Plus, a member of the Reffkin family is making moves at Compass
Ruth Reffkin Joins Compass’ Garson Team
Compass CEO Robert Reffkin’s mom is stepping further into the family business. Inman reports that Ruth Reffkin has joined the Garson Team, naturally under the Compass umbrella, to showcase the “power of collaboration between real estate agents with different skill sets and across generations.”
“I’m going to be 78 in a couple of months, and I have in my time, retired three different times,” Ruth told Inman. “And every time I retire, I get old and get bored and I get fat [laughs]. So I have learned that I’m happier and healthier when I have a reason to get up in the morning, especially when that reason involves other people. Real estate is a real people business, and I feel that my clients and my colleagues keep me young and give me excitement.”
Ruth first joined Compass in 2013. She previously worked as a part of the Wilson-Howard Team.
David Doctorow To Depart Realtor.com Parent Company Move, Inc.
Following three years at the head of Move, Inc., operator of Realtor.com and a portfolio of other real estate brands, David Doctorow announced he will depart as Chief Executive Officer of the business.
News Corp has named Damian Eales to succeed him in the position, effective June 12.
“I am proud of the many successes we achieved at Realtor.com since February 2020, and greatly value having had the chance to work with the best team in the digital real estate industry. I believe this is the right time for me to embark on a new chapter in my career, and I look forward to working with Damian as he begins his new role,” said Doctorow. “Today the real estate market is experiencing new challenges, but I am confident the people of Realtor.com have what it takes to continue growing and empowering the agents, brokers and other customers to grow, while empowering consumers with confidence as they turn to us to make their dreams of a new home come true.”
Eales has been serving as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Transformation for News Corp since July 2020. Prior to that, he held senior positions at News Corp Australia, including Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Australian publishing business.
As we reported, Move, Inc. was in talks to be acquired by CoStar earlier this year for a reported $3 billion before the deal fell through in February.
Side Announces Plans For “Restructuring”
After some outlets reported that dreaded layoffs were headed to real estate startup Side, the company has come out announcing plans are in the works for a “restructuring” aimed at providing more localized support for agents and brokerages.
According to a statement provided to Inman, the restructuring will take place gradually, over several quarters, and involve hiring people based in Side’s growing list of new markets as well as a “handful” of layoffs. The goal, according to the company, is for brokerages to be able to connect with so-called “inSiders” who are based in the brokerage’s home location, rather than Side support staff who may be working on the other side of the country.
said the restructuring should bolster the sense of community among inSiders and the brokers and agents they work with.
“What we’re going to be doing is reorganizing ourselves to take a market-based approach,” Side President Steve Capezza told Inman, adding that each local market has its own nuances. “In order to be successful in helping real estate professionals grow their business, we’ve got to understand that nuance.”