Gary Keller Is Coming to Scottsdale!

How much did we raise for our Des Moines Family?

My Dear Keller Williams Family, We are so proud of the incredible generosity you displayed during our Inspirational Brunch on Wednesday. We were honored to share the story of the amazing associates in our Greater Des Moines market center. Ever since the market center opened, they have been struggling against a competitor with dominant market share who is paying only $1 of commissions on listings. These Keller Williams associates have been unfairly denied approximately $100,000 in commissions they rightfully earned for helping their clients move into the homes of their dreams. We challenged you – our Keller Williams family – to make our brothers and sisters whole. And, WOW, did you ever respond! Within 60 seconds, you wrote checks and stuffed envelopes with donations totaling$107,684! We received pledges for an additional $36,200. (Darlins, you better pay up on those IOUs!) All of these contributions are going to the KW Family Fund that Mary Tennant set up expressly for this purpose. We are committed to making our Greater Des Moines family whole – and we’re going to continue to help them until these unfair business practices end. Keller Williams family, we need your continued support. While this is an amazing start, the situation is far from over. Our Greater Des Moines associates have a lot of pending transactions. And they’re doing all of this with no guarantee that they’ll ever get paid and with little reason to believe that our competitor will see the light. (Actually, there is some reason to be optimistic: Our market center brought more that 60 people to Family Reunion – pretty amazing considering they only have 58 associates!) Today, we are encouraging each of you to donate 50 cents of every commission you earn to the KW Family Fund through the Greensheet. Of course, you don’t need to feel limited to 50 cents. You can give a dollar if you’d like … or $10 … or $100! Please take the high road. Do not mention our competitor in your conversations or social media postings. The last thing they deserve for their shameful behavior is free publicity. Keller Williams family, your actions truly show commitment in all things. Where in the world but KW could such an outpouring of generosity take place? It capped an historic Family Reunion and your response will be remembered forever. We not only announced that we’re the #1 real state company by agent count in the United States – but we showcased for the world the extraordinary culture that got us to this point and the passion and determination that are going to power us forward. You stood up as a real family and covered the backs of our brothers and sisters in need. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your commitment. And thank you for proving that we’re #1! We feel blessed to be part of your family. With love and appreciation,

2013 Awards Gala

Keller Williams Utah Region

Our best year yet! — 2013 Annual Awards Gala (128 photos)

ACHIEVE SUPERHERO STATIS AT WORK AND HOME. YOUR SECRET POWER? LASER FOCUS.        Join us for this half-day workshop that will empower you to pinpoint what matters for unprecedented productivity Early Bird Registration:  Only $50 Instructor:  Dianna Kokoszka Date:  March 22, 2013 Time: 8:00 am - NOON (7:30 am checkin) Location:  SLCC Miller Conference Center - In the Theatre 9750 S. 300 W., Sandy Deadline to register is March 15th Registration at the door is $65 The ONE Thing Book Tour: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results kicks off with a multi-city tour full of unique and exciting content applicable to every aspect of your life. Whether you're looking to improve your spiritual life, physical health, personal life, key relationships, job, business, or financial life, The ONE Thing Book Tour will spark the impact of your actions that lead to spectacular results. In addition to entertaining and invaluable insight, attendees are automatically registered for a pre-ordered copy of The ONE Thing.

Steve Tobias quoted in a recent Salt Lake Tribune Article

Commercial real estate activity returning to normal

Forecast » Utah’s strengthening economy brightens outlook for 2013.

Salt Lake County’s mutifaceted commercial real estate industry — made up of retail, industrial, office and apartment markets that don’t always move in tandem — is entering the new year in better shape than in a long time.

It’s not back to 2007, when industries were humming and the recession was yet to hit in full force. But many of the components that the commercial real estate sector uses to measure the sector’s vigor have stabilized over the past two years, and 2013 shows signs of shaping up nicely.

"The market feels like it’s definitely improving," Scott Lovell, Salt Lake City -based regional research director of Cushman & Wakefield Commerce, said Friday. "I don’t think anybody will be upset with 2013. It’s going to be a good year."

Last week, the commercial real estate and consulting firm released its annual review of commercial real estate action in Utah’s biggest counties. Although the office, industrial and real estate markets are each driven by different factors, the overall level of activity suggests that the industry is returning to normal long-term performance levels.

"I think that all segments of our commercial real estate market place are in recovery, and multifamily (apartments) is probably the strongest. It’s very solid. It almost appears that it’s better" than ever, said Michael Jeppesen, president of IPG Commercial Real Estate in Salt Lake City.

Commercial activity is strong enough that Steve Tobias, director of Keller Williams Commercial in Salt Lake City, wants to hire another partner or two to help expand his company’s business. Tobias’s 15 agents are all reporting higher sales, and "I’m about as busy as I want to be," he said.

For consumers, retail is king, and the retail vacancy rate in that sector of Salt Lake County’s market fell last year to 8.8 percent, close to the 10-year average of 8.4 percent. Pushing the rate down has been strong consumer spending, helped by the opening of City Creek shopping center in March, and of Scheels, the 220,000-square-foot sports store in Sandy, in September.

Lease rates continued a long-term downward trend in 2012, from close to $21 a square foot in 2008 to about $17 last year, but Cushman expects that rents will move slightly higher this year and that vacancy rates across various types of retail categories will fall further.

"Overall, 2013 will be steady, as existing properties look to create higher occupancy," the Cushman report said.

Lovell said the industrial real estate market is largely driven by population growth, and Utah has had one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., even during the recession. That’s pushed sales and leasing activity to the highest levels since the mid-1990s. Although the vacancy rate rose to 9 percent last year, it was still just 1 percentage point above the 10-year average of 8 percent, he said.

Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Named One of America's Top Workplaces

 

AUSTIN, TEXAS (February 1, 2013) — Keller Williams Realty, Inc. announced today that WorkplaceDynamics has named it the No. 9 workplace in America – the only national real estate franchising company on the National Top 150 Workplaces list.

 

"This is a great honor that reflects the incredible energy and vitality of Keller Williams offices across the United States," CEO Mark Willis said. "Our associates are creating workplaces that everyone wants to be part of and no one ever wants to leave."

 

WorkplaceDynamics  conducted the annual survey in partnership with 30 leading regional newspapers, reaching 1.7 million employees nationwide. The survey found that employees want to work at companies with high levels of organizational health – those that set a clear direction for their future, execute well, and bring real meaning to work.

 

"Imagine being part of a culture where passion, joy, and purpose go hand in hand with productivity and profitability," Keller Williams President Mary Tennant said. "We're so honored to be in business with the best real estate professionals in America."

 

In addition to the National Top 150 list, Keller Williams offices in Cleveland and Minneapolis ranked as the No. 1 workplaces in their respective regions. Keller Williams offices in Austin, Boston, Hartford, and Tampa also finished among the Top 10.  

 

Details about Top Workplaces, a full list of the Top 150 companies, the survey methodology, and factors that drive organizational health are available at www.topworkplaces.com.