Real estate technology company DirectOffer went off-script to land a notable name in real estate as its newest C-level executive.
Eschewing a Silicon Valley upstart or some disruption-minded entrepreneur, the company landed a major name in Listing Impossible star Jennifer Berman as its chief operating officer.
The widely recognized industry leader will be charged with leveraging her more than 20 years of proven expertise in real estate sales, technology development and business leadership to push the proptech into the future.
DirectOffer is an app for both major mobile platforms that helps listing agents uniquely promote properties using recorded, multilingual walk-through narrations, called DO Audio Tours. It balances both transaction sides by also offering a direct-to-consumer home search experience and offer comparison through its OfferGrid module.
An Inman review on DirectOffer stated that the app “offers communication tools, offer submission features and the opportunity to buy specific features as stand-alone marketing add-ons. It’s ideal for brokerages looking for a technology partner to provide a ready-to-go mobile solution.”
Berman, recognized from a number of prominent roles both on and off stage, including at multiple Inman Connect events, got her start in sales for tenured tech company TopProducer, which remains one the industry’s most recognized CRM and business-growth solutions. She has led teams at Keller Williams MDR, served as general manager for Hilton and Hyland, and in 2016, launched luxury real estate consulting firm Berman & Pollinger, LLC.
Berman is a vocal proponent of women in business, keynoting 2021’s Women’s Council of Realtors and remains active in the California Association of Realtors’ WomanUp! program.
DirectOffer Founder and CEO Kathleen Lappe said that Berman offers much more than what some in the industry may know her for, and that’s a proven technology leader.
“Jennifer brings the leadership skills along with hands-on, in-the-trenches experience to the position,” Lappe said in a statement. “In addition to taking a software company public, she has built and led sales teams and implemented systems for several of the nation’s leading brokerage firms. I’m thrilled to welcome Jennifer to the DirectOffer team.”
Listing Impossible aired on CNBC until 2020, marking only one of Berman’s many roles on national television, including alongside the agents within the Million Dollar Listing milieu. Berman is also recognized as the “go-to person in Hollywood for help in casting and storyline development for different production companies and networks,” according to a press release.
Berman cited the culture Lappe has built as one of the reasons she’s coming on board.
“The team and culture at DirectOffer that Katie has created are rare to find in this business, and she has made it her passion to create accessible, affordable tools that anyone in our industry can use while giving more people the opportunity to become homeowners,” Berman said in a statement.
“After decades of helping companies build successful enterprises, it was important to me that my next role be one in which I team with a seasoned businesswoman who is not only passionate about delivering a great product, but who has a track record of building great teams.”
