Keller Williams Realty

Red Day – Keller Williams National Community Service Day!

Last Thursday, May 14th was Red Day all across North America.  Keller Williams Realty decided to have this day be THE day that all of their offices in the U.S. and Canada give back to their local communities.  Jim Walberg was right in the middle of the action.

Each of the Keller Williams Realty  offices across the country chose a local service project to focus on all day on May 14th.  It was called “Red Day” because red is the color of the company’s logo.  The results of “Red Day”  where 76,000 Realtors from California to Eastern Canada ALL giving back,  simultaneously,  to their communities that one day specific day.  The reports coming in from the 650+ Keller Williams Realty offices as to what they did to address the local needs of their community have been beyond inspiring.  From, completing a house make-over for the elderly, to creating a community park, the giving back to local communities was extraordinary. Read more

Keller Williams Realty

2009 Realtor MasterMind & Cultural Summit – Austin, Texas!

Keller Williams Realty just finished gathering together their top Realtors in Austin, Texas to share their best ideas.  And, once a year their honor 60 Realtors for Service Above Self to their community.  Jim Walberg  was at both of these remarkable events.

Each quarter Keller Williams Realty  invites the top Realtors from their North American offices to Austin, Texas for serveral days of sharing their best ideas for growing a real estate practice – MasterMind.  And, once a year they have their Cultural Summit, which is a celebration of honoring two Realtors from each of their 30 North American regions for their extraordinary contribution to community service. Read more

Keller Williams Realty

East Bay Real Estate’s “The Bay Area Team” Is Celebrating!

Last night Keller Williams Realty – Danville and The Bay Area Team celebrated the grand opening of their brand new office at the Rose Garden Center!

What a night!!!  The East Bay community was out in mass last night celebrating the grand opening of Keller Williams – Danville’s  new expanded location at The Rose Garden Center  The Bay Area Team,  owned by Jim Walberg and Ann Marie Nugent,  has been a part of Keller Williams Realty for almost four years as they continue to expand their real estate resource center.  They have been serving the real estate needs of the East Bay community for over 30 years.  It felt like the Academy Awards last night because of the excitement of all those who attended.

Keller Williams Realty has only been in the local real estate scene in the East Bay for about seven years – a relative new kid on the block.  However, since they arrived, they have evolved into one the preeminent real estate brands in the Bay Area.  Keller Williams is the fastest growing real estate company in North America ranking fourth among the national brokerages.  They have over 76,000 Realtors at 665+ market centers.  The growth of Keller Williams in the East Bay has been nothing but extraordinary!  Since their Danville office came to town five years ago they out grew their location at the corner of El Cerro and freeway 680, with almost 200 Realtors as part of their Market Center!

The impact they have had in serving the real estate needs of the East Bay has been so dramatic that the East Bay Business Times last year awarded the company “East Bay’s Real Estate Company Of The Year!”  This honor is reserved for company who has demonstrated the significant market share in the region, an extraordinary customer service model, and a commitment to serving the greater needs of the local community.

Jim and Ann Marie have distinguished themselves within their industry and are leaders in their various business disciplines;  Fine Homes & Estates;  Relocation – local,  national and international;   “Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate”;   “Baby Boomer” – Second & Third Homes – locally and internationally;  Fractional Deeded Ownership real estate – United States, Caribbean, Southeast Asia;  Empty Nesters & Seniors;  International Investors;  First Time Home Buyers;  and, For Sale By Owners.   They have also received many industry awards acknowledging their commitment to their community, some of which are,  Realtor Of The Year  three times, Top Team – Keller Williams Realty- Danville  Rotarian Of The Year, and Northern California’s Community Service Award.

There is great excitement at Keller Williams Realty and The Bay Area Team as they have opened a new chapter of the expansion of their real estate services to the East Bay.  During these stormy economic times they are constantly focused on being the local “lighthouse” for their clients –  remembering that real estate markets are ALWAYS local no matter what the doom and gloom the National media may be printing.  In the midst of this moment of celebration, the mantra of the day is, “Do not be fearful!”   Jim and Ann Marie are so grateful for the support of the army of “raving fan” clients and friends who continue to seek out their real estate services.  Until next time…contact me today  with any of your real estate needs or questions.

Keller Williams Realty

East Bay Real Estate Mystery Is Solved! Keller Williams Realty Is Moving!

I just got the confirmation…Keller William-Danville is moving to the Rose Garden Village!

So, my commercial Realtor friend, Gary Riele has finally confirmed to me that Keller Williams – Danville is moving from the Theater Arts Building on La Gonda Way to the Rose Garden Village at the corner of 680 and Sycamore Valley Road around August 1st.  As I mentioned last week, their lease was up and they decided not to renew it because of the building owner being unwilling to be their advocate to the Town Of Danville in securing signage on the building.  KW-Danville has been in their present location for five years without any public signage letting people know they are located in that office building.  Apparently enough was enough. 

With this move it will allow KW-Danville to consolidate all of their office space on one floor – over 7,200 square feet, have a location that puts them right in the middle of the newest retails center in Danville, and get signage on the building in several areas allowing anyone driving by or driving into the Rose Garden Village that a dynamic and growing real estate company is standing ready to meet all of their real estate needs.

Keller Williams Realty is the fourth largest real estate company in North America with over 90,000 Realtors serving customers from all over Canada and the United States.  It is a company who lives by value statements that they refer to as the WI4C2TS;

• Win – Win – Or no deal.
• Integrity – Always do the right thing.  ( What one does when no one is looking.)
• Customers – Always come first.
• Commitment – In all things
• Communication – Seek first to understand
• Creativity – Ideas before results
• Teamwork – Together everyone achieves more
• Trust – Begins with honesty
• Success – Results through people
• To an industry of traditional values Keller Williams Realty brings a new pinnacle of inter-dependent beliefs and values that their Realtors follow.  I know this to be true because I have experienced for over three years.  Let me know if would like to find out more about this amazing company with a specific business model for Realtors to follow everyday.  Until next time…

Keller Williams Realty

East Bay Real Estate – Rumor…Keller Williams-Danville Is Moving!

So, Jim Walberg was snopping around today at the Rose Garden Retail Center In Danville In order to see which businesses were moving in.  And….

I ran into Gary Riele, the partner in the commercial real estate company, Straface Riele.  I asked Gary what he was doing there and did he know who some of the other business tenants were that may be moving in.  After some significant proding, he said that one of the companies about to sign a lease was the Danville office of Keller Williams Realty – the 4th largets real estate company in North America with over 90,000 Realtors.)  Currently, the KW Danville office is located on the corner of El Cerro and the 680 freeway in the Theater Arts Financial Center.  ( This was the building that was intended to be the arts center for the Town of Danville that ended up being a front for a financial scam which caused one or more of the principles to eventually be sentenced to jail.)

Gary said the problem KW Danville was having with the owners of their current office space is the Town Of Danville was unwilling to have any signage for their company, even though they were one of the largest tenants in the building.  The Town of Danville’s position is the building was approved as a theater arts center, not a commercial center for businesses.  Unfortunately for the owners of the building, KW Danville has apparently had enough after five years of no one knowing Keller Williams Realty is in that building, so they started investigating other alternative since their lease is up next month.  They want the community to know where they are and it appears they are going to pull it off at the Rose Garden Retail Center – the newest retail center in Danville at the corner of the 680 freeway and Sycamore Valley Road.

Beverly Steiner is the one of the three owners of this Keller Williams office and she was not available for comment about what I had learned from Gary Riele.  Kristin White is the Market Center leader and she was also vague about what seems to be unfolding.  I tagged along with Gary Riele as he was walking through the office space, and it appears the KW Danville is going BIG with this move.  They are taking on 7,200+ square feet of the second floor of the building in the Rose Garden Center which has the big deck on San Ramon Valley Boulevard.  As I walked through the open space of the their future office – no walls or ceilings are in yet, I was VERY impressed!  Apparently, KW Danville is preparing for over 250 Realtors to be a part of this real estate center!

What I know about the KW business model is that they lead with revenue, and because of this model, they are not being impacted by the current adjustments happening with home sales in the East Bay.  They only spend money they actually have.  This is allowing them to make this move with the full understanding that no other real estate company in the East Bay is in the expansion mode – they are generall downsizing and/or consolidating their office locations.  Since KW Danville is expanding against the trend of companies downsizing, they are committed to fill the void that is being created by those who are creating the “open space” within the real estate industry because of closing and/or sub-leasing their office spaces.

If I was going to make a prediction, I would say that KW Danville is the company that is poised to take over the lion’s share of the real estate market because they are coming from a place of support and belief in the health of the real estate market for Realtors who still want to have this business as their career.  The KW motto is, “Building careers worth having, businesses worth owning, and lives worth living.”  How in the world could any Realtor not find that appealing as a place to grow their real estate practices.

Your East Bay real estate detective is on duty and will update you as to what I find out about this rumor.  If it is true, I will let you know immediately.  Contact me anytime for any of your real estate needs.  Until next time…

Keller Williams Realty

The Bay Area Team of Keller Williams Realty is Honored For Their 2007 Success!

  
Jim Walberg and Ann Marie Nugent received the

Platinum Award For The success of their company this week!

Atlanta, Georgia:  This week Jim and Ann Marie, operating partners of The Bay Area Team, were at the international convention of Keller Williams Realty in Atlanta, Georgia, participating in their mastermind conference with 8,500 other Realtors.  At the conference’s awards banquet, Jim and Ann Marie were honored with the company’s Platinum Award for the 2007 successes of their team.  This award is given to the top 1% of Realtors in North America and the Territories.  Their dedication to non-stop customer service and just plain hard work as Realtors allowed them to achieve this accomplishment.

In addition, to the awards banquet, there were three days of idea sharing among top Realtors with a focus on internet marketing.  Jim and Ann Marie’s results from their EastBayRealEstate.com blog site / website was an example that was used to exemplify what can be done to connect with a worldwide audience searching for the “San Francisco Bay Area experience” that are awaiting anyone who wants to discover the quality of life offered in this magical region.  For further information contact them today.
 
 

Keller Williams Realty

East Bay Real Estate Agents Head To Atlanta Today!

North American real estate conference and idea sharing is this week.

One of the country’s largest real estate idea sharing conference is this week in Atlanta, Georgia. Keller Williams Realty calls it their “Family Reunion”. There will be thousands of Realtors participating in education sessions, business and marketing networking, and their 2007 annual awards celebration. Of all the conferences I attend each year for continuing education, this is the one that is jam-packed with the latest internet and business tools for Realtors. (Keller Williams Realty is currently the fourth largest and fastest growing real estate company in North America.)

In addition, there will be a separate session for Realtors who are focused on the luxury real estate markets and those focused on the international real estate opportunities being fueled by the “Baby Boomer” explosion into second and third residences. (Fractional deeded ownership is the hot product in this category of residences.) The luxury and international real estate markets are almost all marketed through the internet. It has been unbelievable to see the results that have been created by those Realtors committed to internet marketing and blog sites for these niche real estate markets.

(Again, if you have read some of my latest blog postings you understand that the current mortgage meltdown is not affecting the luxury or international real estate sales. These two markets are not concerned about mortgage rates or down payments. They have the cash and the connections for any mortgages that may be required to purchase these two categories of real estate sales.)

Gary Keller, co-founder of Keller Williams Realty, will be giving his annual address regarding the national market predications for 2008. After his address there will be a question and answer period for the media to clarify any questions they have with his predictions. (Remember, real estate is always a local business with local trends. The national trends do not connect to each of the local markets in America. The national trends are a summary of the local trends.)

Seth Godin, New York times best selling author is the keynote speaker at the conference. His latest book, The Dip, is #5 on the New York Times best seller list, and focuses on what you can do to power through tough times and low points, and how superstars set themselves apart from the pack by escaping dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts. Godin has changed the way people think about marketing, change and work. His irrepressible speaking style and no-holds-barred blog have helped him create a large following around the world.

Also, as part of the Family Reunion in Atlanta this week there will be acknowledgements of Realtors in the United States who have given back to their communities in very significant ways. It is always a special inspirational breakfast that is held to honor these professionals who live their lives with “service above self” as part of their core personal and business values. Keller Williams Realty’s statement to the Realtors who have chosen to be a part of their international company is, “Building careers worth having, businesses worth owning, and lives worth living.” These are not common value states coming from corporate America. From my experience with this company, they are walking the talk regarding this important company mission statement. I will be attending this conference and will report back on topics that will be of interest to the East Bay real estate communities. Until next time…