Southern Homes of the CarolinasSplits   [if gte vml 1]>Creigh Hillswearsbythe100percentcommission model-andalsokeepingassociatefeesextremely low.It'saformulaforattractingtopsellerstohis high-volumebusiness and keeping their business moving forward.   | November2011 Creigh Hill Broker-Owner Southern Homes of the CarolinasInc., Cornelius, N.C. www.SouthernHomesSearch.com   YearsinBusiness:4 NumberofBrokers:80+   How has our growth spurred during the recession As othercompanieswerelosingbrokers,wegainedenormously.Our associatebasehas grown60 percent sincelastDecember.Peoplearedrawntousbecauseofourfees.Weletbrokerskeep100percentof their commissionsandrequireonlya $350annualfeetocovermarketingcosts,plusa$295transactionfee.Thereareno deskfees,whichisthenormwiththe100percentmodel.Bycomparison,atopperformerelsewhereworkingona 70–30splitwith10transactionsinamonththatproduced$150,000ingrosscommissionincomewouldowethe broker$45,000.Thesameagentwouldoweusonly$2,950forthesametentransactions,plusthe$350annualfee. Butnoteveryonecanofferthiskindofprogramtobrokers.Youhavetobeabletoaffordit.Welostmoney forthefirsttwoyears.Wethoughtitwouldonlytakeayeartomakemoney.Butwestartedoutwithamplecash reservestogetthrough.Webecameprofitablewhenourcompetitorswerefallingapart,andwe’vestayedprofitable. Wehavethevolumenowtosupportthismodel.   How the brokerage encourages productivity Weofferavarietyoftrainingandeducationalseminarsoneverythingfromthefactsbehindlead generationto socialnetworking.Andweinvitebrokersfromothercompaniestoattend.Itendsupbeingausefulrecruiting toolforus.Peoplemeetourbrokersandseewhatwe’reabout.Wegetuptolarge groupsattendingourseminarsandhavesponsors,includingamortgagecompany,pestcontrolbusiness,andlocalrealestate lawyerstooffsetcosts.Wepromoteself-brandingbyofferingpersonalWebsites, REALTOR upgrades, Virtual Tour Service, Lead Generation and trainingtoourbrokersforfree.   How he stays involved with his brokers Wewantbrokerstotalktousaboutanyissuesthatcomeup.Ipersonallyspeakwithupto10brokersaday.AndItakeahands-onroleinthebusiness.Ido minimumsellingbecauseIwantall my energytogoto thebrokers.Idon’tcompetewiththem.ButIwilldospotchecksatopenhousestomakesurethatallthe detailsaretakencareof—everythingfromensuringthatthere’sasign-insheettoseeingthatthepropertyshowsas wellasitcan.   His greatest obstacle and how he overcame it Althoughweanticipatedthatbusinesswouldbeslowforthefirstyear,thingsweretougherthanweexpected.Butour biggestobstaclewasoneofperception.Inthebeginning,brokerswouldaskmeallthetime,"What’sthe catch?Thissoundstoogoodtobetrue."Itellthemthereisnone.Itwasinitiallyhardtogetthewordoutthatour businessmodelwasreal.Aftertheygettoknowustheyseethere’snocatch.So,thosequestionsarecomingless oftennow.Ourreputationisextremelyimportanttous and the average experience of our brokers shines the respect we have earned.   Why we have no desksatour offices All ourofficesareusedforclientmeetingsorconferencesandareeachonlyabout1000 to 1500squarefeet.Brokersdon’t needtositatdeskswaitingforclientstocomein.Thedaysofthewalk-inclientareover.TheInternethaschanged allthat.That’swhywedon’trequirefloortimeordesktime.   Our proudest achievement EarlierthisyearwewererankedastheNo.3officeinLake NormanandIredell Countyforbothlistingsand Volume [if gte vml 1]>andlistingstakenandwecompetedagainsthundreds ofbrokeragesinourMLS.Wehavegottentothispoint       becauseofourbusinessmodel and our experienced brokers.