United Country Real Estate Achieves Strong Growth in First Quarter of 2012

Company’s Sales Volume Up 23%, Expansion of Affiliate Network in U.S., Abroad

April 9, 2012 – (KANSAS CITY, Mo.) –United Country Real Estate, the nation’s largest seller of lifestyle real estate, has continued its expansion with the opening of 12 new offices in the United States and six new affiliates in foreign markets. On top of this first quarter 2012 growth, the company has shown a 23-percent increase in real estate transactions during same period.

“Six years ago, United Country recommitted to its 87-year-old roots with major across-the-board investments in new services, new technology, new thinking and a strengthened property marketing program to better serve our buying and selling clients,” said Dan Duffy, chief executive officer for United Country Real Estate. “The results we are seeing now from our affiliated offices are a direct result of these targeted investments. We, in close collaboration with our professional local office owners, agents and brokers, are outperforming the current market and are really enjoying the byproduct of a great deal of hard work by the dedicated professionals that are proud to be part of what is proving to be an extremely bright future for the company. We expect a continuation of expansion in the network and our affiliated offices sales volumes in the coming months.”

Just in the first quarter of this year, United Country has opened offices in Mena, Ark.; Eagle, Colo.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Lincoln, Maine.; Moriarty, N.M.; Beaufort, N.C.; Camden, TN.; Aledo, Texas.; Mt. Pleasant, Texas; Independence, Va.; Midlothian, Va.; and Penhook, Va. In addition to new U.S. affiliates, United Country has opened offices in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Pavones, Costa Rica; and Dominical, Costa Rica. The company has further plans in place to expand into six more areas of Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico by year’s end.

Growth was realized across many of the market segments United Country specializes in including land up 52 percent, recreational properties up 36 percent and given the incredible demand for farmland, farms more than doubled versus the first quarter of 2011. Another sign of an improving real estate market can be seen in home sales in the small cities and towns the company serves with sales of residential properties up 12 percent.

“With the real estate market conditions significantly improving, we expect to see this strong growth continue throughout 2012,” said Mike Duffy, president of United Country Real Estate. “Americans still hold dear the dream of homeownership and owning lifestyle real estate, and at United Country, we specialize in helping buyers achieve those dreams.”

About United Country

United Country Real Estate is the largest fully integrated network of conventional and auction real estate professionals in the United States. The company has been an innovator in real estate marketing since 1925. United Country supports nearly 550 offices across the U.S., Costa Rica, Panama and resort areas of Mexico, with a unique, comprehensive marketing program that includes one of the largest portfolios of property marketing websites (more than 3,000 separate sites and traffic of approximately 3 million visitors per month), multiple United Country real estate catalogs with national distribution , an extensive buyer database and national advertising of local properties that reaches more than 90 million homes per week. United Country has recently been recognized by Franchise Business Review,  AllBusiness.com, The Land Report, Entrepreneur and The Wall Street Journal as one of the top U.S. real estate companies.