At First Team, we understand that the business of real estate is cyclical.

Where others might see this as a negative, we actually see it as a positive. A cyclical market creates new problems, and as a result, new opportunities that come from solving these challenges. Our company was founded on the premise of innovation and creative problem solving. We are motivated by the opportunity to solve real estate problems, and create solutions that others cannot. Our company continually strives to meet customer’s needs by developing unique products and services to handle the challenges of any given market. These products and services are specially designed to empower our clients and help them make informed decisions, thereby leveraging the current market to their maximum advantage.

Many sellers and buyers think that all agents are the same, with the same information.

Nothing could be further from the truth. At First Team, we have more local knowledge, statistics and data than anyone else. Above all else, it is crucial to understand that real estate is a very local business. Cyclical changes do not occur equally across Southern California. Markets vary from region-to-region and from neighborhood-to-neighborhood. You have to know where your particular market is heading at any given time. At First Team, we continually monitor the size of market inventory, whether it is growing or shrinking, how long properties are staying on the market, whether that duration is increasing or decreasing, the gap between asking versus selling prices, in addition to other important factors. We can’t control the market, but we can control the depth and timeliness of knowledge we provide to our clients, giving them a tremendous advantage in a constantly shifting market.

In addition to our culture of innovation and creative problem solving, First Team offers other important advantages to the consumer.

Real estate is a highly competitive and fragmented industry. Not only do many companies not share knowledge or information, there are actually adversarial relationships within those companies, with many agents simply looking out for their own best interest.

At First Team, our culture is one of information sharing.

Our agents share within each office, and our offices share with each other, and can provide solutions on a collaborative basis. Our company is aligned at many levels, with agents and managers consistent in cooperation and mutual support. The end result is the sheer power of teamwork, which we leverage for powerful and positive results.

First Team’s independent status ensures that we’ll never have to answer to the corporate hierarchy of an impersonal national conglomerate.

As a result, our clients always receive extremely personal attention and responsive service from creative, local decision makers. We believe that successful real estate transactions begin with strong personal relationships with our clients. We know that every real estate situation is unique, and that there are no cookie-cutter solutions. The best way for us to provide peerless performance for you is to fully understand and react to your unique real estate needs. To find out what First Team can do for you, call a First Team agent today.

About First Team

First Team Real Estate, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, is the # 1 independent real estate company in southern California and has sold more homes in Orange County than any other brokerage in the last 10 years. Founded by President and CEO Cameron Merage with five agents in one office in 1976, today, First Team Real Estate and its family of companies have over 60 locations supporting over 2,000 employees and agents. Services include residential and commercial real estate, title, escrow and mortgage operations.

First Team wins market share in any economic climate through innovation and proprietary marketing tools such as Market TrendsSM and HOT BUYS® and targets the luxury market with First Team Estates’ “Live Beautifully” concept. First Team Estates is headquartered in Newport Beach, California and represents buyers and sellers in the $2 million and up property value range servicing ultra-exclusive areas such as Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Emerald Bay, Yorba Linda, Coto de Caza and specific surrounding areas.

First Team’s latest consumer and agent concept, The NEW Rules of Real EstateSM, Strategies for Savvy Homebuyers and Sellers, was launched in summer 2008 and provides a set of practical, real-world solutions and rules based on consumer research and real estate market experience to assist buyers and sellers during the current and challenging market.

First Team family of companies include; First Team Commercial Real Estate, Western Resource Title, Coast Cities Escrow, Hallmark Escrow, and Bristol 1031 Exchange.

First Team maintains property listing and business relationships with Yahoo! Real Estate, REALTOR.com, Google Base, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Trulia.com, Zillow.com, Frontdoor.com, and Cyberhomes.com among others.

First Team offers Bankers Funding® mortgages through Wells Fargo Bank®. The company’s “First in our Hearts” Foundation is known for its generosity to the Southern California community.

About First Team Estates

First Team Estates is Southern California’s premier independent luxury real estate firm representing high-end buyers and sellers under the aegis of LIVE BEAUTIFULLY^® and The NEW Rules of Luxury Real Estate, our exclusive and branded approach to meeting your aspirations and achieving an unprecedented level of service on a more human level.

Led by First Team Estates Director, Debbie Lewandowski, the firm’s estates division has a solid foundation in leading market share for Orange County  and has sold more homes over $1 million than any other real estate broker in 2008^*. First Team Estates also partners with Luxury Portfolio, the only luxury network to showcase listings to high net worth clientele worldwide via multi-million dollar print and online marketing campaigns. The First Team Estates Division is headquartered in a new $2 million state-of-the-art office in Newport Beach, California with offices also in Laguna Beach, California.

The LIVE BEAUTIFULLY^® campaign and vision evolved from an ideal shared by clients, agents and communities alike, inspiring a unique vision of the luxury experience that high-end consumers can customize to fit their own needs and depicting how First Team Estates does business – connecting with people and fostering long-term and valued relationships, not just transactions.

At First Team Estates, LIVE BEAUTIFULLY^® represents our goal to help clients live their dream. We understand the many components that go into what, for you, is a satisfying and successful real estate transaction. Our luxury division and every agent is backed by First Team’s family of companies, including Coast Cities Escrow, Hallmark Escrow, Western Resources Title, First Team Commercial Real Estate and Bristol 1031 Exchange.

*Based on 2008 TRENDGRAPHIX, Inc. report for Orange County, CA all residential property types $1 million and above. Report published 12/2008, based on data available at the end of 11/2008