If any of you have had the pleasure of hearing Joe Rand speak at places like the Inman Data Track or read one of his insightful books – How to be a Great Real Estate Agent or Disruptors, Discounters and Doubters, you know that he is one of the smartest and most client-centric leaders you will meet in real estate. Joe has been an avid fan of Broker Public Portal with Homesnap (BPP) since its inception.
Joe created the concept of Client-Oriented Real Estate (CORE). The BPP was formed to help agents and brokers become even more client-oriented by making it easy for them to use mobile to build a strong relationship with prospects and clients and serve their real estate needs before, during and long after a transaction. I cannot think of a more passionate, compelling and appropriate leader to drive the next phase of growth for the Broker Public Portal.
Joe is way too valuable to give up his leadership position at his brokerage completely though. He will remain as the Chief Creative Officer for BHGRE Rand Realty, one of the largest brokerages in the New York tri-state region with nearly 30 offices, 1,200 agents, and over $2.5 billion in real estate transactions last year.
The dream of BPP has played out well. The organization has delivered over 2 million free leads and millions of downloads rivaling that of other third party portals. Its recent partnership with Facebook Marketplace is driving thousands of eyeballs to rental properties offered by brokerages as well.
With Joe’s energy and leadership skills BPP are going to be able to deepen its engagement with current users, while greatly expanding its footprint to include brokers from across the country.
Bring it on Joe!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARROYO GRANDE, CA, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 — The Board of Managers of the National Broker Portal, a joint venture between Broker Public Portal (BPP) and Homesnap, today announced that Joseph “Joe” Rand of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE) | Rand Realty, has been named Executive Director of the Broker Public Portal (BPP). Rand will also remain the Chief Creative Officer for BHGRE Rand Realty, one of the largest brokerages in the New York tri-state region with nearly 30 offices, 1,200 agents, and over $2.5 billion in real estate transactions last year.
As Executive Director for BPP, Rand will serve as the face of a movement that has grown to include more than 240 multiple listing services (MLSs) representing over 90 percent of all property listings nationwide. BPP with Homesnap is the number one real estate engagement platform for consumers and agents, driving millions of agent/client interactions inside the Homesnap app and free leads to agents.
“Joe Rand is one of the most trusted and well-known thought leaders in real estate,” said John Mosey, a National Broker Public Portal board member, Chairman of the BPP, and CEO of NorthstarMLS. “He is uniquely qualified – with his experience as a broker, agent educator, and industry insider – to take the Broker Public Portal with Homesnap movement to every market in America,” he added.
As the Broker Public Portal’s Executive Director, Rand will be the voice of the BPP at industry events, on stage and off, and serve as a spokesperson for the organization, contributing articles and opinion pieces about the BPP. Rand will be the key industry liaison for the BPP, meeting with individual MLSs and brokers to encourage them to join the BPP and expand this rapidly-growing industry movement.
‘With his deep experience as a highly respected broker and agent educator, Joe is the perfect person to represent the Broker Public Portal and bring its message to an even wider audience,” said Steve Barnes, President and Co-Founder of Homesnap. “We are lucky to have Joe aboard and look forward to working with him to extend the reach of this important industry initiative.”
A longtime advocate and founding member of the Broker Public Portal — the only national portal committed to pro-consumer and pro-agent Fair Display Guidelines — Rand says his mission is very clear. “My two-year goal working with the BPP with Homesnap is to make it the number one real estate search site in the country,” he said. “We have an opportunity to take the BPP to the forefront of the conversation about our industry’s future.”
Rand is the author of two popular books about real estate and has been a featured speaker at dozens of industry conferences and conventions. He is known for pioneering the concept of “Client-Oriented Real Estate” or “CORE,” an educational philosophy designed to raise the level of client service provided by the industry by teaching agents how to be “great at their jobs.” RISMedia selected Rand for one of its inaugural industry Newsmaker Awards. He has been recognized by Inman News as one of the Top 100 Real Estate Influencers and named (multi-year) as one of the most powerful people in real estate by T360 Advisors in its Swanepoel Power 200 list.
Due to his new responsibilities with the BPP, Rand will step down from his additional role as General Counsel of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | Rand Realty but will still lead his company’s career development and educational programs and provide regular training programs to its agents.
Rand earned both his undergraduate and a law degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in law from Stanford University. Before entering real estate, he was both an attorney for a Wall Street law firm and a law professor at Brooklyn and Fordham Law Schools. A longtime resident of Manhattan, he now lives in the suburbs of the city, in the Hudson River village of Nyack, New York.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL BROKER PORTAL
Formed in January 2017, the National Broker Portal, LLC, is a joint venture equally owned by Broker Public Portal (BPP) and Homesnap. Homesnap provides the technology, brand, and operational expertise for Broker Public Portal. The National Broker Portal Board of Directors by charter includes a total of seven (7) directors: three (3) appointed by the BPP, three (3) by Homesnap, and a seventh outside director who is nominated by the BPP and approved by Homesnap. Current board members from BPP include John Mosey, CEO of NorthstarMLS, a Regional MLS serving Minnesota and Western Wisconsin; Alon Chaver, longtime industry tech executive and thought leader; and Craig McClelland, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers. Current board members from Homesnap include John Mazur, CEO of Homesnap; Steve Barnes, President and Founder of Homesnap; and Gayle Weiswasser, SVP of Business Development and Communications of Homesnap. Daniel Riley, VP Administration, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, is Chairman of the JV Board.
ABOUT BROKER PUBLIC PORTAL
Broker Public Portal, LLC, is a collaborative effort owned and operated by real estate brokerages and MLSs to deliver a better home search experience defined by simplicity, integrity, and common sense. Homesnap is BPP in action and provides the same comprehensive, real-time data directly from the MLS used by real professionals, the people who sell homes, not ads. Broker Public Portal with Homesnap follows industry-defined Fair Display Guidelines: there are no display ads from other agents or brokers on one’s listings, and all inquiries are sent to the listing agent or broker for free. Discover more at www.brokerpublicportal.com.
ABOUT HOMESNAP
With easy-to-use mobile technology fueled by unmatched, real-time data intelligence, Homesnap is changing the way real estate agents connect with consumers and serve their clients. Homesnap combines people, property and data with enterprise-grade software for real estate professionals to run and grow their business at every stage of the real estate transaction. The industry-endorsed Homesnap platform leverages AI, machine learning and big data from over 500 data sources and over 240 MLSs to provide more than one million U.S. agents with access to powerful mobile software that automates workflow and optimizes the search and sell experience for their clients. With the Homesnap mobile app, the highest rated consumer home search application; Homesnap Pro, the industry-standard mobile business platform for agents; and the Homesnap national home search portal, a joint venture with the industry-backed Broker Public Portal, the integrated Homesnap platform is transforming the real estate business. More information can be found at www.homesnap.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS
For Broker Public Portal:
Kevin Hawkins
Phone: (206) 866-1220
Email: kevin@wavgroup.com
For Homesnap:
Gayle Weiswasser
Phone: (202) 271-3914
Email: gweiswasser@homesnap.com
