Thanking the network for its resiliency and efforts, RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos announced that RE/MAX agents closed 1.78 million transaction sides in 2020.
After a year like no other, RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos had a message for the RE/MAX membership on Wednesday.
“You rallied (during the pandemic) … and you came through for your communities. I couldn’t be prouder of the people in this network – all of you – for your attitude and actions in 2020,” Contos said at the opening general session of the 2021 RE/MAX R4 convention. “Thank you! Together we showed the world what RE/MAX is made of.”
Opening the first-ever hybrid R4 – with some socially distanced attendees at the live venue in Orlando, Florida, but most experiencing the event virtually in over 60 countries around the globe – Contos thanked affiliates for supporting each other, pivoting to more virtual business, and connecting to consumers with empathy and kindness.
“We’re in the business of helping people,” Contos said. “Putting people first creates solutions for them and success for you. Everybody wins.”
There was ample evidence of winning in 2020. RE/MAX agents around the globe closed more than 1.78 million transaction sides last year. And in terms of residential sales, it’s confirmed again that “nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX.”
“You’re No. 1 at what you do,” Contos told affiliates. “Think of the impact. You improved millions of lives through your hard work last year.”
RE/MAX agents in the U.S. averaged 15.6 transaction sides each in 2020 – well above the industry norm – while Canadian agents averaged 17.4 and global agents (outside the U.S. and Canada) averaged 8.6. Plus, every RE/MAX club and career award category (for annual production and production over time, respectively) gained members for the year.
Those results, Contos noted, show the power of association within the network. When productive people align with other productive people, he added, they all tend to lift their game.
“You play better golf with better golfers,” he said.
Although leaving the announcement of key service enhancements for Thursday’s “Good Afternoon RE/MAX” session, Contos did outline a bold, ongoing initiative to make the network more “data intelligent.” The goal, he said, was to harness data from multiple sources, complete it, clean it and make it more “actionable” for use by affiliates and product development teams.
Contos revealed the formation of a unified data organization called G73, which combines the talents of Seventy3 – a RE/MAX Holdings company formed over two years ago – with those of Gadberry Group, a leading location data firm acquired by RE/MAX Holdings, Inc. last September.
“We’re breaking boundaries and blazing new trails,” he said, noting that G73 will “put best-in-class agents together with best-in-class data intelligence.”
Contos also unveiled the next generation of RE/MAX communications – MAX/CenterGO, a modernized, interactive platform now available to affiliates around the world. The “GO” experience resembles social media, with users able to read, post, comment and like content. Accessible on smartphone, tablet or desktop, MAX/CenterGO will help agents and brokers stay current on the latest news, resources, products and offerings within the network.
RE/MAX Chief Customer Officer Nick Bailey joined Contos on stage for a brief conversation about the real estate industry and the importance of agents staying focused on the things that matter most.
Noting that the National Association of Realtors membership is at an all-time, Bailey said the industry’s barriers of entry are low but the barriers of success are high. The vast majority of new agents, he said, are unable to stay in the business for more than five years. They simply aren’t able to raise their productivity.
“They get distracted. They don’t sell enough houses,” Bailey said. “(You) can’t get distracted by gimmicks. Discipline is staying in front of the money-making activities in this business – and that means finding someone, every single day, who needs to buy or sell. That’s what makes a successful real estate agent.”
Wrapping up the session – which also included a keynote address by radio host and author Dave Ramsey – Contos encouraged affiliates to keep taking care of themselves, each other and their communities.
“RE/MAX is a business that builds businesses, and we’re here to make people’s lives better,” he said. “The tools change over time, but the aim remains the same – helping people.”
