Inman

Re/Max founder Dave Liniger’s advice for entrepreneurs: ‘Go live your dream’

Dave Liniger talks to Inman News Publisher Brad Inman at Real Estate Connect.

NEW YORK — Re/Max LLC co-founder and Chairman Dave Liniger — who documented his recovery from a harrowing illness in a best-selling memoir, “My Next Step: An Extraordinary Journey of Healing and Hope” — has these words of wisdom for entrepreneurs looking to make a splash in the real estate industry: “Go live your dream,” by setting goals, developing a support team, and ignoring negative thinkers.

Last year Liniger led the company he founded with his wife 40 years ago to an initial public offering that netted $225 million for the franchisor. But in a one-on-one interview with Inman News Publisher Brad Inman at Real Estate Connect New York City, Liniger said working for money alone is not a sustainable path to success.

Liniger also shared his views on one of the hottest topics of the conference: Whether consumers should have access to agent performance data and ratings. Liniger came down in favor of more transparency, saying: “The more we try to deny information to (consumers), the worse it is for” the industry. “We should just be right out (in the) open and let them have it.”