In this executive conversation, Laura O’Connor, COO of JPAR and President of Affiliated Network, shares her perspective on the role of the modern real estate professional. With over 20 years of experience in business operations and strategic management, Laura is the driving force behind JPAR’s growth and innovation. She believes agents have a responsibility to “act” for their clients and their communities, not simply “show off” their past successes. Laura brings a fresh perspective on building trust and delivering value in an increasingly complex real estate industry.
Instead of focusing our marketing efforts on showing how great our company is, we believe we have an opportunity and an obligation to serve our customers.
Housing Wire: You coined an interesting phrase for real estate professionals: “Show up, don’t show up.” Can you expand on that principle? Why is this distinction important for real estate agents today?
Laura O’Connor: It’s common in marketing for any service industry to show that the provider has a large number of clients. This helps build trust that the provider must be skilled because a large number of people have used them in the past. With the growing popularity of online platforms and social sharing, we’ve seen a shift to ratings and reviews that help further prove that you’re hiring skilled professionals. While these are important and have a place in marketing your agent or brand, I think of them as “show off.” They focus on the message, “Look at me, I’m great.”
There’s currently a lot of confusion surrounding agents and compensation as news outlets across the country cover the changes that went into effect on Aug. 17. In many markets, the cost of owning a home exceeds the income of the average middle-class family, making homeownership increasingly out of reach for first-time homebuyers.
I think we have an opportunity and an obligation. appear Instead of focusing on marketing activities for customers show off How great we are. Don’t tell us how successful you were in the past, show us what we are worth now.
Hardware: How important is it to educate clients about the “new normal” in residential real estate after August 17th, and how do you recommend agents communicate these changes?
LO: We believe that consumer education is the most important role we can play today as partners with agents, their businesses, and their clients. We took this to the next level and rolled out the JPAR NOVA app to all offices nationwide, starting in Texas in September. We provide guided scripts and learning pathways to equip agents to confidently tell consumers what they need to know.
We have been working with our affiliated owners across the country to provide templates, guides, resources, scripts and guidance from industry experts inside and outside our organization to ensure they are prepared. As they are independently owned and operated, they set their own policies and guidance, but we wanted to give them the best information at their fingertips to help them as they build the model for their own offices. Additionally, we opened an Independent Owners Mastermind Group to bring owners outside of the JPAR affiliated network together to discuss changes and best practices. We enlisted national trainers to host and facilitate webinars and to keep the discussion focused on key issues. We want our industry to come together and honor the intent of the NAR settlement so we can continue to be the best industry for everyone to build a scalable business while reducing risk and liability.
Second, we have created required forms for agents affiliated with JPAR – Real Estate, a real estate brokerage operating in 28 markets across Texas. These forms serve as an educational tool for buyers and sellers, ensuring that all of JPAR’s customers and clients receive clear guidance to help them understand what has changed, why it has changed, and what options they have when negotiating fees and services with their agents. These forms are publicly available So, anyone who agrees with our approach can use them to create an owner policy.
Hardware: With the rise of AI and other technologies in the industry, how can agents maintain the personal, relationship-driven aspect of their business? How should agents balance the use of technology with human connection?
LO: When used properly, AI can help agents better connect with and provide value to their customers. However, keeping up with the rapid evolution of AI tools and ensuring the industry can use these technologies in a way that keeps client data safe and respects the fiduciary responsibilities associated with real estate licensing laws is a challenge. We take our partnerships with agents and affiliates seriously and carefully vet opportunities before we begin. Partnerships are all about relationships and are important for any business owner, whether you’re a brand, brokerage or agent at any level of business.
By choosing the right partner for our website, CRM, marketing and training platforms, you can leverage experts in their fields to help you make the most of AI in the right way and at the right time to deliver the greatest benefit to your agents.
AI should be used to help agents stay on top of past customers and generate repeat and referral business by personally approaching the right leads with top priority. As with any technology, incorporating the right information and prompts into the tool will provide valuable information and resources. Training on prompts, sharing specific tools, and detailed training on how to use them will always be more valuable than a high-level overview that encourages agents to use AI in their marketing and customer outreach without providing specific step-by-step guidance. We are excited to launch a comprehensive AI bootcamp for agents in the fourth quarter of this year. The bootcamp will walk you through the different levels of understanding AI, its uses, and the best ways for agents to leverage AI in their real estate business.
Hardware: What are some specific examples of how agents can go beyond professional expectations to contribute to their communities? Can you give us an example of an agent making an impact in their local area?
LO: I recently had the opportunity to travel throughout Texas, visiting agents in various markets and learning from their on-the-job experiences. I was amazed and impressed by their dedication to their customers. and Their community. You name it, I’ve seen agents doing it. Training for first-time home buyers, podcasts on outreach to specific communities, radio spots.
While our industry has, by necessity, been primarily focused on the compliance portion of the changes that came into effect on August 17th, great agents are using these changes as an opportunity to engage and educate consumers on topics like seller concessions and low down payment programs that can help cash-strapped buyers achieve their dreams of homeownership without having to compromise or try to navigate the homebuying process on their own.
“Seeing veterans, single parents and young families light up with joy when they realize they might be able to own a home for less than what they would pay in rent turns the job into a passion. Agents do this all the time, and capitalizing on these opportunities in your marketing efforts can benefit your business. After all, doing good is good for our community and our business.”
Hardware: Traditionally, agent success has been measured by metrics like number of closed deals, total business volume, etc. How do you think we can shift the focus to more qualitative success metrics like community engagement and client advocacy?
LO: If there’s one thing I would ask of JPAR agents, it’s that you update your bio on your website, LinkedIn profile and other social accounts. Highlight the ways you give back and contribute to individuals and the community. That’s where the magic is and our industry needs to be recognized for all of the contributions that go far beyond fiduciary responsibilities and other aspects of the home buying – home selling process.
Real estate professionals have been the go-to for people seeking advice on mortgage professionals, bookmakers, plumbers, contractors and other vendors. Emphasis should be placed on agents who have invested in learning about loan programs, community programs and other resources specific to the customers they serve: investors, veterans, first-time homebuyers, trade-up buyers, sellers downsizing and luxury home buyers. Education, community outreach and local market expertise will continue to be the differentiators that set agents apart from all others.
In Q4, we’re excited to roll out a program called Simplify with JPAR, which ensures the value of agents continues well beyond the sales transaction by empowering agents to provide local market recommendations and customize outreach to each homeowner. Continuing to add value to support our agents and their clients is what makes our job as brand leaders so rewarding.
Hardware: What changes do you see happening in the industry going forward that will emphasize the importance of doing things instead of just showing off? How can agents prepare for these changes to better serve their clients and communities?
LO: I think everyone understands we’re in the first mile of a marathon. There will continue to be changes in terms of the best approach to working through these new guidelines. We as an industry need to do better by looking at every decision from the customer’s perspective and how we can best contribute to their homeownership and wealth building goals.
Over the next five years, agents and brands will leverage the power of AI to deliver customized support and guidance at the individual household level to grow market share. Online chatbots will improve the initial experience consumers have when interacting online, so by the time agents take over the relationship, there is a level of trust and value already established. AI-powered training technology will enable brands and brokers to translate educational training for both agents and clients into hundreds of languages at the touch of a button. It will be more important than ever for agents to partner with the right brokers and brands to ensure they have the right tools and technology to increase efficiency in building their business while protecting their client relationships. We are proud to be leading the way in the use and development of these agent resources.
Homeownership remains one of the most important components of living the American Dream. We play a vital role in advocating for legislation and local-level efforts to enable more Americans to pursue that dream. We have a consistent presence in nearly every market, with our agents and owners participating in associations and other groups that work on their behalf to protect and expand the rights of homebuyers and home sellers. We believe the leadership we have shown in this area will spread to a raging flame, so that all agents will feel an obligation to act on behalf of their communities and clients, not just during the sale, but more broadly.
If we all focus on the homeowner experience, we will begin to realize that we are all playing on the same team, and that it’s not who has a name and a phone number in a database who wins. The people who succeed in any market are those who provide the best value to their customers while honoring the bond of the relationship built between agent and client.
