Sep. 5th – Richard Gibbens, CEO, Bluegrass REALTORS® and MLS in Lexington, KY
LEXINGTON, KY – The Rotary Club of Lexington held its weekly meeting on Thursday, September 5, at The Mane on Main, Chase Bank building on Main St. The guest speaker was Richard Gibbens, CEO, Bluegrass REALTORS® and Imagine MLS in Lexington, Kentucky.
This meeting will also be on Zoom. For the Zoom link please email, [email protected].
If you would like to have lunch, please contact [email protected] to reserve your meal.
The traditionally staid world of real estate has, no doubt to its consternation, found itself in the spotlight in recent years, as the industry deals with a variety of challenges. These include of course current home interest rates which, while historically low, appear high to those weaned on even lower rates, and shortages of new homes for sale. But no event is likely to cause more change and disruption than a recently reported settlement by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). As reported in the Wall Street Journal in May of this year: “The National Association of Realtors has reached a nationwide settlement of claims that the industry conspired to keep agent commissions high, , . . a deal set to usher in the biggest changes to how Americans by and sell homes in decades.” As part of the settlement NAR will no longer mandate that listings include an upfront determination of how much the buyer’s agent will be paid upon closing.
Today we hear from the new CEO for Bluegrass REALTORS®, Richard Gibbens, as he discusses his views on the NAR settlement and its impact on consumers, market changes, and where the industry is headed in the coming months and years.
Richard Gibbens has served as the CEO for Bluegrass REALTORS® and Imagine MLS in Lexington, Kentucky since June of this year. Gibbens previously served as the Executive Director for Southwest MLS (SWMLS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors (GAAR) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he launched many industry-first initiatives and implemented innovation into his organization.
Throughout his tenure with GAAR, Gibbens helped bring industry awareness to his Association for its willingness to embrace new technology, employing pilot programs and beta testing for many strategic priorities.
Prior to his work at GAAR, Gibbens led the Central Panhandle Association of Realtors as the MLS Director where he fully transformed the organization through a rebranding and policy overhaul to better serve the membership. He has also led a team of customer service professionals for Sprint/Teleperformance USA where he was recognized for his proactivity in evaluating and improving company processes and policies.
Bluegrass REALTORS® was founded in 1912 and represents over 4,000 members located in thirty Kentucky counties. Per its webpage, the organization “works diligently to preserve and enhance the rights and privileges of the owners of private property. Our Club’s own Trey McCallie serves on its Board of Directors.
