Tom Guest, 2011 President of Metro Brokers Inc., talks about how things are developing this year within the Metro Brokers real estate organization.

Metro Brokers is a unique company allowing agents to start up their own business for very little money to join a company that offers statewide recognition.  Metro Brokers offers 100% ownership to agents and brokers allowing flexibility to focus on their strengths in real estate and even loans, property management and much more!

Metro Brokers get a free website, professional video opportunites and an online presence through Metro Brokers Online.

Future goals for Metro Brokers this year include building membership and strong offices through the great support offered by the organization and imroving communication as a whole.

Tom Guest is a Broker/Owner of Key Masters Real Estate Company and has sold Denver real estate for 18 years.

Interviewer:  Hi, I am Kathy Soltero with Metro Brokers TV.  Today in the studio, we have with us Tom Guest, he is with Key Masters Real Estate, and he is also our president of Metro Brokers, Inc.  Thank you so much for coming in, Tom.

Tom Guest:  You're welcome, Kathy. 

Interviewer:  You have been president since the beginning of January for 2011, and tell me how things are going so far? 

Tom Guest:  Things are going good.  You know it's been a real privilege and honor to be president of Metro Brokers.  We are an organization that elects their board of directors, we elect our president, so we are self run, we are self ruled, and it's been very enjoyable. 

Interviewer:  And you're still doing real estate at the same time.  So you've got a lot going on.

Tom Guest:  Yes. 

Interviewer:  What sort of activities are you involved in?

Tom Guest:  With Metro Brokers, I mean we do all of our planning, we have the triathlon coming up, I am involved with all kinds of activities that will span everything to build our business for Metro Brokers. 

Interviewer:  Real estate has been tough.  So, what are some of the challenges that we have been facing as in Metro Brokers?

Tom Guest:  Well one thing is our membership, membership numbers have been slipping last few years, but as it has in all organizations, the one thing we are trying to do is to build our membership to get our word out, to let everybody know how good we are as a membership organization, what we can offer them.

Interviewer:  Why should somebody join Metro Brokers?

Tom Guest:  One thing about Metro Brokers is we are unique in the business, compared to other companies.  We offer someone the entrepreneurship to where they can open up their own office; they can start as a broker associate, they can develop into a broker.  They can become an employing broker and they can become an office owner. 

Interviewer:  What are some of the other aspects of Metro Brokers that make it so enticing for people to join?

Tom Guest:  The things that make it enticing to join is that you can form your own business and you can have associates working for you.  So you can have your own business, this carries on with you forever, no one will take it away from you.  You can do your own business, you can be a loan officer, you can have loans, you can do property management, and you can do relocation.  So you form your own organization, you can do whatever you want within that organization and have your own agents working for you. 

Interviewer:  What are your hopes and aspirations for Metro Brokers while you are president?

Tom Guest:  Well a couple of things that we are looking at that are very important to us is to build our membership numbers.  So we want to build those back up into the 1500 range.  We want strong offices; offices are the key to our company and our success.  So increase the strength of the offices, improving communication, communication to the office owners, communication to each of our brokers from corporate. 

Interviewer:  We have great access on the web as well and websites for every individual involved in Metro Brokers, as well.

Tom Guest:  We do, we offer a free website, we also have metrobrokersonline.com and that is a complete website for the public to search for properties and offers all kind of opportunities for everyone to build our membership.

Interviewer:  Especially on the video aspects too, they can get interviewed and have a video presence as well. 

Tom Guest:  Yes.

Interviewer:  All right, well Tom thank you so much for joining us today, it's been a pleasure and good luck for the rest of the year. 

Tom Guest:  Thank you, Kathy.

Interviewer:  And for more real estate related videos like this one, be sure to tune into metrobrokerstv.com. 

Posted in MBI Advantages, From The President, Join Metro Brokers, Industry Leadership, MBI FAQ, Franchise Opportunity, Ownership

Metro Brokers Patrick Armbrust is the expert on Colorado DORA rules and Regulations.  Confused about who, what, where and HOW to upgrade from a Broker Associate Colorado Real Estate License to becoming an Independent or Employing Real Estate Broker.  Watch this six minute video for all of your answers.

Kathy Soltero:  Hi, I am Kathy Soltero with Metro Brokers TV.  Today we have the distinct pleasure of having Patrick Armbrust with us from Metro Brokers Southridge Realty, as well as Armbrust Real Estate Institute, thanks so much for coming in with us today and talking to us.

Patrick Armbrust:  My pleasure.

Kathy Soltero:  One of the things that we are going to talking about today and the most important thing is becoming or upgrading your broker associate license to becoming an independent broker.

Patrick Armbrust:  Yes.

Kathy Soltero:  Or an employing broker and there is so much confusion about this Patrick so.../

Patrick Armbrust:  Yes there is.

Kathy Soltero:  Explain that to me, why is there so much confusion?

Patrick Armbrust:  Well I think it goes back to the law changes Kathy in 1997.  Prior to those years people were either sales persons or brokers in Colorado and everyone in 1997 had to upgrade to a broker at that time and the existing sales people had two choices then.  They could either complete the broker transition course or pass the state portion of the exam.  Well now today people that have most folks chose the transition course that was the easier path and now today as so many people are joining Metro Brokers who are licensed prior to 1997 and completed the transition course, they are being told now that they have to pass the state portion of the exam to upgrade themselves to an independent broker or an employing broker.

Kathy Soltero:  Okay so if I get this straight, if you are a licensed prior to 1997...? 

Patrick Armbrust:  Correct.

Kathy Soltero:  And you just took that one exam or that one the transition course...? 

Patrick Armbrust:  The transition course, yes.

Kathy Soltero:  You could be a broker then?

Patrick Armbrust:  You would upgrade at that point to a broker associates.

Kathy Soltero:  Okay.

Patrick Armbrust:  And then later upgrading to independent broker or employing broker as so many people are joining Metro Brokers as independent or employing now they have to take that state exam.

Kathy Soltero:  What made this all happen?

Patrick Armbrust:  Well I think it was the opinion of the real estate commission that they wanted to raise the bar in real estate and provide the public a higher level of competency.  Prior to 1997 it was relatively easy to get your real estate license I believe it was 90 hours of education.  Since 1997 its a 168 hours, those people by the way have come into the business since 1997 with two years as an active licensee, then they can go ahead and upgrade to independent for a 24 hour course and they can upgrade to employing, so its very easy if you are licensed after 1997, the confusion comes for those that were licensed before that time.

Kathy Soltero:  So it's all of us before because we kind of all after that we all were instructed what it would take.

Patrick Armbrust:  Agreed yeah.

Kathy Soltero:  Okay so what happens to the folk's post 97, if for instance they missed some of the classes and that sort of thing, I mean why is that make that any more difficult than [Voice Crossover]?

Patrick Armbrust:  That's another big issue that we are seeing today Kathy is the real estate commission wants all current licensees in Colorado to complete the four hour commission update course each year.  They feel that doing that will keep us all up to date on forms changes, law changes and so a couple of years ago of the 24 hours that we were used to completing in our three year cycle, now 12 hours of that has to be the commission update course taken once each year in a different version of that course each year.  Well if a licensee misses a year, then the choice is to renew your license become much more difficult, they go back to taking the state portion of the exam to renew a broker's administration course which his the course that you would be required to be an employing broker.

Kathy Soltero:  Right.

Patrick Armbrust:  You could, you could complete that course but only once in your career.  So often we have exhausted that possibility in our last licensing cycle and so that leaves us to either as I said the state exam or 72 hours of pre licensing education.  So I think its very important that our current licensees remember to take that commission update course once each year and we recommend about the same time each year that way you know you are getting a different version each time and you are going to fulfill that portion of the requirement and then you take 12 hours of qualifying elective continuing education and we don't have a proper renewing your license.

Kathy Soltero:  Okay is there any distinct difference between becoming an independent broker or an employing broker as far as what the requirements are?

Patrick Armbrust:  Well I think the only difference is the brokerage administration course.  To go independent with two years active and presuming the state exam has been completed either prior to 1997 or today to go independent is a simple matter making application to the state and paying a fee.  To employ and supervise licensees then you do have to complete the 24 hour brokerage administration course.

Kathy Soltero:  And that's post 97 or...?

Patrick Armbrust:  Anyone.

Kathy Soltero:  Anyone?

Patrick Armbrust:  Yes.

Kathy Soltero:  Who wants to be an employing broker period?

Patrick Armbrust:  Yes and I think brokers today they, if there is any question at all they can call an institution like ourselves they can look up their records on the commission's database, there is opportunity to call the real estate commission and they can pull up the records and then identify if a brokerage administration course is needed for instance or identify that state exam component, but typically most brokers went through that transition course post, pre 1997 and probably have to complete their state exam today to move forward.

Kathy Soltero:  Well and the CREC is the requirement that we need to take to though I mean we have only been doing that probably well for the last nine years?

Patrick Armbrust:  Well its been sometime but the rules have changed in terms of the frequency, the Colorado Real Estate Commission update course is what you refer to and that's, that's that four hour course that you want to make sure to take every single year.

Kathy Soltero:  Right.  Okay so bottom line, is it difficult for us to do this it just seems like we call the real estate commission we can't figure out what do we do?

Patrick Armbrust:  I don't think so, once we understand the rules we can play the game.

Kathy Soltero:  Okay.

Patrick Armbrust:  So really the biggest question that I have to do with day to day counseling people in this issue, is when would if you were licensed before 1997 how did you transition from a sales person to an associate broker?  If the answer was the broker transition course, then to move forward to independent and employing we just have to get you ready to pass that state exam.  If you are licensed after 1997, or took the state exam as you are transitioned, then it's very, very easy.

Kathy Soltero:  All right well Patrick hopefully we have clarified some of this...? 

Patrick Armbrust:  I hope so.

Kathy Soltero:  For so many people out there who are maybe thinking of joining Metro Brokers and...?

Patrick Armbrust:  Absolutely.

Kathy Soltero:  And having their own business as a broker manager or is an independent broker themselves?

Patrick Armbrust:  Either one yeah.

Kathy Soltero:  Thank you so much for joining us two on Metro Brokers TV. 

Posted in Education And Training, Join Metro Brokers, MBI FAQ

MetroBrokersTV : I am Mark Eibner and welcome to metrobrokerstv.com. Today, we are with Bruce Mitchell and Bruce has just recently opened an office up in the Breckenridge area and Bruce welcome to the show.

Bruce Mitchell: Thank you.

MetroBrokersTV : Just a quick question. With Metro Brokers having good brand recognition down here in Denver, what possessed you to perhaps pick the Metro Brokers brand name up in the mountain community?

Bruce Mitchell: Actually, the Front Range is very important to us. Over 60% of our business comes from the Front Range and Metro Brokers has such a strong presence in the Front Range of Colorado that I feel like it is going to be a great asset.

MetroBrokersTV : So, a lot of your clients, customers up there are actually familiar with the name Metro Brokers.

Bruce Mitchell: I would say two out of three buyers in the mountains are very familiar with Metro Brokers.

MetroBrokersTV : Wow. Excellent. Why don't you tell us a little bit about your office, how long you have been in the business, where you came from before?

Bruce Mitchell: I have been in the business for eight years. I have been with Re/Max. I have been very successful at Re/Max, but I was looking for an opportunity to open my own business. Sometimes you feel like you are beating the beast a little bit at Re/Max. It is a big company. Their rates have gone up quite a bit over time and I think that 30years ago, they were very innovative in bringing the 100% concept to traditional real estate, but today I feel like Metro Brokers has created a model for today's real estate market and in the future.

MetroBrokersTV : I mean it is hard to believe Metro Brokers started 32 years ago and we were a 100% shop back then with one set membership fee per month and 32 years later, we have a one set member fee... membership fee per month, no franchise fees, no advertising fees, no corporate fees, no any fees. Is that something that really attracted you to their franchise?

Bruce Mitchell: It seems like every dollar that you pay into Metro Brokers you get double your money back with the technology that they provide. The website is fantastic and it seems more like we are all here sharing costs rather than feeding the corporate beast like we did at Re/Max.

MetroBrokersTV : Opening expenses, I mean were you kind of shocked at how low it really cost to acquire the Metro Brokers trade name?

Bruce Mitchell: I was very surprised. I don't think most brokers realize how easily they can open their own shop with Metro Brokers.

MetroBrokersTV : Yeah, like office application fee, was it $950?

Bruce Mitchell: That is correct, yeah.

MetroBrokersTV : It is kind of hard to believe. I don't know, I know some of the even, let us just say lesser known Internet based franchises are running ten grand at a minimum and you really get no support, no anything. Have you been pleased with how Metro has worked with you and the support you have got here from corporate down in Denver?

Bruce Mitchell: The people here at Metro Brokers have been wonderful to work with and I have been really blown away by the support that they provide, with the technology, the website, is really going to be a big deal in our business in the mountains.

MetroBrokersTV : Great. Well, Bruce, we really appreciate having you on board and we also appreciate you coming in for the interview today. For more information about Metro Brokers, its people, our concept, keep your browser tuned on metrobrokerstv.com.

Posted in MBI Advantages, Join Metro Brokers, MBI FAQ

MetroBrokersTV : Metro Broker founder Larry Carr, says The concept is still as good now, as it was ever was. We are privileged today to really have an industry icon, Larry Carr. Larry Carr is with Metro Brokers and I wanted to do this interview with Larry, because Metro Brokers is in fact a very well known company in the State of Colorado here and you were one of the original founders some 30 odd years ago. So, why do not you tell us really what got in you to start something like Metro Brokers?

Read more »

Posted in Movers and Shakers, Industry Leadership, MBI FAQ