Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors celebrated 2024 at its annual awards event on Friday, Jan. 31, at the Quad- Cities Waterfront Convention Center, Bettendorf.
Chris Beason, president of Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, and CEO Caroline Ruhl honored 184 award winners for their 2024 achievements. More than 300 agents, staff, and affiliated business partners cheered on their co-workers during the celebration.
“2024 presented challenges across the real estate industry, yet our agents and staff rose to the occasion and delivered exceptional results,” Mr. Beason said at the company’s annual awards event. “Your dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to our clients and communities set us apart.
“At Ruhl&Ruhl, success has always been about more than transactions; it’s about building relationships, earning trust, and ensuring that no one is ever on their own,” said Mr. Beason, who represents the fifth generation to lead Ruhl&Ruhl. “These principles have guided us for generations, and they will continue to drive our success, no matter the market.”
Top awards presented for 2024 were:
- Top Excellence in Service Award: Wendy Corzatt, Burlington, Iowa, office.
- Top Associate of the Year: Kurt Johnson, Bettendorf office.
- Extraordinary Production Award: Sara Carlson, Muscatine, Iowa, office.
- Top Team of the Year: The Healey Group, Dubuque, Iowa, office.
- Top New Associate of the Year: Hank Robertson, Davenport office.
- Top Associate of the Year – Farm & Land: Eric Schlutz, Muscatine office.
- Top Ruhl Mortgage Associate of the Year: Ray McDevitt, Bettendorf office.
- Top Nelson Brothers Associate of the Year: Ray McDevitt, Bettendorf office.
- Top Community Involvement of the Year: Sally Kent, Bettendorf office.
- Top Referral Staff Member: Misty Grady, Relocation, corporate office.
- Employee of the Year: Mike Wendt, Moline office.
To see a complete list of award winners visit the company’s website at www.RuhlHomes.com/News.
During the event, Ms. Ruhl shared some of the company’s results from 2024 and forecasts for the new year.
One of those forecasts for 2025 included: Homes will continue to appreciate in the area. Homes appreciated between 2.94% to 6.58% in our markets over the past year. Economists predict appreciation will be in the 2-3% range in 2025.
Another forecast is that mortgage rates are staying higher for longer.
The average 30-year U.S. mortgage rate rose to 6.9% in January 2025. Rates are likely to fluctuate between 6-7% all year. Buyers have begun to acclimate to higher mortgage rates.
Here are some of the 2024 company results Ms. Ruhl outlined:
- Residential sales volume: Sales volume was $993,537,221, down 0.8% from 2023.
- Number of properties sold: Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors sold 4,231 properties, as either listing agent or selling agent. This was 3.6% fewer transactions than in 2023.
- Revenue: Revenue in a real estate company is primarily gross commission income (GCI). Ruhl’s 2024 GCI was $29,145,576, down 1.2% from 2023.
- New listings: The company listed 2,494 properties for sale in 2024 – 3.3% fewer than 2023.
- Nationally Ranked per Agent Productivity: On average, its agents closed 15.3 transactions in 2024, up from 14 sides per agent in 2023.
- Workforce: Ruhl&Ruhl ended the year with 277 residential agents. In addition, 59 employees work for the company. Midwest Referral, an affiliated company, has 94 agents who refer business to Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors.
- Ruhl Property Management: Ruhl Property Management manages 286 properties (403 units) and two HOAs (79 units). It acquired 206 new properties in 2024: 152 for property management and 54 for tenant placement. It also executed 103 lease agreements and received 50 agent referrals for owners or tenants.
- Ruhl Mortgage: Ruhl Mortgage closed $160,718,967 in loan volume, which was generated by 643 loans. Of that, 90% were purchase loans and 10% were refinances. Ruhl Mortgage employs 20 including four loan officers, two loan officer assistants, two in-house underwriters, and two processors, plus other management and staff.
- Insurance referrals sold: Agents referred clients resulting in 505 policies being sold by the Nelson Brothers Agency, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors’ affiliated insurance company. Nelson Brothers Agency has 20 agent producers and 23 support staff.
- Commercial sales volume: NAI Ruhl Commercial Company, a joint venture with Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, sold $95 million in commercial real estate in 2024. It employs 14 commercial agents and 17 staff members. NAI Ruhl Commercial Property Management manages 1.330 million square feet of space, and 427 HOA units. They also have a full-service Maintenance Division.
The family-owned company, founded in 1862, today has grown to 277 sales associates, 59 employees, and 10 offices, selling more than 4,200 homes in eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois, and southwest Wisconsin. Its residential sales offices are in Bettendorf, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Clinton, Davenport, DeWitt, Dubuque, Iowa City, and Muscatine, Iowa; and in Moline.
