By Beth McGuire
How the President and CEO of CENTURY 21® plans to strengthen the brand’s voice
For 20-year industry veteran Nick Bailey, his appointment as president and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate LLC has brought him full circle—back to the place where it all began when he jumped in feet first to the buying and selling side of the real estate business. In this exclusive interview, Bailey shares how his past has set the stage for success as he takes the reins at CENTURY 21.
Paige Tepping: Please provide a brief overview of your background in the industry and how you ended up where you are today as President and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate.
Nick Bailey: My real estate career began 21 years ago this month, at CENTURY 21 no less, but what truly kickstarted my career was my decision to begin investing in real estate at the age of 17. After becoming licensed at 21, I listed and sold for a short time before becoming a broker. From there, I had the opportunity to join RE/MAX world headquarters, where I spent the next 11 years. This led me to my industry relations position at Market Leader, which was acquired by Trulia before being acquired by Zillow—where I’ve been for the past five years. I’ve always been interested in the ownership side of the business, and my experience in working with brokerages and helping companies grow both their business and agent count has come full circle with my recent appointment at C21®. Throughout my tenure at Zillow Group, I’ve been able to focus on the consumer side of the equation while threading together what’s needed for brokerage partnerships and creating a good consumer search experience, providing an interesting lens to look through as we build on the market momentum and global growth of the iconic CENTURY 21 brand.
PT: In what ways will your background help you in your new position?
NB: First and foremost, I believe the agent is the most important component of a real estate transaction. By no means has the real estate process gotten any easier over the years, but rather, it’s gotten more complex. At the same time, my experience working on the consumer side at Zillow Group was instrumental in opening my eyes to the fact that we’re in a consumer movement that’s defined by the need for additional transparency in everything we do. And I don’t just mean real estate. Consumers are craving transparency when it comes to how they purchase retail products online and their experiences within everyday life. The process of buying or selling a home is complicated, and it’s frustrating for both buyers and sellers, but it’s important to remember that their experience is dependent on the process the agent provides. While some agents are good at doing this, which is awesome for the industry, moving forward, I want to take the experience of what consumers are demanding and what agents need to make the consumer happy and have this be our focus. To …read more
From:: Real Estate News