The Arizona Real Estate Achievement (AREA) Awards — selected by a panel of industry experts — honor the state’s best and brightest real estate companies, real estate agents, real estate brokers, mortgage companies, bankers, home builders, individuals who give back to the community, and those in the real estate business whose careers have left an indelible mark on the community and on the industry.
AREA AWARDS: RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Russell Shaw, Realty One Group
He’s most recognizable for his television commercials in which he proclaims: “I’m not bragging. I’m applying for a job. I want to be your Realtor. And if you’re not happy, fire me!” Russell Shaw, a native of Phoenix, backs up those words as he has been selling real estate since 1978. As Associate Broker of the 16-member Russell Shaw Group in Phoenix, Shaw is a GRI, a CRS, past President of the Arizona Certified Residential Specialists and a Lifetime Member of the President’s Roundtable. In 2011, Realty One Group had 331 sales totaling $48.886 million and collected $629,418 in fees. “Many agents think their most important job is satisfying the customer,” he says. “I don’t think that’s true. I believe that satisfying the customer is simply the minimum requirement for staying in business … Our objectives are to get you the most money in the least time, and with the fewest hassles.”
Honorable Mention: Curtis Johnson, Curtis Johnson Realty
Constantly analyzing current market conditions and trends, Curtis Johnson likes to stay one step ahead of his competitors. Combined with his extensive knowledge of the local real estate market and his proprietary “89 Step System” he and his team use to market their clients’ homes, Johnson and his team were ranked No. 57 of 1.2 million realtors by the Wall Street Journal for their production in 2008, selling 300 homes. One of the most in-demand real estate brokers in the state, Johnson provides “proven, practical, and usable marketing strategies” for his clients. A designated broker, Johnson holds advanced professional designations including GRI, ABR and CRS.
