Keller Williams announced Thursday that it has hired a former executive of both eXp Realty and Zillow to head up its iBuying program, as well as a soon-to-launch home maintenance offering.
In his new role, Raymond Jones — who goes by RJ — will officially serve as the head of Keller Offers and Keller Manage. Jones comes to Keller Williams after spending about a year as the chief operating officer of coaching company Ferry International. Prior to that, he spent a year as the executive vice president of growth and finance at eXp World Holdings. And between 2012 and 2019, Jones worked for Zillow as a vice president of investor relations.
Raymond “RJ” Jones
In a statement, Jones said he was excited to lead the programs and “create more competitive advantages for our agents.”
“To stay well ahead of the relentless pace of disruption and innovation in our industry, we intend to aggressively expand our platform of value to agents and their clients in buying, owning, and selling a home,” he added.
Keller Williams first launched Keller Offers in 2019. The program debuted at a time when interest in instant cash offers was surging, and in Keller Williams’ case the company uses the service to foreground agents rather than potentially cut them out of transactions. Keller Offers is now available in 49 markets and, according to a company statement, should be in more than 100 by the end of 2021.
In his statement Thursday, Jones said the program is poised to “become one of the largest iBuyers in the market.”
Keller Manage is a new program and is still being developed via KW Labs, the company’s “innovation hub.” Keller Williams’ statement further describes Keller Manage as an “emerging service offering” that will provide a variety of home repair, renovation, maintenance and moving services. It should also “enable KW agents to create enduring relationships with homeowners beyond transactions,” the statement notes.
“We see the future of the homeownership experience involving the combination of leading technology, essential services and lasting relationships between homeowners and their KW agents,” Jones noted in the statement, referring to Keller Manage.
Keller Williams expects to officially launch Keller Manage in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Carl Liebert
Keller Williams CEO Carl Liebert ultimately said in the statement Thursday that the company is “excited and honored to have RJ aboard as we remain focused on delivering immense value in partnership with and through our agents.”
“An accomplished industry leader,” Liebert added, “RJ will accelerate the next exciting phase of growth and development for Keller Offers and Keller Manage.”