NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER - CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE

PARSIPPANY, N.J. 04-22-2008 —
Century 21 Real Estate LLC, franchiser of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization, today announced the appointment of Craig Leonard to the position of chief operating officer, reporting directly to Tom Kunz, president and chief executive officer. In his new position, Leonard will oversee the servicing and operations of the global real estate franchise system and will work to develop and execute strategies for long-term growth and profitability of existing and new CENTURY 21® franchisees.
“Craig brings to this position a tremendous amount of leadership experience in the franchise sector and will play a crucial role in enhancing the delivery of services to our network of franchised offices both domestically and abroad,” said Kunz. “While focusing on strengthening the infrastructure of day-to-day operations, Craig will help to enable our franchisees to better leverage affiliation with the CENTURY 21 System in their local markets.”
Leonard comes to the CENTURY 21 System with more than three decades of professional experience in the area of franchise operations and sales, most recently with McDonald’s Japan where he held the position of chief operating officer, senior vice president and served as a member of the organization’s board of directors. Leonard held roles of increasing responsibility within the McDonald’s organization dating back to 1976.
“Transitioning from one ‘golden’ icon to ‘The Gold Standard’ represents a tremendous opportunity to leverage my experience and knowledge in successfully operating franchise organizations. I’m excited to be a part of the ongoing effort to provide best-in-class service and resources to CENTURY 21 franchisees and to the home buyers and sellers they service around the world,” said Leonard.

Century 21 Angola Real Estate

RISMEDIA, April 2, 2008-Century 21 Real Estate LLC has announced that it has signed a master franchise agreement to license Century 21 franchises in Angola. Two Portugal-based companies, Gestipromo-Prestacao de Serviços de Promoção de Vendas e Marketing and Crismonte-Sociedade de Mediacao Imobiliaria, have partnered to become the master franchisee of the Century 21 System for Angola. According to the company, Century 21 Angola plans to be operational by July of this year.
“The addition of Angola to the Century 21 System is a tremendous step for this brand, and we look forward to growing our global footprint,” said Tom Kunz, president and CEO, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “The Century 21 System has made international growth one of its key initiatives and establishing this agreement in Angola is another positive step toward that goal.”
Angola gained its independence from Portugal in 1975 and is located on the west coast of the African continent, between Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“My team and I are excited to bring the Century 21 brand to our country,” said Fernando Guerreiro da Ponte, director of Century 21 Angola.” We look forward to leveraging the outstanding systems and tools that Century 21 has developed over the past three decades, and creating a network that delivers the dream of home ownership to people throughout Angola.
Century 21 Angola represents a further expansion into the African continent for the brand. In 2007, Century 21 Real Estate LLC established a master franchise agreement in South Africa to create Century 21 South Africa.
For more information, visit http://www.century21.com/.

CENTURY 21 YOUTUBE OPEN HOUSE CONTEST

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Century 21 Real Estate LLC, franchisor of the world's largest residential real estate sales organization, today launched a branded Channel on YouTube, the leading online video community, that is dedicated to helping people showcase and search for real estate around the world. Aimed at sellers, buyers and enthusiasts, the Channel will provide the opportunity for customers and agents to create and submit user-generated content. In addition, to officially launch the branded channel on YouTube, the CENTURY 21 System will hold a national consumer-generated video contest.
“The CENTURY 21 System understands that in order to serve our clients and meet the demands of today’s market, we must lead the industry with the most current home buying and selling platforms,” said Robert Schwartz , vice president of national marketing for Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “During the next year we will continue to build on this momentum with additional Web-based innovations to help our agents and our clients navigate the world of real estate in a digital era.”
Instead of the traditional photographs, virtual tours and videos on today’s real estate sites, videos uploaded by agents and sellers on YouTube will have a personal touch that can help a prospective buyer better decide which homes may be right for their needs. A video voiceover can highlight areas of interest in the home, as well as showcase recent home upgrades or renovations to the potential buyers.
User Generated Video Contest
To engage both consumers and agents during the Channel launch, the CENTURY 21 System will also host the My CENTURY 21 Open Home Contest, a user-generated video contest where sellers can work with their CENTURY 21 agent to create an “open house” video for submission on www.youtube.com/century21. The videos should feature a 60-second clip of the seller and home, accompanied by a 15-second introduction or closing by the agent.
Contest entrants are encouraged to conduct an emotional walkthrough of the home, using humor and creativity to provide an entertaining tour of their homes. Participants should be mindful of appropriate language, dress and topics in order to qualify for the grand and runners-up prizes.
Through a popular vote on YouTube, the YouTube community will select the top 10 entries, and the grand prize winner will be selected by an executive committee within Century 21 Real Estate LLC. Voting is open now through May 9, 2008. The CENTURY 21 System will announce the winners via YouTube on May 13, 2008.
Contest winners will receive the following prizes:
· First prize-consumer winner will receive a $21,000 check and a high definition television; the accompanying agent will also receive a HDTV
· The second through tenth prize winners will receive a digital video camera (1GB)
In addition to the prizes listed above, consumers who log onto the branded CENTURY 21 YouTube Channel will have the opportunity to enter into a random drawing for a $25 gift certificate for music downloads. The first 50 CENTURY 21 agents who are part of a video submission will also receive $25 worth of music downloads.
For a full list of contest entry rules, please log on to http://www.century21.com/. To see the video entries and vote for your favorite, please log onto www.youtube.com/century21.

CENTURY 21 CHARLESTON SC REAL ESTATE HOME SEARCH

Century 21 System Launches New Consumer Marketing Campaign

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Century 21 Real Estate LLC, franchisor of the world's largest residential real estate sales organization, today announced a new national marketing campaign aimed at helping consumers better understand how CENTURY 21® agents are positioned to help consumers address the difficult home buying and selling process. Demonstrating a clear understanding of what consumers need most in today’s housing and economic environment, the new campaign focuses on the benefits uniquely offered by the CENTURY 21 brand and the experience of the CENTURY 21 agent. The 2008 campaign, which launches today, features new advertising, appealing and category-leading interactive elements, local market advertising support and a high-profile partnership with an iconic American designer.
At the heart of the campaign is a profound shift in the way the company positions its attributes with customers and agent stakeholders. Century 21 Real Estate LLC directly addresses the needs consumers have when buying or selling a home in this time of consumer uncertainty.
“Now more than ever, it’s imperative that consumers have a trusted partner in the selling and buying of their homes,” said Bev Thorne, senior vice president of marketing for Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “CENTURY 21 agents are uniquely trained and enabled to use industry-leading technology and deep-seeded knowledge of their local communities to help people find the path to their dream home.”
National Advertising Campaign
The CENTURY 21 System’s 2008 advertising creative underscores the importance of owning a home to all consumers, and speaks to the emotional side of finding the right home. It emphasizes the unique abilities of the CENTURY 21 agents and brokers to help consumers avoid the pitfalls of a potentially cumbersome process, and focuses on helping people navigate complicated financial and real estate regulations. Utilizing animation as the medium, consumers will see CENTURY 21 agents guiding people along the path to their new front door.
“We wanted a campaign that speaks to the impact CENTURY 21 agents have on their clients,” said Gordon Bowen, chief creative officer of McGarry Bowen. “Real estate is not just about the transaction; it’s truly about the valued partnership between the local agent and their client,” said Thorne. “It’s about the CENTURY 21 agent’s abilities to not only find a home, but to help consumers navigate the process so that they can stay in the home for as long as they like.”
The advertising spots were created for broadcast and will run on national cable and network outlets. Titled “Path Home,” “Internet Listing Guru” and “Open House,” the spots will run in 15- and 30-second formats. To complement the broadcast advertising, the CENTURY 21 System has developed radio advertising as well.
Web-based Initiatives
In addition to the TV and radio media, CENTURY 21 System promotional efforts are focused on the Internet as well with web banners in the same look and feel of the advertising campaign. According to the National Association of Realtors, 73% of homebuyers use the Internet as an information source when searching for a new home. To continue providing unparalleled service to its clients, no matter how they choose to interact with the CENTURY 21 System, the company will launch a re-designed look and navigation experience for http://www.century21.com/ this Spring.
Local Market Tools
The CENTURY 21 System is focusing its marketing communications on bolstering consumer confidence by helping them understand that CENTURY 21 brokers and agents are professional champions with unmatched qualifications to provide much needed guidance in an uncertain time.
“We’ve refreshed, contemporized and modernized key marketing vehicles, like our yard signs, business cards, our Web site and other communication vehicles, to more accurately reflect the things that are integral to everything that we do,” said Thorne. “We want consumers to easily distinguish our brokers and agents as the professional champions that they are – refreshing these tools just made sense.”
CENTURY 21 Gold Jacket
With more than 35 years of history, the iconic CENTURY 21 Gold Jacket has long served to provide consumers with a gold standard promise of top notch service and reliability in the complex world of real estate. This year, the CENTURY 21 System is proud to announce a partnership with Geoffrey Beene to provide the first designer-labeled Gold Jackets for CENTURY 21 agents, updating and contemporizing this apparel icon.
”The first course of action I took when I joined the CENTURY 21 System in 1982 was to don a Gold Jacket,” said Tom Kunz, President and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate. “I believe that the jacket sets CENTURY 21 agents apart from the crowd and creates a walking business card that is instantly recognized by consumers across the country.”
Consumers often mention that the Gold Jacket is a true CENTURY 21 brand identifier and the company is proud to refresh the look, feel and usability of the jacket for today’s agent. Further, the CENTURY 21 System will contribute $5 to Easter Seals for every Geoffrey Beene gold jacket sold.

Century 21 CEO says agents, consumers want major national brand

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News stevebrown@dallasnews.com
Four years ago, when Thomas Kunz was appointed chief executive of one of the country's largest real estate companies, he probably didn't suspect that a nationwide housing market slowdown was looming.
From 2004 into early 2006 the U.S. housing market boomed – and so did Century 21 Real Estate.
Now that the home market has softened, Mr. Kunz expects consolidation in the industry to benefit Century 21.
"Today it's a different market, and there is a huge opportunity," he said.
"We are going to see a lot of agents who got into the business get out."
Mr. Kunz – who was in Dallas Friday for a visit with Century 21 offices – said his firm has been holding meetings across the country talking about merger and acquisition opportunities.
He said that during tough times, both sales agents and consumers see positives with working for a major national brand.
And some sales agents are learning how to cope with the new realities of the market, he said.
"You have all those folks who have never seen a marketplace that wasn't going vertical," Mr. Kunz said.
"There are a lot of those folks that don't know how to knock on a door or pick up the phone," he said.
Mr. Kunz's trip to Texas had to be a welcome break.
While markets in California, Nevada and Florida are sagging, Texas housing markets by comparison are doing just fine.
"You guys are very blessed," he said.
"When you look at Dallas and Fort Worth, homes are undervalued for the incomes you have in this marketplace."
Like most others in the industry, Mr. Kunz is watching closely to see how the spring housing market pans out.
"Of course, we look at every spring that way," he said.
Century 21 is planning a marketing campaign next month to get properties in front of buyers.
"We are encouraging our agents to hold open houses in April," Mr. Kunz said.
"If we can get consumers into the homes, we can start talking about some of the opportunity there."
Century 21 in Charleston South Carolina