Berkshire Hathaway ranked highest for repeat home seller satisfaction

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, an HSF Affiliates LLC company, announced Sept. 16 that the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices real estate brokerage network ranked Highest Overall Satisfaction for Repeat Home Sellers Among National Full Service Real Estate Firms in the J.D. Power 2017 Home Buyer/Seller Satisfaction Study.

The 10th annual study measured customer satisfaction among the nation's largest real estate brokerage companies and their agents through March and April. Overall satisfaction was gauged across five factors of the real estate process: agent/salesperson, closing process, real estate company marketing, real estate company office, and package of additional services. The study was based on responses from 4,170 consumers.

Among repeat home sellers, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices scored 858 on a 1,000-point scale, performing particularly well in the categories agent/sales person, closing process, and real estate company marketing.

"Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices stands for top-quality real estate representation in markets across America," said Gino Blefari, CEO and president of the network. "We're proud to accept this award, as it spotlights the exemplary service network agents and their brokerages provide every day."

The ranking 'highest for repeat home seller satisfaction' speaks volumes," Blefari added. "Repeat home sellers have been through the real estate process before and have a clear understanding of the work and expertise involved in a successful home sale. This type of satisfaction means Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network agents are excelling when it comes to communicating with clients, and listing and marketing clients' homes. That's the 'heavy lifting' of real estate."

J.D. Power's study yielded several key findings about the real estate process. Among them:

• An agent's relationship with a buyer is the most important factor in determining customer satisfaction. For sellers, marketing of the home is the most important factor, as it is the most visible way for the seller to gauge the agent's support.

• Satisfaction is strongly influenced by the amount of time agents invest in keeping customers informed vs. when they are not kept informed. Among first-time buyers and sellers, satisfaction is 117 points higher among buyers and 93 points higher among sellers. Among repeat buyers and sellers, satisfaction is 210 points higher among buyers and 192 points higher among sellers when they receive a timely response to questions and concerns vs. when they do not.

• Word-of-mouth remains important: First-time home buyers and sellers report good reputation and recommendations from friends, family, and colleagues as the two main reasons for selecting a real estate company.

• “With the real estate market remaining strong, it is more important than ever that agents, buyers, and sellers focus on the trade basics, especially for first-timers," said Greg Truex, senior director of the athome practice at J.D. Power. "When agents remain transparent, informative, and responsive, they can greatly impact customer satisfaction, and increase agent reputation and recommendations."

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Gallo Realty features offices in Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, and Bethany Beach. Visit www.GoToGallo.com.