brokerages – Housing Seller

In first interview as Compass’ president, Neda Navab says agents are the brokerage’s ‘heartbeat’

Admin — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 02:38:13 +0000

In 2021, Neda Navab said her role at Compass was all about “the long game.”

At the time, Navab was the brokerage’s eastern region president and was riding the high of a successful initial public offering, which had given Compass the momentum — and capital — to further round out its end-to-end platform and expand into new regions.

“It all comes back to the strategy of making sure that being able to buy and sell a home is as simple and pleasant of an experience as possible for the agent, and for the buyer and seller on the other end of the transaction,” she told Inman that December. “We’re staying focused on that [goal] through whatever 2022 may bring us.”

Neda Navab | Compass

Fast forward to today, Navab is now settling into her new role as Compass’ president. The first priority on her list is to host 100 agent events in her first 100 days, all with the goal of tapping into the heartbeat of the brokerage’s mission: the agents.

“I was in Greenwich yesterday morning, Westport yesterday evening. I’ll be in Pennsylvania next week. You know, just hitting the road across the country,” she said. “As Compass grows in size and as Robert [Reffkin] steps into the role leading [parent company] Compass International Holdings, leaders like myself have to get closer to the field, closer to the ground, closer to the agents … This is a time of a lot of change for the industry, and it’s still a hard market to practice real estate. Our real estate professionals need our support.”

The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Inman: It’s been 4 years since our last conversation, and a lot has changed since then. You started as Robert’s chief of staff in 2018, and the last time we talked, you were a regional president. How are you thinking about your journey to where you are now?

Navab: I’ll tell you something, actually quite interesting. I would say my journey into Compass started decades ago for two reasons.

So one, it’s actually quite poignant this week. My parents were both born and raised in Iran. And in 1979, my mom had to flee Iran because of the Islamic Revolution. She landed in Boston without a dollar to her name, working behind the counter at a Dunkin’ Donuts, but turned that job opportunity into another and another and ended up practicing real estate when I was a young girl.

So I got the opportunity to sit shotgun to a real estate professional when I was little, which really developed my respect for the profession and the opportunity it can unlock for a family and a community.

And then, funny enough, Robert and I have known each other for over 20 years. We met as students up at Columbia. And so as you can imagine, once you meet Robert, you know, he’s unforgettable, right? He’s incredible at keeping in touch with people, and we kept in touch over the years. And then in 2018, he reached out to me about this opportunity to come join Compass. It was a really full-circle moment. I have to be honest with you. I wasn’t looking for a chief of staff opportunity, but when I sat down with him, knowing him from before and knowing how hard it is to be a real estate professional, it struck me how agent-centric he was. So I took a leap of faith.

How did that experience inform what you’re doing now?

I’ll tell you, it is the most fun and demanding role at Compass. We have a number of leaders around the company now who started or at some point in time were Robert’s chief of staff. Your sole focus is to make Compass successful. You’re not thinking about things from any other specific department lens, and you develop just such a deep understanding of the core of the company, which is the real estate professional.

That’s behind the commitment I made Day 1 when I moved into the role: to attend and host 100 agent events in my first 100 days. What I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to them about is my mission to make sure that Compass is the best brokerage for delivering on the promises of a big firm, but with a boutique feel.

Big is our engine, but boutique is our edge.

Big is the power of the platform that we have built for them. Big is the incredible referral network they have. Big is the fact that we have an opportunity to partner with Redfin.com, a top-three search portal in the U.S., to give coming-soon listings more visibility and more options for sellers and their real estate professionals.

But boutique is our edge. It’s that feeling our real estate professionals get when they walk into the local office and the person at the front desk knows to ask about how their grandfather is doing, or how their closing went on Sunday, or whether the inspection came through as they hoped. And I think our real estate professionals deliver the power of big and boutique for their clients.

Let’s focus on the Redfin partnership. Are you looking at the coming months as a testing ground for the partnership? Maybe a litmus test for how it may evolve in the coming years?

What excites our agents most about the Redfin partnership so far is the opportunity to get 60 million monthly eyeballs on coming-soon listings without the digital baggage. The digital baggage includes days on market, public price drops, and status changes. It eliminates the risk of launching your listing and testing the market during the coming-soon phase. And so, from a homeowner’s standpoint, that’s fantastic.

I can launch my listing. I can have it appear on a top portal. I can get feedback. I can adjust. And then, if I choose to launch the listing more publicly, with the benefit of having had that coming-soon period without any of that digital baggage.

And by the way, because Redfin during that coming-soon period has the listing agent on the listing, the agent who knows the most about the home is able to speak to the buyers to answer the questions they have about the home, right? I think there’s a lot of excitement among sellers and our listing agents about the opportunity this unlocks. Hopefully, it will bring more inventory online ahead of the spring market.

Our time is running short, so let’s end today’s conversation by talking about broader industry trends. At ICNY last month, artificial intelligence and consolidation were at the top of the list, and Compass’ acquisition of Anywhere certainly drove much of the conversation about the latter. How do these trends fit into your decision-making?

All roads lead back to the real estate professional for us, right? I’ll take AI as one example. We have focused on building out training so that agents can leverage the tools available to sharpen their skills and better serve their clients.

There’s an example I shared earlier today, one of our agents in Westport, Connecticut, Susan Vanech. I was on Instagram the other day, and she posted this phenomenal video that just pulled me in, so I sent her a message saying, ‘Great video.’ She responded and said, ‘I scripted the entire thing using AI, not only the words that I said, but I asked the AI to tell me how to walk, what to do with my hands, what part of the home to be in, like literally to direct me.’ And it really showed because the quality was 10 out of 10.

And so our focus is just making sure we are leveraging all the best practices that the incredible agents around the country have and sharing them across the board. As I said, the best ideas come from the agents, so patterning off of how they’re using these apps has been a critical starting point for us.

Email Marian McPherson

Why Strong Brokerages Only Work When Agents Buy In

Admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 02:26:36 +0000

When the balance between agents and brokers is respected, businesses grow, reputations strengthen, careers stabilize and trust compounds, broker-owner Emily Askin writes.

The real estate industry spends a great deal of time talking about what brokerages owe agents. Support. Systems. Tools. Training. Flexibility. Opportunity. Those conversations matter, and they should.

But there is another side of the relationship that is discussed far less often, and that is what agents owe the brokerage.

Not in a contractual sense. In a professional one.

Balancing agent independence with brokerage buy-in

Agents are independent contractors running their own businesses, but they are doing so inside someone else’s system. Every agent operates within a brokerage’s infrastructure, reputation, compliance framework, insurance coverage and operational platform.

That system exists before they arrive and continues long after they leave. Understanding that distinction matters more than most people realize.

I believe deeply that a brokerage works for its agents in terms of support and systems. But that relationship only works when agents engage with what is being offered. Independence does not mean detachment. Autonomy does not mean opting out.

Many agents say they want culture and support, but fewer consistently show up for the environments that create them. Not every class will apply to every agent. Not every event will fit every schedule. That’s reality.

But compliance meetings matter. Risk-management conversations matter. Educational sessions matter. They exist because this business is regulated, litigious and constantly evolving.

Showing up isn’t about attendance. It’s about alignment. It signals that an agent takes their business seriously and respects the system that supports it.

Most agents never fully consider how a brokerage actually runs or how it makes money. They see the tools, the support team, the events, the training. What they don’t see is the cost structure behind all of it.

Support staff, compliance oversight, technology platforms, insurance policies, continuing education, marketing systems and operational infrastructure all carry real financial weight. None of it is free.

Every transaction carries risk, and that risk does not belong solely to the agent. It extends to the broker, the brokerage, the insurance carrier and the brand itself. When an agent brings business into a brokerage, the broker is willing to carry that risk alongside them. That is not a small commitment. It requires systems, documentation, training and constant oversight.

That willingness deserves engagement in return.

Cultivating loyalty over obligation

From my experience as a broker-owner, the strongest partnerships are never accidental. When an agent is engaged in their business and in the brokerage — attending meetings, participating in education, responding to communication, respecting systems — the relationship feels different.

Trust builds.
Responsiveness increases.
Support deepens.
Loyalty forms naturally.

Not because anyone is obligated, but because mutual investment exists.

In parts one and two of this series, I referenced The Swan Effect — the calm surface created by constant effort underneath. This is the other side of that reality. The swan cannot glide without movement, and it cannot move alone.

Strong brokerages look composed because leadership is paddling and agents are participating. When either side disengages, the illusion of calm disappears.

The Swan Effect only works when everyone understands their role.

Here is the uncomfortable truth: Agents who treat the brokerage as a vendor rarely experience it as a partner. Agents who engage with the system experience it as protection, leverage and opportunity. One approach is transactional. The other is transformational.

Being an independent contractor does not mean operating in isolation. It means choosing to build inside a structure that amplifies your work. Brokerages exist to support agents. Agents exist to strengthen brokerages. When that balance is respected, businesses grow, reputations strengthen, careers stabilize and trust compounds.

And from where I sit as a broker-owner, that outcome is never an accident. It’s the result of leadership, engagement and a lot of people, on both sides, quietly paddling like hell.

All this month, we’re focused on The New Brokerage Playbook. Running a brokerage in 2026 looks nothing like it used to. From major players to scrappy indies, we’ll map the new playing field and talk with brokerage leaders across the country about what’s working now — and what’s next.

Emily Askin is a broker-owner with REMAX at Home and REMAX Preferred. Connect with her on Instagram.

After failed NAR vote, brokerages beef up referral disclosures

Admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:56:57 +0000

The moves come after a failed effort to amend the Realtor code of ethics last week. This move would have broadened the referrals Realtors are required to disclose to clients. The amendment was widely approved by the full Board of Directors just minutes before

it failed to pass

a vote by a group of local Realtor leaders known as the Delegate Body.

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In an apparent response, the brokerages and even one large Realtor association have issued statements in favor of broad disclosure.“The real estate landscape is evolving rapidly. In response, brokerages and even a large Realtor association have issued statements in favor of broad disclosure.“The real estate landscape In this climate, keeping quiet isn’t an option. Transparency does not only benefit business; it also builds public trust. Inman asked it to provide more information about the changes before Monday’s webinar. However, Exp declined. The firm’s exclusive right to sell or lease form would also include a fee disclosure.

Moreover, a new “Con

The firm’s exclusive right to sell or lease form would also include a referral fee disclosure.

Moreover, a new “Consumer Choice in Your Real Estate Transaction” form will outline the consumer’s right to choose their ancillary providers.

The brokerage also said in its statement that its Full Referral Fee Disclosure would expand referral fee disclosures and give clients added clarity.

James Dwiggins, CEO of NextHome, shared the forms online and applauded eXp for leading the way toward greater transparency.

“To be clear, this is in response to NAR governance failing to pass a rule change to Article 6 of the Code of Ethics to require disclosure of referral fees to clients, as well as the new litigation against Zillow regarding referral fees,” Dwiggins wrote.

Also on Wednesday, Benchmark Realty — which operates in Tennessee and Kentucky — updated its policy on disclosures, effective immediately.

The firm said that all referrals — “whether paid or received” — must be disclosed to clients in writing before or at the time of the referral arrangement. The brokerage stated that they were beefing up their policy as a result of the failure by the Delegate Body to pass a rule change to “Our policy is designed to preserve trust, protect consumers, and strengthen professionalism in the industry.”

The Benchmark Realty policy applies many different types of referrals: agent-to-agent referrals, relocation networks, lead-generation platforms, broker-to-broker referrals, marketing or advertising networks that pay agents, and any third-party provider that provides money or other incentives.

Agents who fail to meet the disclosure requirements face termination from the brokerage, the company said.

In addition to eXp and Benchmark Realty, the California Association of Realtors in recent days also publicly expressed support for referral fee transparency. The organization said it was revising its forms accordingly, which will “make it easier to disclose receipt and payment of referral fees.”

Referral fee transparency remains a hot topic among industry professionals, but overall the changes were welcomed on Wednesday by Summer Goralik, a California-based real estate compliance expert.

“If you’re rolling out new policies and forms, that’s fantastic, I commend you,”

Goralik wrote

. It’s great that you are implementing new policies and forms. I commend you,”

Goralik wrote0100