It's good to be number one...

I tried to look up the origin of that phrase, which is used quite a bit by sports teams and athletes; but I couldn't find any definitive source for it.

Anyway - it is good to be number one in real estate, too. We got the market share numbers for 2008 for our market area from the local MLS and our Milford office is number one again this year in the Milford market. Our margin over the number two broker actually increased a bit this year. we have 10.19% of the market and our nearest competitor has 6.69%. The number three broker had only 4.46%.

I always start thinking about what people remember about events or ranking, especially about the number two in any ranking. Like which horse finished second to Big Brown in this year's Kentucky Derby or who finished second to Usain Bolt in the 100 meter dash at the Olympics this year? Team sports might be easier, but I suspect that many don't remember who finished second in the National and American Leagues this year - Tampa and Philadelphia played in the world series, with Tampa finishing second there. And what of momentous occasions in history? Who was the second man on the moon and what did he say? In an era of Blogs and text messages and Twitter, we all tend to have shorter memories that focus only on the winners, if they focus at all.

So what broker was number two in this market? Who really cares or will remember, anyway. Sellers want to go with the winner, in order to get the best representation in a tough market. That's us and I couldn't be happier. The real estate business is by its very nature made up of lots and lots of small operations - small franchisers, mom and pop shops and even sole-proprietor brokerages (often a husband and wife team off on their own). Real Estate One is the exception in Michigan. It is the largest real estate company in the state, with the most agents and locations and the widest reach within the market. Our Milford office is just one of the 73 locations throughout the state operating under our three real estate brands - Real Estate One, Max Broock and Johnstone & Johnstone - with over 2,000 active agents covering the entire lower peninsula.

So, go with the winner - Real Estate One - if you need to sell your home or you are looking for a new home. One result of being number one that REO agents have the best rates for advertising, have programs that provide the widest exposure on the Internet and have the most marketing programs to choose from for your home.

By the way the answers to the questions raised above are as follows:

Eight Bells was second at the Kentucky Derby

Richard Thompson of Trididad and Tobago was second to Bolt

The Dodgers in the National League and the Red Sox in the American League finished second in those leagues in 2008

And 18 minutes after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, Buzz Aldrin climbed out and his first words were - "Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation." Does anyone remember that?


The number two broker in Milford in 2008 was Keller Williams Commerce office and Coldwell Banker Schweitzer, which doesn't have an office in Milford, was number three; but, who will really remember?