Canadian-owned with close to 8,000 sales reps and 140 offices here, as well as offices across the United States and a presence in Europe, HomeLife Realty Services has long been recognized as a franchise that embraces change. Celebrating its 30^th year, the firm has been an innovative and entrepreneurial brand since the start, says the company’s director of brand marketing, Adam Price.

“We pay close attention to the markets in which we have a presence and the markets we are working to develop to ensure that we have the correct suite of programs and tools to foster growth…Unlike many other franchises, we are nimble, able to act quickly, taking a lot of cues from our broker/owners. It’s an open forum. There are no barriers to communication here.”

Price credits HomeLife founder and CEO Andrew Cimerman for the company’s entrepreneurial spirit, growth and success. Cimerman is also CEO of the Red Carpet and Realty World International brands.

“There is a culture of innovation due to Andrew. He encourages new systems,” says Price. “Our brand is in a state of constant development.”

Cimerman says the rapport he has with members sets HomeLife apart from other franchises. It’s true that HomeLife’s broker/owners, as well as its management team, hold Cimerman in high regard.

“I thought I’d had smart bosses before I met him but now I tell my ex boss that I’ve met someone even better. I was a little frog looking up from the well. Andrew got me to jump out and see the world… He has changed my life,” says Doug Wong, a long-time (now semi-retired) part of the management team of franchise member HomeLife Cimerman in Toronto.

And this, also from Wong: “Andrew is a true entrepreneur, always trying new things, a visionary, a legend in the industry. He is a gem in real estate, an extremely ethical man, a pleasure to deal with and strong! I’ve been with HomeLife so long I grow old … but he’s unbreakable!”

Luis Ganhao of HomeLife/City Hill Realty in Toronto says, “Andrew is always here to help when we need it. We can count on his support and vision. He has always pushed for us to be the best. Working with him – it’s just a privilege.”

Adds Linda Furtado of HomeLife Integrity Realty in Alliston, Ont., “He is helpful to the smaller brokerages. It’s not all about the bigger ones, as with some franchises.”

Linda Thompson of HomeLife Realty One in Toronto says, “I think HomeLife has survived because of Andrew’s dedication and commitment. He loves HomeLife and has devoted his life to it. As a HomeLife broker, it’s been trouble free, and I must admit that’s not normal for a franchise.”

HomeLife members are also complimentary when speaking about the franchise’s national director of broker services, Joseph Lo.

While being interviewed for this article, Cimerman, chatty and relaxed, explained how grateful he is for HomeLife’s continued success 30 years after he started out in the business “with $20 and one suit.”

Laughing, he said, “I could go no place but up.”

Being the driving force behind a company was Cimerman’s dream as a child. He says that he “never wanted to do anything else.”

Before starting the HomeLife franchise in 1985 he was “doing tremendously well” running Cimerman Real Estate, an independent operation with various offices in the Greater Toronto area.

“It was very profitable but I saw changes taking place in the world and wanted to expand using a different model. So I redesigned our model of operation, including a new name, and the new model was franchising… Right from the get-go there was absolute energy and enthusiasm in the brand.”

There has been plenty more revamping of HomeLife operations since then. From all accounts Cimerman is a passionate crusader for change.

Over the years HomeLife has become increasingly aggressive about creating a strong digital presence; updating marketing strategies; branding itself as a premier franchise; agent recruitment/retention; lead generation, member training/education; and continually introducing new resources for agents, brokers and consumers.

Cimerman says he expects to see technology and other advances continue to revolutionize operation models. To this end, the franchise is heavily investing in technology and increasingly focusing on social media for advertising and lead generation.

“Accept the evolution and there are tremendous opportunities for success,” he says, adding that thanks to following through on this adage, HomeLife is now poised for “world-wide expansion.”

The mantra of the HomeLife brand is its higher standards of service model.

“It’s not just words,” Cimerman says. “We underpin everything we do with value, services, training, education and infrastructure. We are positioning ourselves as the highest quality brand in the world. We will help people enhance their lifestyle.”

Cimerman says, “Our confidence level on our 30th anniversary is how I always dreamt it would be. We’re at the top; leading innovators in real estate…We have the best to offer. When you come to HomeLife you get more value, more technology, more systems, than with the competitors. Our agents can go out and offer comprehensive services at the best value level.”

The list of services and resources offered by HomeLife for salespeople and brokers includes multi-level earning/wealth sharing programs; progressive education and training; numerous lead generation tools; and sophisticated digital tools for client resource management and agent marketing and recruitment, such as an on-line resource centre that can be accessed from almost anywhere via smartphone, laptop or tablet app.

Ajay Shah, broker of record at HomeLife Miracle/Realty in Toronto (which with 825 sales reps is one of the franchise’s largest members), is impressed with the steps the company takes to help brokers thrive, rather than “shutting out the brokerage” like some other franchises, he says.

“There’s a good fee structure, designed to support the brokerage,” he adds.

In the Toronto area, such incentives have helped put HomeLife among the city’s top recruiters of real estate sales reps, the franchise says.

Doug Wong says that “Andrew’s philosophy is ‘no agent left behind’.”

Cimerman “wants to make every agent successful,” says Wong. “He nurtures agents to make them more productive, providing all these tools… Change is a constant. You need to be able to capitalize on that and Andrew certainly does. To go deep you need to invent a lot of new tools, and that distinguishes HomeLife from other franchises. The volume of flyers alone that our agents can use to promote themselves is so huge that agents can go six months and not duplicate.”

Among the tools that HomeLife agents can offer clients are preferred pricing at certain retail outlets; free online classified advertising worldwide to help unload unwanted belongings, a prepaid Visa card; a strong home warranty program; help with financing and insurance needs; free, electronic global relocation quotes and referrals; and a prepaid long distance calling card.

How long would most prospective clients usually keep a sales rep’s business card? Not too long, says Wong. But if there is 30 minutes of pre-paid long distance calling time on that card, it’s a different story, he says.

The same is true of HomeLife’s unique sweepstakes, where existing and potential clients have the chance to win $10,000. HomeLife agents say that people usually won’t give false contact information if there’s a chance of winning a lot of money. HomeLife’s sweepstakes generate hundreds of thousands of leads and is also a way of giving back to the community, Cimerman says.

HomeLife also has a green program, with a tree being planted for every house that’s sold.

Cimerman considers community involvement HomeLife’s “living legacy” and “corporate DNA,” and says he places high priority on making a positive impact in the community and with families. Among the franchise’s philanthropic endeavours is the collection of food for food banks.

Since its inception, HomeLife’s “goodwill ambassador and corporate mascot” has been Jerome the Gnome. Member offices have access to Jerome costumes for use at community events such as parades, barbecues and hospital and school fund raisers.

“Jerome is wholesome, fuzzy and warm – I thought he would fit with our name,” says Cimerman, who came up with the initial concept for the mascot. “I thought we should have our own celebrity, and he puts a smile on people’s faces…What Jerome does is subliminally the most powerful advertising you can have. Once you see him you will never forget him.”

While some HomeLife brokers “find it corny” to use the mascot, most say that kids love Jerome and that no matter what you think of the concept, it works.

Furtado of HomeLife Integrity recalls that when Jerome took a break from the HomeLife booth at a trade show, a nearby vendor ran over to ask where he’d gone.

“Get him back,” the man insisted. “He’s attracting people.”

It seems that Cimerman’s creations – Jerome and HomeLife – have that in common.