Not surprisingly, RE/MAX dominated the list. A breakdown of the national brands that made the list (19 companies were ranked):
RE/MAX: 6
Coldwell Banker: 1
Keller Williams: 1
Prudential: 1
Century 21: 0

The top five:
Long & Foster
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
RE/MAX Allegiance
McEnearney
Prudential Carruthers

The magazine commissioned Harris/Decima to conduct 1,500 online surveys among a random sample of its panel members. The survey was conducted between October 2 – 15, 2009.

The survey focused on three areas: which brands survey participants trusted most in each brand category, drivers of brand reputation and the impact of Readers Digest’s Trusted Brand seal.

Consumers picked the brands they trust the most in 28 different categories including allergy relief, credit card, gas retailer and ground coffee, and ultimately selected this year’s winners.

They are:

•           Air Canada (Airline)

•           Claritin (Allergy Relief)

•           RBC Royal Bank AND TD Canada Trust (Bank/Credit Union)

•           Duracell (Batteries)

•           Kellogg’s (Breakfast Cereal)

•           Buckley’s (Cough/Cold Remedies)

•           Visa (Credit Card)

•           Canon (Digital Camera)

•           Secret (Female Deodorant)

•           Robin Hood (Flour)

•           Gas Retailer ESSO

•           Maxwell House (Ground Coffee)

•           Sony (Home Entertainment)

•           Best Western and Holiday Inn (Hotel Chain)

•           Breyers and Chapman’s (Ice Cream)

•           Sun Life (Life Insurance)

•           Old Spice (Male Deodorant)

•           Becel (Margarine)

•           BlackBerry (Mobile Devices)

•           Apple (Mobile Entertainment)

•           Toyota (Passenger Car manufacturer)

•           Iams (Pet Food)

•           Ford (Cough/Cold Remedies)

•           RE/MAX (Residential Realtor)

•           Campbell’s (Soup)

•           Pepto-Bismol (Stomach Ailment Remedy)

•           Coppertone (Sunscreen Skin Protection)

•           Ford and Toyota (SUV Manufacturer)

Reader’s Digest increased the number of product categories from 18 to 28 this year to include breakfast cereal, coffee, hotel chains and residential realtors. The decision was based upon the success of last year’s poll and to fall in line with the magazine’s Trusted Brands program in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America, said Larry Thomas, Toronto-based vice-president and publisher for Reader’s Digest Canada.

Winners are entitled to use the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand seal on its packaging and advertising, said Thomas.

According to the survey, 49% of Canadians would trust a product more if it had the Trusted Brand seal, and 44% say they’re more likely to purchase a product if it has the seal.

The results are featured in the May 2010 issues of Reader’s Digest and Sélection du Reader’s Digest as well as on ReadersDigest.ca and Selection.ca.

Danette Lynch    Ashburn
Jill Durante    Burke
Barbara Mandley    Burke
Brenda Riffe    Burke
Narda Rodriguez    Burke
Susan Whittenberg    Burke
John Berger    Cheaspeake
Patty Cohen    Cheaspeake
Barbara Glover    Cheaspeake
Trent Roberts    Cheaspeake
Lisa Saunders    Chesapeake
Sam Simmons    Cheaspeake
Bob Smith    Cheaspeake
Jamie Lancaster    Chesapeake
Lamar Simmons    Dale City
Carl Smith    Dale City
Rob Bergman    DC
Jerry Johnson    DC
Steve Pflasterer    DC
Joyce Wehrle    DC
Diana Cianto    Franconia
Eduardo Espichan    Franconia
Brent Sykes    Franconia
Susan Beuchert    Fredericksburg
Alberta Davis    Fredericksburg
Gloria Banks    Kingstowne
Denise Buck    Kingstowne
Carlos Chacon    Lee Highway
Rob Ferguson    Leesburg Pike
Ellen McRae    Leesburg Pike
Will  Carder    Redmill
Marianne KcKittrick    Reston
Bud First Richmond
Eli Rich Richmond
Phyllis Bledsoe Virginia Beach
Willie Colston Virginia Beach
Kathy Elliott Virginia Beach
Vic Esposito Virginia Beach
Jorge Gonzalez Virginia Beach
Lynn Hume Virginia Beach
Dave Macklin Virginia Beach
Lamar Raker Virginia Beach
Judy Reed Virginia Beach
Fred Ritchie Virginia Beach
Gerry Sessor Virginia Beach
Jackie Szpiech Virginia Beach
Roy Ward Virginia Beach
AJ Williamson Virginia Beach
Jim Casamento    Staff
Carolyn Deese    Staff
Christine Finklestein    Staff
Elizabeth Flaherty    Staff
Bruce McGarry    Staff
Jen McLean    Staff
Marian Petersen    Staff
Debbie Riordan    Staff
Jackie Shively    Staff

Individuals:

3. Willie H. Colston, RE/MAX Allegiance, Virginia Beach, VA

42. Jake Sullivan, RE/MAX Allegiance, Mclean, VA

56. Thomas S. Buerger, RE/MAX Allegiance, Washington, DC

Teams:

9. Vicki Nellis, RE/MAX Allegiance, Burke, VA

44. Tom Faison, RE/MAX Allegiance, Washington, DC

59. Lonnie S. Bush, RE/MAX First, Virginia Beach, VA

70. Robert T. Ferguson, RE/MAX Allegiance, Alexandria, VA

When giving home buyers monetary help, do it by the book

Loudoun County- Big dreams, small tax base, growing community

We Are Stable
While our competition has cut major services, closed offices with one day’s notice, increased referral fees and rolled back commission splits, we have weathered this economic downturn with little service impact and no fee increases to Associates.

Our Associate count has stabilized and our transaction counts, through the first quarter, were about even with 2009.

The company is debt free and RE/MAX International is going strong, continuing to sell franchises in dozens of countries throughout the world.

We Are Growing
We’re proud and pleased to be building new office spaces in Virginia Beach and Woodbridge to replace some of our older offices. Both new, state of the art, offices should open later this year.

We’re aggressively pursuing recruiting and acquisition opportunities, realizing that controlled growth based on logic is the way to go.

We Are Progressive
RE/MAX Allegiance is the most progressive real estate company in our markets and is more progressive than most real estate companies worldwide. I attend real estate conferences across the country and am often struck when I hear about the newest service, only to realize that Allegiance has been doing it for years or tried it and improved upon it. Sometimes we try services that do not work out as planned. I have no regrets, as we are always looking to improve on what we do, take risks and set ourselves apart from the competition. I believe that consistently doing nothing is far worse than trying new things, most of which work out as planned.

In 2009, we added services, brought in renowned speakers and organized what was widely recognized as our best company convention ever. We continue to have the most robust education program of any real estate company that I know of.

Because we’re progressive, RE/MAX Allegiance wholeheartedly supports NAR’s Second Century initiatives, including Realtors Property Resourcee (RPR).

We Excel at Premier Community Citizenship

Over half of our Associates participate in Children’s Miracle Network’s Honor Program and helped raise nearly $150,000 for local children’s hospitals in 2009. This amount exceeded donations the previous ten years combined and was more than any RE/MAX company in the Central Atlantic Region raised last year. Additionally, we have a seat on the local RE/MAX Advisory Council for Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.

Many Associates contribute their time to numerous community organizations throughout our markets including, in 2009, participating in ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

We Are Leaders
We have many Associates, Brokers and Executives in positions of leadership within local, state and national Realtor Associations, including more members of the Virginia Association of Realtors’ Board of Directors than any other company.

We’re members of RE/MAX International’s Premier Broker Group and one of RealTrends’ CEO groups. Additionally, we will be one of the first real estate companies to join RisMedia’s Real Estate Information Network in the coming months.

We Are Still Number One
I am pleased to report that, in two different and widely read real estate industry surveys, RE/MAX Allegiance remained the Number One Selling RE/MAX Company in 2009. Other RE/MAX franchises have more Associates, but nobody outsells RE/MAX Allegiance.

We Are RE/MAX Allegiance!
All of the owners are excited about the direction of our company and look forward to ever increasing opportunities as they present themselves. As always, I am open to suggestions and ideas that you may have. Together we will continue to be the Number One Selling RE/MAX Company in the World!

Leaders from various industries such as government, lending, insurance, investment, construction and real estate, made the list. Liniger is included with heavy hitters such as U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FHA Commissioner Dave Stevens and others.

Liniger was among just two leaders from real estate brokerages who were featured on the list (the other was the Realogy CEO). Liniger was lauded for encouraging more than 10,000 RE/MAX agents to earn the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation in 2009. He also played an integral role in lobbying government leaders to create legislative policies aimed specifically at extending the Homebuyer Tax Credit and streamlining Short Sales.

20+ Tips: Award Winners Tell All

Here are 22 success strategies from some of the network’s top producers in 2009:

“Do more of the things you do well, and don’t worry about everything else.”
– Phil Bolin (ABR, CDPE, CRS, SRES), RE/MAX Allegiance, Alexandria, Va. (Platinum Club)

“First and foremost, stay associated with RE/MAX. Have a positive attitude and surround yourself with good people. Also, work to stay in touch with past clients.”
– Ken Brown (CERP), RE/MAX Performance Realty, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Platinum Club)

“Nothing ever works right away, so you have to be consistent and give yourself a chance to hit a stride.”
– Barry Cohen (CREA), RE/MAX Realtron Realty, Toronto, Ontario (Diamond Award)

“Be honest and sincere. Buyers and sellers can sense it, and when they do, they will refer you to their family and friends.”
– Vito Ettorre, RE/MAX Excellence Realty, Woodbridge, Ontario (Hall of Fame)

“It’s time for back-to-the-basics prospecting, Brian Buffini said the same thing this morning. You need to prospect for a couple hours every day, no matter what else is going on. It’s how you get the leads. It’s not an easy thing to do. You have to commit to it.”
– Fred Evans (CLHMS, CDPE), RE/MAX Gold Coast, Ventura, Calif. (Chairman’s Club)

“I never miss a RE/MAX Convention, and this is No. 18 in a row. If you don’t come, you don’t learn and you don’t improve. You can take the strategies you learn and pick three to try right away, then pick three more and three more. Just start somewhere, and you’ll be running in no time. And only work with people who love you, because they’ll tell other people that they love you.”
– Frank Gerbes (ABR, CDPE, CRS, SRES), RE/MAX Benchmark Realty Group, New Windsor, N.Y. (Lifetime Achievement Award, Platinum Club)

“Make sure you follow up with everyone and everything.”
– Kristi Idol, RE/MAX Preferred Properties, Kernersville, N.C. (Platinum Club)

“Don’t go on holiday. You think I’m joking but I’m not. At the end of ’08 I knew it was going to be a tough year, so I pledged to work nonstop. I had my best year ever under very difficult circumstances.”
– Michael Joseph, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (Chairman’s Club)

“It’s 100 percent about personality, so socialize with your clients – get to know them. If you stay down to earth, you’ll make the most valuable connections.”
– Vesna Kolenc, RE/MAX Excellence Realty, Woodbridge, Ontario (Diamond Award)

“Organize your schedule. Work on your paperwork in the morning and spend every afternoon with customers and prospects. Also, always have a smile on your face.”
– Michel Noreau (CREA), RE/MAX Vision, Gatineau, Quebec (Platinum Club)

“Focus on the basic fundamentals: calling past clients, prospecting for new business with FSBOs and expireds, and following up on leads. Also, educate yourself and try to learn from your peers.”
– Eric Pakulla, RE/MAX Advantage Realty, Columbia, Md. (Diamond Award)

“Create a business plan and have a system in place where someone holds you accountable.”
– Mark Parris (ABR, CLHMS, CDPE, CRS, e-Pro), RE/MAX Renaissance, Peoria, Ariz.

“You have to work smarter, not harder. Have systems in place and anticipate changes in the market. They come every day.”
– Josephine Pierce (CDPE, CRS, SRES), RE/MAX Realty Team, Cape Coral, Fla. (Chairman’s Club)

“Having goals in No. 1. Track your production and know where you’re going and where you’ve been. If you have a plan to get where you want to go, you’re sure to get there.”
– Sheila Rafuse (ABR, ASP), RE/MAX Nova, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (Platinum Club)

“Live the business. Go 24/7 and do whatever it takes.”
– Jim Rossi, RE/MAX 2000, Crete, Ill. (Hall of Fame, 100 Percent Club)

“Get a coach. We’re coached by Buffini and Company; if you work the system it works for you. We go to Brian’s training sessions all the time. He’s changed our careers.”
– Chris Ruszkiewicz (Hall of Fame, 100 Percent Club) and Steven Westrick (Hall of Fame, 100 Percent Club), RE/MAX Realty 100, Hales Corners, Wisc.

“Always surround yourself with people you think are better than you. If you are the top dog, you’ll never get better. If you’re the middle fish, you have somewhere to go.”
– Julie Salinas (CDPE), RE/MAX Gold, Fresno, Calif. (Hall of Fame, Chairman’s Club)

“Listen to your customers. It’s that simple.”
– Colleen Sample (CDPE), RE/MAX of Stuart, Stuart, Fla. (Hall of Fame)

“Be really genuine, considerate and easy-going. Always follow up and if you say you’re going to do something, make sure you do it.”
– Tamara Siemens, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (Hall of Fame, Platinum Club)

“Consistency is vital. Keep doing what you’re doing if it’s working out for you.”
– Pat Slack (ABR, CDPE, CRS), RE/MAX Pros, Oklahoma City, Okla.(Platinum Club)

“I do it because I love the work and I love my clients. Focus on service.”
– Madeleine Sollazzo, RE/MAX 2000, Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec (Lifetime Achievement Award, Chairman’s Club)

“Keep working and never give up. Get organized and keep an agenda, and always return calls and e-mails.”
– Danny Wai, RE/MAX Real Estate (Mountain View), Calgary, Alberta (Platinum Club)

“You have to concentrate on networking as well as social media to build up ambassadors for your business.”
– Jorgen Warberg (CIPS), RE/MAX Goteborg City, Gothenburg, Sweden (100 Percent Club)

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