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In Colorado, It's All in the Family for This Franchisee

By Beth Bresnahan

Talk about an adventure the entire family can enjoy.

In January 2005, Ken and Cathy Hamon bought Monument Real Estate, a highly regarded firm in Grand Junction, Colorado that was founded in 1973. Cathy had been affiliated with the firm off and on since 1979.

Ken is responsible for strategic planning, while Cathy manages the day-to-day operations as president. Soon after they bought the firm, son Morgan, a former combat fighter pilot, joined the family business, focusing on incorporating new services to better serve customers. Meanwhile, another son, Clark, came on board to oversee the financial operations for the one-office, 34-agent business and the related service companies.

But not long after buying the company, Ken and Cathy found themselves contemplating its future and wondering if they had the resources to not only remain competitive, but to grow and prosper.

"In the Grand Junction market, we have lots of new people coming to town because of the energy business," Ken explains. "As an independent, the locals knew us well, but the new people coming to town did not, and that's why we felt it was important to become a franchisee with a national company."

But the Hamons knew it couldn't be just any national firm. Instead, it had to be one that shared their strong personal philosophy that the most important aspect of the business was providing superior customer service. Also, the Hamons wanted to affiliate with a national firm that offered a wide and growing array of services that would enable the firm to provide a true one-stop shopping experience for Grand Junction home buyers and sellers.

"I had an interest in adding a mortgage operation to the company," according to Ken, "so the mortgage piece and one-stop shopping were the things shaping our decision. We wanted the resources under one roof but knew we couldn't do it ourselves."

That's when Ken Hamon placed a phone call to executives at GMAC Real Estate.

One look, and the Hamons knew the national company had everything they were looking for: an unequaled commitment to the best customer service available through GMAC Real Estate's acclaimed Premier Service program, and a deep array of resources, tools and nationwide affiliations that enable franchisees to provide true one-stop shopping services.

In April, the Hamons hitched their wagon to GMAC Real Estate as Monument GMAC Real Estate. They're thrilled, they say, to be part of a much larger family whose members are committed to their continued growth and success.

"We've found that home buyers find the process confusing," says Ken, a former CPA with Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. "But we feel that being able to handle all of the needs of consumers using the resources provided by GMAC Real Estate will in turn allow us to offer them the Premier Service they expect. The program is being well received by our agents, and they've all become certified Premier Service agents."

Besides offering some of the best customer service in Grand Junction-a city of more than 130,000 in Colorado's scenic Mesa County-Monument GMAC Real Estate is steadily realizing its goal of becoming a one-stop real estate firm.

"Right now, we offer real estate brokerage, mortgage and home warranty services. We have signed an agreement to bring in title and we'll be working to bring in home insurance within the next year," according to Ken.

Having a mortgage operation in place is extremely beneficial, he says, because buyers can become pre-qualified and know immediately what they can afford. Once the sale occurs, Monument can make sure the deal flows well, which reduces customers' concerns and confusion, which in turn leads to customer allegiance and repeat business.

"Our business is growing very rapidly. Competition is intense, which is why I wanted to franchise," Ken explains. "I was worried about getting left behind. Through our affiliation with GMAC Real Estate, we're able to provide our agents with a lot more tools than they had when we were an independent firm.

"For instance, we had an almost non-existent Internet site. We now have a much better Web presence thanks to GMAC. It was one of the first things we rolled out from the GMAC Real Estate toolbox."

Ken and Cathy say they both had a very good feeling about GMAC Real Estate right away. "The people at GMAC, the leadership group-we just seemed to gel with their personalities," Ken says. "Our goals meshed with those of the senior leadership team. They have a definite business plan. GM is committed to GMAC Real Estate, and I like the fact they run the company-owned stores."

Clearly, the feeling was mutual.

"From the get-go, we had no doubt this would be a great strategic partnership," says Lane Barnett, president and CEO of GMAC Real Estate franchise offices. "First, the Hamons are terrific people and second, we were very impressed by their business philosophy and their customer service-centered approach. We couldn't be happier to have them as a part of our family."

Ken says the key to Monument GMAC Real Estate's continued growth and success is to have a good organization with great people who can carry out the firm's mission, which is to fully implement the GMAC business model, Premier Service and the one-stop shopping service. "That's our mission, and we intend to deploy it well.

"We want to be recognized as the Premier Service firm in our market. And without a doubt, GMAC Real Estate's Premier Service and the support we receive are helping to set us apart."

To learn more about GMAC Real Estate visit www.gmacrealestate.com. And visit the Hamons at Monument GMAC Real Estate at www.monumentcountry.com.