LOCAL REALTY EXECUTIVES AGENT NAMED TOP AGENT IN 2008

Ellen Brewood chosen to be featured in national publication as foreclosure expert, award winner

LEAWOOD, Kan. – Realty Executives of Kansas City agent Ellen Brewood was named among the nation’s Top 200 Real Estate Professionals in 2007 according to an annual list complied by Denver-based REAL Trends. She was recognized in The Wall Street Journal in November 2008.

Despite the current drop in home values and the biggest decrease in residential sales in a quarter century, Brewood’s business is thriving. She tributes her ongoing success to her expertise in the foreclosure market. She has been working in the foreclosure sector for five years.

“I’m so proud to be among the winners of this award,” Brewood said. “It has been a remarkable year for residential real estate and I’m thankful that I’ve been able to survive the tumultuous economy by working with the banks to find buyers for the hundreds of homes in foreclosures.”

Brewood received her award for being a part of 295 home sale transaction sides last year.

“The inventory in the Kansas City metropolitan market has drastically changed in the past 13 months. There’s higher priced properties in foreclosure attracting all kinds of buyers, not just traditional investors. Some of these homes are going for $100,000 less than what was owed and we’re finding that the banks are much more aggressive in the sales tactics.”

Since the election in November, Brewood has seen a surge in home sales. She’s had 50 homes under contract in the past few months – all foreclosures. The mood of the country has changed, she says, as well as the lending. Some people are even letting their own homes “go” for less, just so they can upgrade into a home that is a “real deal.” Or renting out their current home until it can sell for full value.

“Every subdivision in Johnson County has foreclosures,” she says. “No area is immune to the mortgage meltdown.”

“It’s not all doom and gloom,” says Brewood. “In the middle of the madness, some are taking advantage of this unique opportunity to invest. And this is a perfect time for first time homebuyers with good credit to get a good deal on a nice home and build equity quickly.”

Brewood has been a Realtor since 1995. She has been with Realty Executives of Kansas City for 10 years working with Steve Summers, regional developer for Realty Executives Mid America Region. He named her “Sellin’ Ellen” during her first months with Realty Executives and the name has stuck. Now, her clients see the name on her yard signs and they know it’s likely to be a foreclosure home.

Realty Executives Mid-America Region operates 43 locations with more than 1,200 executives. The company closed more than 15,000 transactions worth more than $2.5 billion in sales in 2007.

Realty Executives International, Inc. is one of the fastest-growing real estate franchises in the United States, with more than 15,000 sales associates and over 800 franchises. The Phoenix-based, privately held company has offices in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore and more. Publications such as Entrepreneur, Success and Inc. magazines have recently ranked Realty Executives International as a leader in the real estate industry based on franchise growth, management stability and financial soundness.

For additional company information visit www.realtyx.com or www.realtyexecutives.com.

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