfect its full-service, set-fee model today.

Help-U-Sell Options Unlimited in Terre Haute, IN Celebrates 10 Year Anniversary with Contest for Free Home Listing

Terre Haute, IN (May 10, 2017) – Ms. Brenda Fischer, Managing Broker of Help-U-Sell Options Unlimited in Terre Haute, IN recently announced plans for the ten-year anniversary milestone of her office with an all-day event featuring a unique contest for home sellers in Vigo county. The celebration will take place from 9 AM to 6 PM on June 1, 2017 at Kenbell Plaza, Suite 5 in Terre Haute. The winner of the contest, which will be drawn during a live radio broadcast on HI-99 | 99.9 FM between 4 PM and 6 PM, will be able to sell their home for free on the listing side, which boasts a minimum value of $2950.

Robert Stevens, Chief Operating Officer of Help-U-Sell® Real Estate, headquartered in Sarasota, FL, said, “We have loved having Brenda Fischer and her team at Help-U-Sell Options Realty as a mainstay of this organization these last ten years. Their drive for excellence mixed with their desire to help people in their community save money are part of what has given them longevity. We congratulate them on their well-earned success.”

When asked what contributed to the milestone, Ms. Fischer added, “We have a great team in place, for starters. Second, when you take the Help-U-Sell concept, with the flat-fee structure and fantastic customer service, you have a winning combination. We offer a set fee for full service as the premier provider of professional licensed real estate services, empowering consumers with access to information and choice. We love helping people buy and sell homes, and we can do it with a level of service that other realtors don’t offer.”

Help-U-Sell Options Unlimited has partnered with Ruoff Home Mortgage for this special event, and representatives will be there on June 1 offering onsite pre-approvals.

Other rules apply. Entry form is available here. For questions, contact Brenda Fischer, 812-299-7355.

About Help-U-Sell Real Estate

Help-U-Sell^® Real Estate, based in Sarasota, FL, is now in its 41^st year in business. Its business model was the pioneer for providing an alternative to the dated commission structure. The franchisor has offices operating in 20 states and the District of Columbia and recently was named a top franchise by Franchise Business Review.

Help-U-Sell Closes 1st Quarter of 2017 Welcoming 10 New Offices

Sarasota, FL (April 17, 2017) – Help-U-Sell® Real Estate, the largest fee-for-service real estate franchise in the nation, has undergone substantial growth with ten new office openings in late 2016 and through the first quarter of 2017.

Celebrating 40 years last year, the recent growth is an anticipated boon, and a welcome change from the bleak outlook of real estate nearly a decade ago.

“We’re encouraged by the residential real estate industry rediscovering our proven business model, but we are constantly striving to create better tools to fuel our owners success,” said Robert Stevens, Chief Operating Officer. “We have several innovative projects in progress that are poised to help us better serve our franchise owners, in turn, we will be anticipating more for franchise sales going forward.”

The new offices are:

1. Help-U-Sell TriCounty, Broker John Paul Dauber, Fontana, CA

2. Help-U-Sell Realty Choices, Broker Mark Pike, Springfield, MO

3. Help-U-Sell Inland Empire, Broker Bernie Valenzuala, Rancho Cucamonga, CA

4. Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties, Broker Patrick Woods, Eastvale, CA

5. Help-U-Sell 951 Realty, Broker Ron Thompson, Marrieta, CA

6. Help-U-Sell Treasure Coast, Broker Roberta Pickens, Hobe Sound, FL

7. Help-U-Sell Wisdom Realty, Broker Raul Novales, Montclair, CA

8. Help-U-Sell Marquis Properties, Broker Joseph Sampson, Del Mar, CA

9. Help-U-Sell Desert Realty, Broker Salman Rizvi, Victorville, CA

10. Help-U-Sell Hunter Herget, Broker Charles Herget, Alameda, CA

One of our new offices is an “alumni” because she was a part of the Help-U-Sell family previously. Roberta Pickens left Help-U-Sell® Real Estate in 2010 after the real estate crash sent many real estate offices under. “It’s great to be back, and I’m looking forward to a new era of growth,” said Roberta.“I truly believe in our low overhead business model which translates into savings that we pass along to home sellers.”

This philosophy perfectly captures the essence of Help-U-Sell Real Estate’s consumer-centric business model, which adds agents only as the number of buyers and sellers coming into the office requires. In contrast, most real estate brokerages focus on endless recruiting of agents to grow their businesses.

Created 40 years ago, the Help-U-Sell Real Estate model was the pioneer for providing an alternative to the dated commission structure for real estate. By proactively challenging the structure of commissions, a revolution was forged that continues to provide superior, in-house marketing for brokers and a perfect full-service, set-fee business model that saves consumers money.