BP: What are the biggest challenges facing your company?
MP: Reinventing real estate in a changing world, and building the next generation of Keyes REALTORS®. Our internal plans are to streamline and automate even more than we have—to outdo the big online competitors with systems that exceed their user-friendliness and draw more customers to us. We don’t plan to change our image or operations so much as refine and refresh them. Anticipating trends and needs, and being first with the right solutions, is very much a part of our agenda.
BP: What do you see as your biggest opportunity?
MP: Much the same, actually. We are blessed to be in one of the world’s hot spots, in a region that draws people from everywhere. One-fourth of our business this year will come from relocation and, as I mentioned, we have the bilingual staff to make the most of it. We also have seven full-time recruiters to help us keep growing, and a business plan that’s been proven again and again to help agents succeed in this business. So the opportunities are there and endless, and we know we have the structure—and most of all, the heart—to make it work to our advantage.
BP: In your opinion, what is most critical to your firm’s success path forward?
MP: All the pieces are in place. We have the people. We have the tools. We match the people we serve. In addition to our numbers in residential real estate, we listed and sold over $800 million in commercial property last year, and we rolled out a luxury homes program recently that is just now hitting its stride. We’ve got our heads wrapped around technology and training and our hearts are in the right place, and by the first of the year, we’ll launch our new venture to update and refresh our image. It isn’t dramatic. It doesn’t need to be. We’re happy with who we are. But times are changing, and we are committed to matching our brand and our look with reality.
BP: So what’s in store for the future of the company?
MP: We are gratified to be the leader of leaders. It’s who we are. We are lucky to count our team of 2,200 agents as part of our extended family. That’s the concept, and the vision, we believe will keep us in the forefront. Times change, but integrity doesn’t. We look forward to the next 90 years in our company’s honorable history.
For more information, visit www.keyes.com.
