I am often asked about our company slogan at The Alfriend Real Estate Group /ReMax. Here is the story behind the slogan, “Saving Lives, One Home at a Time.”
In 2004, at the age of forty-four, I decided to retire. My twenty years in real estate had gone well, and provided the financial opportunities to anything…or nothing. Therefore I retired, walked away from real estate, and spent all my time with my wife and four sons. It was a wonderful time, going to all the kids ball games, taking great family vacations, and coasting through life. It was the American dream.
Three years later, in 2007, everything changed. Most of my old colleagues were battling through the real estate crisis. Our family was facing a different crisis. My third oldest son had just been diagnoses with stage IV leukemia. Suddenly, I learned all about the brutal reality of childhood cancer treatments. I learned that cancer kills more children in the United States than all other diseases combined. I learned that, in spite of this fact, less than 4% of all cancer research funding goes toward childhood cancers. I learned that survival rates for children has seen very little improvement in the past twenty years.
Ten years have now passed. The real estate market is booming again, and the local economy is going great. My son beat cancer, got married, and just purchased his first home. Things are all back to normal. But there is a change. I have changed. I no longer have any desire to coast through life. I now believe, as Shakespeare said, “There will be plenty of time to rest in the grave.” Therefore, as long as I am on the green side of the grass, I want to work to make a difference.
Making a difference is the reason I returned to real estate. The Alfriend Real Estate Group exists to fund research for childhood cancer. It is the reason our slogan is, “Saving Lives, one home at a time.” It is the reason our business purpose is “Building lives worth living, while funding a cause worth fighting.”
This is who we are. This is why we exist. This is the explanation behind our slogan.
