Just this week the, Swanepoel Power 200 was released, naming the Top 200 people in the real estate industry. Inman News dropped their Top 100 Influencers list – so Swanepoel is the one and only definitive list.

The 2017 Swanepoel Power 200 list is “truly designed to recognize the most powerful and influential in our business,” According to Swanepoel T3.  “It is culled from over 3 million real estate professionals, with less than 0.01% selected to be included. The firm spends over 400 hours in researching and analyzing the rankings. Leaders from all residential real estate brands, brokerages, technology companies, MLSs, associations, economists, authors, consultant, coaches and media members are all considered.”

No doubt, the work that the Swanepoel group performs in putting the list together is heavy lifting and takes significant thought. This year, the list includes a lot of industry newcomers who were vaulted up to the top by the station that they hold. For sure, the changes in Leadership at both the National Association of REALTORS® and the Realogy Franchise Group were very significant. Each corporation has more than a handful of people included, and deservedly so. They impact a lot of people in their work and service to the industry.

WAV Group reviewed the list this year and we were very excited to see exactly 75 of our clients on the list. You know who you are and its folly to list them all here. The point is that we are blessed to have been invited into the boardrooms of so many companies that are truly making WAVes of Change to better the industry. As servants to the industry, we are thankful to collaborate.

My thoughts for 2018

There is much to do to make real estate better. Industry executives are fired up to get things done. These are exciting times, but certainly not without controversy. There are many outrageous statements being slung around, creating barriers to progress. Leaders should remember that if they condemn the very people that are there to help them, it will not likely lead to generous support.

Having said that, the success of the Broker Public Portal shows that MLSs, Brokers, Franchises, technology vendors, and real estate agents can find common ground. The fact that the BPP grew from 45 markets to 120 markets in 12 months is testament to the rapid advancement that is possible.

We applaud all of you who are honored by T3 this year. To be sure, 2018 is another opportunity to break new ground.

View the 2018 Swanepoel Power 200 List here.

Many thanks to the T3 group for recognizing our contributions: Our staff and customer deserve it more than we do.