Each Friday, Russ Anderson, the president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty and the CEO of Pacific Sotheby's International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of May 1, 2026.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S P.O.V.
So, now what?
Some of the most legendary brands in real estate are now part of Compass International Holdings, known as CIH, whose chairman and CEO is arguably the most famous man in the business. His purchase last year of Anywhere Real Estate — of which Sotheby’s International Realty and several other brokerage networks were part — was headline-making.
But the story continues. I’m back from a summit in Florida where CEOs, CMOs and COOs from top Sotheby’s International Realty affiliates talked trends, strategies, AI and more with the leaders of Sotheby’s International Realty itself — and the famous guy, Robert Reffkin. The founder of the Compass real estate network has earned his superstardom because of his very big ideas, including developing a one-stop tech platform that helps free real estate advisors to do what they love to do: achieve their clients’ goals.
That technology is something the diverse brokerages in the CIH portfolio can freely opt into. Integrating proven tech that helps an agent with anything they need to run their business brilliantly takes everything to the next level, not just for the agent but for everyone buying or selling a home. Reffkin calls it the “high-tech, high-touch” philosophy: combining exclusive tools with the personal service that builds lifelong client relationships.
I hope that last part feels familiar to anyone who’s ever worked with us in North Texas. As the industry evolves and so do we all — that’s one thing that will never change.
Russ Anderson
President and CEO, Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty
CEO, Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty
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