With 25 years of real estate industry experience under his belt, Russ Cofano has joined eXp World Holdings as the Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel.
The holdings company operates eXp Realty, which is an “agent-owned cloud brokerage” that acts as a “full-service real estate brokerage providing 24/7 access to collaborative tools, training, and socialization for real estate brokers and agents through its 3-D, fully-immersive, cloud office environment,” according to the eXp World Holdings website.
“Russ brings a wealth of experience and industry knowledge to the company from multiple perspectives,” said eXp Realty founder and CEO, Glenn Sanford. “We’re fortunate to be able to add Russ to our team and believe he will have an immediate and lasting impact on the Company as we continue to grow.”
“I am extremely excited and honored to be joining eXp at this time of its growth,” Cofano said in an emailed statement to Inman. “Just today, the company surpassed 1,500 real estate brokers and agents nationwide in more than 40 states. The position of Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel is new and was created to leverage my key strengths and experiences.
“I will lead the development of company strategy which intersects with all elements of the real estate industry while at the same time ensuring that the company continues to have strong compliance both internally as well as for the benefit of eXp brokers and agents and their clients. I have worked hard to be a positive influencer in real estate, and this position will give me an incredible opportunity to continue that work.”
Cofano announced his resignation as senior vice president of industry relations for realtor.com operator Move Inc. in September 2015 after joining the company in June 2014.
At the time, he wrote in an email to the industry posted on VendorAlley: “Although I am very proud of our team’s accomplishments and have enjoyed furthering my relationships with you, my role at Move has not evolved as I had hoped.”
Prior to his position at Move, Cofano served as CEO of the Missouri Association of Realtors. Cofano has also advised an array of Realtor associations and MLSs, been CEO of a CRM tech company and was the vice president and general counsel for one of the largest real estate brokerage companies in the country, John L. Scott Real Estate.
“I have been looking for ‘the next great opportunity’ within the industry, and I’m certain that I’ve found that opportunity at eXp,” said Cofano in a press release. “Unlike other new entrants, eXp is redefining the brokerage model of the future from within. Glenn Sanford has assembled a fantastic team and I’m excited to join them and use my various industry experiences to help the company chart its course of success.”