RE/MAX Ranks #1... in more ways than one!

"We accept this on behalf of all RE/MAX Sales Associates, whose high level of service made this recognition possible," Dave Liniger said. "This honor belongs to them."

A second study, conducted by national research firm Synovate, adds even more weight to the idea that RE/MAX is No. 1 in the eyes of consumers. In this survey, buyers and sellers ranked RE/MAX highest, by a large margin, in top-of-mind awareness, recalled advertising, firm most likely to work with, firm most likely to recommend, and many other categories.

When asked what real estate company first came to mind, 34 percent of the respondents said RE/MAX, easily outdistancing Century 21 (25 percent), Coldwell Banker (11 percent), Prudential (4 percent) and Keller Williams (3 percent). Overall, 95 percent of the participants were aware of RE/MAX.

This type of brand power brings business to RE/MAX Sales Associates, Liniger said. And when they combine their individual skills and talents with the "800-pound gorilla" of RE/MAX brand marketing, they have an unbeatable edge.

"Anyone who says brand isn’t important is either lying or stupid," Liniger said. "Advertising doesn’t cost; it pays. It brings more customers to our agents, makes things easier and generates business for them. And when they follow through with excellent service, they create repeat clients and referrals."

Custom marketing materials, Liniger said, will help Sales Associates use the results of both studies in their listing presentations and other promotions.

"We are developing all sorts of things for agents to use on the front lines," Liniger said. "This is their achievement, and they will directly benefit from it."

Broker/Owners in attendance were pleased at the news.

"Being No. 1 in one thing is great, but being No. 1 in lots of ways is much, much better," said Bob Carlseen, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Praecelsus in Chula Vista, Calif. "Sales Associates are looking for messages that resonate with consumers, and this will give them something very tangible to use."

Paul Turcotte, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Destiny in Cambridge, Mass., agreed.

"Every year, the tools keep getting better," he said. "And we have the proof to back up what we’re saying. Data doesn’t lie. I love the new direction."

Other highlights from the session:

• A new quarterly RE/MAX magazine, called Above, will debut in October in print and in an electronic version.

• RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly said the launch of the new remax.com site has been delayed by IDX policy changes at the National Association of Realtors. But while the site’s listing functionality has been impacted by the changing rules, work on the design and content has continued, and Kelly shared a glimpse of the fresh and user-friendly home page. She also emphasized that the current remax.com is completely compliant with existing IDX rules and would not be affected by any decisions at the NAR national convention in November.

Home Buyers and Sellers Prefer RE/MAX

RE/MAX Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Study

DENVER, CO – Results from the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, recognize RE/MAX for providing the highest overall consumer satisfaction for both home buyers and home sellers. In last year’s study, two different companies ranked the highest in each category, but this year home buyers and sellers both rated RE/MAX the highest.

“It all comes down to professionalism and a commitment to a premier level of customer service,” said RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger. “Because RE/MAX agents average more experience and training than other agents, they are better prepared to deal with home buyers and sellers in any kind of market. And, consumer preferences tell the story . . . nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX.”

This is the fourth annual study of home buyer and seller satisfaction with the largest national real estate companies, conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. For the home buying experience, three factors were considered: agent/salesperson, office and a variety of additional services. Four factors were examined for the home-selling experience: agent/salesperson, marketing, office and a variety of additional services.

Details from the study indicate that on a scale of 1,000, homebuyer respondents ranked RE/MAX with a score of 805 and home sellers put RE/MAX on top at 791. The 2011 study includes more than 4,200 evaluations from 3,680 respondents who bought or sold a home in the U.S. between March 2010 and April 2011.

In two other 2011 industry surveys of the country’s top real estate brokerages, RE/MAX agents averaged more transaction sides than agents at the other national franchises. The RIS Media Power Broker Survey and the REAL Trends 500 both showed that RE/MAX agents averaged over 14 transactions sides, more than double the average of many competitors.

The success of RE/MAX agents is the result of its comprehensive educational platform, RE/MAX University, which offers over 1,100 educational programs on-demand, and available online, on television, on smart phones and in classrooms around the world.

About the RE/MAX Network: RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, real estate industry visionaries who still lead the Denver-based global franchisor today. RE/MAX is recognized as a leading real estate franchise company with the most productive sales force in the industry and a global reach of more than 80 countries. With a passion for the communities in which its agents live and work, RE/MAX is proud to have raised more than $100 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and other charities. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX. Please visit www.remax.com or www.joinremax.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates: Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Bahamas Rotary Tuna Classic a Success!

The 10th Annual Harbourside Marine Bahamas Rotary Tuna Classic fishing tournament was held June 10th - 12th with weighing stations in Abaco, Nassau, and Spanish Wells.

Sixteen boats with over 80 anglers competed to land the biggest Tuna, Dolphin, and Wahoo. The weather was fantastic and the anglers enjoyed the friendly competition and camaraderie.

Craig Pinder, Principle Broker of RE/MAX Bahamas Paradise Realty and proud Rotarian assisted with weighins and was stationed at Green Parrot on Paradise Island.

"Everyone had a great time." said Craig wishing that he was one of the anglers with a bounty of fish. "They were tired but in great spirits!"

The largest Tuna caught was 84.2 lbs. and over $25,000 was raised for local charities and community service projects.

Pictured here: Craig Pinder with Rachel Lightbourn and one of her catches, a Yellowfin Tuna.

10 Summer Safety Tips for Kids

Make Sure to Know where your kids are at all times!

Beware of the Sun! - It’s going to be a really hot summer this year. Be sure to always apply sun screen on you and your children often. Kids young skin are very susceptible to burning more so than yours so even if you think that you are not going to be in the sun for a long period, still apply the screen. It’s also a good idea to get some sun-shirts; they work like sun screen without the reapplication.

Drink lots of Water – The heat is going to get you if you do not stay hydrated this summer. Make sure to consume water often throughout the day.

Pool Safety – Be sure that young children are never unsupervised in or even around the pool area. Injuries often occur in a small space of time, sometimes when the supervising eyes are distracted for only a few minutes.

Boat Safety – A lot of people are going to be utilizing their boats this summer. It is always a good idea to be prepared (like a boy scout) for an outing. Make sure that you have a First Aid kit with all the usual Band-Aids, gauze bandages, scissors and tape etc. A flair gun is also very good to have on your boat. Make sure that your flair gun is stored in a place that is fairly easy to get to in case of an emergency, but not easily accessible for your children. Also make sure to have ample life vests and a fire extinguisher in case of a real emergency.

Bikes & Skateboards – Children love to ride their bikes and scooters; Make sure that they always wear the proper gear to protect their heads, elbows and knees. Teach your children that they must be aware of their surroundings at all times because cars can fly out of nowhere. Make sure they know that if they are riding their bikes, scooters, or boards in the road that they are in the way of the cars and that they have to move quickly out of the way if one approaches.

Insect Bites – Be sure to protect yourself if biting insects are attacking you and your children. Diseases are spread sometimes by these insects such as mosquitoes and ticks. The best insect repellent to use contains DEET, but these products are not the best for your skin and especially not good for your younger ones.

Barbequing – During summer time a lot of people are drawn outdoors for events and love to have a grill-out. It is imperative that your children stay away from the grilling area when food is being prepared. They may burn their little hands or they may get in the way of the chef and adversely cause an incident. Water is always a good idea to keep on hand in case the fire gets out of hand.

Water Sports – Thrill seekers enjoy occupying their summer with activities such as Jet skiing, parasailing, tubing, kayaking, and windsurfing, etc. It is important to know where your children are at all times during these activities because injuries can happen in a blink of an eye.

Buckle Up! – Make sure that your kids are properly secured in their seat whether it is by car, airplane, train etc. Don’t think nothing is going to happen because accidents happen.

Traveling abroad – Are you going somewhere on vacation this summer? If you are, it’s a good idea to have your children carry your contact information on their person in the event they get lost.

Have a Great Summer!

RE/MAX Grows in the Caribbean & Central America

Top Real Estate Franchisor Adds Offices to Expanding Network

Denver, CO - April 6, 2011 - The RE/MAX network continues to expand its reach around the world, announcing five new offices in four countries in the Caribbean and Central America. RE/MAX is now in more than 80 countries, after increasing franchise sales nearly 30 percent in 2010 and outdistancing all competitors.

“We are changing the way real estate business is conducted in many of these countries,” says Ricardo Cardenas, Regional Vice President, RE/MAX Latin America and Caribbean. “Our blueprint for the industry is based on training and professionalism and that is what is drawing so many new offices to RE/MAX.”

In Honduras, the Broker/Owners of RE/MAX Bay Islands in Roatan have opened a second office in West Bay. Larry Schlesser and Janine Goben have named the new office RE/MAX Western Sunsets, and staffed the location with experienced agents who are long-time residents. Schlesser and Goben hope to double the staff at Western Sunsets this year.

“Tourists are returning to this area and many of them are prospective investors,” says Goben. “We expect to see as many as a million prospective clients come in on cruise ships this year and we have to be ready for them.”

In Puerto Rico, one new office is open and another will launch in June. Enrique Morales is the Broker/Owner of the new RE/MAX Divine office in greater San Juan. Broker/Owner Sandy Ramos will open RE/MAX Real Estate Group, in the heart of the island’s tourist area. The office will serve the townships of Rio Grande, Canovanas, Luquillo, Fajardo and Humacao.

“The buyers we see in the area around Rio Grande are second home buyers that live outside Puerto Rico,” says Ramos. “RE/MAX is a name they know and trust, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring first class customer service to them.”

In Panama, Yenci Milano converted her independent office in Panama City to RE/MAX Golden Dream Realty. Milano believes the change will help her agents better serve their buyers and sellers.

“The market has started to move again and there is great interest from investors from other Latin American countries, especially from Venezuela,” says Milano. “RE/MAX will give us more exposure to better serve the growing international clientele.”

And, in Costa Rica, a new office is scheduled to open in Playa Dominical, in the province of Puntarenas. New Broker/Owners Dave and Debra West are long time real estate professionals. They’re looking forward to helping buyers who are searching for properties along Costa Rica’s pristine southern Pacific shoreline.

“We’re focusing on the coastal region surrounding Playa Dominical and extending to where the mountains meet the ocean,” says Dave West. “This area is truly unique and once you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to leave. We’ll be busy assisting families in finding the home of their dreams.”

Zillow.com Partners With RE/MAX

Today I am pleased to announce a partnership which enables RE/MAX to automatically feed all of their listings to Zillow. This is great news for RE/MAX agents because their listings now automatically appear on the Zillow/Yahoo! Real Estate Network, the largest real estate network on the Web, and across Zillow Mobile apps on the iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Mobile.

RE/MAX joins the Zillow Listings Feed program, which launched in November 2007 and has grown to more than four million for-sale listings, and hundreds of thousands of rental listings.

2011 Bahamas Realty Search - Are you ready?

It's the start of another New Year; The perfect time to begin your search for real estate!

If you have been keeping your eye on the Bahamas real estate market waiting for that perfect home or condo to pop on the scene, you may be waiting for a while. Needing a place to move into and looking for another place are two different priorities all together. On one hand you are actively engaging with real estate agents whilst you pursue websites and neighbourhoods looking for what is available, and on the other hand you are simply looking at pretty pictures.

If you are serious about purchasing real estate in The Bahamas you need to get your ducks in a row. The first step is sitting down with a Loans Officer to see what you qualify for and to figure out what you can afford. Once this step has been completed then you can actively search for real estate possibilities.

Contact an Agent or Agency to assist you in finding your perfect real estate match. Research which real estate agent or agency will represent you best in your endeavor. It's best to work strictly with one agent or agency otherwise it gets confusing because there will be duplicate work being done. Make sure to work with an agent that you gel with nicely.

Are you planning on purchasing real estate this year? Are your ducks in a row? If they are and you would like to inquire on some real estate listings we would be happy to assist you. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the RE/MAX Paradise Realty Team via the Contact Form or telephone (242) 325-3000.