Working at Keller Williams in Fort Collins has really been a great experience and opportunity. Here is a press release from Keller Williams Realty that gets me very excited for 2011 and the new technology and opportunities.

Keller Williams Realty to Launch eEdge, the Real Estate Industry’s
First Comprehensive Agent Business Platform
Seamless Solution Available to Network of More Than 80,000 Associates in February

AUSTIN, TEXAS (January 10, 2011) – Keller Williams Realty announced today that it will launch the real estate industry’s first complete lead-to-close business solution for every agent in the company, eEdge. The first phase of eEdge, voted on and ratified by the company’s Associate Leadership Councils, will officially launch at the company’s annual convention in February 2011.

While many agents spend their day logging into several different systems to manage their business, eEdge will be the first fully-integrated front and back-end platform for real estate professionals. This single platform will enable agents to:

• Funnel and maintain all their contacts, leads and clients into one database
• Create, print and send custom marketing and sales material
• Manage their Web site and their listings
• Facilitate and complete their transactions paperlessly, with an online portal for clients and co-op agents

“Keller Williams is determined to stay ahead of the curve to provide the most services and support in the industry to our entire network – especially in today’s real estate climate,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Keller Williams Realty. “This is just the latest demonstration of our commitment to helping our agents accelerate their leadership internationally as well as in their local markets.”

The company has partnered with industry leaders, Market Leader and DotLoop to provide components of eEdge. Market Leader will provide the lead management, contact management and marketing design solution, while DotLoop will provide the seamless platform for sending, signing and managing documents online. Keller Williams Realty will be providing the central platform that allows for a single point of entry and seamless information sharing between each component of product.

“The launch of the eEdge platform represents a major milestone in the real estate industry and we at Market Leader are proud of our role in helping create this innovative platform for every Keller Williams associate,” said Ian Morris, CEO of Market Leader.

“The current process of taking a client through the lifecycle of a transaction is inefficient and cumbersome. The platform we are partnering with Keller Williams to provide to its associates will accelerate this process and improve the overall experience of buying and selling a home,” said Austin Allison, co-founder and CEO of DotLoop. “Essentially, we have aligned the business needs of agents and the expectations of their clients by providing a win-win for all parties involved, including the agent on the other side of the transaction.”

The eEdge product was originally masterminded by the company’s Agent Technology Council, or ATC, a leadership committee made up of top-producing, technology-minded associates. In order to ensure that eEdge was the right product at the right time, the company then conducted a North American-wide company vote among its Associate Leadership Councils, a decision-making body of agents that exists in every office and guides the strategic direction of the company and its initiatives.

“eEdge will do everything except make calls for you,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO of Keller Williams Realty. “It’s designed to help our agents’ businesses run more smoothly so that they can do what they do best – provide the highest level of service to their buyers and sellers.”

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About Keller Williams Realty, Inc.:
Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the third-largest real estate franchise operation in the United States, with 690 offices and more than 80,000 associates in the United States and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1990, has an agent-centric culture that emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. The company also provides specialized agents in luxury homes and commercial real estate properties.

Since the acquisition of Fort Collins Real Estate by the national power house Keller Williams, I have been nothing but satisfied with the great company that Keller Williams is. Going into my second full year as a Keller Williams agent in Fort Collins, where our small company Fort Collins Real Estate was so successful being a boutique company in a great small town, Keller Williams is great.
The tools provided to us as agents is always top of mind to the management. The support not just only on a professionaly level but a life level is also phenominal.
These reasons are why across the country Keller Williams is winning these awards. I am confident that the buyers we work with in the Fort Collins Real Estate market are just as highly satisfied.

If you are looking for a Fort Collins Keller Williams agent to work with, don’t hesitate to call: JJ Hannah at 970-212-2435.

Here is a link to the full article: http://rismedia.com/lowes/8355/9493

When our small company, Fort Collins Real Estate was acquired over a year ago by Keller Williams, we did so knowing that the National Brand was one of the best out there. This just proved what we knew and hoped.
This merger between the two companies (Fort Collins Real Estate and Keller Williams of Northern Colorado) create a great platform for our local agents to interact with a national audience of not only other agents, but customers looking to relocate to Fort Collins.
Where nationally, Fort Collins Homes prices seem to be very affordable compared to many places. “The Keller Williams Brand has really helped build my business over the last 12 months, which I don’t think many agents can say right now.” says JJ Hannah of the Keller Williams Downtown Fort Collins office.

Here is the press release:

Keller Williams Realty Ranked as Top Real Estate Franchise by Industry Leader and Entrepreneur Magazine
December 24th, 2009 AUSTIN, TEXAS (December 21, 2009) — Keller Williams Realty joined the ranks of the top franchises in the world last week, when the company was ranked as the No. 1 real estate franchise on the 31st Annual Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur magazine. During the same week, the company was also voted the Most Recognizable Brand of Real Estate Franchises for 2009 in an industry-wide survey for the Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

“The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is a respected source for the real estate industry and beyond, as is Entrepreneur magazine, and we are excited to see our agents honored in this way for all of their hard work,” said Mark Willis, CEO, Keller Williams Realty. “We certainly wouldn’t have been included on either list without the dedication and resolve of our agents.”

According to the ranking in Entrepreneur magazine, the most important criteria to determine the top franchises included financial strength and stability, as well as growth rate and size of the franchise system. The magazine also looked at the number of years the company has been in business and the length of time it’s been franchising, in addition to start-up costs and financial data. Additionally, Keller Williams Realty made an impressive showing on the overall list, placing higher than any other real estate franchise.

The Swanepoel TRENDS Report is published by Stefan Swanepoel, a real estate industry speaker and insider. The survey was crafted to determine the Most Recognizable Brand for Real Estate Franchises for his report out in February 2010. The survey included votes cast by 11,000 plus real estate agents, who cast 390,000 votes to select the top 10.

Earlier in the year,Keller Williams Realty also received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full-service real estate firms from J.D. Power and Associates for the second year in a row.

“We are extremely proud that our associates and company are being recognized for our strength and stability during this time in our industry,” said Mary Tennant, president and COO, Keller Williams Realty. “We attribute our success to being in business with phenomenal people and to our core business models, which have allowed our franchises to thrive during any market.”