As Vice President of the Keyes Company, Christina Pappas has continued to break boundaries by serving in a position of power and influence across the industry, exuding her belief that women in real estate have ideas and opinions that deserve to be heard.
She has continued to share that ethos while at The Keyes Company and in each leadership role she has held at organizations like REALTORS® Property Resource® advisory council and the Florida REALTORS®, where she will become the 13th female president for the association.
Here, she discusses the leadership practices that led her to become an RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker—individuals recognized for their positive contributions to the real estate industry—and her insight into how the brokers can approach diversity and inclusion in the new year.
Jordan Grice: What does it mean to be named an RISMedia Newsmaker within the Crusader category?
Christina Pappas: I’m humbled and honored. Honestly, I feel blessed and fortunate to be able to serve in an industry that is at the core of the American dream. There really is no better business out there.
JG: You’re a big proponent of supporting women in real estate; what improvements have you noticed in the industry on that front?
CP: We continue to see great improvements in women as brokers and owners and as presidents of associations. It is amazing to see the partnerships and mentoring in our industry and even beyond that when we look at our top brokers. We have some incredible crusaders in our industry that I have been blessed to be mentored by, from Helen Hanna Casey and Dottie Herman to Sherry Chris and Joan Docktor.
Even bringing it to the forefront allows people to look around their board rooms and executive teams and say where can we be more diverse and have women take a seat and help us grow, so I think we’ve taken great strides in these last three or four years.
JG: Where do you see room for further improvement on that front?
CP: We need to continue to be aware of and support women and the many hats they wear. I think we can really improve how we help women who also want to be mothers. We probably have room to grow in the giving grace department. We need to give each other grace and understand that sometimes women have to run out and pick up the kids, and that’s a hat they have to wear today.
What I found is that through COVID, everybody has been more open to this family-work-life balance, but I think we can continue to grow from that as we allow our moms to be able to take time off for their families. We need to make sure that they have the necessary support not just at the workplace, but also at home if they need it.
JG: How can brokers/owners promote further growth and improvement in the landscape of women in their respective companies?
CP: I would say, look to your people for guidance and ask where you all can improve as a broker. Do you send an annual survey on how we can improve our services and support to you? I think one way is just taking the time to ask.
If you want to take a step further and start a diversity committee, I know many companies in 2020 put together things to ensure that they give everyone the full support they need. The more open-minded and transparent they can be about wanting to help and wanting to grow in those segments, I think that more people will start to raise their hands.
JG: Considering the year that real estate has had in 2021, how do you see the Florida market evolving throughout the next year?
CP: I think the beginning of the year will probably continue in the same light as the current year. We have low interest rates, low inventory and strong demand driving prices.
As rates increase, we might see a slowing of the demand and maybe more normalizing in the market during the second half. However, I believe it will still be quite a strong market because even if rates do increase, we’re starting to see those international buyers become strong again. Currently, this market has mainly been driven by domestic activity.
Jordan Grice is RISMedia’s associate online editor. Email him your real estate news ideas to jgrice@rismedia.com.
