Texas Power Brokerage extends contract with BHGRE

January brought a real estate shuffle, with leading teams and agents forming alliances with new (or former) brands. However, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has focused on retaining top talent and has signed a second long-term extension in the past two weeks – this time with BHGRE Gary Greene.

TAKE THE INMAN INTEL INDEX STUDY

“The Better Homes & Gardens brand is iconic because it continues to evolve,” BHGRE President Ginger Wilcox said in a written statement. “That same mentality defines BHGRE and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene. The brokerage is recognized as a leader throughout the industry for consistently redefining how real estate is delivered. This renewal is about building the next chapter of that legacy together.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene has been at the top of the rankings since 1963, when the eponymous owner founded the company in Houston. Greene was one of the first brokers to join the first iteration of the brand, BHGRE Service, in 1978 and stayed with it until Dotdash Meredith sold it in 1998.

Mark Woodroof

When Dotdash (now People, Inc.) and Realogy (now Compass International Holdings) revived the brand in 2008, BHGRE Gary Greene was again one of the first real estate agents to join the brand, and has remained with the brand ever since – a relationship that owner and CEO Mark Woodroof says he is eager to strengthen.

“Our success has always been rooted in local ownership, principled leadership and a clear understanding that brokers exist to serve agents, not the other way around,” he said in a prepared statement. “Continuing our partnership with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate allows us to stay true to who we are while expanding the strategic tools, technology and scale that our member agents need to execute at the highest levels.”

In an interview with Inman, Woodroof said he has been impressed with BHGRE’s progress in recent years as Wilcox delves into the brand’s lifestyle and consumer trends background.

“You go back to the historical view of Better Homes and Gardens, with the cookbook recipes and the magazine… that was the brand for your parents’ generation,” he said. “But you know, look at the brand today and how it has evolved in terms of lifestyle and who interacts with the brand. You can go into most people’s homes and still look at the cookbook, but now younger generations are going to Pinterest, they’re going to social media, and they’re embracing the Better Homes and Gardens lifestyle and products.”

“And of course there has been a much stronger connection with real estate over the last two to three years, which is appreciated,” he added.

Woodroof said this shift has only increased BHGRE Gary Greene’s market value, with the 800-agent brokerage closing 5,000 transactions worth $2.4 billion in 2025 – a 7 percent increase from 2024. ranks among the top 10 real estate agents by sales volume in Texasaccording to Real Trends.

“We try to be the place where a serious professional looking to build their business goes,” he said. “There are a lot of people who I’ll call hobbyists who aren’t that serious about what they do. They just do a deal here and there. They want to go on vacation or do whatever it is, and then they go back to their real job.”

“That’s not who we are,” he added. “We’re trying to meet a market need, a market demand for serious practitioners.”

The CEO said the market will continue to ‘thaw’ through 2026, with mortgage rate and price fluctuations having a diminishing impact on consumers. He expects sales gains to hover around 4 percent – ​​far less than the 14 percent the National Association of Realtors has forecast. Still, single-digit growth would be a good year, according to Woodruff.

“There are a lot of things that could go one way or the other,” he said. “But our best professionals grow their businesses even more. This is a competitive market, where being really good really matters.”

Email Marian McPherson