NextHome takes ‘two is better than one’ approach to CEO role
Co-founder James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson are now co-CEOs as the ‘Unfiltered’ podcast duo embraces a move designed to ‘ramp up our already winning strategy.’
Editor's note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who've recently taken on, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.
Tune into an episode of the Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered podcast, and it's hard to miss the easy rapport between co-hosts James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson. Their inside jokes, light-hearted teasing and tag-team interview style suggest that they not only enjoy each other's company, they understand how to collaborate.
And that will be an asset now that Dwiggins and Robinson are sharing the role of NextHome CEO, a leadership change the company announced today.
Dwiggins, NextHome's co-founder and CEO since 2015, will focus on franchise expansion, growing a national network that currently includes 600 offices and nearly 6,000 agents. NextHome was recently named the No. 1 franchise brand in the country by the Franchise Business Review.
Robinson, chief strategy officer since 2016, will oversee internal operations, ensuring NextHome is able to scale to meet its lofty growth goals. Those include doubling the number of franchise offices and agents over the next four years, according to a news release.
"In this shifting market, hope isn't a strategy; but a strategy gives everyone hope," Robinson said in the announcement. "This co-CEO structure empowers NextHome to ramp up our already winning strategy in a way that leaves no one behind."
NextHome isn't the first residential brokerage to adopt a shared leadership structure. Thad Wong and Michael Golden are co-CEOs of Chicago-based @properties, the firm they co-founded in 2000, while family-run Windermere, the largest regional brokerage in the western U.S., has three co-presidents: OB Jacobi, Jill Jacobi Wood and Geoff Wood. On the East Coast, William Raveis is led by co-presidents Chris and Ryan Raveis alongside their father, Founder and CEO Bill Raveis.
More leadership moves
Two longtime Zillow executives have been promoted as the company continues to invest in its rentals business and agent tools and technology.
Michael Sherman, who joined Zillow in 2011, has been supporting the rentals division for more than a decade, most recently as VP. He has been instrumental in driving the growth of Zillow Rentals, which now accounts for around 20% of Zillow's total revenue, according to the announcement. Sherman will continue to lead the rentals business as senior vice president.
Zillow's rental marketplace serves renters, landlords and multifamily property companies. On the multifamily side, the business has been expanding its reach through partnerships, including a deal with Redfin announced on Feb. 11 that allows Zillow to be the exclusive provider of multifamily rental listings on Redfin, Rent.com and ApartmentGuide.com. Zillow formed a similar partnership with Realtor.com last March.
Cynthia Taylor has been with Zillow for a decade, moving over from Trulia in 2015 following the home search giant's acquisition of its then-rival. She has led B2B product and business operations including AI-powered Zillow Showcase (formerly Listing Showcase), an immersive listing media product that rolled out nationally a year ago. She now serves as senior vice president of agent software and advertising.