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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate gains foothold in Idaho

Idaho image via Shutterstock.

Realogy Holdings Corp. franchisor Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is expanding into Idaho with the addition of brokerage 43° North Real Estate to its franchise network.

The Boise-based brokerage company is now doing business as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate 43° North, serving the Boise, Nampa and Caldwell metro areas under the continued leadership of founding broker and owner Jeff Martel.

“Jeff and his team embrace truly creative approaches to buying and selling real estate, and that innovative way of thinking makes us ideal strategic partners for now and the future,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC, in a statement. “With a national shortage of home inventory, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate 43° North’s unprecedented expertise in new construction will be a vital asset to its growth.”

Since launching in 2008, Martel and his team have sought to foster new construction relationships through savvy marketing and a relational-based business model. The firm has 14 Realtors assigned to its Boise-based new construction team, and 19 other agents serving the general market.

“Developers and builders of new construction demand innovative and proactive marketing to reach out to what is truly becoming a national market,” said Joe Grubiak, new home sales director at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate 43° North, in a statement. “I believe that our association with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate will help yield faster sales for our clients and a higher degree of productivity for our agents, and we look forward to our continuing growth with this national brand.”

Last week, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate announced it was expanding its presence in the Pacific Northwest with the addition of Bend, Ore.-based brokerage GoBend Realty to its franchise network.

The firm’s 23 sales representatives, who serve the greater Central Oregon area, are now doing business as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Northwest Living under the continued leadership of broker-owner Terry Denoux.

The Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network now includes approximately 8,300 sales associates and 250 offices serving homebuyers and sellers in Canada and 26 U.S. states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

What do you think of real estate franchise networks? Do brokerages that affiliate with franchisors have an advantage over unaffiliated, independent brokerages? Leave your comments below.