Intero Franchise Blog

Intero announced today the company will now offer the Intero Andare^SM office, its most innovative concept for real estate office design, to Intero franchisees nationwide.

Andare is an Italian word that means “to go or to work.” The concept for the Intero Andare office came about in 2007 when Intero’s executive team decided to create a smaller, technology–rich and more eco–friendly real estate office that better met the needs of today’s mobile REALTOR®.

“The nature of our business has changed. Agents aren’t spending as much time at their desks as they were 10 years ago,” said Gino Blefari, president and CEO of Intero, “Most REALTORS® have a wireless–enabled laptop and PDA, and they’re on the go. They don’t need cubicles. They need an attractive space with a few secluded areas where they can go to meet with clients and work—where they have access to technology and can get their work done as efficiently as possible.”

Intero opened its flagship Intero Andare office in a popular, high-end retail/residential development in Silicon Valley known as Santana Row in early 2007. Since then, they have successfully opened additional Intero Andare offices, including company and franchise–owned offices, in Carmel, downtown San Jose, Menlo Park, Santa Cruz and Truckee, California. They now have more than 135 agents working in these offices.

The Intero Andare design footprint is suitable for spaces that range in size from 1,000 to 3,000 sq. ft. That’s compared to the size of Intero’s traditional offices: approximately 7,000 sq. ft. for medium spaces and 11,000 sq. ft. for large. Because the Intero Andare office is a smaller design footprint, it’s more cost efficient to construct overall—approximately 70 percent less expensive to build–out than Intero’s larger offices.

Joel Valencia, an Intero Franchisee and owner of an Intero Andare office, had this to say about the concept, “We launched our Intero franchise in the middle of the housing slump and so needed to keep our startup costs as low as possible. This design allowed us to do that, and we were able to reach profitability very quickly—in less than eight months.”

The Intero Andare office is also the company’s greenest design. Its small footprint means fewer construction materials and waste, resulting in less impact on the environment. It also means less energy consumed in maintaining the office on an ongoing basis. Intero has been a leader in encouraging more environmentally–friendly business practices through its alliance with EcoBroker® International for years. In fact, Blefari was awarded the EcoBroker Community Service Award in 2006, given by EcoBroker International and the Association of Energy and Environmental Real Estate Professionals.

What distinguishes the Intero Andare office from others is its use of cutting–edge technology, including tablet PCs, keyless entry, Voice Over IP (VoIP), flat screen plasma TVs, and a high speed Wi–Fi network. The office also uses Web–based transaction management software that gives agents the ability to manage entire client files online and eliminate the need for paper and storage. Clients can sign directly to a PDF and those signatures are as secure and official as a contract on paper. Intero then stores the files securely online where they remain available to access down the road from any location.

The design of the Intero Andare office is minimalist and modern in style. Intero ditched cubicles for an open–floor plan that’s divided into three small communal areas, each featuring rich leather sofas and chairs, café tables and a large central work console/bar that’s equipped with a power and data conduit from the ceiling. There are also two small private offices. Polished concrete floors, vaulted ceilings and floor–to–ceiling glass walls in the conference room give the impression of something more akin to a high–end gallery than a real estate office (complete with an espresso bar, wine and beer).

“I go to the office as needed to access the network, meet with my team, and finalize deals,” said Intero agent Gerald Askew who works in the Santana Row Intero Andare office, “and so this setup is great for me because I have access to the best technology and the space fits my work habits. But what’s really a bonus is the location—an affluent retail area that my clients would come to anyway for the restaurants and shopping.”

A retail location is also the perfect venue for showcasing properties and promoting the projects of Intero’s resort and development partners. The front of an Intero Andare office is a retail–display glass window, behind which are mounted high definition flat–screen TVs. Here, Intero features resort properties and high-end homes. They can also showcase full graphic or model displays. For developers who want to take a foothold in a particular market, the Intero Andare office serves as a localized space to which they can easily direct clients and create awareness.

The design blueprint and business concept for the Intero Andare office will be exclusively available to Intero’s master franchisees and Intero franchisees.