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REIA makes a great neighbor in Atlanta  | | Walking through this Atlanta REIA entrance puts you directly in front of the HomeVestors office. | | What if you had direct access to 3,000 potential investors who walked past your office on a regular basis? That's the situation for Resource Properties, Inc. in Atlanta. Resource Properties' search for new office space led its owners to the perfect location for attracting the attention of investors -- the lobby of the building owned by the Georgia Real Estate Investors Association (GAREIA). The Georgia chapter of REIA has one of the largest memberships in the U.S., and was happy to lease its lobby space to HomeVestors. "This is the most intelligent place for a HomeVestors office to be located," says Sheri Torres, co-owner of Resource Properties. "Their members are constantly in the building taking courses and conducting business. We have daily exposure to the active investor base. There's always a flurry of activity going on and we're right in the middle of it." The high-profile office space is just inside the REIA entrance, making Torres and her business partner, Scott Friedman, highly visible to members.  | | The REIA information counter is directly across from the HomeVestors office. | | "The space is very strategic, and we are lucky to have it," says Torres, who has been a HomeVestors franchisee since 2002. "We prominently feature a large display rack on our front wall with color flyers of properties for sale. Investors actively peruse it and are frequently stopping in to ask about buying and selling properties. "Our ideal space was in this building," Torres continues. "Because of the changing market, we knew we wanted to attract investors. So we decided to move away from a traditional retail space to an office. It's harder to sell retail right now, so we put our office in a place that would increase our wholesale business. We're doing what we need to change with the times and the market." Sharing building space has not only put Resource Properties front and center with investors, but is also helping HomeVestors build a relationship with REIA. Torres says an added benefit is the increased awareness of HomeVestors within the entire investor community. "It's opened all kinds of opportunities," says Torres. "As a result of our business officing in the Georgia REIA headquarters, HomeVestors was invited to become the official sponsor of the annual real estate investor's convention, and HomeVestors President and CEO John Hayes was invited to be the keynote speaker for the group's annual convention. HomeVestors was prominently featured at a three-day convention that attracted investors from all over Georgia. This was another great opportunity to promote our brand to the investor community for the entire Atlanta council." . . . The Real Estate Investors Association has chapters nationwide. For information on getting involved with your state's REIA chapter, visit nationalreia.com
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