December Top Producer 2023

“December: A month of lights, snow, coziness, and feasts; time to make amends and tie up loose ends; finish what you started and make your wishes come true.” – Unknown

The last two sentiments of this quote, “finish what you started and make your wishes come true”, while words of wisdom for anyone, can be a juggernaut for the real estate professional looking analytically at the year behind them with an intent on improving the year ahead.

Wrap up, assess, plan, reconfigure as needed. Why? Because the market is always changing. The advertising spend that worked last year may not be working now. Mortgage rates change. Expectations shift accordingly. Those who anticipated difficulty and became the agents of change sustained the momentum to keep going.

In the last month of 2023, Patrick Wood of Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills, California, made a bid for the top spot and takes the lead. A total of ten sides makes for a very satisfying close to this chapter.

For the rest of our report, you will be seeing double. It’s not you! It’s us! There are ties for second, third, fourth, and even fifth places here.

It was the most wonderful time of year, indeed. In second place: Jack Bailey and the team at Help-U-Sell Greensboro, and Debra Schmidt of Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate of Steele County in Owatonna, Minnesota. Both offices close out the month with six sides.

Michigan takes over third place with Mario Ferrante from Help-U-Sell Metropolitan in Woodhaven, and Jeff Hedberg of Help-U-Sell Real Masters in Port Huron. Each office brought four sides to end the year.

Three sides each snags the fourth place for John Powell at Help-U-Sell The Powell Group in Tucson, Arizona, and Nathan Douglas of Help-U-Sell Santa Maria, in Santa Maria, California.

Suffice to say, our Top Producers finished what they started this month.

OfficeSellerBuyerTotal
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties7310
Help-U-Sell Greensboro336
Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate of Steele County Inc.426
Help-U-Sell Metropolitan134
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Masters314
Help-U-Sell The Powell Group213
Help-U-Sell Santa Maria213
Help-U-Sell Bakersfield Equity Savers112
Help-U-Sell Direct Savings Real Estate112

Over here on the Gross Sales Volume Report…

Patrick Wood of Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills,California, earns the double crown this month by being in first place on both reports. He closes December with nearly $6.5 million.

Seeing double once more, Jack Bailey and the team Help-U-Sell Greensboro, North Carolina, claim second place with $1.5 million for the last month of the year.

Jack Bailey, Help-U-Sell Greensboro

As close to a tie as possible in third place, is Kurt Steffien of Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley in Santa Ana, California. Kurt is in third place by a difference of only $39,500. We say that $1,500,00 isn’t a bad way to end the month!

December has the distinct honor of bringing everything to a close with the promise of a new beginning at the same time. Thank you to all who were there with us.

OfficeGross Sales Volume
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties$6,488,000
Help-U-Sell Greensboro$1,539,500
Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley$1,500,000
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Specialists$1,375,000
Help-U-Sell Heritage Real Estate of Steele County Inc.$1,002,900
Help-U-Sell The Powell Group$974,700
Help-U-Sell Wright$899,000
Help-U-Sell 951 Realty$825,000
Help-U-Sell Legacy$688,000
Help-U-Sell Metropolitan$658,000
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Masters$608,400

December 2021 Top Producers

December surprises people not involved in real estate. Perhaps because between November 1st and January 15th, there are about 50 holidays observed by major religions around the world. It would be natural to presume home transactions would be a lot slower. People are preparing for celebrations, and traveling to visit with family and friends. Not only was slow not the case for our Help-U-Sell Broker/Owners, we’re seeing some different faces in our Top Producers list that clearly show new offices climbing the ladder and taking the lead.

For the first time in our number one spot: Alwin Lee of Help-U-Sell Beachside in Huntington Beach, California! With a staggering 16 sides for the month of December, and 12 of those being from sellers, Alwin created a metric ton of savings for his clients just in time for big holiday spending.

Jack Bailey

In second place is Jack Bailey and his team at Help-U-Sell Greensboro in North Carolina. Perfectly even with six buyer and seller sides. 12 total sides for the 12th month! 

It’s nice to see Maria Powell of Help-U-Sell Galleria in Tucson, Arizona picking up pace and locking in third place with 11 sides for December. Clearly things are getting busier for her, as this is her second month in a row on the Top Producers list!

OfficeBuyerSellerTotal
Help-U-Sell Beachside41216
Help-U-Sell Greensboro6612
Help-U-Sell Galleria Realty6511
Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley1010
Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties3710
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties1910
Help-U-Sell Metropolitan358
Help-U-Sell Mike Bowling268
Help-U-Sell Real Estate Specialists358
Help-U-Sell Keystone Realty336
Help-U-Sell Realty Advantage156

On the final Gross Sales Volume report for the year, of course we find Patrick Wood from Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties in Chino Hills, California. Patrick’s team wins first place again with $7.3 million.

A new face is in second place! Kurt Steffien of Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley in Santa Ana, California ranks on the board with $6.9 million for the month. Hope to see him back again in January!

In third place is Alwin Lee from at Help-U-Sell Beachside in Huntington Beach, California. It’s hardly surprising when he nabbed the number one spot in the sides list. Here he has $6.7 million in sales.

Office NameGross Sales Value
Help-U-Sell Prestige Properties$7,348,000
Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley$6,982,800
Help-U-Sell Beachside$6,706,000
Help-U-Sell Honolulu Properties$6,327,000
Help-U-Sell Peoples Real Estate$4,037,000
Help-U-Sell Golden Homes$1,930,000
Help-U-Sell Realty Advantage$1,696,800
Help-U-Sell San Antonio Hill Country$1,670,499
Help-U-Sell Treasure Coast$1,325,000
Help-U-Sell 951 Realty$1,260,000
Help-U-Sell Wright $1,202,000

“People Appreciate What We Do”

Kurt Steffian, Broker/Owner of Help-U-Sell Coast and Valley in Santa Ana, California, spent several years of his career in corporate finance for a Fortune 500 Company before making a change to real estate.  

“I provided lease financing to corporate America, supporting their IT departments’ equipment financing requirements, assisting mostly CFOs and CIOs. I always realized that ‘Corporate America’ doesn’t care about you.  As I grew older, I became open-minded to other possibilities of making money, but with a focus on life balance and being happy. I realized I could do something else and wanted to choose the next chapter wisely,” Kurt said.

He added, “I was initially attracted to real estate because I love working with people; that is enjoyable to me. I started out at a big brokerage with over 1000 agents. There were immediately noticeable drawbacks to being in a larger, faceless company and little help available for a person learning the real estate industry. Of course, I took classes. I once asked my manager questions, and he replied, ‘Why did I hire you?’ and walked away. I stayed there for two years, but it wasn’t an ideal experience.”

Having developed a love of real estate despite the “big broker” experience and wanting to be on his own, Kurt researched alternatives with the intention of purchasing a franchise. “Believing in the service you are providing is the most important tool to the sales representative. All of the real estate franchises offered the same model. I was searching for a customer experience I truly believed in and wanted to offer to the consumer. As if by fate, I ran into the Help-U-Sell Real Estate booth at a National Association of Realtors convention. I immediately understood the vision and value proposition. Help-U-Sell made sense to me!” Kurt exclaimed.

He continued, “For starters, I like that you can run this business lean. Since I previously worked for large brokers, I know how scattered and impersonal it can be firsthand. With every client, I always know where they are in the process because I handle the process from start to finish.”

“Secondly, we are unique compared to traditional brokerages. This business model makes sense to clients. When people call to inquire, they usually decide to move forward with Help-U-Sell over the phone. That’s due to the fact that we are ‘the best value in real estate’, and I offer an unconditional satisfaction guarantee. If they can find anyone who would do a better job, they are free to cancel the listing contract at any time prior to us selling their home. We are a full service brokerage, the same as any other Realtor. Our clients quickly learn our services are not standard, because we offer more for less. Every listing gets a custom URL and web site, additionally we use Matterport technology for state-of-the-art photos and videos. We host open houses and broker previews, and are always open to suggestions for additional marketing. We offer a total commitment to the client in support of our unconditional satisfaction guarantee,” he said.

“Finally, Help-U-Sell reduces the time I spend on my marketing efforts for expired and FSBO listings. The programs within our platform are easy to set-up and implement. The marketing is superior and there is a lot of brand recognition, especially here in California where our office representation is very high,” Kurt added.

To keep the business top-of-mind in his community, Kurt has strong relationships with professionals in other industries with a mutual interest. He elaborated, “I actively cultivate relationships with probate attorneys and divorce attorneys, and get a steady stream of referrals. They refer to us because everyone likes saving money, and we make them look good by offering their clients the best value and superior service during what is likely a trying time. Saving your clients money is never a bad thing, especially in California where much of the state is in a higher-priced market and they would stand to lose a lot of money from a 6% commission traditional sale.” 

Considering the Southern California market, he further clarified, “You commonly see properties sell from $400,000 to $700,000, which is a huge range. Inventory is a little tight right now, and you will see a two bedroom condo list for $700,000. Consumers are getting wise to a smart choice: pay an arbitrary percentage for commission, versus paying for services that are actually being rendered. We listen to the client and tailor ourselves to the consumer need. Our competitive advantage is obvious and the value proposition is clear to home sellers. People appreciate what we do. Meanwhile, we’re getting the job done and still making a profit. Help-U-Sell is the future of real estate.”

Michelle and Kurt Steffian

Kurt is hoping to close 50 transactions this year. “My goal is to complete a deal every week. However, I also have other priorities and being happy is one of them. I have a great family life and spend as much time as I can with my wife and children.”

Help-U-Sell Family Gatherings

Help-U-Sell Real Estate Training in Southern California
Several Help-U-Sell Real Estate franchisees from Southern California attended a training day in Irvine, Calif., in March.

Last week, Help-U-Sell Real Estate franchisees from Southern California gathered to network and connect in Irvine, Calif. The home office’s Ron McCoy led the group, which included owners of Help-U-Sell Advance Realty, Coast and Valley, Conejo Valley, Distinctive Homes, Flint Realty, Irvine, Riverside Realty, Santa Maria, Sunrise, and Wright Realtors.

One attendee raved about the meeting, saying it was full of “really meaningful content.”

If you missed the gathering, don’t worry. You can join us for our annual Success Summit this fall! Brokers and agents from the entire country will get together for a few days of learning, networking, and enjoying each other’s company.

Last year, we had a phenomenal turnout and, by all accounts, it was worth attending. One Summit-goer wrote about his experience, “Here we can give and receive; we benefit from the experience of others; we establish and renew friendships; we participate in a generosity of spirit evidenced by a desire to help everyone else. You can’t get it from a book. You can’t get it from a webinar. You have to be there.”

This year’s Summit will take place in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood. The dates are Tues., Oct. 14 through Thurs., Oct. 16. Please mark your calendars and watch for more details, including how to register and how to reserve your hotel room.

We want to see you in Las Vegas this October!

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