In the year 2007, when most Real Estate Agents, troubled by the difficult market, formed a mass exodus from the business, the Phoenix Heritage Real Estate Group distinguished themselves as the second-highest grossing team at HomeSmart, the largest brokerage in the southwest region of the U.S. Their work and involvement in the community earned them three front page Arizona Republic features, as well as a mention in the US News and World Report. Since then, the Phoenix Heritage team have doubled their sales volume and are within reach of being the top team at the number one brokerage. "2008 has been our best year yet," says co-founder Greg Markov, "and we're still growing!"
What separates the Phoenix Heritage Real Estate Group from the rest? Simply put: catering to their client's needs and providing solutions relevant to today's market. The Phoenix Heritage team exemplify dedication and professionalism. A keen understanding of the changing market and state of the art technology enable the team to tailor solutions to each client's unique needs. "We are constantly investing in ourselves and in our systems to deliver the best results," says co-founder Randy Kutz, "which is why we are networked with the very top performing agents in the country, sharing knowledge and experience."
Since its inception, the team has been marked by a dedication to professionalism, astute market knowledge, and an ability to use state of the art technology. Such knowledge and tools allow the team to respond quickly to the changing real estate market, which requires innovative solutions.
One example of their commitment to relevant solutions is their launch of AZ Short Sale Experts, LLC, a non-licensed entity founded by the owners of the Phoenix Heritage Real Estate Group. "As a full time team of Real Estate Professionals, we saw the shift in the housing market early. With a growing number of our listing clients facing hardship and not able to sell, we geared up and established a Short Sale Solution," says Greg Markov. AZ Short Sale Experts grew out of the team's success with bank negotiations. Today AZ Short Sale Experts employs a team of short sale processors who assist in negotiations for nearly 100 clients and over 40 banks on any given day.
Each month, Greg and Randy teach the complex process of Short Sale transactions to hundreds of Real Estate Professionals in seminars throughout Arizona. Asked why they would freely share the wisdom they have gathered from experience, Randy explains: "Short sales are the brain surgery of real estate, and our community needs more highly trained and knowledgeable professionals to address the very real needs of our day. We learned everything we know from a lot of hard work and the collective experience of other Agents we network with. The way we see it, if we can help our peers be successful, it can only improve our success and help recover this market. Besides, that is just what this industry is known for, Shared Success." With less than 1% of Realtors® nationwide who know how to conduct Short Sales, the Phoenix Heritage Real Estate Group are in a unique class of qualified agents.
In addition to Short Sales, Phoenix Heritage also started listing bank owned REO properties for several national banks, including Fannie Mae. "Our professionalism and team model are appealing to banks who are struggling to find competent agents who can handle a large volume of listings with the precision and timeliness expected in the corporate world. Our corporate experience and training has allowed us to bridge the gap between our respective industries, and to create win-win solutions," explains Markov. "We already knew how to market and sell homes in this economy, and we can certainly handle a large volume of listings with the talent on staff," adds Kutz.
Recruiting talented agents has been key to Greg and Randy's success. The growth of their business could not be sustained without a team of capable and motivated employees. Since 2006, they have started and grown two companies that employ nine people. Each of these is highly trained in their particular field, allowing agents and their support crew to skillfully address additional demands now present in both the buying and selling end of any given real estate transaction. Integral to the group's success have been their capable Buyer's Specialists.
"I love Real Estate because I am constantly challenged and learn something new every day," says Torrey McHale, the Senior Buyer Specialist on the team. Buyers eager to capitalize on the opportunities shaped by the market often create bidding wars, and the best properties sell quickly. "Setting the right expectation is something we are able to do because of our experience and market knowledge," says McHale of his team of three full time Buyer specialists. "Because we are out in the field daily, we see new listings as they come up, and are able to address our Buyers' needs with market knowledge. Agents that are acting as a one handed juggler are at a severe disadvantage in this market," he adds. McHale and his team often find out the newest listings before they are even featured on the Multiple Listing Service, and their clients are the first to hear about them as a result.
It is easy to see how the Phoenix Heritage Real Estate Group stands out in a challenging and changing/fluctuating market place: they have readily embraced the team concept modeled by the greater business world. This has allowed each full-time agent to specialize and focus on their unique strengths. Whether you are buying or selling in the greater Phoenix valley, you can depend on the Phoenix Heritage Real Estate Group for excellence, professionalism, and market knowledge. We look forward to working with you, and thank you for your business.