RISMedia’s CEO Exchange Showcases How ‘True Leaders Shine’ in Challenging Times

Top l-r: Dan Forsman, Josh Harley, Rosey Koberlein, Pat Riley; Bottom l-r: Dava Davin, Marilyn Eiland, Charlie Oppler, Chris Trapani

by RISMedia Staff

The 2020 Real Estate CEO Exchange was unlike any other in RISMedia’s 31-year history of hosting the prestigious event. In order to continue bringing real estate’s top minds together, while mitigating the risks introduced by the coronavirus pandemic, RISMedia moved this year’s event to an all-virtual format on Sept. 17, presenting 16 sessions that featured more than 50 leading brokers and industry professionals. The event attracted more than 1,200 attendees who are now more prepared to overcome COVIDrelated challenges through innovative strategies and groundbreaking processes.

This year, the CEO Exchange was co-presented by RISMedia and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The event kicked off with an opening address by RISMedia’s Founder, CEO and Publisher John Featherston.

“Our collective goal for this event was simple: In this year of COVID-19 and the incredible challenges we’ve encountered, we wanted to introduce you to the industry colleagues who have faced these challenges so they can share their thoughts, methods and successes with you to help you improve your overall skillset and abilities,” said Featherston.

Following Featherston was keynote presenter Paul Boomsma, president and CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE), who discussed the changing landscape of real estate amid the pandemic.

“The high-touch nature of in-person real estate transactions quickly migrated to virtual showings and online contracts,” said Boomsma. “We will benefit

During his keynote address, LeadingRE’s Paul Boomsma discussed innovation, information and the global issues impacting real estate. from this adoption well into the future. I don’t believe innovation is new; it has simply changed. The promised information age is in full swing.”

But, at times, that comes at a cost. Boomsma explained that with technological innovation comes a flood of data that is now “becoming a burden.”

“Social media users say they are worn out by posts, and the trust in all this info is now at an all-time low. We have an opportunity to deliver clear, accurate information. Let’s make a commitment to speak better and to raise the bar of the conversation.”

Additionally, Boomsma spoke about global issues that must be addressed at the real estate level as well.

“We have to end racial bias, which still exists in our society. Yes, fair housing laws were put into effect, but we still have a long way to go to be more inclusive and celebrate diversity within our ranks,” said Boomsma.

Lastly, Boomsma reminded attendees that despite the current health crisis, any challenges can be overcome by coming together as an industry.

“During these challenging times, we see true leaders shine,” said Boomsma. “We will get through this challenge. The entire world will get through this.”

Buffini & Company’s Brian Buffini shares his thoughts on the inventory challenge.

Brian Buffini Shares a Solution for Inventory Shortage Inventory problem? What inventory problem?

That was one of the central themes discussed by iconic real estate business coach Brian Buffini, founder and chairman of Buffini & Company, at RISMedia’s 2020 Real Estate CEO Exchange.

In this exclusive, one-on-one session with Featherston, Buffini shared his insights on the challenges of having to conduct real estate business during the coronavirus pandemic, the importance of staying connected, key ways agents need to differentiate themselves and even how to overcome the inventory challenge with just a simple change in mindset.

“People are always singing the blues, ‘there’s no inventory…we have a housing shortage,’” Buffini said. “And you know my answer—it’s been the same for years, which is, there is no shortage of housing. There are 80 million households in this country. What there is, is a shortage of listed inventory.”

RISMedia’s John Featherston sits down with NAR’s Bob Goldberg and Vince Malta to discuss the state of real estate across America.

The solution, he says? Go out and get it.

“We have to become proactive,” he said. “We’ve got to stop waiting. Get into the mindset of, ‘I’m going to go find the inventory.’

“People are afraid to put their homes on the market, that they won’t find another house. But when you’re an agent and you say, ‘I can help you find a house, even if it’s not on the market; I’ll go get it for you. I’ll go canvas the neighborhood,’ that’s being a proactive agent. It’s a different mindset. It’s saying, ‘I’m going to be an inventory creator, not an inventory wait-er.’”

NAR Leadership Discusses the ‘Now’ Normal While consumers may be apprehensive about getting on a plane or into an Uber for the foreseeable future, for those looking to buy or sell a property, relying on a real estate professional is more important than ever before.

“If consumers ever needed a REALTOR®, it’s now,” explained Vince Malta, president of NAR, during an exclusive Q&A with NAR CEO Bob Goldberg and Featherston.

“While the way in which REALTORS® conduct business has changed, the role of a REALTOR® has not—which is the message we’re trying to portray as we move forward,” added Malta.

A key player in the fight to ensure that real estate professionals were deemed essential when businesses across the board shut down as COVID-19 began to spread across the globe, NAR did what they’ve always

done: gone to bat for their 1.4 million members.

“It’s a role that we have always taken, but the success of it has come to light during this pandemic,” said Goldberg.

As one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the country, NAR continued to advocate for its members in a variety of ways, including working to ensure that independent contractors were eligible for stimulus funds, pushing for additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, working to extend the deadline for 1031 like-kind exchanges, and offering the Right Tools, Right Now program complete with 400-plus products, services and tools to help members navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19.

Being able to shine through despite all the negative things occurring throughout the world, Malta predicts a strong finish to 2020 should job gains continue and low interest rates hold steady.

NAR’s Marc Gould applauds the willingness of industry professionals to come together and share their tried-and-true strategies.

“If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we can accomplish anything with our resiliency and our ability to work together,” said Malta. “This is a time where we can look optimistically to our future and envision a new roadmap because we have accomplished so much.”

“NAR is all of us together,” added Goldberg. “This power, which is 1.4 million members strong, has the chance to move this industry and protect it on behalf of consumers.”

Also during the event, NAR 2020 President-Elect Charlie Oppler and NAR Senior Vice President of Member Development Marc Gould contributed strategies and insights for using what we’ve learned in 2020 to set the stage for a successful 2021.

“More than anything else, we learned how to adapt to what was important in our lives and that the health of our families and our companies weren’t on the same page anymore,” explained Oppler during “Strategies for Salvaging Success in 2020 – The Local Challenge.”

During the “CEO Exchange Wrap-Up,” Gould applauded the willingness of industry professionals who compete with one another on a daily basis to come together and share the lessons they’ve learned over the course of the year.

“There are going to be times in the future where we are going to have to pivot again—or move quickly—and we’re going to have to recall the lessons we’ve learned,” explained Gould, who encouraged panelists and attendees alike to set time aside sooner rather than later to document what they did during the pandemic—and what they could/ should have done.

How Brokers Saved Business in 2020 Among the 16 sessions offered during RISMedia’s Real Estate CEO Exchange was a two-part panel of eight Power Brokers—“Strategies for Salvaging Success in 2020”— which discussed the impact of the pandemic on success moving forward.

Panelists shared the following key take-aways:

“Who would’ve thought we’d have the crisis of a lifetime, and the greatest two months in the history of the company (July and August 2020)? Early on, we had the focus that we were going to have a V-shaped recession—down then up. Turns out, we were right. The reason we popped was mindset, preparation and prospecting. You have to have a culture of discipline—track and measure everything. The best tool we have is a great infrastructure.”

– Dan Forsman, President & CEO, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Georgia Properties

“Offices are the biggest expense for most brokerages; since we didn’t have that expense weighing us down, we didn’t have to lay anyone off. At Fathom...the culture was already built, and I believe that having a strong culture is really key to longevity. We encouraged our leaders to take a more personal approach to how we communicated. COVID demonstrated that you don’t need to have an office to be a successful agent.”

– Josh Harley, Founder & CEO, Fathom Realty

“One thing that surprised me was that after being sheltered in place on March 30, we had 10 weeks of week-over-week increased pended activity. Another thing that surprised me was the resilience of our sales associates. I had one group who changed their business model and really embraced the technology we’ve had for about two years. One woman, in a 60-day period of time, sold 17 homes and never left her house.”

– Rosey Koberlein, CEO, Long Realty

“Fifty-seven percent of our business went away (by April). So we worked on controlling the controllables with our leadership team. We said, let’s work hard on education, certifications and new tech tools, and build that absorption rate. While we were doing those things we could control companywide, on the REALTOR® side, we were building their confidence in technology and the world out there, and it’s paying off now.”

– Pat Riley, President & CEO, Allen Tate REALTORS®

“Agents need an office, a sense of belonging, but most will continue to work from home and in the field. I’m a big believer in quality over quantity. This is an opportunity to reduce square footage—we can start hoteling desks. These types of efficiencies are going to help us. Technology efficiencies are here to stay, and it’s going to help limit the number of properties agents have to physically show to each client.”

– Dava Davin, Principal, Broker, Portside Real Estate Group

“Video is now king in the marketplace. Managers are working with agents to help them figure out things they can post about, like interviewing local businesses to find out how they’re doing, or tips on home improvement and decorating. And there’s no better advice I’d give an agent than to get listings. With this tight, tight inventory, we have focused on things they can do to expand their market and look for more listings everywhere.”

– Marilyn Eiland, Managing Partner, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene

“We arranged to have many speakers from around the country, who helped our agents get through this. I also think we learned how to adapt to what was important in our lives. We always somehow prioritized work over family, and I heard from so many agents that this was special time they got to spend with their family. I think the health of a lot of agents was improved, and when they had to get back into the industry, they knew what to do and when to do it. Trust and relationships and sphere of influence have never been more important.”

– Charlie Oppler, 2020 President-Elect, NAR, COO Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty

“We discovered our team had talents we didn’t know they had. People rose to the occasion. So I was able to go on the offense. We have to ensure the health and safety of our people, but we can’t be so hamstrung that we’re not coming out of this in a position where we’re stronger. I spent the better part of these six months focusing on strategic opportunity and growth. Whenever there’s been a crisis in the past and we’ve doubled down, it’s paid off.”

– Chris Trapani, Founder & CEO, Sereno Group

All 2020 CEO Exchange attendees can access session replays at ceo.rismedia.com/replays.

For details regarding RISMedia’s “Real Estate’s Rocking in the New Year” virtual event with Brian Buffini, co-presented by the National Association of REALTORS®, on Jan. 7, please contact Deb Ryan at dryan@rismedia.com.

RISMedia extends sincere thanks to all of its CEO Exchange sponsors:

DIAMOND SPONSOR NAR Center for REALTOR® Development

PLATINUM SPONSORS Homes.com® MoxiWorks Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans

MASTER SPONSORS American Home Shield Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Century 21 Real Estate HSA Home Warranty Realty ONE Group

HOST SPONSORS Cole Information Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Real Estate Express RPR® Terradatum Zillow

EVENT SPONSORS Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) Designation ActivePipe ATTOM Data Solutions BoomTown Buyside Cinch Home Services (formerly HMS) Constellation1 CoreLogic CMG Financial David Knox Productions, Inc. Deluxe DocuSign dynaConnections Corp. Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Institute for Luxury Home Marketing JP & Associates REALTORS® (JPAR) Local Logic Pillar To Post Home Inspectors ShelterZoom Sherri Johnson Coaching & Consulting WFG National Title Insurance Company WiseAgent

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