Sherry Chris

Chris is a graduate of The University of Western Ontario and earned an MBA from the Ivey School of Business. She became interested in real estate during the process of purchasing her first home, and took classes during the evenings and weekends while working in the banking industry. She received her real estate license in the Province of Ontario at the age of 25.[1]

Chris started her career in the banking industry and moved into real estate in 1982 in the province of Ontario, Canada. She began working with Royal LePage in 1987 as a branch and area manager. In 1997, she was promoted to regional manager and held a vice-president position in Toronto.[3][4] Chris was eventually promoted to Executive Vice President of Network Services.[5] In 2003 Chris became the President of Real Living Network Services, where she worked until 2005, when she joined Prudential California Realty as Chief Operations Officer (COO).[3][6] In December 2006, Chris joined Realogy Corporation (“Realogy”) as the Chief Operating Officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. In the position Chris would “direct the company’s operations, education, mortgage and field services programs [and] ... focus on communication between Coldwell Banker corporate headquarters, regional offices and its nearly 4,000-office affiliate network."[7] In October 2007, Realogy Corporation entered into a 100-year agreement to license the Better Homes and Gardens brand from Meredith Corporation. In 2008, Realogy launched a franchise network for the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC brand, of which Chris was named CEO and president.[8] Since the franchise's launch, Chris has grown the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network to represent the fifth largest residential brand for Realogy, expanding it to hundreds of offices and thousands of affiliated sales associates in the United States and Canada.[9]

Chris was named 2010 and 2015 Inman Innovator of the Year in the real estate industry and Inman’s “100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders” for six consecutive years.[10] She was included on the Most Influential Real Estate Executives list by Real Estate Executive Magazine and Profiles in Diversity Journal’s annual Women Worth Watching list.[11] In October 2015, Chris won the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP) Pinnacle Award created for leaders who have advanced a climate of acceptance that benefits LGBT home buyers & sellers.[12][13] Chris was included in the Swanepoel Power 200 list from 2013 to 2016.[14]

Chris previously served on the advisory boards for Realtor.com and Zillow, as well as Trulia and Google Real Estate.[15][16] Chris serves on the advisory boards of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) real estate services,[17][18] the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) Education Foundation,[19] and on the advisory board for New Story.[20] Chris is currently a chairman of the board for Rebuilding Together, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the safety and health of the homes of low-income homeowners.She is the past chair of the Realty Alliance and served as 2015 Chair for Large Residential Firms with RES Advisory Group.[21]

Chris has been a guest author on Huffington Post,[22] and has been featured on national media outlets such as the FOX Business Channel,[23] CNBC,[24] The New York Times,[25] The Wall Street Journal,[26] and USA Today.[27] In 2017, Chris was on a Feng Shui Lifestyle panel of The Milken Institute’s Global Conference.[28]