Meet the Inman Innovator finalists: Most Innovative Real Estate Agent part 2
Amber Taufen
Every year, Inman celebrates the most innovative real estate agents, the pioneers and veterans who drive the real estate industry with their dedication to clients and ability to close a tough deal.
This year’s finalists for the Inman Innovators Most Innovative Agent category are using marketing, experience from past lives and an unparalleled level of client service to stay relevant and elevate the industry as a whole.
Many of them will be taking the stage at Inman Connect San Francisco, July 17 through 20 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, and celebrating their achievements at the Inman Innovator Bash, July 19 at Verso. Here are some highlights from the 2018 class of nominees for the Most Innovative Real Estate Agent:
Beau Beardslee, First Team Real Estate Agents: Beau Beardslee has doubled his real estate business every year since beginning in the business by using tactics that he learned in the military, with a special emphasis on tried-and-true strategies that most agents don’t enjoy, including boots-on-the-ground activities like door-knocking. His persistence and tenacity that he refined in the military have helped him drastically scale his business while keeping it all in perspective.
Ben Caballero: Not only is he the first real estate agent recorded in the Guiness Book of Records for his sales prowess, but Ben Caballero is also the first agent in U.S. history to exceed the $1 billion mark for residential sales transaction volume in a single year, a feat he has achieved in each of the past three years. Caballero also developed HomesUSA.com, a listing interface designed to make marketing easier for builders, smoothing their access to new-home clients.
Emily Sachs Wong, @properties: Emily Sachs Wong is one of the top real estate agents in the Chicago area, specializing in luxury homes for the thriving independent brokerage @properties. Her high level of professionalism and attention to detail give Chicago’s elite ample reason to trust her with their property transactions, and the technology and fresh spin on marketing that she brings to the table only enhances their buying or selling experience.
Jeff Schween, Pacific Union: Since the Santa Rosa wildfires tore through communities in 2017, Pacific Union agent Jeff Schween has been collaborating with local builders to help rebuild some of the custom homes that made Santa Rosa so beloved — but at scale and simultaneously to help homeowners better manage the rebuild cost. His commitment to what makes the Santa Rosa community special — and his efforts to protect and sustain that community — are elevating him heads and shoulders above his competition.
Lauren Taylor, eXP Realty: As both a real estate agent and a Navy wife, Lauren Taylor intimately understands the real estate challenges that face military families. So she founded Savvy Homes Hunting to help buyers look at properties from a distance using virtual reality technology. Taylor provides the technology tools that her clients need to make a decision by applying her own personal experience to their journey, paving their paths toward homeownership one sale at a time.
Sabrina Cohen, Coldwell Banker: Sabrina Cohen’s foundation to provide better access to beaches and homes to people with mobility issues indirectly led to her career in real estate. She’s known for helping others with limited mobility find homes that perfectly meet their needs, expanding options and opportunities for homeownership for an underserved group of people in her community.
Sally Forster Jones, executive director, Compass: Sally Forster Jones’ name is known in luxury L.A. real estate after she established herself as a top producer and personality in Beverly Hills and beyond. She recently joined Compass, bringing her business to the tech-driven startup with a billion-dollar valuation and using her experience to elevate the brand in greater Los Angeles.
