RE/MAX Announces Quad Cities Expansion; Adds Moline Office Headed by Top Agent Rich Bassford

CHICAGO - June 5, 2014 - PRLog -- RE/MAX has expanded its already strong presence in the Quad Cities real estate market by establishing a new office in Moline, Ill.  RE/MAX Elite Homes will open at 1485 41^st St. in July, according to Broker/Owner Rich Bassford, but the operation is already up and running with agents working from their home offices.

It is the fifth new franchise added to the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network in the last three months.

The 2,500-square-foot office space is currently being extensively remodeled to provide a reception area, conference room, kitchen, five private offices and 12 workstation cubicles for agents and support staff headed by Operations Manager Kim Tuttle.

Bassford, 42, has ranked as the Quad Cities top producing Realtor® in each of the last four years based on total closed sales volume.  During that time he averaged approximately 100 closed transactions per year and was affiliated with a RE/MAX office in the Iowa portion of the Quad Cities area.  He has now taken the next step by opening his own RE/MAX franchise.

“With the Quad Cities residential market performing so strongly in the last year or two, this seemed like the perfect time for me to take that step and open a Moline RE/MAX franchise,” said Bassford, who noted that he was determined to stay with RE/MAX.

“I just love the RE/MAX system.  It provides an ideal blend of support and freedom, so that offices and individual brokers can shape their own business, yet with the educational and technical tools and the brand visibility that are so vital to success today,” he said.

A Moline resident for 26 years, Bassford earned his real estate license 14 years ago and joined RE/MAX two years later, quickly evolving into a top sales producer.  He enjoys riding his personal watercraft, and last year combined that passion with his desire to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN), a national charity for which RE/MAX is a long-time sponsor.  Bassford and Robb Osborn, another Quad Cities enthusiast, rode their watercraft nearly 1,300 miles from the Quad Cities to the MobileBay on the Gulf of Mexico, raising $15,000 for CMN.  The trip took seven days.

This year, Bassford is too busy getting his new office started and selling homes to spend much time on the river.

“The Quad Cities housing market is notably stronger this year than last,” he explained.  “There are currently about 650 home sales with closings pending, whereas last year we were running at about 500 to 550 pending sales.  There has been a lot of interest from investors, who I’d estimate have purchased 400 homes in the area just this year.  Recently, one investor I know closed on 36 homes in a single day.  It just feels like the right time to take this next step in my career.”

Bassford believes the current market environment will help RE/MAX Elite Homes grow rapidly.

“Twelve months from now, I fully expect we will have 15 brokers in our office,” he predicted.

RE/MAX has been the leader in the northern Illinois real estate market since 1989.  The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network, with headquarters in Elgin, Ill., consists of 2,000 sales associates and 100 individually owned and operated RE/MAX offices that provide a full range of residential and commercial brokerage services.  Its www.illinoisproperty.com provides comprehensive information about residential and commercial property for sale in the region.  The northern Illinois network is part of RE/MAX, LLC, a global real estate organization with 90,000+ sales associates in 90+ nations.