The influence of women in real estate leadership is growing, as is their impact on the future of the industry. That was one of the most fascinating takeaways from the Delta Media 2024 Real Estate Leadership Survey.
Looking at the use of artificial intelligence in real estate, the new study found a significantly higher propensity for AI use in brokerages led by women. Research also revealed that more women leaders use AI than their male counterparts.
Closing the gender gap
According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 62% of all REALTORS® are women. However, the majority of broker/owners have historically been men—and men continue to dominate the real estate leadership ranks.
But that is changing. A churn is occurring in real estate brokerage leadership as more and more women are now in the top roles at many of the nation’s largest and most respected brokerages.
Established leaders include Lacey Conway, CEO of Latter & Blum, the largest independent residential brokerage firm in the Gulf South region; Jill Jacobi Wood, co-president of Windermere Real Estate, the largest regional real estate company in the Western U.S.; Christina Pappas, president of The Keyes Company, the largest independent family-owned real estate brokerage in Florida; and Helen Hanna Casey, CEO of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the nation’s largest independent real estate company.
Even the nation’s largest real estate brokerage franchise operation, Anywhere, with over 140,000 agents across its networks, is run by a female powerhouse—President and CEO Sue Yannaccone—as are many of its brands: Kamini Lane is president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Realty; Pam Liebman is president and CEO of the Corcoran Group; and Ginger Wilcox is president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
These are just a few of the many remarkably talented women changing the face of real estate leadership.
Women leadership at brokerages continues to grow. In the Delta study last year, the percentage of female leaders surveyed was 21%; this year, it was 26%, a jump of 5% in just one year.
Embracing tech
Women leaders are also bringing to their brokerages a greater propensity to embrace the newest technology, as evident by their adoption and implementation of AI.
The Delta study shows a stunning 88% of women real estate leaders are already using AI. Among the other findings:
Female-led brokerages with higher annual transactions were more inclined to adopt AI, indicating offices handling significant transaction volumes tend to leverage AI more extensively.
Female-led offices with a higher number of agents showed a higher propensity for AI use, suggesting that larger female-led brokerages are more likely to integrate AI technologies.
The emergence of more women brokerage leadership is the future of our business. And while these women are embracing AI more, they are also a bit more apprehensive, worrying about the lack of “appropriate guardrails.”
As we move forward as an industry, that’s a good thing.
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