JD Power Survey Ranks PRUDENTIAL #1 with Sellers!

“Among both home buyers and home sellers, the importance of agents and salespersons has increased
substantially in 2010, compared with 2009,” said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction
practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “Buyers are increasingly relying upon negotiating skills of agents and seem
to be satisfied with the purchase prices they are obtaining. Despite the fact that selling agents appear to be doing a
good job of negotiating and marketing on behalf of home sellers, the tough economic conditions are negatively
impacting their overall satisfaction with real estate companies.”
In the home-buyer segment, Keller Williams ranks highest for a third consecutive year, with a score of 817 on a
1,000-point scale. Keller Williams performs particularly well in the agent and office factors. Following in the
rankings are Prudential (811) and Coldwell Banker (805). Prudential performs well in the additional services
category.
Among home sellers, Prudential ranks highest with a score of 760 and performs particularly well in the marketing
and agent factors. Prudential is the only company to improve in home-seller satisfaction in 2010, compared with
2009. Following Prudential in the rankings are Keller Williams (751) and RE/MAX (744). Keller Williams
performs particularly well in the office factor.
The study finds that fewer than one-half of home buyers and sellers indicate their agent asked them to provide a
referral or recommendation to a friend or family member.
“Positive recommendations are a critically important driver of new business for agents, and there is ample
opportunity for improvement in this area,” said Howland. “Particularly during tough times in the real estate
market, asking for referrals and recommendations should be considered an essential part of doing business.”