For United Real Estate in 2025, the mission is central

In a year full of noise, United Real Estate President Rick Haase has somehow managed to stay focused. Part of that focus comes from the messages written on the three colorful rubber bands that adorn his wrist.

The first reads: ‘Go through life with an attitude of gratitude.’ A second reads: ‘United Real Estate: Better Together.’ The third, a gift from the United franchise in Richmond, Virginia, states: “Only the strong will survive in 2025.”

“It may be a bit soft and blurry, but those three pieces of rubber on my wrist represent exactly how we function as a company,” says Haase. “We function with a high degree of gratitude and focus on the glass being half full. And then we know that if you want to be successful, you have to persevere despite the challenges, and we know that we can all achieve that together.”

For Haase, these messages serve as guideposts as we carry out United’s mission to “improve the financial trajectory of the careers and lives of our agents and brokers.”

“Everything we do, we look through the lens of, ‘Is it on mission?’” Haase said.

This applies to everything from decisions about products and services to decisions about entering new markets.

A focus on this mission is one reason why Dallas-based United uses a flat-fee or transaction fee model, where agents have no commission split. Instead, they pay the brokerage a flat fee per transaction. While Haase believes United’s transaction fee model is always attractive to brokers because it allows them to retain a greater portion of their commission than the traditional model, he notes that current market and business conditions have led to an increase in the turnover. interest in United.

“Every time there is a change in the market because interest rates rise 300% from their lows, or there are concerns that changes in business practice could lead to downward pressure on commissions, agents worry about how much sales will take place and how much money they can make from those sales. Our model is becoming even more attractive and we will only benefit more from that,” says Haase. “We are already seeing an atypical number of brokers and agents who want to join us because they get the tools, services and support they are used to, but they get to keep as much money as possible with every sale.

“The changes haven’t been easy, but we thank the real estate gods for focusing on this model where we believe agents can be most financially successful. The need for this model is now clearer than ever before.”

Like many other brokers, United will focus on growth in 2025.

“We have very defined growth objectives, but the way we get there is by being 100% focused on our mission and being really good at it, and then the bigness, the scaling, comes naturally,” Haase said. “That is what we have been striving for since the company was founded.

“As the Zig Ziglar quote goes, ‘You can have anything you want in life, if you just help other people get what they want.’ Our way to get the scale we want is to keep our agents and brokers as our North Star.”

As United looks to scale, Haase says the brokerage is leaning on its proprietary technology to efficiently add new agents and brokers.

“We can add 20,000 or 30,000 more agents with very little additional cost,” Haase said. “It allows us to scale without increasing our operating costs. It is truly the cornerstone of our ability to grow without hurting our mission or our budget.”

But as excited as Haase is about further expanding United’s footprint in the new year, he wants to make sure the company does so responsibly.

“We are very careful about the companies we acquire and our acquisitions. We really curate these companies so that they understand the mission and really run with it,” Haase said.

He also noted that United has no plans to break up companies to fit their model. Instead, they want to work with industry professionals who share the same values ​​and goals so they can shape a deal or franchise that meets the needs of all parties involved.

While Haase hopes 2025 will be a better year for home sales, he said United will focus on helping its agents and brokers achieve their individual goals.

“When someone is in the early stages of their career, they have certain goals, such as making this year the best year ever for their company. But if someone is later in their career and wants more time to spend with their grandchildren or to stop and smell the roses, we have to find a way to facilitate both,” Haase said.

“As people move through the maturity curve of their business, everything we focus on – technology, marketing training, education, financial development, network development – ​​all targets different cohorts of agents within our organization, regardless of where they are. and we meet them there with great success. And that is what we really pay attention to.”

But ultimately it all comes back to United’s mission. And according to Haase, this will continue to lead the real estate industry in 2025 and beyond.