Lisa da Rocha
The sale of Prudential real estate offices in the United States will have no affect on Canadian Prudential franchise offices, which are still owned by Brookfield Residential Real Estate Services. And company president and CEO Phil Soper announced this week that Lisa da Rocha has been appointed vice-president and general manager of Prudential Canada Real Estate.
Soper says da Rocha will lead a management team to deliver “a high standard of service to Prudential Canada affiliates and their agents.”
There are currently 48 Prudential Real Estate franchise offices across Canada. During the last year, Soper says 11 Prudential offices have switched to the Royal LePage network, and while he hopes more will join Royal LePage, he expects some of the current Prudential offices will continue under that banner “to the end of the decade.”
Most recently, da Rocha was vice-president, Brookfield Real Estate Services, and was responsible for key initiatives including the development of Brookfield Mortgage Services, the company says. She has been with Brookfield for more than 10 years, including leadership roles in Brookfield Global Relocation Services, HomeServe Online Lead Generation Services and as VP marketing for Royal LePage.
Brookfield announced this week that it has sold its majority interest in the Prudential Real Estate and Real Living Real Estate brands in the United States to HomeServices of America.
“Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a new franchise brand built upon the financial strength and leadership of Brookfield and HomeServices,” said Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, in a statement. The company says the combined networks of more than 53,000 Prudential Real Estate and Real Living Real Estate agents generated more than $72 billion in residential real estate sales volume in 2011 and operate across more than 1,700 U.S. locations.
“The strength of the Berkshire Hathaway name, coupled with the operational excellence of HomeServices and the franchising experience of Brookfield, positions Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices as a leading real estate franchise in the U.S., building on our traditions of exceptional client service and innovation,” said Bruce Flatt, Brookfield Asset Management CEO, in the statement.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices will be led by Earl Lee, CEO; Stephen Phillips, COO; Brian Peterson, chief financial officer; and Aleya Chattopadhyay, chief marketing officer.
