Spring is in the air which means sunshine, flowers, and exciting projects in the world of real estate technology.
Morgan shares what's what is up-and-coming in the world of technology, REW, and what is exciting in his world.
Have a question for Morgan? Ask it here.
Real Time: This month at REW we wrapped up our Winter 2020 Town Hall. What are some of the highlights?
Morgan Carey: So many incredible updates to share.
We were able to share with our team here that not only is REW still growing, but we are profitable for our 16th year in a row. It was good to share with that the hard work they put in everyday is moving our company foreward, and keeping us at the forefront of our industry. It was an amazing update to share, we have such an awesome team here.
We also shared the journey of some of our Enterprise clients that took their brand new projects live. We also completed some really exciting international projects, and RE/MAX Europe will also be officially going live this quarter. They are amazing clients, we are big fans.
I think my favourite part though is that we get to recognize some special people through announcements and service awards.
One big announcement on our leadership team is that Aayaam Kapoor is now the new Head of Product Delivery. This is a crucial role and directly links to our customer experience. Aayaam has a strong skill set in this, so stay tuned for some really positive changes in our product delivery standards.
We had such a big group of staff that celebrated their 5-year anniversaries at REW. One of our amazing developers, David, celebrated 10!
And a big shout out to Aaron and Phil, who are just hitting their 15-year marks. These two have been with me from the very earliest beginnings of REW.
We also got to celebrate employees who continually go above and beyond for our customers, our team, and our community: Anoop and Muratcan in Project Management and Nicolette in Finance.
It is always really exciting to get everyone together under one roof, and I recognize the extra effort our Vancouver staff took to get to our Nanaimo headquarters. The planes were iffy this year, so they hoped on buses and rode the ferry over instead. They ended up having a blast, and got some great pictures. It was pretty cool.
RT: In a few days you and our senior sales team are headed to LeadingRE's Conference Week in Las Vegas. Can you give us a sneak peak into what REW has planned?
MC: We are pumped for this one...
So how we got here...
This year we took a long hard look at all of our vendors, like Inman, NAR, RIS, and LeadingRE really stood our for us. They are really great partners, they are engaged, they send us some really fantastic business, and really are experts in the industry. Every year they host their Conference Week, which brings in brokers and their teams from all over the world, and we are happy to be this year's largest sponsor.
So what we have planned:
We are hosting the first ever SUMMIT Party Under the Pavillion, which is really exciting. I will also be introducing Mike DelPrete, which I am absolutely honoured to do. If you don't know who he is or haven't heard this guy speak, you have to check him out.Note for our readers, read about Mike here: mikedp.com.
I will also be speaking. This year I am talking about how to leverage technology for recruiting. Though this concept is targeted towards brokers, really anyone who has great technology needs to be doing this. If you aren't headed to LeadingRE, shoot me an email, I would be happy to chat.
Our Sales Manager, our Enterprise Team, and a few of our hot shots will join me, as well as our videographer. Having a whole crew there will be awesome. This group is so much fun to travel with.
RT: We've celebrated some incredible achievements with some of our customers and friends this past month: #1 Team in Western Canada, #1 Team in Canada, #1 Producer in the World, there were so many! Why do you think so many great agents and brokers choose REW as their partner in technology?
MC: Well it's pretty obvious actually.
We understand the real estate business. We have been in the industry for a really long time—working with everyone from top producers to small boutique brokers killing it in their market. We listen, we learn, and we adapt our products to be what agents and brokers need to be successful in their businesses NOW.
We are also still the only company that offers professional services at scale. For top-tier agents, teams, and brokers they can't just have it out of the box. They need to truly be able to customize without limits. REW isn't just the best option, we are the only option when you look at the market.
Although I think the biggest benefit is the true partnership they develop with REW. No matter which product, it isn't just to get their sites designed and coded. They get the collective experience of over 100 the the most talented people in the industry who really take stock in what our customers have to say.
RT: REW has many innovative projects in the works. What can we look forward to seeing this Spring?
MC: March is really going to heat up, I am so excited.
We have Gmail integration, which we talked about last time.
Our Enterprise Clients are getting an extremely affordable "roster-only" option, which is really going to get those teams working efficiently.
We are going to be introducing our newest design (which will be released later this year), and will be reaching out on on forums to get some help naming it.
REW Nexus, which was featured in RIS Media, is well underway.
This is all about truly becoming part of the technology ecosystem. Our customers need the ability to pick and choose the best of breed for them. We want to be the best of breed where it makes sense to them, but we also want to play nicely with all of the other vendors in the space as well. REW Nexus will create an ecosystem where our products will work with other CRMs, app providers,
RT: As we are moving into Spring and busy markets, what advice can you give to REALTORS to help them make the most of hotter markets?
MC: Now is not the time to try something new. Now is the time to double-down on what is working and optimize.
You should have started your projects in the fall, complete them over the winter, so that in the spring you can take advantage of all of those investments you made into lead generation, conversion, and technology.
In busy markets you need to be solely focused on closing those sales and nurturing those leads. If you didn't tale advantage of this during the last cycle, we should talk about how we can salvage the season for you. If you are in one of those markets where spring is quiet, NOW is the time to invest.
RT: What's exciting in your life?
MC: Winston, my bulldog puppy is two classes away from graduating puppy kindergarten.
Well, there is a 50/50 chance he will graduate. He sure likes to play.
I am getting ready to take my wife and our 3 kids to New York for a family vacation in the middle of March. We are staying at a very famous hotel, which everyone is excited about.
We are doing it a little different this trip. The kids are in charge of planning!
They are in charge of all of the food plans, the reservations, the activities, and shows. I am excited to see what will make it to the agenda (and maybe a little nervous).
My smart and talented wife, who is a new Realtor, has so many listings this Spring. So much activity, I am really proud of her. I am having way too much fun as her Marketing Director, she's a force in the real estate industry already.