MADISON, N.J. (October 19, 2020) -- Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate, the leading real estate lifestyle brand, has two words for its network of real estate sales professionals: Expect Better®.  The brand recently announced several new initiatives to support growth at its virtual Owners’ Retreat and APEX, the brand’s dedicated events for affiliate leadership and agents, respectively. The events drew a combined record of 2,611 attendees.

The new offerings include a new Expect Better® Certification program along with multiple marketing opportunities that embody Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate’s commitment to helping BHGRE® affiliated agents be more productive and successful.

Expect Better® Certification

The Expect Better® Certification is a comprehensive professional development program that embodies the BHGRE brand’s Expect Better® promise to provide exemplary service before, during and after the transaction. Exclusively available to BHGRE affiliated agents, this new certification program brings personal branding to the next level and turns the brand promise into action.

To become Expect Better® certified, agents must complete skill-building and best-in-class training centered on the brand, customer experience, business fundamentals, business planning, Fair Housing laws and lead generation strategies. The certification begins with an introduction to PAIGE, BHGRE’s core values of Passion, Authenticity, Inclusion, Growth and Excellence, and how to bring them to life to go above and beyond for clients.

Another component of the certification outlines the value and benefits of the brand’s 100-year relationship with Meredith Corporation, publisher of Better Homes & Gardens® magazine. In addition to the powerful brand cache, affiliated BHGRE agents will learn how to use exclusive tools like PinPointSM that allows them to tap into an exclusive database of 175 million loyal consumers.

Additional courses such as interior staging with Max Wilker, style director and trend guru for Meredith Corporation, as well as outdoor design with Carson Arthur, outdoor expert and television personality, help BHGRE affiliated agents provide a personalized, lifestyle-based experience for today’s customer. They will also learn how to access and leverage a thoughtful collection of branded lifestyle and design content to help them keep in touch with customers and prospects year-round.

Agents who successfully complete the program are rewarded with marketing resources to promote their Expect Better® Certification in print, online and in listing presentations.

“ ‘Expect Better’ is not only Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate’s unique positioning as the real estate industry’s premier lifestyle brand, it is the foundation for how we exceed consumer expectations in every interaction,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. “We were the first real estate brand to put a stake in the ground on service commitments. With this new program, we have delivered both a training and a marketing infrastructure to empower agents to bring our brand promise to life for their businesses.” 

Text BHGRE

Real estate professionals affiliated with the BHGRE brand also learned about Text BHGRE, the newest lead generation tool to be introduced to the network. Designed to generate high quality buyer leads for listings, the tool allows interested buyers to text a unique code to a central number to receive more information about the property they are interested in. These leads are valuable because they are sent directly to the listing agent and signify high interest from the consumer.

Text riders prominently placed on yard signs allow instant feedback for the consumer while capturing the agent’s contact information. The text code can be used on other property marketing materials and personal marketing materials such as listing presentations.

“For many consumers, text is the preferred method of communication, making it a better way to engage with potential clients,” said Rich DeNicola, Chief Operating Officer, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. “Text BHGRE creates a powerful opportunity to communicate with buyers in real-time on their preferred platform.”

Moving into 2021

The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand used its Owners’ Retreat and APEX to set the stage for a strong start to 2021 by encouraging franchisee leadership to evaluate the overall health of their companies. From small business best practices and office space analysis to creating a first-choice company culture that aligns with changing consumer preferences, owners were emboldened to make growth a priority.

“Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has made tremendous strides in acquisitions and organic growth this year,” said DeNicola. “We have added many new affiliates and supported M&As for multiple existing franchisees. And with new additions to the REAL Trends 500 list and the Swanepoel Mega 1000 list, we are increasing our brand presence thanks to a network of like-minded entrepreneurs.”

 

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in real estate franchising and provider of real estate brokerage, relocation and settlement services.

The growing Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate network includes nearly 13,000 independent sales associates and more than 370 offices serving home buyers and sellers across the United States, Canada, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Australia and New Zealand.

Better Homes & Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC and used with permission. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Franchise is independently owned and operated.