The latest in new services, executive appointments and industry happenings.
Realogy Unites Agent Lead Generation Programs To Harness The Power Of Realogy’s Expansive Network
Realogy Holdings Corp (NYSE: RLGY), the largest full-service residential real estate services company in the United States, today announced the centralization of lead generation programs under Realogy Leads Group, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to delivering high-quality, high-converting leads to its affiliated agents. The Realogy Leads Group, supported by over 500 team members, unites Realogy’s many lead generation programs across its franchise and owned brokerages, including Better Homes & Gardens® Real Estate, Coldwell Banker®, CENTURY 21®, Corcoran Group®, ERA®, and Sotheby’s International Realty®. Realogy’s expansive network, comprised of more than 5,800 franchise and owned brokerage offices and approximately 189,000 independent sales agents in the U.S., helps consumers navigate more than one million home sale transactions per year.
Delta Media Greenlights National Independent Real Estate Showing Service
Delta Media Group announced that it would rapidly finalize and deploy a full-featured, wholly independent real estate showing service nationwide in response to an “avalanche of immediate industry support.” The new service will be called Local Showings.
One of the nation’s largest, most established and family-owned real estate brokerage technology firms, Delta Media’s CEO and owner Michael Minard said its showing service is already well over “90 percent complete.” He notes that Delta already works with MLSs that cover 97 percent of the properties sold in the U.S.
“We have been inundated with calls from real estate brokerage customers, non-customers, and MLSs to build an independent system. The industry needs a showing service that is not beholden to Wall Street. Delta Media will staunchly protect the relationship between real estate agents and their clients,” said Minard. “Unlike others, we can turn on a dime.” He notes Delta Media proved this when the pandemic struck, building a Virtual Open House system to meet broker and agent demands in record time.
Zillow Announces Leadership Promotions to Increase Focus on End-to-End Customer Experience
Zillow Group, which is transforming the way people buy, sell, rent and finance homes, today announced that Jeremy Wacksman has been promoted to chief operating officer (COO) and Susan Daimler has been promoted to president of Zillow as the company works to reimagine real estate.
The executive promotions are part of an organizational alignment that will centralize Zillow’s product, partner, engineering and operations teams across the company with a greater focus on the end-to-end customer experience, including solutions for buyers, sellers and renters.
In his new COO role, Wacksman will be responsible for creating more connectivity among Zillow’s lines of business in order to seamlessly serve Zillow customers on their moving journey. He will continue to report to Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Rich Barton.
In her new role as president of Zillow, Daimler will report to Wacksman and lead an integrated product team for buyers and sellers, which will help institutionalize the company’s customer focus as Zillow grows and scales. Daimler will continue to oversee the Premier Agent business, championing and focusing on Zillow’s partner agents as a key element of the company’s customer-focused strategy. Additionally, Daimler will continue to manage StreetEasy and the corporate relations function.
Keller Williams Luxury International Names Mark Wiley Head
of New Southern Nevada Luxury Division
Keller Williams Luxury International, the undisputed leader in the U.S. luxury real estate market, has named leading Las Vegas residential real estate broker, Mark Wiley, to lead its new Southern Nevada Luxury Division within two existing Market Centers, Keller Williams Realty Southwest and Keller Williams Southern Nevada.
In this role, Mark will lead a team of experienced Keller Williams agents representing some of the most exclusive home listings in the Southern Nevada real estate market. Embracing the distinct approach of tailored experiences that redefine luxury, the new division will focus on innovation, technology, and personalization to realize the goals of buyers and sellers. For Keller Williams-affiliated agents, the division will foster and provide a collaborative environment, where they can experience both personal and professional growth, as well as receive the tools and resources to become premier luxury agents.
United® Real Estate Expands Presence to Frisco, Texas
United® Real Estate, a division of United Real Estate Group, announced its expansion today with United Real Estate | Frisco, located in The Shops at Starwood in Frisco, TX. The announcement follows on the heels of its two mergers in December with Nashville-based Benchmark Realty and Atlanta-based Virtual Properties Realty (VPR) and its October 2019 merger with Charles Rutenberg Realty-Ft. Lauderdale.
United’s new Frisco location supports its North Texas expansion plans while also serving its clients throughout the Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Denton and Garland markets. Since the launch of its brokerage model and flagship location in Dallas in 2011, United has added locations in Grapevine, Allen, and now Frisco, and has grown to more than 700 Agents in North Texas. With more locations, agents and clients now have more choices and convenience and are encouraged to use any location regardless of where they live or do business in the metro area.
NewStyle Communities Extends Offerpad Services to Active Adult Home Buyers in South Carolina
Offerpad, a leading tech-enabled real estate solutions provider, is partnering with NewStyle Communities, a maintenance-free homebuilder based in Charlotte, North Carolina, to serve home sellers and buyers who are moving into NewStyle’s active adult communities in Greenville, South Carolina. The partnership through Offerpad’s Homebuilder Alliance represents its first with an active adult community builder and with a homebuilder in the Greenville area.
Through its partnership with Offerpad, NewStyle Communities, known for its award-winning floor plans and specially coordinated home development strategies, can offer home buyers the convenience of a more streamlined way to sell their existing home while going through the process of buying a NewStyle new-construction home.
CENTURY 21 ITALY THE 86TH COUNTRY TO AFFILIATE
Century 21 Real Estate LLC announced that CENTURY 21 Italy is the 86th country to affiliate with the CENTURY 21® brand, making it the second country in as many weeks to join the franchisor with one of the largest operating global network in the residential real estate industry. A team of local investors led by Marco Tilesi, signed an exclusive franchise agreement with the intention of leveraging the consumer and industry relevance behind the CENTURY 21 brand, and its 50-year legacy of providing quality client services, to offer current and newly-recruited sales professionals access to world-class marketing, agent learning and coaching, technology, and a growth-oriented productivity platform.
Keller Williams Announces Executive Moves
Keller Williams (“KW”), the world’s largest real estate technology franchise by agent count and the U.S. leader in units and sales volume, announced key executive moves today to best position the company for further growth and innovation.
Gary Keller, executive chairman of KWx, remarked on outgoing president of Keller Williams Josh Team:
“As president of KW, Josh built strong relationships with our associates, working to understand and meet their needs. He was an advocate for moving technology forward to help KWRI agents remain competitive in an evolving digital market,” said Keller. “He led the company during a time when agents experienced their most productive quarter ever. We thank Josh for perspective and his contributions. We wish him all the best as he moves on to the next chapter in his career.”
Carl Liebert, CEO of KWx, the parent holding company of KW, announced the brand’s latest executive moves in an internal meeting today with top corporate leadership and staff.
Effective immediately:
- Marc King has been appointed to serve as president of KW. King previously served as co-director of growth at KW. Recently, KW posted its year-end results on February 16, 2021.
- Matt Green will serve as head of agent and partner experience. Green previously served as co-director of growth at KW.
- Jason Abrams will serve as head of industry. Abrams previously served as vice president of industry, KW.
- Chris Cox has been appointed to head of technology and digital. Recently with Bain Consulting, Cox has a proven background in technology strategy and execution. Cox will lead technology, digital, data and design functions across KW’s ecosystem of businesses.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE EXPANDS WASHINGTON PRESENCE WITH AFFILIATION OF SOUTH PUGET SOUND BROKERAGE
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC announced that Northwest Home Team Realty, based in Tumwater, Wash., has affiliated with the BHGRE® brand. The company will now be known as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Northwest Home Team.
Founded by Steve and Jessica Poulos, the Washington brokerage serves the South Puget Sound area, focusing on Thurston, Pierce, Lewis, Mason and Grays Harbor Counties. With one office and 26 agents, prior to its affiliation the firm reached $92,140,016 in sales volume from 225 transactions in 2020.
RE/MAX Expands Strategic Alliances Program to Include the National Association of Real Estate Brokers
RE/MAX, LLC announced an inaugural alliance with the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), an influential advocate of sustainable homeownership for African Americans and other minority groups. Lydia Pope, President-Elect of NAREB, shared more about the organization’s mission on the popular Good Morning RE/MAX Facebook Live show. NAREB is the latest addition to the RE/MAX Strategic Alliances program, which works with organizations that share in the RE/MAX vision of expanding homeownership to all.
The new relationship underscores the RE/MAX commitment to fair housing and diversity in homeownership. RE/MAX will be a Gold Level Sponsor of the annual NAREB Mid-Winter Conference, March 4-6, 2020 and have brand presence at all NAREB industry events going forward. RE/MAX affiliates will also be able to access NAREB training and development opportunities.
HOMESERVICES OF AMERICA, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES AND REAL LIVING REAL ESTATE ARE THE LATEST REAL ESTATE POWERS TO PARTNER WITH THE LGBTQ+ REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance announced that the joint operations of HomeServices of America, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate have signed a sponsorship.
HomeServices of America, led by CEO Gino Blefari, is the nation’s largest residential real estate company based on closed transactions and is a premier provider of homeownership services including brokerage, mortgage, franchising, title, escrow, insurance and relocation services. HomeServices is the owner of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is led by Chairman Gino Blefari and CEO Chris Stuart. The company has more than 50,000 real estate professionals, nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East, and closed more than $138 billion in sales volume in 2020.
Real Living Real Estate, led by Chairman Gino Blefari and CEO Allan Dalton, is a full-service real estate brokerage franchise system and network with nearly 3,000 member agents in 160 offices nationally.
As a Champion sponsor, Blefari will now participate in a variety of Alliance national events while Palacios Smith will sit on The Alliance’s sponsor advisory board.
