With a love for ‘all things American’ and a passion for the quintessential Southern California lifestyle, Stephen has always seen things a little differently than others in the real estate industry. He’s 150% Consumer Centric. He’s always believed that people buy, he never ‘sells’.

At age 12 Stephen O’Hara, was named one of America’s youngest entrepreneurs, and in 1980 he was named to the ‘Franchise 500’ list by Entrepreneur magazine. Never content to rest on his laurels, Stephen continues to re-invent himself and the way he does business. When he received the RE/MAX® Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 he was also stunned to learn that he ranked #14 from amongst the 106,000 RE/MAX agents worldwide.

He is often asked to share his story and he is happy to acquiesce, explaining that his life’s work is one of passion, unconditional love, patience and a history of turning ‘scars into stars’. His life story includes bankruptcy, the heart-wrenching, wrongful, loss of life of two close family members, wrong partners, and yes...yearly sales in excess of $55 million! With a career sales total of over One Billion Dollars, Stephen was propelled into real estate sales history when he became one of only 25 REALTORS® to be featured in the popular book, BILLION DOLLAR AGENT (Kantor).

Stephen has paid his dues. He has started and owned businesses on both a local and national level, including several national brand real estate offices where he recruited and mentored over 500 Associates. Stephen has a strong sense of marketing and communications skills. His academic background includes law and accounting as well as a strong background in franchise/licensing. He has an unwavering belief that success follows when you take care of the consumer. In fact, it’s the cornerstone of his entire business career. And, it’s worked.

Here’s an excerpt from an interview with Stephen:

I have three major passions in my life – God, then my family, and then my career. I’m blessed and delighted to have been able to combine all three.  I’ve learned that life can only be ‘lived forward’ and understood backwards, which is why I believe we learn more from our adversities, than from our successes. I have faith in God, and in the knowledge that ‘nothing’ is the end of the world, and that I’m better served by moving forward. I learn from my mistakes and move on. I am purpose driven and I’m passionate about what I do.

Stephen is a visionary who provides a vital link between the administrative and marketing/sales functions. He excels in being able to think and communicate in two very distinct styles: globally and linearly. It's that extraordinary ability to take lofty visions and bring them down to earth that makes him an invaluable resource. Strategic planning wrapped in wisdom and understanding is the talent for which Stephen is best known.

Licensed in 1976, Stephen did some traditional farming, however, having a strong business background, he learned early on that the ROI – Return On Investment - simply wasn’t worth the effort.  His observation was confirmed year after year by NAR wherein their survey’s repeatedly confirmed that traditional farming contributed to about 3% of an agents’ sales whereas an agents sphere-of-influence (SOI) accounted for over 70% of their business.
In the late 1980’s, Stephen realized that the key to building his business was to a) build his sphere-of-influence (SOI) so that he wouldn’t ‘plateau’ and his sales would continue to increase as he grew his sphere, and b) set himself apart in such a clear and transparent manner that NO AGENT could compete with him in the same way.

Stephen knew that the relationship to the size of his SOI was mathematically related to his sales numbers.  Indeed, it is a simple ‘numbers game’.  If your SOI has 300 people in it and you sell 20-homes, a SOI of 600 could potentially yield 40-sales, 900 could yield 60 transactions and so on.

Stephen has often said that most agents forget that most of their business comes from their SOI – not traditional farming.  In an interview, Stephen said, “At first, Agents will tell me that everyone in their SOI loves them.  Then I remind them that it’s NOT the people in their current SOI I’m talking about; you can only BUILD your SOI with people you haven’t met yet.”  The reality is that most agents do not know how to build their sphere – they don’t know how to comfortably meet people they don’t already know.  Not only did Stephen figure it out, but it is a foundational tenet of PRC.

etting himself apart, however, was even more complicated.  Stephen’s research led him to the renown Harris® Survey & Polling organization.  He learned that they conducted a periodic survey on what occupations consumers held in high regard as well as those they had little confidence in. 

He learned that REALTORS® were always in the bottom quartile; in fact, in their most recent survey, Harris® places REALTORS® at the very bottom – Number 23 out of  23.  With these kind of numbers, Stephen quickly figured out that that most consumers were predisposed in their opinions about REALTORS®. Before they even met him.  In the consumers mind, all REALTORS® sound the same.  He realized that he’d have to spend half of his time during listing and/or buyer presentations convincing buyers and sellers (he didn’t already know) that he was different.  He became angry that people were judging him based on the experience they had with other REALTORS®.  Out of his anger came the cornerstone of PRC: THIRD PARTY CREDIBILITY.

Stephen says, “If you are like many people today, you depend on the reputation of the ‘brand’ or a ‘third party’ to give their stamp-of-approval on products and services. Do you prefer a hotel that has a AAA® one star or five star rating? How about where you eat? Is it important to know that Zagat® validates the quality of the food and dining experience? Most of us find the ratings given by Consumer Reports® or J.D. Power® very important before we purchase products and services.

There are over 1.2 million REALTORS® in the nation – how can you know for sure which ones have the background and experience you need to do the job? A simple internet search will reveal just how unhappy many consumers are with their buying and/or selling experience while working with their real estate agent.  Buyers and Sellers need a dependable, accountable third party to independently ‘grade and rate’ REALTORS®.”

Beginning with these early revelations – the relationship between the size of his sphere and the need to set himself apart – Stephen began to create the systems and marketing which would forever change and improve the way consumers would view about 3% of all REALTORS®.  Each of these proprietary components have been developed by Stephen and some of the nations real estate experts into what has become known as PRC (Professional Realty Council, Inc.) 
Having had his success published in five books, Stephen began speaking to groups of REALTORS® throughout the nation. He was regularly asked if he would license his PRC brand and system to other REALTORS® across the nation.  In 2007, Stephen began winding down his stellar career with The RE/MAX® Organization so that he could focus 100% of his time and resources on building the team that would build PRC into a trusted brand.
Helping People Find A REALTOR® They Can Trust™ became the winning strategy of PRC.  Stephen says, “If you are thinking about buying or selling a home, remember, if you hire any REALTOR® you might be taking a risk that you don’t need to take. If you hire a PRC Council Member™, it’s my personal goal to see that you enjoy a stress-free move along with peace of mind.”

Stephen goes on to say, “If you are interested, I’m happy to share every secret I have with you. My personal dream would be fulfilled if every REALTOR® would learn that when serve the Consumer first, success – and more money – will always follow."

If you are a REALTOR® interested in serving our customers in your community, we invite you to LEARN MORE.

And finally, be passionate about what you do, and success will follow!