United® Real Estate Merges with Charles Rutenberg Realty – Fort Lauderdale
Merger joins two innovators of alternative compensation model to better serve the South Florida market.
United® Real Estate, one of the fastest growing national real estate organizations, today announced its merger with Charles Rutenberg Realty (CRR) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A pioneer in the alternative agent compensation model, CRR is uniquely aligned with United Real Estate’s existing goals and business practices.
With approximately 1,000 agents serving Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and South Florida, CRR will continue its current operations, building on years of success by giving its agents 100% commission. Its existing structure aligns with United Real Estate’s transaction fee model, allowing current CRR agents the freedom to continue their normal operations during and after the transition.
“I was inspired to start CRR out of necessity, and heard the complaints of agents who were unhappy about losing 50% of their commission to their broker,” said John Nestor, founder of Charles Rutenberg Realty. “We’ve since expanded inside and outside Florida using our 100% commission model. Today, United Real Estate gives Fort Lauderdale the opportunity to become a part of a larger organization built on the same principles, and I know they will be successful.”
“Our mission is to greatly enhance the benefits and in some cases the financial trajectory of our agents’ careers,” said Rick Haase, president of United Real Estate. “We strive to give our agents a high-quality experience so they can do their jobs with excellence, and CRR is built on the same principles as United. We are also excited to be able to work side by side with Cynthia Benchick as she continues her incredible success building CRR’s strong image and reputation in South Florida.”
“The entire Florida real estate market is growing, and we want to stay at the forefront,” said Benchick. “As an owner of CRR, I have always looked for the best opportunities for my agents. I can say with confidence we will continue giving our clients the level of service they have come to expect while growing beyond what we could’ve done without United.”
“Fort Lauderdale is just the beginning for us,” said Dan Duffy, CEO of United Real Estate Group. “United will grow alongside exceptional leaders like John and Cynthia, giving more agents the opportunity to keep what they earn while providing high-quality service to their customers.”
As a part of the merger, Benchick, co-owner and managing broker, will continue to lead CRR in Fort Lauderdale. With over 15 years of experience growing and leading one of the largest real estate firms in Florida, she is essential to the growth of CRR and United Real Estate.
To learn more about United Real Estate, brokerage succession planning, brokerage valuation, and sale or franchising opportunities, visit GrowWithUnited.com or call 877-201-7640.
A Closer Look at United Real Estate
United Real Estate – a division of the United Real Estate Group – was founded with the purpose of offering solutions to the challenges facing agents in the residential real estate brokerage industry. Providing the latest training, marketing, and technology tools to both agents and brokers under a 100-percent commission strategy, United Real Estate makes it more profitable for an agent to sell real estate and for real estate brokers to leverage a complete system to better grow a successful, thriving real estate brokerage. Named as a “frontrunner” in the real estate industry in 2013, “part of the next generation of real estate brokers” in 2014 by the Swanepoel TRENDS Report, as well as being listed in the “Power 200 Most Influential” from 2015-2019 by Swanepoel Power 200.
United Real Estate has more than 85 offices and over 3,900 agents. Through a worldwide franchise solution, United continues to rapidly expand and was named to the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies in 2015-2017 and 2018 Entrepreneur Franchise 500® – Ranked in Top 100 New Franchises, Top Franchises, and Top Brands. Driven by an unwavering commitment to giving back, a pillar of United’s core values and guiding principles, United Real Estate is proud to support and partner with Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, as United’s charity of choice.