Motivational Speaker

With 3,460 respondents casting 6,099 votes, Rainers and the real estate professional community has decided who the Top 25 Most Influential Women are. And what an incredible list of powerful women this list represents.

Nine months ago when the 2008 edition of the Swanepoel TRENDS Report was published, the demographics that included women, youth and minorities were identified as key drivers in the future of the residential real estate brokerage industry. In the Trend titled "Shattered Glass" it was detailed how many women had reached leadership positions at national levels.

This trend lit the match to initiate a nationwide flame in search of the Top 100 Most Influential Women in leadership roles in the Real Estate Industry. Though the survey was not billed as warranting scientific rigidity, the tremendous response rate and distribution of over 6,000 votes speaks to a strength in collective wisdom about the relative placement of the most influential women in the Top 100 list.  Hence the results are being presented in alphabetical order within three group rankings.  The Top 25, Top 50 and the Top 100. 

THE RESULTS

Top 25

The top 25 Most Influential Women include a power list of Who's Who in real estate such as former National Association of REALTORS® Presidents, Dorcas Helfant-Browning (1992) and Sharon Millett (1999); co-founders of large real estate franchises and companies such as Gail Liniger (of REMAX International), Ebby Halliday (of Ebby Halliday Realtors) and Barbara Corcoran (of Corcoran in NY).  Also featuring prominently are current presidents and senior executives of large real estate firms such as Helen Hanna Casey (of Howard Hanna Real Estate), Michael Saunders (of Michael Saunders Real Estate) and Virginia Cook (of Virginia Cook Realtors).

The top 25 list, however, also comprises a variety of interesting female leaders that deal with all different walks of the industry such as Avis Wukasch (Board member of the Texas Real Estate Commission), Susie Hale (Frogpond Publishing) and Leslie Appelton-Young (chief economist of the California Association of Realtors). For a photo and full details of all of the Top 25 Most Influential Women click on each person's name in the list.

Here are the Top 25 in alphabetical order (names hyperlink to bios and photos):

Ann Defries
Avis Wukasch
Barbara Corcoran
Blanche Evans
Bonnie Mays
Danielle Kennedy
Dorcas Helfant-Browning
Ebby Halliday
Gail Liniger
Helen Hanna-Casey
Joeann Fossland
Judy Ladeur
Kelli Todd
Laurie Janick
Leslie Appleton-Young
Margaret Kelly
Mary Frances Burleson
Mary Tennant
Michael Saunders
Mo Anderson
Niki Rapattoni
Rita Santamaria
Sharon Millett
Susie Hale
Virginia Cook

Top 50

The next group of 25 women rounding out the top 50 includes numerous household names in the industry featuring esteemed authors such as Carla Cross and Bernice Ross and well known speakers and trainers such as Laurie Moore-Moore, Barb Schwartz and Dianna Kokoszka. The list is also adorned with numerous presidents of large real estate companies including Kaira Sturivant Rouda (Real Living), Sherry Chris (Better Homes & Gardens) and Dottie Herman (Prudential Douglas Elliman), Former NAR past presidents Cathy Whatley (2003) and Pat Vredevoogd Combs (2007), as well as incoming president for 2010, Vicki Cox also made the top 50 list.

Here are the Top 50 in alphabetical order (names hyperlink to bios and photos):

Adorna Carroll
Amy Chorew
Andy Capelluto
Ann Bailey
Anne Randolph
Barb Schwarz
Bernice Ross
Carla Cross
Cathy Whatley
Darity Wesley
Dianna Kokoszka
Dottie Herman
Frances Flynn Thorsen
Kaira Sturdivant Rouda
Kim Ades
Laurie Moore-Moore
Lenn Harley
Marilyn Wilson
Pam O'Connor
Pat Vredevoogd Combs
Patti Kouri
Shari Chase
Sherry Chris
Terry Murphy
Vicki Cox

Top 100

Rounding out the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Real Estate Leadership (in alphabetical order by first name) are:

Betty Graham, Beverly Faull, Bonnie Erikson, Brenda Casserly, Brenda Shipplett, Carmen Multhauf, Carol Clarke, Claudia Wicks, Darlene Lyons, Debbie Campagnola, Debra Ashwer, Donna Lee Laue, Edith Lank, Frances Martinez Myers, Ilyce Glink, Janet Branton, Jennifer Cummings, Joyce Bea Sterling, Joyce Paron, Judy Moses, Judy Stark, Karel Murray, Kimberly Gorsuch-Bradbury, Laurie Keenan, Lee Pappa, Lois Weis, Lorna Borenstein, Margaret Dixon, Maria Patterson, Mary Doyle Kimball, Mary Umberger, Maureen Mccabe, Nina Cottrell, Pamela Alexander, Pamela Geurds Kabati, Pamela Leibman, Pat Jensen, Patricia Choi, Robin Mueck, Ruth Ann Pepple, Sarah Shoemaker, Sharon Simms, Shelia Bair, Stacey Moncrieff, Sue Doerfler, Susan Johnson, Sylvia Shelnutt, Tami Bonnell and Tara-Nicholle Nelson. Bios of many of the finalists are listed at www.realestatewiki.com 

Incredibly impressive list of great women.

Congratulations to everyone!!

Who are you most excited to see make it to the Top 25?

So said John McCain during his acceptance speech and the RNC convention.

And I think he's right!

He was, of course, talking about our youth - I am, of course, thinking about my friends the real estate professionals.

Let's start with our kids. Survey after survey states that the US is falling behind when it comes to international education rankings. It would seem that many countries like Japan, Korea, Finland, New Zealand and even the United Kingdom have developed more effective education systems in recent years.

Generally speaking US reading results are lower than 30 years ago, and in a 2006 reading survey spanning 40 countries our 4th graders came 14th. SAT scores are basically unchanged in the last 3 decades. Even in science in which the USA features the best we are behind countries such as Finland, Hong Kong, Australia and, Germany. Even our neighbors to the north, Canada are above us.

So John McCain or Barack Obama, you have an important and huge responsibility on your shoulders for the decade ahead.

Meanwhile, back on the real estate ranch we are also sadly lacking. Compared to many other "jobs" or "professions" we are in most cases way behind. In a few states you can get your real estate license for as little as 40 hours.

40 hours??

That's about 5% the time we take every year just to research and write Swanepoel Trends Report. So what's in the Real Estate Licensing Exam? 100 multiple choice questions, some basic comprehension of real estate terms and a few simple math calculations.

Not good enough!! Do we always have to give everyone an incentive to do the right thing?

If we want smarter and brighter kids that have a better future, then education is the key.

If we want more professional real estate agents that have a successful career, then education is key.

So what should we do in the Real Estate industry to take a quantum leap forward?

A week ago we started discussing the impact of women in leadership roles in real estate and now a week later we have an incredible list of 100 nominations of women that have and are making the mark on our industry. Congratulations to all nominees!

All Rainers are hereby invited to help us select the Top 20 Most Influential Women in Real Estate by casting their ballot.

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VOTING IS NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED. RESULTS WILL BE POSTED ON MONDAY SEP 29th.

Social networking is a concept that's been around since J.A. Barnes first coined the term in a sociology report back in 1954.  It moved onto the Web in 1995 with the launch of ClassMates, SixDegrees, Epinions and Friendster. Then of course came MySpace and Facebook and the world would never be the same again.

It's clear that marketers are embracing social networking as reflected in the projections for advertising on these sites.  According to the advertising and marketing research firm eMarketer, ad spending on U.S. social networking sites in 2007 was projected to reach $865 million.  This is up from $350 million in 2006 with expectations that it will increase to $2.15 billion in 2010.

As every major consumer advertiser realizes that if you can engage effectively with these newly networked masses they become agents of your brand.  Just look at how fans dress in "branded" clothing at sporting events - now multiply that by millions of social networkers and you begin to get a picture of the potential. 

Another research firm, Compete.com, calculates that in 2007 Americans spent about 12% of all their Internet time on social networks.  The Center for Medial Research reports that the average American spends 105 minutes of spare time online every day.  That represents almost 30 minutes per day in a social network; 15 hours per month or 4½ weeks per year.  Not to belabor the point but if you add in the average time Americans waste at work (2 hours/day), of which over 44% is spent on the Internet, the number of hours expended on social networking becomes huge. 

As people make social networking sites a bigger part of their lives online, communities are also shaping the real estate business and the home buying process. The 2008 Swanepoel TRENDS Report (www.ReTrends.com) ranks social networks as the #1 trend for 2008.

And who is leading the charge?

It would seem that ActiveRain has become the LinkedIn and Facebook of Real Estate. What do you think?

In the original post we started our search for women who have reached the top of the real estate leadership pyramid or who are in other ways proving themselves to be great leaders and spokespersons for our industry.

The response has been incredible. What an impressive list!!! Here are the 75 candidates we have so far:

(PS: It has been very difficult to review and decide whether to include or exclude any particular nomination, so please forgive me if you feel differently. As a rule I have not included successful sales agents based on their production but only added those agents where they have shown leadership or influence on a national basis.)

25 more great women to! Let's do it!

VIEW NEW POST FOR VOTE.

VOTING CLOSES FRIDAY SEP 26.

RESULTS ANNOUNCEC MONDAY SEP 29.

The worst 7 days in financial market history ever! Prepare yourself for a delayed real estate recovery.

What a week and weekend this has been - the Government, State Rescue Operations and large corporations were all very busy. Millions of people were and remain at risk on many different levels - millions were affected by hurricane Ike, millions remain on the doorstep of foreclosure and millions will be affected by the closing and restructuring of various Fortune 500 companies.

Worst Housing Slump in History

Treasury had to step in to save Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from almost certain disaster. Collectively these two giant hold about 50% of the countries mortgages. Their initial $200 billion dollar bailout symbolizes the largest bailout by the U.S. government ever. Ever!

Worst Financial Collapse in History

On top of that the Government had to provide $29 billion in loans for the shotgun marriage between Bear Sterns and JP Morgan Chase and the $9 billion for failed IndyMac Bank. 

And another rescue this weekend was the acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co for $50 billion by Bank of America. Meanwhile the chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of 158 year-old Lehman Brothers - estimated at $639 billion will be the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history ever. Ever!

Worst Texas Natural Disaster in History

Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Bay, the heart of America's oil production over the weekend and causing untold flooding and damage. Early calculations are already estimating the damage to be in the ball park of $100 billion making this one of the largest natural disasters in the US. The cost of Katrina was estimated to range between $250-300 billion.

This is on top of the estimated cost of hurricane Rita of $4 billion and hurricane Ivan at $2.6 billion. Despite short term drop in oil prices, Ike's impact will most likely be felt across the country as gas prices are expected to rise to $4 a gallon again in the wake of closed refineries.

Question for Rainers:  When do you think the real estate market will recover in your neck of the woods?

Women have not only reached the top of the real estate leadership pyramid, they are proving themselves to be great leaders. Bold words, coming for a man, but my research shows that in the last couple of years women have moved into the #1 or #2 positions at many of the country's largest real estate companies.

When compared to many other professions and industries, real estate has long been one where women can more easily achieve success and equality with men.  The National Association of Realtors profile even put the number of all sales agents at 65% female. But that's not what I am referring to - I mean management, and not even at middle management levels but executive levels.

For example here are some of the women in executive positions in today's real estate brokerage industry:

•       Mo Anderson - President, Keller Williams Real Estate

•       Shelia Bair - Chairman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

•       Tami Bonnell - President EXIT USA

•       Lorna Borenstein - President, Move, Inc.

•       Debbie Campagnola - CEO, ARELLO

•       Brenda Casserly - President, ERA Real Estate

•       Shari Chase - President , Chase International

•       Sherry Chris - CEO, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate

•       Beverly Faull - General Manager, Fidelity National Real Estate Solutions

•       Helen Hanna Casey - President, Howard Hanna Real Estate

•       Dottie Herman - CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman

•       Laurie Janick - General Counsel, NAR

•       Susan Johnson - President , Real Estate Settlement Providers Council

•       Laurie Keenan - President, Prudential Real Estate Affiliates

•       Margaret Kelly - COO, REMAX International

•       Pamela Leibman - CEO,  The Corcoran Group

•       Gail Liniger - Vice Chairman, REMAX International

•       Pam O'Connor - CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World

•       Joyce Paron -  President, EXIT Canada

•       Kaira Rouda - COO, Real Living

•       Brenda Shipplett - COO, Long & Foster Companies

•       Sarah Shoemaker - COO, Real Living

•       Pat Vredevoogd Combs -NAR President 2007

Can you name others?

This eye-opening discussion is but the first part of Trend #10 in my 2008 Swanepoel Trends Report (http://www.ReTrends.com). Rounding out Trend #10, "Shattered Glass" as the trend is listed in the Report, is an evaluation of the important impact of the Youth and Minorities in real estate. I will discuss those two groups in another blog, on another day.

For now, it's the women. Let's see if we can create a list of the Top 100 Women in Real Estate right here on ActiveRain.

PS: If you were wondering who the pretty woman is in the blog, well I have to confess, it's my wife, Era Swanepoel.

Influential Women in Real Estate Leadership and Business. That's what it's all about. Who are they? What do they do? What makes them tick?

Help us as we continue our search for the Top 100 most influential women in real estate business today.

Our list has reached halfway mark after only 2 days. See the list here

We need your help...

1. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

2. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
 
3. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital.  When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

4.  A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

5. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

6. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

7. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

8. Two silk worms had a race.  They ended up in a tie.

9. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

10. In democracy it's your vote that counts.  In feudalism it's your count that votes.

By the way, the list in ActiveRain listing the Top 100 Women in Real Estate Leadership is coming along nicely. See how many of the names you recognize and if you can provide someone should add to the list. The List is located at http://tinyurl.com/3w89hs

Although a cold chill has blown on the real estate market and sales are down across the country there are still many opportunities for quality real estate professionals. When the market was hot, every Tom, Dick and Harry wanted in - now we actually have an opportunity to separate the good from the bad and the ugly.

Here are five proposed strategies that will not only keep Realtors afloat until the next upswing but could actually place them in a better position for when the market does return...and return it will. 

1.  Maximizing Technology and the Internet

Google should be a part of every real estate professional's online lead strategy as placing high on organic search results has become very important to any serious agent.  At the same time integrating your key activities such as marketing, MLS, customer management, etc. need to be integrated into one easily accessible web-based system.

Agents should use this year to make sure that when the next boom arrives they will be able to process the entire home buying and selling transaction digitally.

2.  Building Teams Correctly

The creation of smaller more effective business units or teams within larger companies has been around for awhile, but during the last decade the concept has gained momentum. RE/MAX now estimates that 27% of their affiliates are working on a team.

There are basically two different kinds of teams.  The first is where two or more producing agents combine their practices under one banner to provide greater coverage for themselves and their clients and the second where a lead agent starts building a business inside the brokerage operation. The lead agent then hires administrative staff to increase his or her time in more productive and income generating sales activities.

No matter what the size or how a team is structured, the key to building a successful team requires following the correct steps, getting the right chemistry between all team members and executing on a deliberate business plan.

3.  Solidifying Your Business Plan

In today's competitive and complex marketplace, an entrepreneur's success is far from guaranteed. Moving into 2008 or 2009 without a well thought out and implemented business plan is a disaster waiting to happen.  Yet so many agents fly by the seat of their pants.

A good business plan should include:

• An assessment of your current situation.
• A definition of your business focus and strategic intent.
• A clear vision of what results you want to achieve by objectives.
• A list of action steps that you will utilize to achieve your goals.
• An understanding of why you need regular analysis and occasional revisions of your game plan.

4. Using Virtual Assistants

The ways in which Virtual Assistants (VAs) can help real estate agents become more productive are limited only by one's imagination. And there are few, if any, support functions that cannot be handled by a VA - including functions such as:

• Transaction Coordination
• Listing Marketing Coordination
• Staying in Touch
• Online Lead Management
• Operational Management
• Screen Email and Phone Messages
• Ad Writing
• Website Maintenance

5. Diversifying Your Business

Diversification is the order of the day.  For our industry there are two types of diversification - geographic and product or service.  In these slow times it may be wise to view the needs of your customer base to see if there are other profitable products that may be a good fit to offer past clients. It is also a perfect time for agents to expand their skills and knowledge by getting educated on other transactional aspects such as mortgage, escrow, home owner's insurance, home warranty, remodeling, repairing, painting, landscaping, etc. The advantage of bringing some of these services in-house is the ability to eliminate the expense of redundant overhead and to derive additional income from the same client.  

SUMMARY

As the licensee ranks begin to thin out smart agents and brokers have an excellent opportunity to refine, refocus and re-charge their business.

Good luck and God Bless!