MADISON, N.J., January 16, 2020 — ERA® Real Estate, a global franchising leader within the Realogy family of companies, today announced the affiliation of Midwest Properties of Michigan. The company, which has four offices and nearly 85 agents working in the Grand Rapids region, will now be known as Midwest Properties ERA Powered.
The ERA Powered® branding model allows a company who has invested in building local brand equity to affiliate with the ERA brand and have access to all it has to offer, while also going to market with its existing brand identity.
Thomas Kuiper, a 42-year real estate veteran who established Midwest Properties of Michigan in 2003, and 20-year industry veteran Jeanine Herlacher remain as owners and leaders of Midwest Properties ERA Powered.
Additionally, ERA Reardon Broker/Owner Rick Reardon has taken an ownership stake. Reardon’s firm, which is headquartered in Jackson, is one of the top twenty franchisees in the ERA global network with more than $230 million in 2019 sales volume.
Realtor.com recently ranked Grand Rapids at the top of its “America’s 10 Hottest Neighborhoods” list for the second year in a row. Widely considered to be the cultural center of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids is also emerging as a medical care and research hub: it is home to Michigan State University Grand Rapids Research Center, Spectrum Health, the largest healthcare system in the region, and Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
Details:
- Midwest Properties ERA Powered is one of the leading brokerages in the Grand Rapids region having done nearly 900 transaction sides in 2019 equating to $149.1 million in sales volume.
- The median sales price in Grand Rapids is $217,000 according to the National Association of Realtors, much more affordable than the national number of $271,300.
- Midwest Properties ERA Powered will benefit from the technology and service offerings that ERA provides as well as the platforms and products available due to its association with Realogy, including lead generation services like TextERA, which transforms static yard signs into interactive property marketing.
- Midwest Properties ERA Powered will also benefit from ERA Reardon Realty’s status as a Cartus-certified broker as Grand Rapids is a popular relocation area. In addition, the two companies plan on working together to build a strong referral network between their combined 11 offices and over 200 independent sales agents, emblematic of the ERA brand’s culture of collaboration.
- Midwest Properties ERA Powered will retain its powerful presence in the community, hosting many events including outdoor film screenings, skating parties, free ice cream days, and true to their Midwest identity: free corn giveaways and Toys for Tots toy drives.
Quotes:
“Tom and Jeanine have worked diligently to create a strong local brand that their community recognizes and trusts. By coming together under the ERA Powered® brand model, they get to keep their identity while benefitting from the technological infrastructure that only ERA Real Estate can provide. They also recognized the incredible opportunity to partner with Rick Reardon and ERA Reardon to seamlessly capture and grow market share. This is another example of the power of our franchise sales team to connect like-minded companies with a focus on growth. We share Tom and Jeanine’s commitment to teamwork and excellent service, and we welcome them into the ERA network.”
–Sherry Chris, President and CEO of ERA Real Estate
“We spoke to all the major franchisors. While we didn’t want to give up key aspects of our identity, we hit a point where we recognized that we needed to affiliate in order to survive, compete, and retain our top-producing agents. We’re an independent brokerage and our slogan is, ‘We’re the good guys.’ We needed an all-encompassing offering that provided us with technology solutions and room to grow, but was also the right cultural fit. The ERA brand was the only brand with a model that addressed all our needs.”
–Jeanine Herlacher, Co-Owner and Associate Broker, Midwest Properties of Michigan
“The ERA brand was the only brand that offered a set of useful, complementary tools that our affiliated agents can use to succeed, while giving us the flexibility of the ERA Powered® brand model. They didn’t ask us to stop being who we are, and now we get to enjoy the platforms, tools, and strategic partnerships from being associated with ERA Real Estate and Realogy.”
–Thomas Kuiper, Co-Owner and Associate Broker, Midwest Properties of Michigan
About ERA Real Estate
At ERA Real Estate, we don’t adapt to change, we create it. We believe that our core business values of collaboration, innovation, diversity and growth are needed now more than ever. As a global leader in the residential real estate industry for more than 40 years, ERA was the first real estate franchise to expand internationally, the first to post listings online, and is the only national company that offers the Sellers Security® Plan program.
The ERA Real Estate network includes more than 35,000 affiliated brokers and independent sales associates and approximately 2,200 offices throughout the United States and 31 other countries and territories. ERA Franchise Systems LLC (www.ERA.com) which operates the ERA Real Estate system, is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global provider of real estate services. ERA Real Estate information is available at www.ExploreERA.com.
Media Contact:
Maggie Rohr
973-407-4027
maggie.rohr@realogy.com
