Welcome to another installment of an annual tradition around here: the Seven Most Interesting People in Real Estate. This post will be too long for email. Please come read it on the website if you’re getting this in your inbox.
As in earlier years, let me reiterate that Inman does the Influencers list, Swanepoel does the Power 200 list, and RISMedia does the Newsmakers list. All of them are far more respected and important than this list of mine for a bunch of reasons. Inman Influencers are people with 100K or more followers. Swanepoel’s SP200 takes hundreds of hours of work and is the definitive guide to the most powerful individuals in real estate. RISMedia’s Newsmakers are nominated by readers and selected by RISMedia for “making headlines for the right reasons.”
The Notorious ROB Interesting List is none of those things, although there are obvious overlaps because I find influence and power to be interesting. It is simply a list of people I find interesting for a variety of reasons. They may or may not be influential, may or may not be powerful, and in fact, you may or may not have heard of them at all. But I find them interesting, and it’s my list. Sunny Hahn and the 2024 special advisor Smoke Wagon Small Batch have assisted in this list.
Without further ado, Notorious ROB presents, The Seven Most Interesting People in Real Estate in 2024. As in previous years, this list is in no particular order but rank them as you see fit!
1. Robert Reffkin, Compass
Robert Reffkin, the CEO and Co-Founder of Compass, returns to the Seven Most Interesting People list. Back in 2017, he and his co-founder Ori Allon made the list after raising $450 million from SoftBank, then going on a recruiting tear, breaking unspoken rules of the industry. Here’s what I wrote back then:
Compass has rocked the industry is with its recruiting practices. It has openly gone after top agents, and has paid large signing bonuses as part of its recruitment, sometimes equity in the company, not to mention sweetheart deals. Prospective agents get personal phone calls from Reffkin, which plays to their (enormous) egos, and then get wined and dined precisely as Wall Street investment banks have done for years to recruit top talent from their competitors.
That aggressive approach to recruiting, including writing huge checks for top producers, pissed off the rest of the industry something fierce. At least one competitor sued Compass over its recruiting practices.
Well, in 2024, Reffkin is once again pissing off the industry and breaking unspoken rules.
The latest, of course, is his open antagonism to NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP). His Op/Ed in Inman could be considered the first open and public declaration of war against CCP. Compass submitted proposals to NAR to scrap CCP, which was joined by other brokerages in various forms. Anywhere suggested reforms that kinda sorta tack with Reffkin, while Mauricio Umansky of The Agency threatened a lawsuit against NAR if CCP weren’t repealed.
There has been a veritable flood of opposition to Reffkin, ranging from policy disagreement to personal attacks. Leo Pareja of eXp and James Dwiggins of NextHome have been particularly vocal proponents of CCP. Zillow, CMLS, and 1000watt have opposed Reffkin’s take on things. People have accused Reffkin of being desperate with falling stock prices and profitability and being driven entirely by greed, and making bad-faith arguments.
Thing is, both proponents and opponents of CCP make good points, which makes deciding what to do particularly difficult. Yet, it is a discussion and a debate that need to be had and if possible, resolved before the issue is resolved for the industry by the Department of Justice, which has made its hostility to CCP very clear:
In June 2020, DOJ served its second CID — CID No. 30360 (“CID No. 2”) — which sought information from NAR about a newly adopted rule called the “Clear Cooperation Policy.” That policy requires listing brokers to post a property on an MLS within one day of when they begin to market the property. DOJ believes that the Clear Cooperation Policy restricts home-seller choices and precludes competition from new listing services.
That lawsuit may be coming as soon as next year, which puts some urgency to the issue.
Nonetheless, Reffkin and Compass are not waiting for resolution. They have launched a new website aimed at consumers:
The site touts a “3-Phased Marketing Strategy” for homeowners:
Phase 1: Private Exclusives
Phase 2: Coming Soon
Phase 3: Go Live on All Platforms — “Now launch your home on the MLS and public portal sites, where your home will be seen by a wider audience and it will accrue days on market and visible price drop history.”
It goes without saying that Phase 1 and 2 are not possible with CCP in place today, and that most of the rest of the industry will go apeshit out of their minds if Compass were to actually go forward with this strategy.
Except… Compass is doing more than just launching websites. Its recent acquisition of @Properties which is not only the #8 brokerage by sales volume, but also owns Christies International Real Estate brand, takes on greater significance in light of its opposition to CCP and its explicit 3-phased marketing strategy.
After all, there comes a point at which Compass owns enough of the market that it stops caring what the MLS’s rules on CCP are. Or, more likely, Compass forces other brokerages to make moves to gain market share as well.
For being willing to force a debate, to force a change, without being afraid of controversy and conflict, Reffkin can rightfully be called a gamechanger. Which he was in 2017 by changing how recruiting is done, and which he looks to be again in 2024 and 2025 by changing things up once again.
Love him or hate him, it is difficult to deny that Robert Reffkin is one of the most interesting people in real estate today. We will all be watching to see what he does next and what his opponents do in response.
Robert Reffkin founded Compass in 2012, drawing inspiration from his mother, Ruth, a longtime real estate agent. Under his leadership, Compass ascended to become the country's #1 real estate brokerage in the United States, achieving half a trillion dollars in real estate sales. Robert holds both a B.A. and M.B.A. from Columbia University, and his professional background includes roles at McKinsey and Goldman Sachs, along with a tenure as a White House Fellow. Beyond his business endeavors, he has run 50 marathons in 50 states, raising $1 million for charities–including the nonprofit America Needs You, which he founded to empower young people from underprivileged backgrounds, assisting them in becoming the first in their families to attend college. He is also donating all of his proceeds from his recent book, No One Succeeds Alone, to nonprofits that help young people realize their dreams.
2. Dana Bennett, REColorado
One of the most interesting stories of 2024 was the sale of REcolorado, the regional MLS that covers most of metro Denver, to a private entity, MAZL, LLC. The entire industry was abuzz with speculation on who MAZL was, who was funding the acquisition, and what actually happened.
Bennett had long been a prominent member of the REcolorado staff for over ten years, serving as the head of industry relations and business development, before abruptly leaving in March of 2023. She was overshadowed on the senior team by people like the CEO Gene Millman, and COO Leesa Baker, but most of us who knew her on the MLS circuit liked and respected her. Her abrupt departure looked rather involuntary to those of us who know the industry.
After she was named as the new CEO of REcolorado, I reached out to some people who would know some details. All of this is rumor and conjecture and hearsay, but word on the street is that Bennett had been pushed out by previous management after some kind of a conflict. During the 18 months or so in the wilderness, she got busy planning her revenge. It is said that Bennett is the person who put the deal together for MAZL to make a bid to acquire REcolorado, and then smoothed the skids behind the scenes to make sure that it would happen.
That helps us make sense of oddities, such as the abrupt firings of senior staff — Millman, Baker, and the CTO Wilkinson. Usually, in an acquisition, the acquirer tries very hard to keep senior staff on to help with the transition. Not in this case. We can now guess why.
Bennett is smart, savvy, an operator in boardrooms and behind the scenes, and has achieved what so few people do: sweet sweet revenge. Having spoken to her many times, and worked with her on a couple of small projects, I can vouch for her intelligence and savviness. We once got into a long conversation about blockchain and real estate. That alone would make her an interesting person.
What makes Dana Bennett one of the seven most interesting people in real estate of 2024, however, is not what she has done in the past, but what she can now do going forward.
During the sale, the entire Board of Directors was fired along with the senior staff. If there is a new Board of Directors at REcolorado, no such information is available publicly. Even if there is such a Board… as far as anyone knows, REcolorado is now entirely owned by two individuals — Joseph Burks and Claudio Rielo.
There is no CEO of a major MLS in North America with a freer hand to operate than Dana Bennett. Unlike her peers, she has no Board to answer to, no shareholders (other than two businesspeople) to deal with, no elected “volunteer leadership” to coddle and persuade every year. While it appears that Burks and Rielo will take something of a role in REcolorado, neither have any background or experience with operating an MLS.
For all intents and purposes, Bennett is the queen of a major MLS able to do what she wants, when she wants, and without getting permission from Realtor “leaders”, Association executives, brokers or agents.
We have already seen one action: asserting ownership over the broker’s data. I wrote about that here. Unlike other MLSs that might be more subject to politics, REcolorado did nothing, and brokers have complied because they have zero leverage over REcolorado or over Bennett. [Do please note my possible conflict of interest; that doesn’t make Bennett less interesting, but more, to me at least.]
Agree or disagree with her decision, like or dislike what happened at REcolorado, fact is that Dana Bennett is the first CEO of an MLS who can truly operate it like a business, rather than as a nonprofit association. DMAR and SMDRA — the two Realtor Associations who sold REcolorado to MAZL — can talk all they want about how the sale is better for their members, but fact is that they now have precious little say about what the MLS does going forward. Even if they have board seats, Burks and Rielo own the company and can remove who they want, when they want.
What Bennett now does with that power remains to be seen, but oh boy… don’t you want to see what she will do freed of governance constraints? I know I do.
Dana Bennett is one of the most interesting people in real estate.
Dana Bennett is leading REcolorado into its next phase of growth and innovation as CEO. With a focus on enhancing data capabilities and delivering superior services to brokers, she is driving initiatives that position the company for long-term success in a competitive MLS landscape. Dana’s vision is rooted in collaboration, ensuring REcolorado remains a trusted partner for brokers and stakeholders alike.
Dana brings over 30 years of real estate industry experience, blending local market expertise with strong national connections. Her leadership is widely recognized for fostering partnerships that create lasting value for subscribers and partners. With a background as a broker/owner and REALTOR®, she has a deep understanding of brokers’ needs and the evolving challenges they face.
Before becoming CEO, Dana held key leadership roles at REcolorado, including Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer, where she focused on innovation and strategic growth. She has also been instrumental in shaping the company’s position as a leader in MLS data integration. She also served as a consultant within the real estate sector to help shape its future.
Dana has previously served on the South Metro Denver REALTOR® Association board of directors and holds top industry credentials, such as GRI, ABR, e-Pro, CMLX1, and CMLX2 from the Council of Multiple Listing Services, and the RED-B designation from the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO).
Known for her integrity, industry knowledge, and forward-thinking leadership, Dana Bennett is committed to REcolorado’s ongoing success and the value it provides to its subscribers and partners.
3. Wilson Fauber, Regal Real Estate of Virginia
It likely comes as no surprise to those of you who have been reading Notorious ROB for a while that Wilson Fauber, the broker/owner of Regal Real Estate of Virginia as well as the President of Arise International Ministries, is one of my most interesting people in real estate.
After all I wrote about how NAR is persecuting Wilson with its unconscionable speech code here:
I then recorded a podcast with Wilson and his attorney, Michael Sylvester, which you can find here:
Back in 2021, when NAR went after Brandon Huber, a pastor at Clinton Community Bible Church in Montana, as well as a then-agent for Windermere, I named him one of the seven most interesting people that year. I wrote then:
Whatever happens, Brandon Huber could be the flashpoint for the coming dissolution of NAR as a national organization. It might split into two. It might split into more. But it cannot continue for long as a national organization, since there is no nation for it to organize. And that makes him extraordinarily interesting in an extraordinarily interesting year.
I don’t mind admitting when I am wrong, and I was obviously wrong in thinking that NAR cannot exist as a national organization while suppressing the conservative half of its membership. Probably because conservatives and Christians have been nothing but chickenshit cowards for years and just went along with NAR’s persecution and silencing.
Things might be changing, however. As I wrote in my post above, 2024 is not 2020:
But that was the core of my warning to NAR. It isn’t 2020. The Summer of Love is long over. We saw the truth about BLM, about Antifa, about race-grifters like Robin D’Angelo. We have entered a new era in American politics. Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes, the popular vote, the House and the Senate. And the culture has changed.
The American people are not buying your bullshit, Rachael, and they’re certainly not behind your effort to censor and discriminate against people of faith. That you hate Christians, that NAR hates Christians, is plain to see, but it’s 2024, not 2020. Trump and his Free Speech Warriors are taking power, not Harris and the bend-the-knee crowd that you are so eager to join.
It may be that just like Huber disappeared from the conversation, and became just another victim of Realtor institutional bias against conservatives and Christians, Wilson Fauber may be another who just fades away.
But if he does just fade away, it won’t be from lack of fighting. Based on my conversations with Wilson, he strikes me as a warrior. He is a gentle soft-spoken man, but he truly sees this as his calling at this time:
The fiery arrows intended to "take me out" are about to reach a new level of intensity. I did not start this battle, but I WILL FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! I assure you, I will keep fighting as long as my beloved Lord gives me breath and His strength to fight.
I WILL NOT BACK DOWN, I will not stand down, and I will only bow to Jesus.
Those who are trying to ruin me with their attacks and lies are doubling down. So be it. I am not surprised; I knew they would. Praise be to my Lord; He has given me spiritual insight into the plans and schemes of the enemy. Additionally, He has given me a battle plan!
Those who continue to vomit and spew their hate toward me do not intimidate me. I am not fearful nor shaken. In fact, I have God's beautiful peace that can only come from Him in the midst of an intense battle.
I am 70 years old, and all previous battles and struggles I have been through have built a firm, immovable foundation for such a time as this.
Brandon Huber was a younger man, just trying to get his career established. Fauber has already accomplished what a man sets out to do, and is being targeted for his religious faith. He is committed to fighting in a way that Huber could not be.
And he is fighting in a different social and political environment. It may be that in 2024 and 2025, conservative and Christian Realtors won’t just scurry away with their tails between their legs, the way they did in 2020 and 2021. Maybe, just maybe, they will stand up this time and make their voices heard.
If they do, that makes Wilson Fauber one of the most interesting people in real estate in 2024. If they don’t, that makes Wilson Fauber one of the most interesting people in real estate in 2024… perhaps for different reasons.
Official Bio:
Unavailable, as his website is down. But you can get a better sense of Wilson Fauber from his Facebook page.
Two of the largest real estate companies signed settlement agreements that specify that they will no longer require REALTOR membership. Local MLSs are having board meetings as I write this seriously discussing how to cut ties with NAR. Local Associations are having real discussions about the three-way agreement. 1000watt publishes a study showing that a supermajority of REALTORS see zero value in NAR or in the REALTOR brand.
I wrote that because I knew from behind-the-scenes conversations that there were local Associations starting to chafe at the system in which anyone joining a local Association would automatically join the state and the national Association of Realtors, paying dues to all three. This is the “Three-way Agreement” which has always been a rule at NAR:
The REALTOR® organization is a “federation” or, in other words, a “union” of organizations. It is comprised of member associations that are both state and local associations of REALTORS®. The “federation” is formed by what has become known as the “Three-way Agreement” which means that all local associations and their REALTOR® members are members of the state association of REALTORS® in the state where their association is located and also of the National Association of REALTORS®.
What I did not expect at the end of 2023 was that the first significant shot across the bow of the Three-way Agreement would not be from a major local Association who owned its own MLS (I was frankly thinking of organizations with a strong independent streak, like Houston or Charleston) but from an actual state association.
The Alabama Association of Realtors sent a letter to NAR in September that has made serious waves. In the letter we read:
[T]here is a growing and vocal desire for greater choice and flexibility in deciding where members spend their hard-earned membership and dues dollars. Members have expressed that they feel constrained within the current membership structure that requires them to join the local, state, and national levels. This sentiment is widespread across Alabama, in rural and urban areas, and among both small and large companies.
Having done some work in Alabama, and having gotten to know a few Alabama Realtors over the years, I have to wonder how much of that sentiment comes from NAR’s incompetence in dealing with the various lawsuits and how much of it arises from the fact that NAR went woke, hates Christians and conservatives, and is led by urban elites from Chicago and Washington DC.
Whatever the motivation, we have never in the history of NAR (that I’m aware of) seen an actual state association take this stance. Knowing what I know, there is little doubt in my mind that a state association cannot and would not take this stance without at least a significant part of its local associations and their leadership advocating for it.
Nonetheless, popular discontent does not automatically lead to action. Leadership is necessary to mold sentiment into action, and Jeremy Walker, the CEO of Alabama Association of Realtors is that leader.
He will now have to deal with conflicts on multiple fronts. NAR will certainly be coming for him and for Alabama. At least some of his locals will remain loyal to Daddy NARbucks (possibly because they don’t yet realize that Daddy NARbucks is on its way to insolvency once other plaintiffs and the DOJ are done with it) and will revolt. I imagine the DOJ will be calling on him soon to find out what’s going on, if they haven’t done so already. What comes next will test a leader for sure.
Yet, the letter suggests why Walker and Alabama Realtors are taking on this fight:
We understand that this decision carries significant risk, and we may have some members choose to join different levels of the organization at a greater percentage than others. But there is also risk in doing nothing from a member sentiment and legal standpoint as more lawsuits emerge challenging the current organizational and membership structure.[1][2]
As more members express their frustration with an organizational structure that they believe does not work for them or that they do not want to be a part of, these frustrated members are actively looking for alternatives to REALTOR® membership. If we fail to act, we may lose these members forever.
However, by allowing greater flexibility, we may be able to retain them as members at one or more levels of the organization, based on where they see the most value and choose to belong. We believe that empowering our members with this decision-making ability will be in the best interests of the organization in the long term. [Line breaks and emphasis added]
The footnotes reference Hardy v. NAR and Cassina v. NAR. Hardy was a joke of a lawsuit (I called it the Raygun of Lawsuits) but I did note that if a competent lawyer gets hold of a sympathetic plaintiff, then the claim about the Three-way Agreement could hit differently.
Furthermore, I wrote in that post:
I do not doubt that the lawyers at the DOJ and the FTC recognize just how important the Three Way Agreement is for NAR, because without it, vast numbers of agents would possibly join the local Association for the MLS, but ignore the state and national REALTOR associations.
With the DOJ unleashed and about to come wreck shop, it seems like a wise move to take some steps to look like at least Alabama is not in NAR’s corner on this issue.
Once you think about it further, maybe what is surprising is that no other state association or local association has sent a similar letter to NAR. Which in turn highlights the leadership on display here from Walker.
I have to imagine that Walker, who played football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and is a lawyer by training, is not particularly afraid of a fight. And as a former Government Affairs Director, Walker understands how law and policy will intersect with real estate. He is seeing something that the rest of us will soon see for ourselves, and he is unafraid to lead despite the controversy.
For that, he is one of the most interesting people in real estate.
Official Bio: (Taken from the press release about his appointment as CEO)
Since joining the Association in 2013, Walker has successfully led the REALTORS®’ Government, Legal and Political Affairs programs the last three legislative sessions. During this time, he forged relationships and strategic partnerships in the business and housing industries that have helped defend the real estate industry from harmful legislation and worked to pass meaningful legislation to promote pro-homeownership policies and protect private property rights. As staff liaison to the Alabama REALTORS® Political Action Committee (ARPAC) during the 2014 election cycle, ARPAC experienced some of its greatest success helping elect candidates that support private property rights, homeownership and pro-business issues for the Alabama Legislature and other offices, winning more than ninety-six percent (96%) of the contests in which it was engaged. During this time, the Association’s political advocacy programs have increased their strength through partnerships with the National Association and REALTOR® Party initiatives in state, local and federal races and state issues mobilization programs. These issues speak to the core of the Association’s Mission Statement.
Prior to joining Alabama REALTORS®, Walker practiced with Haskell Slaughter, LLC where his practice was devoted to civil litigation matters, white-collar criminal defense, state and local government matters, insurance defense and governmental affairs. In addition to his role at the Association, Walker is a member of the Alabama State Bar Association Character and Fitness Committee and Councilor on the Real Property, Probate & Trust Section of the Alabama Bar Association.
He received his B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama in 2003 and his J.D. from Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law in 2007. Prior to law school, Walker was involved in football at the University of Alabama, both as a player and as a student assistant coach. Walker resides in the Cloverdale neighborhood of Montgomery where he is active in civic and community affairs and a member of First United Methodist Church.
5. Amanda Orson, Galleon
One of the cool things about being me is that sometimes, I get to talk to smart startup founders who have all kinds of dreams of doing something in residential real estate. Most of the time, I find myself asking them, “Isn’t there something else you can do to make money, something less complicated, like nuclear fusion or robotics?”
Most of the time, I find real estate startup entrepreneurs to be an insider who is solving some tiny little problem (“An easier way to share your showing notes with clients!”) and therefore boring, or a technologist who got frustrated with the byzantine and inefficient process of buying or selling a home who doesn’t know the first thing about how real estate actually works, and therefore boring.
Amanda Orson is neither of those things. She is, in fact, the real deal who has thought very deeply about our industry, wants to go big on it, has a BHAG, and knows the very serious and real challenges she faces. She is not boring.
Orson is the founder of Galleon, a new marketplace for “off-market homes” who thinks she has built a better mousetrap:
The Galleon website hits several key words and phrases that are of great interest to consumers, and of great frisson to real estate professionals: “off-market homes,” “unique inventory” and “No commissions, no extra costs.”
It goes without saying that the history of the real estate industry is littered with the corpses of companies just like this one that have tried all sorts of ways to do discount offerings, to allow for FSBOs, to do guided-FSBOs, to offer MLS-only listing platforms, and so on. The “Savings Estimator” on Galleon reminds me of dozens of similar things on dozens of other websites.
Even the proposition of “cut out the agents, and go direct” is not entirely new. We’ve seen that before from all sorts of companies, including the now-aging FSBO.com.
It turns out that Americans don’t really want to sell their homes themselves; they want an experienced real estate agent to help them.
So why is Galleon, and by extension, Amanda Orson interesting at all? Aren’t they merely the walking dead we can and should ignore?
For me, there are three reasons why Galleon and Orson are interesting. Some of these are completely biased since Amanda and I had a great chat a few months back about Galleon and the industry, and I know she’s a subscriber to Notorious here. I do not think I am betraying any confidences as Amanda has not been shy about making the case for change. This podcast is an example of her thinking:
First, I think Galleon is launching specifically because the timing is auspicious. There are few people who see today that the changes wrought by Sitzer/Moehrl are deep and profound. It will take time to see the full impact of reversing a hundred years of business norms, but some people can see that things will be dramatically different afterwards.
Orson and Galleon are betting that the post-2024 residential environment will be quite different from the pre-2024 environment, and is getting positioned to take advantage.
The core idea — that buyers and sellers would rather connect directly to each other and save a bunch of money — may or may not play out going forward (I mean… Americans pay somebody else to mow the lawn… but they’re going to do a real estate transaction without professional help?) but the idea had zero play prior to 2024.
Galleon somewhat anticipates that challenge and offers its paid product, Navigator. This feels to me like what Redfin Direct kinda sorta was going to be, but on steroids. It would be best to describe Navigator as a “guided-DIY” product but it is easy to imagine some sort of paid upgrade to professional assistance.
And Orson already knows that Galleon is going to play completely outside the traditional real estate space. From the FAQ:
When I list my property, is Galleon listing my home in the MLS as a FSBO? No. Galleon is its own marketplace and is not linked with the MLS.
With that simple move, Galleon is more-or-less immune from politicking from the industry. All of the control in real estate has the MLS as its enforcement arm in some way, shape or form. Galleon isn’t playing that game, choosing to go it completely alone.
Second, Galleon describes itself as trying to improve/change/disrupt the “For Sale By Owner” category by leveraging new technologies, such as AI. I personally experienced that by taking the site for a test-drive. By only providing the address, not even a photo, the site knew the basic details (bed, bath, square footage, lot size, etc.) and “wrote” a Property Description. I assume it is AI accessing public records data, but still, the fact that someone could do all that by simply entering an address is intriguing.
The whole site feels like the 21st century, not the 20th century. That makes it interesting.
Given her background in technology, I don’t think it is too presumptuous to think that Orson has some kind of a vision for how Galleon might evolve one day to be something completely different than we have ever seen.
Last, but definitely not least, Amanda personally is super interesting, yo. She is an experienced tech executive, who has run companies, started companies, and knows her way around the block. I found her to be extremely intelligent and well-informed in our conversation, and her background is all kinds of interesting. It isn’t common to find a female graduate of The Citadel, for instance, and only about 9% of firefighters are women. Orson is both of those things, plus a certified EMT (which is not easy), and a farmer who can fix her own tractors.
I’m sorry, but that is one hella cool resume, and Amanda Orson is one of my seven most interesting people in real estate.
Official Bio: (From AmandaOrson.com but edited for legibility; read her bio on her site)
Primary focus: I am the Founder/ CEO of Galleon, where we are reinventing the For Sale By Owner category.
Previously:
I was the CEO of Curve US, leading its US expansions and crypto rewards product. Prior to that I owner-operated a micro PE firm for 6 years, built media buying agencies both in-house and on my own, co-founded a SaaS product (Vincere), advised Gauss Ventures, and remain a small-time angel investor (check size to 50k).
Outside business interests I’ve had the pleasure of serving as a Volunteer Firefighter/ EMT and through UMVIM and Team Rubicon for many years.
Studied Arabic @ the American University in Cairo (Cairo, Egypt)
Worked a few summers as a Commercial Salmon Fisherman (Bristol Bay, Alaska)
Led a Disaster Response team after Hurricane Katrina (Gulfport and Biloxi, MS)
6. Wendy DiVecchio & Merry Perri, Las Vegas Realtors
I suppose there is no reason why anyone who doesn’t live and work in real estate here in Las Vegas would know about the tempest in a teapot that is going on right now. Internal politics of a local Realtor Association might be profoundly boring to you. But I am interested, because corruption in one Association makes every Association suspect, and because I think Association governance must be reformed if we are to move forward.
LVR being my local Association makes this especially interesting to me.
It so happens that LVR is very much in the news. And when I say LVR is in the news, I don’t mean industry press like Inman and RISMedia. I mean mainstream corporate news like the Nevada Current:
At least two members of the Las Vegas Realtors Association have filed complaints with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, asking him to investigate allegations of interference in the association’s election of officers and board members.
Under Nevada law, non-profit organizations such as the Realtors’ association are subject to examination by the Attorney General to ascertain “the condition of its affairs” and to ensure an organization has not departed “from the purposes for which it was formed.”
“I am trying to ensure that the board doesn’t just sweep it under the rug, which has been kind of the status quo in the past,” said a broker who filed a complaint and asked not to be identified out of concern for retaliation.
Brokers and agents with knowledge of the events contend Realtors’ president Merri Perry, president-elect Joshua Campa, and former president Lee Barrett attempted to influence the election for vice-president in August at the behest of CEO Wendy DiVecchio.
DiVecchio was suspended for 30 days back in August when the allegations surfaced pending an investigation. I assume the investigation cleared her since she has not yet been fired for cause.
But the latest shenanigans made the news and made social media all over the place. The most in-depth source of information comes from Vandana Bhalla, a former member of the Board, on YouTube:
While we should note that what Bhalla details here are allegations… kind of like the San Diego situation, until and unless someone can provide answers or explanations… we gotta go with what we have.
What emerges is a very disturbing pattern of behavior that… should be shocking to us, but for those of us who know how many an Association actually functions behind the scenes… is not particularly shocking.
What is shocking, even to jaded observers like me, is the alleged embezzlementself-enrichment weird-ass spending:
$400,000 on personal bodyguards for Merry Perri
$250,000 on Realtor Prom (aka, “Installation Dinner”) and afterparty
$400,000 on legal fees defending member expulsions
Over a million dollars of member dues has been spent very wisely to further the goals of Las Vegas Realtors, to improve the image of real estate professionals in Las Vegas, and to lobby the City and County for housing growth… oh wait, never mind….
As an aside, I have friends who do executive protection in Las Vegas. $400K is not chump change; even bigtime casino executives who have real threats against their person and their families to deal with do not spend that much on bodyguards. You can get certified bodyguards in Las Vegas for $25/hour, or $4K a month. That means around the clock protection — three shifts of 8 hours each — for $12K a month. $400K a year? For security? Who the hell did Merry Perri hire? A bunch of Navy SEALS and Green Berets? Just what kinds of sophisticated threats was she facing? When did getting elected President of Las Vegas Realtors become such a dangerous career move?
$250,000 on a party does seem extravagant, even by Las Vegas standards. There is the story of a bar tab at EDC Las Vegas that went over $300K. But one might wonder if mere Veuve Cliquot won’t do for volunteer leaders of a nonprofit member organization instead of Armand de Brignac. I mean, I for one would love to know how one can spend $250,000 on a party for a bunch of folks in their 50s and 60s, i.e., the average Realtor.
Then there are the closed “exclusive” board meetings held at the private residence of Merry Perri, the President. You know, the gal who is under such physical danger that she needs $400K a year executive protection team? Turns out such meetings are not only less open and transparent than the meetings of North Korea’s Worker’s Party (as far as anyone knows, Kim Jong Un does not hold meetings at his house), they are also against the bylaws of LVR.
I don’t know about you, but I am getting strong echoes of the San Diego Association of Realtors vibes from Las Vegas Realtors these days.
Maybe if it were not for the insane things like this that really highlights why Association governance must be reformed, none of us would give a crap about the internal boardroom politicking and maneuvering. But given that it is, one does wonder why 17,000 Realtors in Las Vegas continue to pay $700 a year for the privilege.
So the entire leadership of Las Vegas Realtors is very interesting, but that’s too many photos and names. I also know that there are board members and past presidents and other leaders of LVR who are really fighting for transparency, reform, and accountability. But as of this writing, not enough are. Far too many Directors are going along to get along. I guess because the $250,000 parties that Merry Perri throws are un-frikkin-believable?
So I’m picking the two top “leaders”: the suspended-for-shenanigans CEO Wendy DiVecchio and the I-need-Secret-Service-protection President Merry Perri. They and their supporters are doing their level best to put Sin in Sin City.
Maybe 2025 will make it even more interesting, if the Nevada Attorney General does decide to do a full-on investigation. With possible criminal charges. Pretty please?
Official Bios:
Skipped, because honestly, none of us care that much. Just get the bad apples out.
7. Leigh Brown, One Community Real Estate
After sordid tales of alleged corruption in Sin City, perhaps it does our souls some good to focus on someone doing good in the world for the sake of doing good. Try as I might, I can’t see the selfish angle to what Leigh Brown has been up to for the past few months in her home state of North Carolina.
Many of you already know Leigh Brown. She is not only the broker-owner of One Community Real Estate in the Charlotte area of North Carolina, she is a well-known speaker, trainer and coach, a best-selling author, and a dedicated champion of all things Realtor. Well, at least she was, until NAR decided to trash-heap her for years-old social media posts. (See above, Wilson Fauber.) She also ran for Congress in NC 8th Congressional District, unsuccessfully … since otherwise, we would be speaking about Congresswoman Leigh Brown of NC.
I have known Leigh for many years now and she is an interesting person for a number of reasons, from her folksy videos to her opinions on all things real estate. But those are not reasons why she is one of the seven most interesting people in real estate this year.
As we all know, Hurricane Helene absolutely devastated parts of the Southeast from Florida to Virginia. According to Wikipedia, damage is currently being estimated at over $114 billion and the storm killed over 234 people… with 26 people still missing, with little hope left for them several months later.
Western North Carolina was particularly hard hit, with over 103 deaths (and all 26 missing) occurring there, and over $53 billion (and counting) in damages. And while all Americans were concerned for North Carolina, and then outraged for failures of government institutions that were supposed to help in such disasters… some regular Americans began stepping up in small and large ways.
Leigh is one of those Americans who stepped up. While I am certain that others in the real estate industry, especially throughout the Southeast, have also stepped up in big and small ways, I think Leigh has been one of the most vocal, most prominent, and most devoted.
She led her community of friends and colleagues to help families impacted by Helene. You can find the page for Patriot Relief here:
On her rather significant social media presence, Leigh has been tireless in advocating for those affected by Helene. Here is one example.
I wanted to use that example, because of the jacket she is wearing.
Despite being treated like a red-headed stepchild by NAR, because she is a Christian and a political conservative, Leigh somehow still represents what the REALTOR brand could be, and should be.
The families and people Leigh has helped, and those who she organized to help them, are going to have a different perspective on what a Realtor is than the millions who only have the experience of paying out commissions, or reading the media coverage of NAR and Realtors.
That NAR and Kevin Sears and Nykia Wright are not doing their level best to promote Leigh’s selfless work makes one wonder what they think the REALTOR brand actually stands for.
I may be jaded and cynical, but even I find it very hard to see the selfish angle to Leigh’s work here. She is spending her time and resources and organizing people she knows, to help families in Western North Carolina. Her real estate business is nowhere near those areas, which are 2-3 hours away. Those affected people are not people who can vote for her in the 8th District, or in local elections. They won’t be buying her books, or signing up for training, or inviting her to speak. They won’t be buying homes from her. The hours Leigh spends on helping people, on bringing supplies to the mountains, and on organizing other relief efforts are hours she cannot spend doing lead generation for her business, doing training classes or speaking gigs, or writing another book.
I cannot help but think that Leigh Brown does what she does because she genuinely cares about her fellow human beings, especially those she considers her neighbors, in her state.
If that is not the best of what a REALTOR can and should be, I don’t know what is. Talk about taking on “grave social responsibility and a patriotic duty to which Realtors should dedicate themselves.”
Leigh Brown is an inspiration to us all, and she is one of the seven most interesting people in real estate in 2024.
Leigh Brown uses her decades of real estate experience to help everyone from early career to highly seasoned agent build (and rebuild!) their professional presence and confidence by helping them define and communicate their value proposition expertly. Her goal is that each real estate agent who is a Realtor® member become an impactful presence in their community in the process. She knows today’s agents and brokers face an unprecedented amount of pressure to stand out in a competitive market; she also knows that the security to build and maintain solid client relationships starts with one step: Just Say Hi. Through a systemized process to identify and define your value, Leigh gives agents and brokers the confidence and tools to reach greater heights in their chosen career.
A best-selling author of three powerful business books, Leigh excitedly shares her expertise with anyone looking for ways to ignite their passions and create the outcomes they want. Leigh’s mission is helping others. She’s got the grit and passion to motivate everyone around her to strive for more.
A Parting Word
I wrote last year that 2023 will go down in history as the most significant year in residential real estate since… perhaps 1908. I was wrong.
2024 will be, because this is the year when the NAR Settlement happened, the practice changes were implemented, and the civil lawsuits were settled. Not to mention a wee little election for President that will have historical consequences.
One of the things I learned in 2024, which I did not expect last year, was how much farther the industry has to fall before it begins to rise again. Some lessons, it appears, can only be learned after hitting bottom. Apparently, we cannot change until forced to change.
The seven people on this year’s list are interesting as they point to some of those changes, forced or otherwise. Some are forcing the change, while others are acting or having acted as if nothing has changed. And at least a couple point us towards a different future.
Still. Despite all the change, all the chaos, all the disruption… some things remain the same. The sun rises, rains come, the world keeps turning, and under all is the land. And under all my efforts is my eternal support, my biggest fan and my biggest inspiration who is the most interesting person in 2024 as she was last year and the five years prior.
Honored to be included.