Matthew Rathbun

Matthew Rathbun has traveled across the U.S. and abroad bringing the latest information about trends, techniques and tools to real estate agents looking to upgrade their careers. As the executive vice president and broker for Virginia-based Coldwell Banker Elite, Rathbun oversees more than 300 agents and staff. As a national instructor, he teaches a variety of classes covering technology, risk management and leadership.

“All of my efforts are to try and improve the value of the agent to the consumer,” says Rathbun.

Over the past year, Rathbun did a great deal of lecturing and speaking at national franchise conferences, associations and brokerages, but he considers his biggest accomplishment to be writing and contributing to the launch of both a SmartHome certification and a Social Media certification for The Residential Real Estate Council (RRC, formerly CRS). These eight-hour programs are designed to help agents understand how to serve their clients in a more meaningful way or build better communications with the consumers.

“Real estate agents aren’t technologists. We are people who serve people and are supporting characters in our clients’ stories,” says Rathbun. “We use the tools available to us to enhance and support the consumer experience so that the client and how they wish to do business remains our primary goal.”

Rathbun has won several awards throughout his career, including the Virginia Association of REALTORS® Educator of the Year. He routinely contributes to industry conversations and podcasts about real estate technology and the future.