2017 CRS President Leigh Brown engages with members to build the future of CRS.
Leigh Brown began her career in real estate in 2000 and quickly rose to be a leader in the field. In 2003, she started her own RE/MAX franchise and it was then that her passion for the business was ignited. Since 2007, she has been recognized by RE/MAX as Platinum, Chairman and Diamond Club. In 2010, Leigh was inducted into the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, in 2011 she received the prestigious RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement award and in 2013 she was named the North Carolina CRS of the Year. Her top-producing team excels at what they do and in 2014 and 2015 they were named to the Top 200 list of Real Estate Teams by The Wall Street Journal/Real Trends and also to the list of RE/MAX Top 100 Worldwide.
In addition to being an inspirational speaker and a “tried-and-true, in the trenches” REALTOR®, Leigh also gives of her time to multiple charitable organizations. She has served as a Board member and Board director for Habitat for Humanity (Cabarrus County), she consistently volunteers for Meals on Wheels, and she is an elder and Sunday school teacher at her church.
How did you get started in real estate?
Initially, I didn’t want to be a REALTOR®. My dad had been in real estate since 1978. Growing up, I had to go to open houses with him, but it just wasn’t my thing. When I was 25 and had already worked three jobs after college, I told my dad I was coming home to practice real estate with him. I joined him as a buyer agent and I spent the first few months organizing and cleaning up his business.
Why did you initially join CRS and earn your CRS Designation?
I joined CRS because my dad told me it was the most important designation. In 2003, I flew to Las Vegas with a friend of mine to attend their Pro Act program and we earned our CRS Designations at the same time.
Your team members are all CRS members. Why did you encourage them to get their CRS Designation?
I require all my team members to earn the CRS Designation because when I get a referral from an agent in another state, I need the referring agent to know they’re going to get somebody who’s highly trained, educated and understands the highest level of real estate. It makes my agents better agents. Also, if they ever leave to go off on their own, I want them to have the best tools for success. I believe that one of my jobs as a team leader is to develop better agents in the industry.
You are involved in a lot of different aspects of real estate. What do you enjoy the most and why?
Right now in my career I enjoy the training and speaking aspects the most—primarily because I want to do more than listing and selling houses. I still love that, but I need new challenges. I started speaking in 2011 and that’s given me an opportunity to give back to the industry. CRS has this amazing connectivity in the network that some of our members don’t even know we have, which is a goal I’ll be focusing on.
Ask Not What Your Council Can Do For You…
To Leigh Brown, serving her association is a two-way street. Here’s what she expects from CRS members, in her own words:
Everything about what I want to do in my leadership is to get more Members engaged.
A big thing I discussed at my installation and will continue to emphasize throughout my year as CRS president is that I will be asking all CRSs for one hour. The 32,000+ CRS members could contribute one hour in many ways, including the following:
- Help organize a local networking group.
- Go to a local networking group.
- Work on your state leadership team because you love networking across your state.
- Provide an idea for social media for CRS.
- Develop videos for CRS and share some of your tips and tricks.
- Attend the mid-year meetings because you’ve never done that before.
- Attend the NAR annual meeting.
- Attend a class or take an extra webinar.
If all 32,000+ CRS Members just give one hour to the organization in 2017, we’ll have a stronger voice and more strength in our network. I urge everyone to use the hashtag #onehour to get the word out and contribute their time. Most importantly, we would draw REALTORS® to us who have never met us before and help them change their businesses for the better.
Do you have a real estate philosophy that motivates you?
To continuously improve real estate. My team is very focused on how to provide better experiences for buyers and sellers so they are more professional and consistent. I also believe we need to improve the industry from a higher level. I volunteer and speak to other REALTORS® to help them see the way to professionalism and better education. One of our challenges is that there’s a large population of agents who aren’t familiar with the CRS Designation. I want them to understand that CRS is different and that it’s not only an education, it’s the best networking as well.
How do you see the real estate industry and the REALTOR®‘s role changing in the future?
I think it will come along the lines of how brokerages are treated from a tax standpoint. We’ll see a transition from 1099 status to W2 status in the near future. CRS brokers and team leaders can be on the forefront of this, and be true leaders in the industry and in their local communities. Our role won’t change. We still play a very important part in the consumer’s transaction because real estate is a “minefield.”
I tell my clients that I’m there to help them navigate the “minefield” of real estate.
If there’s one thing a REALTOR® could do today to make their business more successful, what would it be?
You have to learn to adapt and define your value in the marketplace. REALTORS® need to adapt as the brokerage model shifts and as technology continues to get smarter through the use of artificial intelligence, which is the next big wave hitting the business.
Tell us about your charity work with Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels.
I love Habitat for Humanity because it fits my giving philosophy. When you meet these homeowners, you really stay connected to what homeownership means to a first-time buyer.
In real estate, older people are my favorites. Meals on Wheels primarily delivers to the elderly who do not have the finances or ability to take care of themselves. My kids go with me to do Meals on Wheels and it’s changed their perspective.
Many REALTORS® do more than listings, showings, etc. They just don’t talk about it. I’m trying to encourage the use of the hashtag #morethanhouses to drive home the point that CRS agents are doing good work in their communities.
What advice would you give to members so they can get the most out of their CRS membership?
I want to hear from all CRS members who are not currently engaged! All of the 32,000+ CRS members have something exciting they’re doing that they can share. Our network is already powerful with a small percentage of our members participating, so I can only imagine how engaging it will be when we find a way to get every single member involved. My other advice is to put your picture in the CRS Referral Network. I’m not kidding. I won’t refer to an agent without one.
What do you see as the future of CRS?
The future of CRS is strong, if we remain unafraid of change. We’ve made a lot of good changes in the last couple of years regarding our internal and chapter structure in an effort to get more members engaged and involved.
You’re very involved in RPAC. Do you see that influencing your vision for CRS?
Absolutely. I want to build bridges between the education CRS provides and the REALTOR® party side, working on community involvement and being an advocate within our communities. It’s more than giving money to politicians. Those dollars help build real opportunities for involvement and advocacy.
I believe that there’s a natural marriage between the experienced CRS REALTOR® who is a top producer, and the REALTOR® party. I would like to see more of our CRS members become Major Investors. We can stand shoulder to shoulder and protect property rights for residential homeowners. There’s so much opportunity there and I’m really excited about it.
