Concierge Services

Job Description: Coordinate dependable service providers and assist clients with various home needs before, during and after the moving process.

Coldwell Banker, Southern California: Concierge Service
Bob LeFever, president and COO for Coldwell Banker, Southern California, says the company's has a unique concierge service: "Our program is of tremendous value to the customer. They can get a home prepared to sell or can upgrade and make changes to a home. The service provides access to contractors, no matter what they are looking, and it saves them a ton of money because we've shopped that very carefully."

Duties: locate vendors who can accommodate a homeowner's needs (moving, flooring, landscaping, architectural plans, home repairs, decorating)

CENTURY 21 Contempo/Seville: PropertyMinder.com (concierge service) PropertyMinder.com maintains a database of more than 600,000 contractors, inspectors, handymen and movers, sets up appointments and provide quotes via the Internet. To get the ball rolling, the agent registers the property owner, who is then given access to the site. The homeowner locates the service they need, generating a list of vendors and requesting quotes. The vendors are electronically notified about the request. Once a quote is accepted, the homeowner can schedule an appointment online. Upon completion of the work, the invoice is sent to escrow or paid by the consumer. PropertyMinder.com also maintains a record of property repairs, which provides a repair history for the home.

Information Technology Services

Job Description: Serve as a technological lifeline for the company by providing tech support, education and software updates.

Alain Pinel REALTORS®: 800 Support Line
The company provides staff with access to a technological support team. Agents experiencing IT problems can call a 24-hour hotline and access a tech support person.

Duties: Serve as a help desk for REALTOR® questions about e-mail, software and technology training, provide tech training for staff

Coldwell Banker, Southern California: Technology Trainers
"We certainly understand where our business is going. The Internet is changing the way people go about looking for homes, so we have a training staff to keep our people up to par with technology," says Bob LeFever, president and COO, Coldwell Banker, Southern California. Technology trainers work with small groups of agents on various issues.

Duties: software information, installation and training,  troubleshooting

Fred Sands REALTORS®: Information Services Department
Fred Sands provides answers to computer questions through an in-house information services department. This support team provides access to technological information, programs and training.

Duties: Software information and updates, IT support, training and education

CENTURY 21 Seville/Contempo: Technical Aide
The technical aide for CENTURY 21 Seville/Contempo manages the company's high-tech side and provides IT support for REALTORS®, which allows RC Kost and other REALTORS® to focus their attention on listing the properties. "Since 20 to 25 percent of our business is coming directly or indirectly through Web technology, this position is very important to us," Kost says.

Duties: scanning, computer maintenance and troubleshooting, e-mail, advertising/marketing design, Web-site maintenance, arranges virtual tours or videos of property listings, ordering company signs

Legal Services

Job Description: Help REALTORS ® and customers navigate legal aspects of the homeowner/homebuyer transaction.

Coldwell Banker, Southern California: In-House Legal Department
The lawyers and staff who make up Coldwell Banker's in-house legal department help agents put together difficult transactions.

Duties: make sure the company complies with all regulations, review disclosures and contracts

Management Training Programs

Program Description: Prepare REALTORS® for entrance into management.

Coldwell Banker, Southern California: Leadership Development Program
Coldwell Banker's leadership development program provides agents with a training ground with which to enter the company's management level. Candidates are prescreened and put through an intensive six-month program of training and classroom sessions. Bob LeFever, president and COO, Coldwell Banker, Southern California, says the program allows Coldwell Banker to have a staff pool from which to pull when managers retire or move.

Marketing and Advertising

Job Description: Provide REALTORS® with informational tools and resources aimed at promoting products and services in the consumer community.

Fred Sands REALTORS®: Advertising Coordinator Fred Sands helps its agents to put a professional sheen on marketing by providing advertising coordinators in several of its larger offices. Advertising Coordinators help the agents develop institutional ads and walk them through the advertising process.

Duties: Design and develop institutional ads, assist with the selection of images and words

Job Description: Assist the agent with various aspects of the real estate transaction, including communications, paperwork and compliance issues.

Alain Pinel REALTORS®: Escrow Coordinator
"The escrow coordinator is responsible for maintaining paperwork and ensuring that the file is in order, so at the end of the transaction, we have a complete file that will pass a DRE inspection," says Carole Rodoni, president, Alain Pinel REALTORS®.

Duties: assist agent with compliance and escrow preparations

Coldwell Banker, Southern California: Transaction Coordinator
Bob LeFever, president and COO for Coldwell Banker, Southern California, says most of the company's 3,768 offices have transaction coordinators, which allows agents to spend time prospecting. Coldwell Banker's transaction coordinators are paid a specific dollar amount per transaction.

Duties: assist agent with compliance and escrow preparations

Dilbeck REALTORS®/Better Homes and Gardens: Transaction Coordinator
Lynn Beckenhauer, branch manager for Dilbeck REALTORS®/Better Homes and Gardens, says the branch's transaction coordinator is an independent contractor. The coordinator plays a major role in processing and coordinating paperwork during escrow, including communicating with the client and following up to make sure files are complete at the close of escrow. The company provides a desk for the transaction coordinator, who charges a fee of which she/he retains 100 percent.

Duties: paperwork, follow up, completion of escrow, client communications

First Team Real Estate: Transaction Coordinator
First Team Real Estate's transaction coordinators act as a go-between for an agent during escrow, handling all the functions that a real estate agent needs to perform in order to close the escrow. Bill Plattos, executive vice president, general manager and broker, First Team Real Estate, says the transaction coordinators have played a role of increasing importance during the last two years. "We have a minimum of one transaction coordinator per office, and two and three in some offices. Because of the transaction coordinators, we find that we have a smoother escrow process, more repeat and referral business and less legal problems."

Duties: home inspection, dealing with the mortgage company, handling repairs, termite inspection and completion, setting up walk-throughs, arranging for the signing of loan documents, handling keys, handling all correspondence and interaction necessary throughout the escrow, confirming possession

Fred Sands REALTORS®: Transaction Coordinator
Richard Mathies, executive vice president, Fred Sands, says the company has transaction coordinators in most of its 2,100 offices. The company's transaction coordinators organize the agents' files during the transaction, taking the administrative load off the agent's shoulders.

Duties: maintain files and paperwork, coordinate escrow documentation, follow-ups, order inspections required by purchase agreements, administration

Prudential California Realty, Northern California: Escrow Coordinator
Barbara Formento, REALTOR® and assistant manager, Prudential California Realty, Northern California, says the company's escrow coordinator tracks the paperwork of the agent's escrow for a fee from the REALTOR®. Unlike many companies, Prudential's transaction coordinators do not communicate with the clients.

Duties: track escrow paperwork