By Mitch Lewis
In a recent article, Mansion Global declared London “the most desirable city in the world for high-net-worth individuals buying luxury homes,” despite the upcoming Brexit and less-than-favorable sales tax rates. Why is London so appealing to high-end buyers? Let me count the ways …
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me in Tampa, Florida for the biannual meeting of the Mavericks, a small think tank of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network CEOs who get together to exchange ideas and foster company growth. This particular meeting was hosted by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group and the brokerage’s leadership team of Broker/Owner Dewey Mitchell and Broker/Owner Allen Crumbley. For three days, we bonded—eating breakfast, lunch and dinner together between meetings—and for three days we discussed Florida Property Group’s strengths and challenges. (At the next Mavericks meeting Dewey and Allen will report back on changes implemented.) It was an inspiring conference, as it always is, and I had four key takeaways from the meeting that I want to share with you now:
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me first in Northern California and next in Phoenix, where I’m preparing for the upcoming Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 2017 Sales Convention. Our theme for convention is “Unleashing Your Potential,” and the topic was very much on my mind as I watched the NFL Combine this week.
The event, this year held Feb. 28 – March 6, brings together more than 300 of the best college football players from across the nation to participate in the National Invitational Camp in Indiananapolis, IN. Top executives, coaching staffs, player personnel departments and medical personnel from all 32 NFL teams are in attendance and evaluate the players ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft. The NFL Combine is basically an intense, physical and mental grind, a four-day job interview for these hopeful athletes and a critical step in helping them achieve their dream of playing in the NFL.
By Melissa Kandel
It’s no secret Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Innovative Real Estate in Denver is a brokerage powered by the concept of innovation—the word appears in the very title of the company. But to hear Broker/Owners Scott and Lora Nordby speak about what innovation means to them, the term takes on a meaning all its own.
“When we were attempting to figure out who we wanted to be, innovation was the direction we wanted to go,” explains Lora Nordby. “There were so many agents who had lost the care for their clients, and so many consumers who had been manipulated by a real estate transaction; we wanted to be able to turn those potential home buyers and sellers around and make them realize we’re an industry of assistance and information sharing, which for us was a very innovative idea.”
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me first in Atlanta to meet with the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties team and next in Minneapolis for a HomeServices of America, Inc. monthly board meeting. As I traveled from the East to the Midwest, there was one idea on my mind and it’s been center stage at almost every brokerage I’ve visited so far this year: culture.
Extensive articles, studies, books have all been written about this very subject, and the proliferation of literature on the topic speaks to how important it is for the success of a company. Organizations may have the latest technology, the greatest talent, the hardest-working employees but if they don’t have a positive culture, what do they really have? Culture is a sustainable competitive advantage and it’s also a byproduct of strong, inspiring leadership.
This week my travels found me first in Pinehurst, NC on the very golf course which, since 1898 has been the playing ground for golf championships as well as champions of the sport like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Payne Stewart. I was at the historic Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst for the GearUp 2017 awards ceremony hosted by the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Carolinas Realty family of brokerages, led by president and CEO Tommy Camp, with Maureen Sammon, president and CEO of HomeServices Lending in attendance. The event was filled with hundreds of passionate agents, all gearing up for a successful year ahead.
Next, I flew to Dallas to rehearse with my team for our upcoming Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Sales Convention in Phoenix. It always strikes me as interesting how right around this time each year, as I prepare to address thousands of our network members from our general session stage, I receive several messages wishing me good luck at the convention. I always appreciate the support and the phrase is a fascinating one to analyze in the context of effective leadership.
What does “good luck” mean anyway?
This week my travels took me to Northern California to meet with Gretchen Pearson, president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties and her team—what a great group of real estate agents and managers! I also participated in meetings and conference calls as my team gears up for our big event in Arizona.
It’s hard to believe it but we’re just one month away from the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices 2017 Sales Convention in Phoenix and if you haven’t yet registered, let me give you five reasons why you should absolutely attend:
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me first in Las Vegas to speak with HomeServices Lending CEO and president Maureen Sammon and her team at HomeServices Lending’s Elite Producer Event. Next, it was off to Tucson to speak with our Real Living Real Estate network members for the annual Real Living Connection conference.
At each event, I spoke about the importance of a positive mindset for effective leadership and the topic couldn’t be more top of mind than after this past Sunday’s historic Super Bowl LI game.
As all of you know, the Patriots won the Super Bowl in a stunning overtime victory, claiming the Vince Lombardi Trophy I wrote about last week. The game—which many claim was the greatest Super Bowl played—boiled down to tactical errors made by the Atlanta Falcons and decisive execution on the part of the New England Patriots and their on-the-field leader, Tom Brady, and off-the-field leader, Bill Belichick.
Kim Senecal, the affable and highly successful broker/owner of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Realty in Rancho Cucamonga, died Jan. 20 from a brain aneurism. She was 71.
Senecal was a longtime Prudential Real Estate network member and her brokerage was among the first Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices companies in California. Though she operated California Realty, Senecal never stopped selling real estate and just received the rare, 25-Year Legend award. To earn this distinction, Senecal placed among the top 2% of all network agents for GCI and/or units in 25 different years. Her daughter Arika will be accepting the award on her behalf at Sales Convention 2017 in Phoenix.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, part of the HSF Affiliates LLC family of real estate brokerage networks, recently announced Jake Breen, managing broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Utah Properties, has joined the national Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices REthink Council as a broker advisor.
The national REthink Council, a millennial think tank formed in 2013, connects and inspires motivated leaders in real estate; it creates resources and tools to enhance the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network and provides feedback to more than 25 local REthink Council chapters around the country as well as to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices leadership.
Breen, who was previously a national member of REthink, will serve along with Vince Leisey, broker/president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Ambassador Real Estate and broker advisor to the national council. Together Breen and Leisey will help guide the 15 top-producing members of REthink Council as they brainstorm ideas to move the brokerage network—and real estate industry—forward.
“The REthink Council provides an excellent setting to allow these top-producing Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices agents to better themselves,” said Breen. “There is power in like-minded people who are motivated to get together and discuss the latest industry trends, best practices and the future of our industry.”
Gino Blefari, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, congratulated Breen on the position. “Jake is a forward-thinking real estate leader who will help our national REthink Council members succeed.”
To connect with the REthink Council, visit Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Thoughts on Leadership 