Bud Farris is not your everyday realtor. Besides leading Connecticut’s Century 21 regional office, his own Appraisal and Real Estate School of Connecticut fills a new niche by teaching aspiring realtors how to succeed in a shaky market.

His entrepreneurial journey began while he was working with CENTURY 21 A&B Realty, a company that was faltering under the weight of its own bureaucracy. Seeing a need for change, Farris joined with eight other office owners in Rhode Island and Connecticut and formed CENTURY 21 Access America, a new 11-office firm. It was a big merger, involving plenty of tough decisions. “We had to cut expenses and let some staff go,” said Farris.

Downsizing costs led to an upsize in gains. “When we first formed, we had about 2000 transactions in one year, and we grew to 4500 transactions a year.”

A strong web presence was the key to their success. “We’ve always been a heavy user of technology. In fact, in the last six years we’ve set up a web development company,” said Farris. “About 80 percent of people thinking about real estate will spend months on the web before they ever talk to an agent. If you don’t have internet visibility, you’re dead.”

Realizing the value of the tough lessons he’d learned, Farris decided to spread the word; he opened a school for future agents. The Appraisal and Real Estate School of Connecticut offers licensing courses, basic appraisal classes and continuing education.

And Farris is still making moves. In June, he withdrew from Access America to form a new business: CENTURY 21 Connect. This company’s local structure allows him to focus on even better customer service. And Farris is proud to report that his son Christopher is now a member of the organization, making the new venture two generations strong.