RPR Becomes “CMA of Choice” for Texas Brokerage

“As a corporate philosophy, we believe that it’s our job to look out over the horizon and see what’s coming at us,” says Toni Nelson, director of strategic initiatives for Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene, Texas. “We recognize that Realtors Property Resource® is the present and the future, and are moving forward by making RPR our CMA [comparative market analysis] of choice.”

“RPR offers layers of data all in one place, with great flexibility, and automation like we’ve never seen before. We can’t get that anywhere else,” said Toni, whose brokerage operates 24 offices across the region. Currently, BHGRE Gary Greene has an RPR usage rate of 65 percent and growing.

Why RPR’s CMA?

Toni claims RPR’s CMA offers REALTORS® a distinct advantage in the marketplace, pointing to RPR’s Realtor Valuation Model® (RVM®) and Refined Value as two of the data platform’s most powerful tools.

“We encourage our agents to use RPR’s RVM as the starting point in their valuation process. Then we teach them to use RPR’s Refined Value Tool to make adjustments on the value of the home-based on improvements made, local market conditions, interior and exterior conditions, and a lot more.”

The RVM difference

As the only REALTOR®-owned, automated valuation product, the RVM goes beyond the traditional AVM by incorporating listing and sales data from the MLS into the equation.

Toni says that level of customization and flexibility makes RPR’s valuation tools a stand out in today’s market. “You have the RVM, which is like a hybrid valuation model, and at the same time you can select your comps and make all the adjustments you want,” she said. “And we don’t have to go in and out of other programs to put it all together. It’s right there!”

A commitment to training

The key to BHGRE Gary Greene’s successful adoption of RPR as the brokerage’s “CMA of Choice” is through education. The brokerage is committed to an in-depth, office-by-office training program, even incorporating CE classes at each of its 24 offices.

An integral part of their onsite training program centers on the RPR app and how adaptable it is to “working on the fly,” as Toni describes. One of the first things we do is ask our agents to download the RPR app so that coaches can walk them through how to pull up homes when out with clients. They can even find comparable properties on the app.”

With nearly 1,000 agents to ramp up, the brokerage made the strategic move to hire career development coaches who pick up where trainers leave off. “When you go back to your office and don’t have somebody that supports what agents picked up in the classroom, the training is probably going to go to waste unless you have a coach who can help them through,” said Toni. Keeping up with 30-40 new agents a month keeps those coaches moving.

Toni claims RPR plays a significant shared role in training Gary Greene agents. The platform’s website is packed with learning resources designed specifically with agents in mind. A fresh set of eBooks, how-to videos and online workshops can be found at blog.narrpr.com.

RPR trainers also have a consistent presence across the state. “RPR has bent over backwards to help us. There is no place they won’t go. They have gone out to every office where the rubber meets the road.

And word does travel quickly throughout the real estate industry. For years, BHGRE Gary Greene relied upon another system for its CMA; always hearing minglings of RPR but not reaching the consensus needed to take the leap. Then came along Terri McGowan from Kansas City.

“When I moved from Kansas City to work for Gary Greene in Texas, one of my first observations was that they weren’t using RPR,” said Terri. “We used it constantly at my old office so I introduced it to the Gary Greene group and we took off with it.”

Terri speaks from experience. “Realtors aren’t nearly as efficient if they’re not using RPR,” she said. “When speaking to groups, I ask them, ‘If you had the most powerful real estate tool at your disposal 24 hours a day, seven days a week, why wouldn’t you use it?’”

As BHGRE’s regional manager, Terri says that Gary Greene is smart enough to know when not to reinvent the wheel. “RPR constantly updates its platform,” said Terri. “We could never match what RPR offers in terms of gathering data on a national level. By relying on RPR, we get to put our energies into areas where we do best—supporting our 1,000 agents and selling real estate.”