These accolades follow Franchise Business Review naming NextHome No. 1 on their list of the Top Franchises based on owner satisfaction for 2022 in the country. This is the second year in a row for NextHome earning the No. 1 standing.
Franchise Business Review, a research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction, provides the only ratings of franchises based solely on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Franchise Business Review publishes annual rankings of the top franchises in its Guide to Today’s Top Franchises, as well as guides throughout the year ranking the top franchises in specific sectors. They analyzed data from over 30,000 franchise owners representing more than 300 brands regarding their overall satisfaction with their brand and their likelihood to recommend it to others.
“Owner satisfaction, profitability, and long-term return on your investment are three of the most critical factors anyone should consider before investing in any franchise business,” said Eric Stites, founder and CEO of Franchise Business Review. “If you take the time to do your research, you have a much better chance of finding a franchise that offers both a strong financial opportunity, as well as extremely high satisfaction among their franchise owners. Our goal is to provide an independent rating of franchise opportunities from the perspective of current franchisees.”
NextHome has been recognized in all three of these categories in the past, and continuing to excel in each shows true consistency and dedication. Even as the eight-year-old franchise continues to grow at an impressive rate, having reached 600 office locations this year, the core values remain the same, to enrich lives by helping people find their next home. In so many ways, the franchise has felt like home to those who have joined.
“Founding a company, one can only dream that it will not only be successful, but that its members are happy,” said James Dwiggins, Chief Executive Officer of NextHome. “Having been recognized by Franchise Business Review over the past few years, it’s very rewarding to see the different reasons why our franchisees are fulfilled to be part of the NextHome family.”
NextHome is thrilled that its franchisees have found the opportunity innovative, profitable, and a great option for veterans.
Interested in being a part of NextHome Lifestyles? Contact Broker/Owner Brad Gill at 408-204-7699.
Each office is an independently owned and operated business.
NextHome is thrilled to share that the real estate franchise has reached a new benchmark of 600 active offices across the country, with 5,400 active members, in 48 states. Launched in 2014, the orange-fueled franchise has consistently grown, earning it the title of one of the country’s fastest-growing companies by The Financial Times and Inc. Magazine multiple times.
While NextHome has continued to grow over the years, it hasn’t lost its focus on growing with the right people. What it all boils down to is the one-of-a-kind NextHome culture.
“What started off as an idea for a real estate franchise with a human-first business model has grown to be just that, and we’ve partnered with the best real estate professionals and technology companies that align with that vision,” said James Dwiggins, Chief Executive Officer of NextHome. “Even as we continue to grow, our core value has remained the same, we’re here to put Humans Over Houses.”
In the short eight years of being in the ever-changing real estate industry, NextHome has accomplished impressive accolades along the way allowing it to stand out from the crowd (the bright orange branding could also be a reason). One of the most impressive, and the ranking they’re most proud of, was NextHome being named The No. 1 Franchise In The Country by Franchise Business Review in 2021 and 2022.
“A franchise is only as strong as its members, and while hard work is indicative of that, it’s the people behind the transformation that have made NextHome successful,” said Charis Moreno, Vice President of Sales of NextHome. “We’ve curated a company that doesn’t accept just any interested franchisee to ensure the NextHome way is consistent across all offices. While being the head of sales at NextHome, seeing our numbers continually shift up is great, but I’m most proud of those numbers being people who want to be under the NextHome banner and reflect our values.”
Like you value the consistency of your favorite chain-brand coffee wherever you are, buyers and sellers seeking a real estate professional will find the same top-of-class branding, technology, and care from a NextHome agent wherever they are.
NextHome extends a huge thank you to its members, the doers in the industry making a difference in the lives of the people in their communities.
Interested in being a part of the NextHome Lifestyles Team? Call Broker/Owner Brad Gill at 408-204-7699 or by email at Brad@NextHomeLifestyles.com.
Each office is an independently owned and operated business.
Jim and Charea Bustamante are an average middle-class couple who just happen to live in the fourth least affordable housing market in the world.
“We are regular working people,” Jim said. “I work in health insurance and Charea works as a middle school administrator. It is still bizarre to me that we were able to buy our beautiful home in San Jose.”
According to the 2022 Demographia International Housing Affordability Report, the chasm between average income and average home prices in San Jose is the fourth widest in the world. Only Vancouver, Sydney, and Hong Kong have home prices farther out of reach for the average local.
“Because we knew all this, we weren’t serious when we started going to open houses about two years ago,” Charea said. “We were just having fun window shopping and dreaming.”
The more they looked, the more tempting that dream of homeownership became.
“I started thinking seriously about buying,” Jim said. “When I retire, I don’t want to have increasing rent. Plus the mortgage rates were really good and we had saved some money, so we started preparing more seriously.”
It took a while to become ready, but Charea dove into the process with her characteristic passion and drive once they were.
“She looked extensively at real estate agents, did her research, and found Wajiha Tareen with NextHome Lifestyles,” Jim said.
“Wajiha was so patient with us,” Charea added. “She was so easygoing, and it was obvious that she was not here just to make a commission, but she was invested in helping two first-time homebuyers find something that would work well for us.”
Unfortunately, that perfect home was elusive.
“We quickly learned how intense this market is,” Jim said. “We bid on a couple of homes and felt we were offering the perfect bid. Unfortunately, these houses were flying off the market, often for hundreds of thousands more than asking price. We were losing out on bids because other people came in with 70 percent cash. I mean, we can’t do that. What hope would we have against people with that kind of money?”
The excitement of each offer was followed by the letdown of rejection, time and time again.
“They told us not to feel married to a house until the papers are signed, and the keys are in your hand,” Jim said. “But that’s hard. You are bidding an obscene amount of money you have been saving for years. Home buying is a long-term commitment, it’s life-changing. It’s almost like proposing. It’s hard to muster up the courage to ask for something so big, then take that rejection hit repeatedly.”
Through each rejection, Charea remained driven. She relentlessly looked at new listings, eventually noticing a house nearing one whole week on the market.
“It was only a week, but in San Jose, that is a long time,” Charea said.
“There was no open house, so we contacted Wajiha and asked to see if it was even still available,” Jim added.
It was, so Jim, Charea, and Wajiha arranged a time to stop by.
“The seller worked night shifts and slept during the day, making it hard to show the house,” Wajiha explained. “He was there when Jim and Charea came to look at it.”
“It felt like I was invading his privacy,” Jim said. “His daughter was there too, and we didn’t want to make her feel bad by looking in her closets. All their stuff was still in the house. He ended up being a nice guy, but we could see why the barriers to showing this house made it stay on the market longer.”
“It was a perfectly fine house, but not our style,” Charea explained. “The owner had lived there for 17 years, painted it, and arranged things in a unique way to him and his style. To us, it still felt like it was his house. We didn’t have the opportunity to explore the home and see it with vision. I couldn’t see myself in it because it was still someone else’s with all their lives still happening there. I was hesitant; what if we get this and another home comes up that is better?”
Despite the unknown, the house itself ticked all the items on Jim and Charea’s “must-haves” list.
“We wanted two stories, at least two bathrooms, to live in a certain zip code and be in a good neighborhood,” Jim said. “Although it was hard to see ourselves living here, the house fit all those things.”
And so they offered once again, this time pending a pre-inspection.
“We believed that God had a plan for us, and between the price being perfect and the time working out, we thought that with a leap of faith this house might be the answer to our prayers,” Jim said.
With the bid accepted, and a clean pre-inspection, the days ticked down to closing day when a final walk-through was scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
“He still hadn’t moved out,” Jim said. “Honestly, when this is your first time doing this, all the worst-case scenarios run through your mind. I wondered if he would possibly take advantage of the eviction moratorium and not move out. It sounds crazy, but at this point, I was so stressed that anything was possible. Our lease on our apartment was almost up, and I was scared that we might end up back at square one.”
Jim and Charea were determined not to sign papers until the house was vacant and they could look at it.
“Since this is our first time buying a house, we don’t know what should be happening,” Jim said. “The stress level is outrageous. They are giving me a timeline, but things aren’t going accordingly. On top of that, the notary was pressuring us, telling me that we would be breaching a contract if we didn’t sign that day. It was scary.”
The couple waited on pins and needles.
Seven-thirty came and went. Then eight.
Finally, at 8:30 p.m., they got the call that the house was vacant. After taking a closer look at the now-empty home, Jim and Charea signed the closing papers after 9 p.m.
“I had never been so excited to have money come out of my checking account,” Charea said.
“I didn’t feel like it was ours until I had the keys and could walk in whenever I wanted,” Jim said. “It was surreal for a while like we were in someone else’s house.”
“Wajiha brought us a little cake along with the keys,” Charea said. “It was a great moment.”
“My dad is a contractor, he and my sister helped paint everything,” Charea added. “No one else in my immediate family has ever been a homeowner. I wanted my dad to have a piece of this home. Dad put in a backsplash in the kitchen. We got a new refrigerator and put new door knobs on. I needed to have something new in the house to make it feel like mine, and now it does.”
“We are still amazed that we got this house,” Jim said. “We have never heard of another home in San Jose that sold like this, for just the asking price. We took a leap of faith, and remarkably we can now say that we are homeowners in San Jose!”
My house was on the market for 64 days before I connected with Sonia Vu with NextHome Lifestyles. It was 2019, and although homes were flying off the market, mine wasn’t getting much attention. I was working with an agent, but he specialized in a different market and was busy. So I was doing showings on my own.
After being on the market for that many days, I noticed the house two doors down was up for sale, and was getting a lot of attention. I got nosey and discovered that Sonia was the agent who was handling that sale. I met with her and explained my situation. There were important reasons why I needed to sell.
My husband had passed away two years previously. I had no intention of moving, but then my financial advisor asked me to look at my reverse mortgage out of the blue. That wasn’t a part of his purview, but I am glad he brought it up. My husband had set it up before he passed, and this bright financial advisor discovered that I owed close to $500,000. Reverse mortgages can look like a good deal, but nobody reads the fine print. Unless I wanted to stay in this home until I passed and leave my house to the bank, I needed to move. The longer I was in the home, the more I owed.
I went on the market immediately but didn’t sell until after Sonia came along. She was accommodating, positive, and wanted to help me any way that she could. My existing agent agreed to split the commission with Sonia, and she got to work.
I noticed an immediate difference.
The energy that she brought to the process helped. She remained positive, outgoing, and was very respectful of everybody who came through the door. That made a huge difference.
Sonia talked with me about the price – I was apparently priced a little high. She suggested a few minor upgrades that would make the house more appealing.
She also convinced me to trust her with open houses. I had an unpleasant experience with an open house during a previous home sale, but I trusted Sonia. She was always available, always on time, and she always made sure that nobody went through the house without her being there. Sonia stepped in and advocated for me when buyer’s agents were difficult. She handled everything with grace, and I trusted her to be my representative when the buyer’s agent came to the negotiating table with more problems than solutions.
After the second open house, I got a full-price offer! I was able to pay off the reverse mortgage and had enough leftover to pay cash for my new home in Carmichael.
Sonia’s advocacy for me didn’t end there.
While working through the sale, she asked if I had recently paid for an appraisal. There were so many things I had already paid for, an appraisal seemed like a low priority. However, I heeded her advice, and when tax season came, I quickly learned what a remarkable thing she had done for me.
My accountant explained that without an appraisal, I would have owed taxes from the time my husband and I bought until the day I sold it – almost 24 years. That total would have been around $60,000. However, because I had that appraisal from the day my husband passed until I sold the house, I only owed $8,000. I had no idea.
Today, I live a world away from the frantic pace of Silicon Valley. It is calm and quiet. My sister, niece, and her two children are nearby. At 71 years old, I have retired and moved into a new phase of my life. I love where I live. It is huge to be in a situation in life where this is all possible.
I can’t say enough nice things about Sonia. We have remained friends since she sold my home three years ago, and I greatly respect her. I couldn’t have chosen a better person. Sonia just made it so easy.
If you’ve been in real estate for a number of years, then you already understand that a career in real estate is similar to running a marathon, and not a sprint. And if you’re brand new, and you haven’t heard this before, then please pay attention.
When agents first start their careers they put themselves on the real estate rollercoaster. But, being on the rollercoaster like this isn’t very fun as your income is not steady nor predictable.
In order to get off the rollercoaster, you need to establish daily routines in order to keep your future business opportunities steadily flowing.
To be successful in this business, and have time and energy leftover to enjoy a balanced life, it’s incredibly important to build daily routines around the highest priority actions, or those that will produce income.
Let’s talk about what some top agents have built into their daily routines. These agents understand the impact that a daily regiment can have on their overall success. They understand that one small action will build upon another, and after establishing a steady cadence of adopting and executing these actions, they eventually become their routines.
So what are some of these daily routines that you can incorporate into your schedule? And, how can you ensure you stick with them.
First, here’s some rules to help you.
#1. Whatever you do, make sure you add it to your schedule and live by your schedule.
Life is always easier when you know what to expect and schedule time for things that you can’t.
#2. Get things off your plate that you should be doing.
Be sure you’ve found a good transaction coordinator to hire for each of your transactions.
Audit your daily activities for tasks that a TC can accomplish or an assistant might be able to take on for you.
#3. Start small.
Incorporate one new thing into your schedule monthly and be sure you can stick with it.
Once you’ve been able to consistently complete the new task in your schedule then add another.
Have you ever heard the saying that in real estate, your success will not exceed the level of competence you have as a real estate agent?
In other words, if you want to operate your business at a high level within the industry, then you have to invest in the education and training necessary to operate as an agent at that level. This is of course true across all professions. Although, in real estate specifically, it can be a hard truth to hear because we all get so busy working inside our business with showings, appointments, transaction management, and so forth that the average agent doesn’t have room in their schedule to make time for continuing education. And just like any professional at the top echelon of their industries, if you truly want to master your career, become the expert advisor, and truly make a lasting impact in the lives of your clients, then making continuing education and training a cornerstone of your business is an absolute necessity.
“It’s amazing how much you can learn every day in this industry if you’re open to it. I’ve been a real estate professional now for over 18-years, and I still learn new things on a daily basis,” said NextHome Lifestyles broker/owner Brad Gill. “But, I also remind myself to have an open mind every day and look for those learning opportunities. I think that that’s what makes this career so rewarding because it’s very challenging.”
In fact, the real estate market is always changing, and so are the needs of your clients. The difference between being an average agent, and being a true expert, is in your ability to see the change as it’s happening, help your clients prepare for it, and know-how to pivot.
Approach your real estate career with a ‘student for life’ mentality. If you’re not scheduling the time to seek training and continuing education, then make the time. Calling yourself an expert in this industry is something you earn, not something you claim. If you want to be seen as an expert, and open the opportunity to achieve the highest levels of success, then you must invest in the time and training necessary to become it.
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NextHome was recently ranked on Franchise Business Review’s third annual “Culture100” list. The list recognizes the top 100 franchise brands in a 2022 report on the Best Franchise Cultures.
Every company has a culture, whether it is strategically planned or not. A positive culture can favorably impact business productivity, profitability, employee satisfaction, and company growth.
To help understand how franchisees prioritize their company cultures, Franchise Business Review asked over 30,000 franchisees from more than 300 brands a series of 12 specific questions that focused on leadership, core values, honesty, integrity, and overall support.
Franchise Business Review, a franchise market research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction, provides the only rankings of franchises based solely on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Franchise Business Review publishes its rankings of top franchises in its annual Guide to Today’s Top Franchises, as well as in special interest reports throughout the year that identify the top franchises in specific sectors.
“Every franchise organization has a different culture and vibe. Some franchises are more serious and formal, while others are more relaxed and casual,” said Michelle Rowan, President & COO of Franchise Business Review. “A franchise company’s culture – and your potential fit into that culture – should guide your franchise investment decision. Looking at data on how current franchisees rate a brand’s culture will tell you how well the franchise leadership team is executing on the vision of the brand, and how well the community of support staff and franchisees work together to achieve their business objectives. The best place to start is with the brands on this year’s Culture100 list. All of them had an FBR ‘Culture Score’ of 80+ on a 100-point satisfaction scale, putting them in the top quartile of franchises when it comes to culture.”
NextHome and culture go hand in hand, because curating a franchise of diverse voices is a core value of ours. The greatest value of our organization is determined by the diversity, flexibility, and uniqueness of every individual and business within. Our NextHome community is as warm, bright, and bold as the shade of orange that unites NextHomies coast to coast, applying this collective power to support inspired one-on-one real estate transactions.
“Ensuring every brokerage that joins the NextHome franchise is a culture fit is crucial in the onboarding process,” said Charis Moreno, Vice President of Sales at NextHome. “Our success is not only dependent on the success of our franchisees in their business but also their happiness with being a part of the franchise. At NextHome we encourage a culture of collaboration where we cheer each other on, lift each other up, and never leave a NextHomie behind. Our strength is our unity.”
The NextHome real estate franchise was recently featured on the Franchise Business Review charts in two impressive categories. NextHome has been named a Most Profitable Franchise and a Top Franchise for Veterans.
Franchise Business Review, a market research firm that performs independent surveys of franchisee satisfaction, provides the only ranking of franchises based solely on actual franchisee satisfaction and performance. Franchise Business Review publishes rankings of the top franchises in its annual Guide to Today’s Top Franchises, as well as guides throughout the year ranking the top franchises in specific sectors.
NextHome’s franchisees were surveyed on 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems, including training and support, operations, franchisor/franchisee relations, and financial opportunity. Other factors included annual income of franchise owners and minimum startup capital requirement.
To identify the companies on the list of the most profitable franchises, Franchise Business Review analyzed data from over 25,000 franchise owners, representing more than 200 brands regarding their overall satisfaction with their brands and their likelihood to recommend them to others.
“Our franchisee’s businesses can take on pretty much any shape and any size they wish. This is what sets NextHome apart—the flexibility we offer allowing us to be a cost-effective franchise option,” said Charis Moreno, NextHome’s Vice President of Sales. “With one-year and five-year franchise agreements, and zero requirements on office size or agent count, our model supports large brick-and-mortar offices, smaller virtual offices, and everything in between.”
To identify the companies on the list of the best franchises for veterans, Franchise Business Review analyzed data from over 2,500 franchise owners, representing nearly 280 brands regarding their overall satisfaction with their brands and their likelihood to recommend them to others.
NextHome is thrilled to be a franchise opportunity for veterans, and are proud of the veteran NextHome owners who not only have served our country, but also their local communities by helping people find their next home.
“NextHome’s veteran-friendly culture makes it a great franchise to be part of. The support from management to all members has been second to none. I haven’t felt this camaraderie since serving in the Marine Corps.”
Billy Alt, REALTOR® | NextHome Community Real Estate | Veteran of the United States Marine Corps
“The military teaches skills most business owners have to learn the hard way like discipline, leadership, resourcefulness, execution, and the ability to perform under pressure. All these traits make our military a vital pool to the success of any business.”
Tina Maples, Franchise Owner | NextHome Heroes Choice Realty | Veteran of the United States Air Force
NextHome is incredibly grateful to be recognized by Franchise Business Review as a Most Profitable Franchise and a Top Franchise for Veterans. Being a franchise option for all allows or organization to be overflowing with incredible owners, brokers and agents from various backgrounds.
Interested in being a part of the NextHome Lifestyles team? Contact broker/owner Brad Gill at Brad@NextHomeLifestyles.com
Decisions obviously play an important role in where we end up, in who we become, and in how we choose to interact with the world around us. On a typical day, we’re all faced with making roughly 35,000 decisions. No wonder, when someone is thinking about transacting in real estate they choose to seek the help of a professional. If you’re an agent thinking about switching brokerages, or if you’re not licensed and would love to pursue a career in real estate, check us out here: https://www.joinnhl.com/
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In episode 2 of Broker’s Corner, NextHome Lifestyles broker/owner, Brad Gill talks about relationships and the importance of building relationships with clients, especially if you’re in the real estate industry. You’re not going to want to miss this! If you’re an agent thinking about switching brokerages, or if you’re not licensed and would love to pursue a career in real estate, check us out here: https://www.joinnhl.com/
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The customer facing engine that drives all home sales and purchases at NextHome Metro. What could be better than Creating The American Dream on a daily basis?
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Join The NextHomeCity Realty Team
The TL will be primarily focused on maintaining aggressive growth in the number of licensed real estate agents within the organization, with managing the entire leadership team within the NEXTHOME CITY REALTY office, and with building strong consultative relationships with the top agents in the office. The TL will be excellent at casting a big vision and leading their team towards that vision while managing the achievement of critical milestones along the path to success. The next successful TL will have high capacity in interpersonal relationships and will be an inspirational and effective oral and written communicator.
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Join The NextHomeCity RealtyTeam
We are an established and fast-growing local Real Estate company seeking an Agent Recruiter/Manager. The ideal candidate will generate leads and conduct full-cycle agent recruitment for new and experienced agents. The right person for this role is an experienced professional who thrives on building relationships and helping others excel.
