HousingWireHousingWire
New Orleans-based United Real Estate Partners is continuing to expand. On Thursday, the firm announced a merger with Real Estate Resource Group.
According to the announcement, the merger will further strengthen United’s foothold in the Greater New Orleans area. Earlier this year, the firm announced another merger with Team Geaux Realty.
“The accelerating growth now happening in the Greater New Orleans market is gratifying and will continue in the months ahead. Our mission is to improve the financial trajectories of brokerages and agents by delivering uncharacteristically high levels of support and services,” Rick Haase, the president of United Real Estate, said in a statement. “This enables organic agent growth and mergers and acquisitions alike.”
As a result of the merger, the firm now has three offices in Louisiana — in New Orleans, Metairie and Mandeville — along with nearly 200 agents.
“Through this collaboration, we will expand our reach, share best practices and provide our agents with even greater opportunities for growth,” Tom Bookhardt, the CEO of United Real Estate Partners, said in a statement. “We’re confident this union will enable us to meet and exceed the market demands with innovative solutions and unmatched dedication to our clients’ success.”
Ken Rayer, managing partner for Real Estate Resource Group, cited United’s flat-fee agent compensation model — which he says is similar to his firm’s existing model — as a reason why his firm chose to merge.
“It was important to ensure our agents were comfortable with the move. We didn’t want to join a commission-split model brokerage, which would increase their cost of doing business,” Rayer said in a statement. “Instead, we are actually giving them a raise and adding a suite of new tools, new office locations and a larger support team at no cost to them.”
