Top Franchises Honored At Annual Convention

HVA franchisees showed no obstacles were too big on awards night in Vegas By Monica Feid Monica Feid The awards stage at the 12th Annual Convention was full of success stories. And the successes were no accident. The top franchisees for 2008 were a textbook case for the results of good goal-setting. They were also the perfect example of why everyone should have a target to shoot for in 2009. “Do not leave this convention without setting your goals for 2009,” HVA President and CEO John Hayes told franchisees in the general session. Then Awards night showed why. NOSARA ON PAPER “If you don’t believe in miracles, you can believe in them now,” said Todd Reid of Nosara in Atlanta, GA, who won the Top Seller Award, the Most Improved Office Award, second place Top Closer Award and the prestigious UG Cup. “Eighteen months ago I was broke, so never lose faith,” Reid shared. At the 2007 convention in Orlando, Reid boldly listed his plans to buy 72 houses this year. Then he ramped up an office that closed on 112 homes instead.  Todd and Lilian Reed are recognized for their success at the Annual Convention. CONVENTION PHOTO GALLERY   Nosara Buyer Terri Clair won the 2008 Top Buyer Award with 85 buys alone! A franchisee since November, 2003, Nosara had averaged just 36 buys a year for the first four years. Then the company put pen to paper, shot for a target and exceeded its goal by 64 percent. BETTER BY THE YEAR Another shining star on awards night belonged to Jeff and Kim Drake of Motor City Home Buyers in Detroit, MI. As standout veterans of the system, they’ve graced the convention stage before. But this year they were the only franchisee to be recognized with the Rising Star Award for the fourth year in a row. The award recognizes franchisees that increased the number of purchase closings from one convention year to the next. So for anyone who questions staying up in a down market, look no further than Detroit. While the U.S. automakers may be asking for a federal bailout, the Drakes are already providing some fantastic rescuing of their own. FOUNDER'S AWARD Some of the best performances in 2008 also came from franchisees who set goals to rescue themselves. In fact, Eddie Gant of Advantage House Buyers in Houston, TX, said the way he changed his business also saved his business. It was all about sales! After building a sales team in-house, which today includes five people, Eddie and Debbie Gant drastically improved their numbers for buying, rehabbing and retailing their inventory--often to first-time homebuyers. A franchisee since June 1999, they’ve sold 428 houses. But a whopping 92 of those sales were this year, earning them the second place Top Seller Award. Eddie and Debbie Gant receive the Founder's Award during the Annual Convention CONVENTION PHOTO GALLERY   In the process, they also closed on the 35,000th house for the HVA network in 2008. But it was their third trip to the awards stage that topped off a truly great year. Through sheer will to persist in business, to mentor countless others, to champion the system, and to evolve along with their market, Eddie and Debbie received the coveted Founder’s Award, the highest honor at the HVA convention. Not surprisingly, while Advantage House Buyers embraced huge change and growing pains within, the Gants always found time to ask, ”What can we do to help you?” Hayes said. The Gants embodied the giving spirit that Founder Ken D’Angelo, himself, often displayed. And HVA is a better company as a result. Following is a look at this year's top award winners: THE UG CUP - Nosara, Atlanta, GA The UG Cup is presented to the franchisee that best demonstrates how the HVA franchise  system should be implemented and stands as an example to all franchisees. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR These franchisees opened for business between October 2007 and September 2008 and reported the most activity per month in purchase closings, purchase contracts, and sales contracts, out-performing all other franchisees that opened in the same period. 1. Hickory Capital Partners, Rochester, NY 2. ABC Home Services, Richmond, VA 3. Cardinal Property Investments, Philadelphia, PA TOP 10 CLOSERS These franchisees closed on the most properties in the 2008 convention year. Major Market 1. Cal Mat Properties, Ft. Worth, TX, 114 properties closed 2. Nosara, Inc., Atlanta, GA, 112 3. WFI Properties, Houston, TX, 107 4. C&C Residential Properties, Dallas, TX, 101 5. Advantage House Buyers, Houston, TX, 92 6. Corporate Properties, Inc. Denver, CO, 78 7. CityScape Properties, Kansas City, KS 96 8. Mull Properties, Oklahoma City, OK, 69 9. The Real Advantage, Dallas, TX, 67 10. Stieferman Investments, Tulsa, OK, 64 Junior Market 1. RP Investment Group, Columbus, GA, 58 2. Springfield Property Management, Inc., Springfield, MO, 49 3. Florida Coast Homes, Panama City, FL, 46 TOP SELLERS Major Market 1. Nosara, Inc., Atlanta, GA, 99 properties sold 2. Advantage House Buyers, Inc., Houston, TX, 92 3. Cal Mat Properties, Ft. Worth, TX, 89 4. C&C Residential Properties, Inc., Dallas, TX 85 5. Alliance Realty Services, St. Louis, MO, 66 6. Meadow Wood Homes, Inc., Dallas, TX, 65 7. RP Investment Group, Columbus, GA, 64 8. Stieferman Investments, Tulsa, OK, 60 9. The Real Advantage, Inc., Dallas, 59 10.  Metro Properties, Denver, CO, 57 Junior Market 1. RP Investment Group, Columbus, GA, 64 properties sold 2. Florida Coast Homes, Panama City, FL, 44 3. Abbott Real Estate Investment Group, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, 40 Top Buyers (non-franchise) 1. Terri Clair, Nosara, Inc., 64 properties purchased 2. Jason Petree, C&C Residential Properties, Inc., 60 3. Brian Loughridge, Springfield Property Management, 58 BEST CUSTOMERS These franchisees best followed the HVA system and generated the most annual gross profit for HVA, including transaction fees, advertising commissions and finance fees. 1. Florida Coast Homes, Panama City, FL 2. SNL Realty, Chicago, IL 3. STW Holdings, Charlotte, NC 4. C&C Residential Properties, Inc., Dallas, TX 5. WFI Properties, Inc., Houston, TX 6. DIS Partners, Houston, TX 7. Cifaldi Property Investments, Philadelphia, PA 8. Abbott Real Estate Investment Group, Ft. Walton Beach, FL 9. Wiley Properties, Newark, NJ 10. Metro Properties, Denver, CO MOST IMPROVED OFFICE 1. Nosara, Atlanta, GA 2. Corporate Properties, Denver, CO 3. Metro Properties, Denver, CO        RISING STAR AWARD Four years progressive growth Jeff and Kim Drake, Motor City Home Buyers Three years progressive growth Ascent Properties, Inc., Salt Lake City, UT Cifaldi Property Investments, Inc., Philadelphia, PA Jireh Construction & Development Group, Inc., West Palm Beach, FL Kingsgate, Brevard County, FL WFI Properties, Inc., Houston, TX Two years progressive growth C&C Residential Properties, Inc., Dallas, TX Corporate Properties, Inc., Denver, CO Mull Properties, Oklahoma City, OK Peloton Properties, Milwaukee, WI Springfield Property Management, Inc., Springfield, MO One year progressive growth Bickford Construction II, Inc., Norfolk, VA CityScape Properties, Kansas City, MO Freshwater Affiliated Holdings, Asheville, NC Goldmine Properties, Sarasota, FL Greensboro Investment Homes, Greensboro, NC Home Buyers of River City, Jacksonville, FL HomeBuyers of Wilmington, Wilmington, NC HomePro Denver, Denver, CO Metro Properties, Inc., Denver, CO NorPeg Investments, Inc., Dallas, TX Nosara, Inc., Atlanta, GA Oaken Bucket Properties, Ft. Worth, TX Premier Home Network, Minneapolis, MN R.D. & S.J. Properties, El Paso, TX Select Equity Investments, Inc., Minneapolis, MN The Orion Group, Inc., Charlotte, NC WRO Corp. dba Prospect Properties, San Antonio, TX . . .Monica Feid is vice president of BizCom Associates, HVA’s public relations agency.