Better Homes And Gardens Houston Reviews

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Reviews:

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4.50/5

based on 14 reviews

8 Great
5 Good
1 Ok
0 Bad
0 Terrible

About

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

With 12,000+ agents, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is one of the more prominent brokerages in the US. Even if you're not familiar with the brokerage, you're bound to know the Better Homes and Gardens magazine, since it's the fourth best-selling print magazine in the US. Realogy Holdings Corp. obtained the exclusive right to use the registered trademark as part of the International Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. You might know of other famous brands affiliated with Realogy, such as Coldwell Banker, Century 21, and Sotheby's.

BHGRE has created an enabling environment that new real estate license holders can leverage to become top producers. When interviewing with an office, be sure to ask about their share of the market, the number of top-producers in the office, agent count, and what makes them different. pexels-marc-mueller-380769-1024x575

Better Homes and Gardens History

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine was established in 1978 by the Meredith Corporation, founded in 1902.
In 1998, GMAC Home Services Inc bought Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate's operating assets with rights to the name for ten years.
Realogy acquired the rights to use the Better Homes and Real Estate trademark in October 2007.
In July 2008, Realogy launched the BHGRE franchise. Each office is independently owned and operated.
With 26 offices and 2100+ agents, Metro Brokers is the largest BHGRE affiliated company.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Brand

BHGRE draws from the legacy of the iconic Better Homes and Gardens lifestyle brand, which boasts 97 percent brand recognition. The name is synonymous with quality and serves to create trust. Buyers and sellers know who they are dealing with long before the agents walk into the door.

Experience of working at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has a reputation for a great work environment with phenomenon broker support. The atmosphere is cordial and family-like. The training is significantly above average and focused on creating top-producers. Still, there are cons reported by some agents. The common complaints leveled against most franchises revolve around the high fees and low commission splits.

FAQs

BHGRE offers numerous tools to its associates & brokers:

The Greenhouse : Agents use this one-stop online platform to access all BHGRE resources and tools. They can find quick links to the Zap Platform, online classes, marketing tools, news updates, upcoming events & training programs, document repositories, brand assets, and more.
Agent marketing tools: BHGRE's suite of marketing tools help agents create custom-signage, social media posts, print materials (e.g., brochures or flyers), buyer & listing presentations, etc.
PinPoint: Associates & brokers can leverage Meredith's database of over 100 million subscribers, thanks to PinPoint. This exclusive marketing tool can help agents pinpoint likely first-time buyers, premier luxury home buyers, etc. It allows precise targeting based on geographic location up to the street or building level. Sending postcards or print listing ads enables agents to become known to their prospects.
Zap Platform: It's the website builder and CRM of choice used across Realogy franchises. It comes with branded agent sites, communication tools, monitoring & reporting (such as insights on the listings leads are viewing), the ZapScore (for gauging the client's interest), and more.
Discounted advertising: BHGRE agents can run ads in the Better Home & Gardens® publications at discounted rates. BHGRE has also partnered with Adwerx, giving associates access to discounted online advertising.
Gifts: Associates can also use gifts to establish and strengthen relationships with clients. They can send magazines like the BHG Cook Book offered to them at preferred prices.

Better Home and Gardens Real Estate has established and reputable training programs, including:

Be Better University : You can enroll and sharpen your sales skills, marketing skills, and social media skills, all in one place. Students can also earn certifications in luxury, staging, etc.
BHGRE Live: These are regional events that agents can attend to learn more about Zap, listing, and more. BHGRE Virtual offers access to virtual training sessions as well.
Coaching and mentorship: New associates will benefit from the one-to-one training & mentoring from experienced sales associates.
BHGRE members also qualify for discounts on pre and post-licensing courses.
The Learning Library : Agents can earn certifications and designations in specific niches at discounted rates, for instance, the SRES® designation course and the NAR's e-PRO® certification program.

Compensation plans differ from office-to-office.

Agents who complete the X-celerater program get splits of 60/40 on their first six transactions. After this, they are regarded as "full associates," and keep 70% of their commissions up to a cap of $15,700. Commission splits may differ based on your brokerage of choice. For instance, some offices have a 50/50 split.

Before associates split commissions with their offices, a franchise fee ranging from 5-8% is deducted off the top of their gross commission.

Agents typically pay MLS fees, technology fees, communication fees, Board of Realtor fees, E&O insurance, etc. If you're joining any of the Metro Brokers offices, you'll need up to $1,800 in startup fees, inclusive of the first listing package.

For more established agents, monthly fees can range from $80-$130 in many offices.

Most common reasons include:

Great brand-recognition.
Access to BHGRE learning and networking events such as Green Nation, Fusion/RGX, APEX, Owner's Retreat, and more
Numerous tools & resources, modern technology
Lead generation opportunities, for instance, answering calls from the call center.
Skill development and training opportunities