By Morissa Wagner Szmyt
Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC announced that it grew the office count within its global network by more than 9 percent in 2012, ending the year with approximately 660 Sotheby’s International Realty offices and 12,800 sales associates located in 47 countries and territories worldwide. The Sotheby’s International Realty® network also reported a 30 percent year-over-year increase in U.S. transaction sides closed by its affiliated brokers and agents in 2012.
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand also expanded its management team in Asia in 2012 as part of a comprehensive global servicing initiative to further develop the company’s network of real estate affiliates in the region. The brand won Franchise Business Review’s Best in Category for Real Estate Franchisee Satisfaction award for the fifth year in a row and came in second overall among the Top 50 Large Franchise Systems, which is a ranking of all franchise systems with more than 200 units across all categories.
“Last year was significant for the Sotheby’s International Realty brand as we saw 15 new companies join our luxury network from all over the world,” said Philip White, who was named the brand’s president and chief executive officer in 2012. “We also saw impressive organic growth among our existing affiliates. Overall, we expanded our market presence in key locations from Princeton, N.J., to Aspen, Colo., London and Australia. Our network has what we believe is one of the highest average sales prices of any national real estate system in the United States.”
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand added five new residential real estate brokerage firms to its network across the United States in the following markets: Fort Worth, Texas; Tarrytown, N.Y.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Leesburg, Va.; and Wellington, Fla. Outside of the United States the brand expanded its network to provide its real estate services in: Milan, Italy; Taipei, Taiwan; Barcelona, Spain; San Miguel, Mexico; Tel Aviv, Israel; Ibiza, Spain; Sydney, Australia; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Vilnius, Lithuania; and Da Nang, Vietnam.
From a marketing perspective, 2012 saw the launch of the Sotheby’s International Realty iPad® application. Available for download from Apple’s App Store, the app’s features include 40 points of interest based on the property location, one-click-contact to a Sotheby’s International Realty broker or agent, the ability for consumers to save home search information for future use, a dynamic map feature displaying all available homes for sale or rent based on a user’s location or interested city/neighborhood and high-quality photography.
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand also launched a series of branded websites for specialty markets in 2012, beginning with Farm & Ranch, Waterfront and Ski, with additional websites planned for 2013, and of course, this blog you are currently reading, designed to provide insights into a range of real estate and lifestyle topics.
If you are thinking of buying or selling a home, an associate from Sun Valley Sotheby's International Realty can help. Please call our office at 208.726.5300 to schedule a complimentary consultation, or to contact your current SVSIR agent.
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