GA REALCAST with Maura Neill

The topic of teams in real estate has been very much a topic of discussion by the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) over the past 12 to 18 months. Currently the real estate commissions in at least 33 states have some sort of regulation regarding real estate teams, and GREC has been working through the ways that they can better serve the consumer/public interest with regard to this somewhat controversial topic, while also keeping the lines of communication open between real estate licensees, REALTORS®, and REALTOR® AssociationsI had the opportunity to sit in on two such conversations -- back in February 2019 at the Georgia REALTORS® Conference and in March 2020 at the GREC office. The GREC proposal on teams was open to public comment and received over 85 written comments during the comment period, and then on March 11, 2020, the Georgia Real Estate Commission held a public hearing, at which approximately 20 real estate agents and REALTORS® attended to give a 3-minute testimony with their feedback on the teams proposal.Shortly after, of course, the coronavirus pandemic hit, and Governor Kemp issued his Shelter in Place orders for the state, which meant the temporary work-from-home orders for state agencies and a cancellation of in-person meetings for the foreseeable future. In today's episode, Chairman of the Real Estate Commission Paul Brower and Real Estate Commissioner Lynn Dempsey join me to talk the GREC-proposed regulations of teams and the forthcoming (though currently tabled) new ruling on teams from the Commission. We also briefly discuss the the feedback that was received on those proposed rules for teams, the process that has been embarked upon so far, and what the next steps are from the Commission. We also get an update from Commissioner Dempsey on how the real estate commission has fared during our state’s Shelter in Place, how staff was able to keep working and keep the work real estate licensing for the state moving during this time, and how it is to be getting back to work this week.You can visit the Georgia Real Estate Commission website, here: https://grec.state.ga.us/TO SUBSCRIBE to the GREC newsletter, go to https://grec.state.ga.us/ -- scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on SUBSCRIBE NOW and follow the promptsPAUL BROWER, CHAIR - Georgia Real Estate Commission: Paul Brower of Marietta has served for ten years on the Georgia Real Estate Commission and currently is Chairman. He is a Director of the Georgia Association of REALTORS®, a member of the Atlanta and Cobb REALTORS® Associations, and a Director of the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials. He earned his salesperson’s license in 2003 and broker’s license in 2006. He has completed the GRI program and holds the ABR and other designations. He and his wife, Sheila, who was 2017 GAR President, are a team in the East Cobb Office of Harry Norman, REALTORS®.LYNN DEMPSEY - Georgia Real Estate Commissioner: Dempsey is a second-generation auctioneer and the former president and managing broker of Dempsey Auction Company. He is a past president of the Georgia Auctioneers Association and was named to the Georgia Auctioneers Hall of Fame. Dempsey was a member of the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority and served on the Georgia Auctioneer’s Commission. He previously sat on the boards of directors for the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber. Dempsey is a graduate and past chairman of Leadership Georgia. He sits on the advisory board for the Exchange Club Family Resource Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and teaches Sunday School at Rome First United Methodist Church. Dempsey earned a bachelor’s degree in Real Estate from the University of Georgia. He and his wife, Katie, have two children and seven grandchildren. They reside in Rome.  

"Change is the way to realize opportunity," --Kenneth JennyREALTOR® friends and colleagues: I have a few questions for you. Have you made some changes to your business in the last few weeks, in response to COVID-19? In response to the pandemic, to self-quarantine, to shelter in place -- to keep yourself and your clients safe? Have those changes and the circumstances causing them made you think about your business differently? Have you begun considering which changes are temporary and which may be less fleeting? And which may actually make more sense in a more permanent sense?That’s what my conversation is about today with Kenneth Jenny -- Managing Director and CEO of tranCen, a consulting company which offers unique strategic business solutions for companies focused on the residential real estate industry. With clients like Zillow Group, MoxiWorks, OpCity, Trulia, Homefinder.com, PRIMEDIA Inc, LendingTree and the list goes on, it may seem like a conversation with tranCen’s CEO may not be accessible or applicable to an everyday practitioner, but I disagree. A former REALTOR® himself and now one of real estate's foremost trend-predictors, Ken is the perfect person with which to have this particular chat.HEY! What's that song Ken talks about and titled his blog post after? Here it is: "Defying Gravity" from Wicked - Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth(Ken refers to this song, so as promised, here's a link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5V9KwppMfs&feature=youtu.beLyrics to "Defying Gravity" from Wicked: https://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/wicked/defyinggravity.htmI also reference Ken's blog a few times during this episode. To read more, you can access it, here: https://www.trancen.com/blog (and I highly recommend it -- quite good reading!).KENNETH JENNY: Ken Jenny is an expert in the residential real estate brokerage industry and real estate marketing. Ken is a proven leader and management professional with over 38 years of progressive and diversified experience in the residential real estate industry. From sales agent to corporate executive to visionary, Ken has viewed residential real estate from nearly every strategic vantage point. Real estate firms, media companies, portals and technology companies worldwide have utilized his expertise, strategies and innovations to address the constant challenge of change facing the residential real estate brokerage industry.You can learn more about Ken, here: https://www.trancen.com/meet-ken-jenny

I hope you are doing well and finding new ways of thriving -- not just merely surviving -- through these days of working from home and adjusting to a new normal. If you are a Georgia REALTOR® listening to this podcast, I hope you have been watching the weekly video updates from our President, Faron W, King, during which he is providing valuable information and messages of support and encouragement to our members. Our GAR Leadership -- along with our fantastic staff led by our CEO Deb Junkin -- have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep us up-to-date on the important issues facing REALTORS® during these strange times we’re living in, as well as to provide online education and resources for REALTORS® all across the state.That’s what today’s episode is all about: Leading -- and Leadership -- in Trying Times. My guest today is my good friend, REALTOR® Colin Mullane, from Southwest Oregon. Colin has served in a variety of leadership roles at all levels -- local, state, and national. He and I often have conversations -- just like this one -- and so he seemed like a natural fit to sit down for a chat “on the record” so to speak.However, this episode isn’t just for “the leaders” -- or more specifically, it’s not just for those that the average person might identify as a leader. It’s not just for those elected or appointed to a traditional leadership position. Colin and I wanted to discuss a topic that we have regularly batted around in our casual conversations -- at convention, sitting at the bar, late night over a beer. What is leadership? Who are the leaders? What makes a leader? How do we spot them? How do we train them and bring them up? How do we lead and encourage others to do the same? And so important right now: how do we lead in trying times? And even more importantly, what do leaders do to prepare?COLIN MULLANE: Colin Mullane is a Broker/Owner of a small brokerage, Full Circle Real Estate in Ashland Oregon. Licensed since 2000, Colin has been a top producer in his market from the outset. He immigrated from Ireland in 1997, worked for 4 years in the service industry before getting into real estate. Colin is a strong believer in the profession of real estate being a cornerstone of the American Dream and has been thankful for the many opportunities it has provided him and his family. Colin is a past President for his local MLS, State President for the Oregon Association of REALTORS®, a graduate of the National Association of REALTORS® Leadership Academy, Past Regional Vice President for the National Association of REALTORS® and past Liason for Global Committees at NAR. Balancing a busy career, family life and his volunteer leadership roles makes for a full schedule, but one he relishes. A firm believer in ensuring REALTORS® and Brokers are surrounded with the best resources possible to stay relevant and thrive in todays market. Colin is also a big advocate for the work NAR does on behalf of consumers and real estate professionals everywhere, taking on the toughest issues so we can all do what we do, running our businesses.