Prior to being appointed President and CEO of Homeservices on Tuesday, Kelly was Executive Vice President of Homeservices since September 2022.
housingwire We caught up with Kelly this week to discuss his appointment and his plans when he takes the helm at one of the nation’s biggest real estate companies.
Take over for Brefari
Kelly expressed his gratitude to Gino Brefali for his leadership in home services over the past five years. Brefari has moved to the position of honorary chairman and will serve the company in an advisory role.
“Because of Gino’s credibility, he has worked through industry challenges over the past few years, and he fully understands the need to have that steady leadership and presence,” Kelly said. “And when we came out on some other side of that, he felt it would be the right time to announce the change.”
The mixed chaos surrounding the committee’s lawsuit have dominated much of the industry’s discourse for the past 18 months — appears to have died, but Kelly knows helms at home service during a turbulent and disharmony period for the industry.
“There’s a lot going on in the industry right now, and the issues are shaping about the issues, but you need to remember that real estate is inherently local,” Kelly said.
“It used to be about nearby consumers and certain homes, and as is still the case, I feel like there are all the conversations about litigation, settlements, changes to business practices, and now clear cooperation (CCP).
Kelly feels that these high-level conversations and the speed at which things are happening make it difficult for MLSS and brokerage companies to keep up while ensuring they make the best decisions for their local markets.
With this in mind, Kelly said he is focusing on working with other company leaders and their brokers to simplify things.
“It’s less, but more,” Kelly said.
Homeservices is made up of a collection of independent brokerage companies, but at the same time operates nationwide, creating a delicate balance for Kelly to manage.
“What we want to do is navigate the overall home service but maintaining local branding and entrepreneurial spirit that better connects the backbone of who we are,” he said.
According to Kelly, this means a streamlined set of singular technologies, tools and systems used for operations. They also want better connections between agents and their home service partners.
Select the direction
In addition to all the discussions that arise in the industry, Kelly has also taken over a period when the industry is seeing a high level of integration.
Recent rumors have spread compass He spoke about the potential acquisition following high-level consultations with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. Brefari denied that any consultations occurred.
“These two paths are beginning to form. You’re either creating a national footprint that you can support, or going to a boutique, or a medium sized company was really rewarding. It really feels like you have to go in some way,” Kelly said.
“You have to grow and create them so that you can manipulate costs efficiently, or you have to make them work efficiently or come down to more cost focus to be as cost-effective.
For Kelly, this is why it is so important to ensure that local branding and independence within the company is preserved, providing a place for entrepreneurs to grow their business to the size they want.
“We want to make sure we are giving our people a path to growth, oiling the wheels through systems and support so that they are not on the island where they are trying to do things themselves.
When Kelly and Home Services try to achieve this, he said it’s important for them to remember how agents serve consumers. As a result, how a brokerage will serve its agents will vary from market to market.
“We strive to adapt to what works in a particular market, whether it’s an agent, a team or a franchise owner,” Kelly said.
Blocks noise
Kelly has so many industry discourse focused on unified marketing strategies at CCP and other brokerages, so he feels that the uniqueness of the local market is essential to keep in mind.
“We have some very localized markets where office monopolies are very common, for certain types of sellers with a certain type of property that controls those markets,” Kelly said.
“But in most other markets, most of the things we are asked by our consumers to help will absolutely benefit from having as many eyes as possible,” Kelly said. “So for us, that’s why it makes no sense to develop a uniform system around how real estate is sold.”
Instead, Kelly said home services rely on agents with local knowledge and experience to guide consumers to make the right decisions about their individual property.
Given all the noise on this and other issues, Kelly said he wanted to make sure he and the other leaders of the company, the owners of the franchise and agents remain focused on what they have control over.
“If it’s out of our control, let’s put it sideways,” Kelly said. “We can’t control tariffs and mortgage fees, but we can control the number of people we reach out to, as well as the habits and behaviors we take every day.
“I really think it’s about narrowing down the scope of what’s in the energy, so we don’t get into a whirlwind of chasing the tail and trying to fix all the issues.
