VITALS:
Jeanette Schneider
RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan
Years in business: 31
Size: 50-plus offices, 900 agents
Region Served: Southeastern Michigan
2020 Sales Volume: $2,758,665,244
2020 Transactions: 13,268
www.remax-detroit.com
Jeanette Schneider admits that she took her initial position with RE/MAX because it was the first job offer she received when moving to the metro Detroit area, and not necessarily because of a specific interest in the field.
But once inside, she loved how things were always changing, the passion of the agents and brokers in the network, and how the industry could help change people’s lives and careers. Over the next three decades, she would rise into top leadership positions, eventually becoming president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan earlier this year.
Keith Loria: What has been the key to your success through the years?
Jeanette Schneider: I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people who have given me many opportunities to grow and build my career. Part of my success has come from showing up, volunteering to take on a task or do the research on a product or service. I learned that to keep growing, you must be willing to do things outside of what you have been trained for. My personal mantra is to Create a Rare Experience (CARE), whether simply following up as I said I would, finding the right tech tools to help agents or creating an event or meeting that exceeds expectations.
KL: What makes your firm unique?
JS: From the top, we are a firm designed by agents for agents, and everything we do is designed to help our agents grow their business. We take advantage of the tools, support and national events that RE/MAX as a global brand offers. Our region is an independently owned region, and the regional leadership team lives in the area we service. This keeps us in touch with our brokers and agents as well as local market conditions. At the local level, we have the flexibility to publish a podcast, offer specific tools applicable to agents’ needs, and pivot quickly to take advantage of changing market conditions.
KL: How has your market fared in 2021?
JS: We have had a tremendously busy market. Through July, our closed transactions were up 29% over last year. High buyer demand and a consistently low supply of inventory, around a 1.1-month supply on average all year, have kept agents busy. The spring market had buyers in a frenzy with multiple offers, often upwards of 20 on a single property. As we hit late summer, buyers became more judicious in the offers they were willing to make.
KL: How do you support women leaders at your firm?
JS: We have always modeled the importance of women in leadership roles both as broker/owners and on the regional leadership team. I am proud to share that 46% of our offices in southeast Michigan are owned by women. Also, I am the first woman to hold the title of president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan.
KL: What do you predict for your market in the year to come?
JS: We will continue to see market conditions similar to what we have currently for the remainder of the year. We anticipate interest rates staying low and strong buyer demand to continue. We think buyers are becoming more selective as to what homes they will tour and make an offer on. We expect there to be an uptick in activity in early fall before the more common cooling of the market in winter. Assuming things with COVID remain manageable, I expect the spring market will be hot again next year.
For more information, please visit www.remax.com.
Keith Loria is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
