Jenny Norman?

Harry Norman Realtors is absorbing Jenny Pruitt & Associates, creating one of the largest residential real estate firms in Atlanta with 1,474 agents.

The two agencies are owned by HomeServices of America, an affiliate of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. Last year, they merged office operations. The latest merger puts all agents under the Harry Norman brand. Dan Parmer will be CEO and Martha Hayhurst will be president.

Thousands of local real estate agents have left the business because of slumping home sales, but Hayhurst said that is not why the merger occurred. “This alliance just seemed the right way to make the firm stronger,” she said.

Parmer said the new Harry Norman will be the largest residential real estate company in Atlanta in terms of sales volume.

Harry Norman was started 79 years ago and grew to more than 1,000 agents. Jenny Pruitt began 20 years ago and employed about 340 agents before the merger.

HomeServices acquired Harry Norman in 2006 and Jenny Pruitt in 2001. Founder Jenny Pruitt left to help start Atlanta Fine Homes.

Buffett and other investors own Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company of 50 firms, including MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., which owns HomeServices. HomeServices owns several real estate firms throughout the country.

SOURCE: AJC

REMAX GREATER ATLANTA TO ACQUIRE REMAX HORIZONS

RISMEDIA, May 2, 2007-RE/MAX® Greater Atlanta announces its agreement to acquire RE/MAX Horizons. Their three offices, located in Gainesville, Buford, and Braselton, all reside in Hall County and house approximately 120 RE/MAX® professionals.

"We are extremely delighted to enter one of Georgia's fastest growing counties," said Steve Graham, President and CEO of RE/MAX Greater Atlanta. "[RE/MAX] Horizons agents' dedication to real estate excellent is a perfect fit for our organization and I believe the transition will be quite seamless."

Hall county, with access to the popular Lake Lanier and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, has seen a near 25% increase in population since the year 2000. RE/MAX Greater Atlanta sold more than 16,700 homes in 2006 equating to nearly $4.4 billion dollars in sales. Honored as the nation's 18th largest real estate brokerage by RISMedia's 2007 Power Broker Report, RE/MAX® Greater Atlanta will comprise 15 offices and more than 1,300 agents once the acquisition is complete.

For more information, visit www.remax-greateratlantaga.com.

LONE WOLF

In the local market of Atlanta, we have several flat fee type brokerages. This post will talk specifically about one of the best "deals" of these type of broker houses. I'll cover Homewise, Zip and others in another post. However, none of them come close to the "deal" or the growth of this one franchise, Chapman Hall.

Chapman Hall has an insanely simple setup. I speak from experience because I held my license there for some time. At $125 or so a month, this fee is the only thing that CH takes from you. That's almost on par with what traditional brokerages take as a E&O, MLS fees ect. This 125 covers it all. They do take the FMLS fee, but ever broker does that as well. Just in case you didn't read it, that's 100% commission, for 125.

Chapman Hall Realtors is to Realtors as Flat Fee MLS listings are to FSBOs. You get a great deal, but unless you can do it all on your own then you might be in a bit over your head. No training, no marketing, no real staff or support even. John Hallman is more than accomodating and great broker, but managing several hundred agents at once can be a daunting task.

Basically, what it amounts to is a great way to run a business inside a business. It sounds really good in theory and there are several great agents at CH. However, if you look closely, many of them are plateauing as I did. There's simply no competition, no comraderie, no office, no listings... ect. The majority of all the agents end up as lone wolf agents that have little to no market presence (individually), despite the overall large market presence of Chapman Hall in certain areas.

In Summary

What you get with Chapman Hall

• The single best financial deal in town
• No Support
• No Training
• No Frills
• Insert a question here, Answer: No