A Business That Builds Businesses — RISMedia
Larry Schottenstein
Broker / owner
Chris Harpster
Broker / owner
RE / MAX reveal
Columbus, Ohio
https://revealty-columbus-oh.remax.com
served region: Central Ohio (Columbus and surrounding counties)
Years in real estate: Larry: 23; Chris: 22
Number of offices: 2
Number of Agents: 85
Jordan Grice: You previously ran your own independent brokerage. Why did you choose to explore other franchise opportunities?
Chris Harpster: The main reason we chose a franchise opportunity is because we didn’t see a short or quick path to grow our business independently. We thought we needed the brand name. If you look at our market, there weren’t any examples of independent brokers growing into large companies. RE / MAX was appealing because it allowed us to focus more on productive agents and higher-level things.
JG: What attracted you to the RE / MAX brand?
Larry Schottenstein: When I spoke to other brokers it was “we can get you leads” but when I spoke to RE / MAX it was more like “We’re a business building company” and that’s the only thing I wanted but didn’t want to. t have. I was on the same trail as her.
CH: When we were independent, people mispronounced our names or said they had never heard of us. RE / MAX eliminated all of that. The most important thing to us is talking to consumers, especially agents, and when you say the name RE / MAX they understand. No further explanation is required.
JG: How was the switch when you switched to RE / MAX?
CH: It was a relatively smooth process. We have received a lot of help from companies in creating and managing expectations for the agents. We had 10 to 12 agents at the time so it wasn’t nearly as big as it is now, but I think they did a good job of giving us an idea of what to expect and how to do then.
JG: You have seen incredible agent growth over the past few years and even acquired a second office location. How has aligning with RE / MAX helped you grow?
CH: It was a very nice opportunity to see what other owners in other parts of the country are doing and what works and what doesn’t. It would take forever – and cost us a lot of money – to figure it out for ourselves, so it’s nice to be able to call someone like RE / MAX who is ready to share their ideas, processes, and systems.
JG: Which RE / MAX tools and resources do you and your agents find most valuable?
LS: Our agent productivity is significantly better than that of the brokers we compete with because our agents are only employed full time and the tools we use make them more productive and efficient. These tools and our processes are designed to make people more efficient.
JG: What do today’s agents find most valuable when deciding which brokerage firm to join, and how do you ensure your office offers that value?
CH: At the end of the day, I think everyone is looking for more deals and fewer headaches. We regard our agents as our customers. For us, it’s all about more sales, less time and a better customer experience. Our focus is on what we can do to make the workflow smoother.
More information is available at www.remax.com.
Jordan Grice is the Associate Online Editor of RISMedia. Email him your real estate news ideas at [email protected].