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 8, 2026.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S P.O.V.
FYI, there is no “new normal.” We have officially entered the era of the never normal.
Our brokerage just had a thought-provoking visit with insider Tara Brown, the CEO of Peerage Realty Partners, a leading firm focused on real estate services and real estate investment. Tara expertly tailored this new “never normal” existence — based on a bigger concept by futurist Peter Hinssen — to real estate. Hinssen’s point of view is this: We don’t move from disruption back to stability. We now move from disruption to disruption to disruption.
Sound familiar? It’s our reality, too. Tara and our team talked about three big changes happening in real estate this minute.
Firms are merging together to share resources, invest in tech and build stronger brands. The key is in balancing increased access to capital and support at the parent-company level with what matters most at the local level: the leadership and culture that made an independent business successful and trusted to begin with. That takes real skill.
In a digital world, people want less friction, fewer handoffs and a seamless experience. We embraced AI early for all of that, plus better data and more time-saving for our agents. Because clients now come with their own information and assumptions, our role is to uniquely contextualize and guide — so that their goals can be achieved, beyond expectations.
Homebuyers are getting younger and more global. They may also live in one place, work in another and invest in a third. Competition is no longer down the street: It’s everywhere.
Yes, “never normal” is here — and we’re forging ahead. That’s what our brokerage has done since 1960 and counting. What’s next? We’re on it.
Russ Anderson
President and CEO, Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty
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