Keller Williams Realty Grows to 72,618 Associates in Shifting Market; Real Estate Firm Strengthens its Lead as the Fourth-Largest Real Estate Franchi

(PRWeb) December 30, 2006 -- Keller Williams Realty Inc., the fourth-largest real estate franchise company in North America, continues to attract associates despite shifting markets in cities across the nation. In November, the company reported having 72,618 associates and 591 market centers.

The latest tally widens the gap between Keller Williams Realty and the fifth-largest real estate franchise company, Prudential Real Estate Affiliates Inc., which reported having 64,000 associates in October of this year.

Keller Williams Realty CEO Mark Willis attributes the company's steady growth rate in the midst of a shifting market to Keller Williams Realty's agent-centric, learning-based business model and razor-sharp focus on technology and the Internet.

"Market trends are a non-issue at Keller Williams Realty, because no matter what the analysts say, our No. 1 mission has been -- and will always be -- to provide our associates with proven business tools, models and technology that get results in any market," Willis says. "I think the associates who are choosing to be in business with us embrace our stance that you can leverage the marketplace to work to your advantage."

In addition to adding Keller Williams University courses that address business tactics in a shifting market, the company has taken great measures to expand the Internet presence of Keller Williams Realty associates and their listings -- targeting an ever increasing market segment of real estate consumers online.

"The National Association of Realtors reports that 77 percent of today's home buyers surf the Internet for properties prior to contacting an agent," Willis says. "We want our associates to have an undeniable presence on the Internet, and we want them to have more control over where and how their listings are displayed."

The recently introduced Keller Williams Listing System(KWLS) will enable associates to enter their listings data in one place and have that information displayed on Keller Williams Realty agent and office websites everywhere. Keller Williams Realty also is negotiating partnerships with some of the most popular search engines in the world, so associates can display their listings on those sites.

"The organic growth we've experienced in the past few years is a testament to our mission to build businesses worth owning and careers worth having," Willis says. " Simply surviving a tough market is not enough, we teach our associates how to thrive in any market."

Founded in 1983, Keller Williams Realty Inc. is the fourth-largest real estate franchise operation in North America, with nearly 600 offices and 72,618 associates in the United States and Canada. The company's agent-centric culture emphasizes access to leading-edge education and promotes an economic model that rewards associates as stakeholders and partners. Keller Williams Realty, which began franchising in 1990, is growing by more than a thousand agents a month. Keller Williams Realty Associates place high value on professional education and a full-time commitment to real estate sales. For more information, visit (http://www.moving-careers.com).

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