171 Make it Through to Second Round

Aliso Viejo, Calif. July 11^th, 2005 – The Real Estate Apprentice™ Foundation announced today that after careful review of the 3,593 applications received for Season II, the top 5% (171 applicants) have been selected to move to the second round. The evaluation of applicants’ essays was based on communication and salesmanship skills, entrepreneurial spirit, uniqueness and integrity. From the second round of applications the top 50 will be selected to move to round three. Each applicant in round three will have a one in two chance of making it into the semi-finalist group, which is then forwarded to The Foundation Judges http://www.realestateapprentice.com/judges.cfm for final examination.

The RealtyU^® network of schools (http://www.realtyu.com/) garnished the lion’s share of round two contestants with a total number of 133 out of 171 while other, mainly online real estate schools, nabbed 38 of the spots. The Top 10 RealtyU^® Schools included: Barney Fletcher RealtyU^® in Atlanta (23), Champions School of Real Estate in Texas (18), IFREC Real Estate School in Orlando (14), Hogan School of Real Estate in Arizona (14), Polley Associates in Pennsylvania (12) Career Education Systems in Kansas and Missouri (9), Armbrust Real Estate Institute in Colorado (9), Middleton Real Estate Training in Michigan (7), Pro Ed in South Dakota (5) and Howard Perry & Walston Real Estate School in South Carolina (4).

According to the Deputy Director Dr. Martin Oliver, “The Real Estate Apprentice Grant is the only national non profit public benefit corporation created to enhance and improve residential real estate agents and to raise the standards and levels of professionalism for the real estate industry in general”.

The Real Estate Apprentice™ Grant awards 20 bi-annual grants totaling $250,000 per year. Two Grand Prize Grants are valued at approximately $75,000 each and eighteen Finalists grants are valued at $5,000 each. Finalists are selected through essay questions and interviews and are judged by a panel of industry leaders, authors, business professionals and top producers. The Apprentice mission is to assist newly licensed real estate agents entering the industry in overcoming the fears and obstacles associated with beginning a new career and to facilitate the development of top producing sales people by providing quality guidance, products and services to expedite a successful fast track to profitability. Grants awarded do not require any form of repayment.

Grant List

The exact value of the products & services awarded varies from season to season depending on the sponsors. As an example, the following is a detailed list of what Kendra Shearer, the Season I Grand Prize Winner, received:

• First American Residential Group provided Kendra with an integrated set of the technology tools used during all phases of a real estate transaction, from listing to closing, including: Document management and storage; smart task management including auto-calculation of due dates; collaboration with transaction participants; vendor management; messaging and activity log and a form letter wizard with mail merge.
• Hobbs/Herder provided Kendra with a comprehensive personal identity and marketing package including: Custom personal logo and a stationary package with the design and printing of business cards, letterheads and envelopes: customized personal marketing campaign including the design and printing of custom personal brochure; custom personal PowerKards® and the design and building of a custom personal website.
• Thomson Learning provided Kendra with a comprehensive set of real estate books on topics such as: Business planning; Marketing; Prospecting; Internet technology; Branding; Team building; Communication; Financial planning and Legal issues.
• Success Strategies Institute (SSI) provided Kendra with a one-year membership in a Personal Coaching System (evaluating strengths, weaknesses, goals and desires), design of a success plan, skill-building training (focusing on lead generation strategies, listing presentations, objection handling and marketing), Mastermind Meetings for brainstorming/goal setting, CDs on lead generation and time management system.
• McLean International provided Kendra with hands-on technology and business systems consulting set up, coordination of business vision and plan, coordination of marketing plan, office setupfor maximum functionality and efficiency, selection and set up of electronic signatures, voice messaging, buyer and seller file set up, management of calls, email, and paperwork and the daily organizing and prioritization of tasks and projects.
• iSucceed provided Kendra with unlimited access to the nation’s leading real estate mentoring program, including weekly counseling calls hundreds of business tips, tools, money-making systems and marketing strategies for two years and a Home Sellers Workbook and a Home Buyers Workbook.
• RealtyU® Real Estate Schools provided Kendra with reimbursement of fees for her licensing course, examination and state license fees, unlimited attendance to any real estate course for one year to obtain any real estate designation or to even complete future continuing education credits in advance. Courses can be taken online or at any of the 200 RealtyU^® real estate campuses across the USA.

Other sponsors included The Real Estate Cyberspace Society, CourseDates, Calculated Industries, Broker Agent News and RIS Media. These companies provided items such as a laptop computer, printer, cell phone, personal digital assistant, business service for one year, calculators, magazine subscriptions and a cash allowance to cover Kendra's annual membership dues for local, state and the National Association of REALTORS®, MLS fees and other small business expenses not covered elsewhere.

Don Hobbs, co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Hobbs/Herder, was quoted when asked to evaluate the Real Estate Apprentice Grant, “Hobbs/Herder is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of the Real Estate Apprentice program. This is a wonderful way for tomorrow’s most promising real estate professionals to get on the right path toward a rewarding career.” For further information go to http://www.RealEstateApprentice.com, or to become a Corporate Sponsor please contact Dr. Martin Oliver at Dr.Oliver@ReApprentice.com.