The CEO of U.S. real estate company Realogy Corporation, owner of major brokerages the Corcoran Group, Citi Habitats, Century 21 and Coldwell Banker, is calling on the White House to hold a “housing summit,” the Wall Street Journal reported, an event that would address hurdles facing the housing market.
Such an event would give “the benefit of unfiltered, real-time market feedback,” Realogy CEO Richard Smith wrote in a letter sent this past Friday to President Barack Obama. “Now that the debt ceiling is behind the administration, behind Congress, they need to be focused on housing,” he said.
It is not immediately clear what ideas such a summit might produce, the Journal said. While some policymakers have campaigned for aggressive loan modifications, others say the government should back out of real estate markets. [more]

Century 21 hopes Ashanti’s singing can entice people into buying a home

Aiming to generate more brand recognition in New York City, Century 21
Real Estate will host a performance by “The Wiz” star Ashanti in Grand
Central Terminal Monday during the morning rush hour. The Grammy-winning R&B singer, who plays Dorothy in the Encores! Summer Stars
production of “The Wiz” at City Center, will sing the appropriately
themed song “Home” from the show, in Vanderbilt Hall at 11 a.m. Century 21 Real Estate President and CEO Tom Kunz will then
present a check for $221,000, to be used toward the purchase of a new
home, to the winner of Century 21′s recent “Path To Your Dreams”
sweepstakes. Century 21 Real Estate, a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, is the
franchisor of independently owned New York City sales and rental firm
Century 21 NY Metro. [more]

As industry leaders lamented the dissolution of Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy, a story The Real Deal broke Wednesday, the Corcoran Group’s CEO Pamela Liebman dismissed rumors that the mid-sized brokerage will be absorbed into Corcoran. “There is no formal incorporation of Coldwell Banker agents into Corcoran,” Liebman said. “This is not a purchase by [Corcoran parent company] NRT.” She said that in the coming weeks, some former CBHK agents may be encouraged to come to Corcoran because the two companies share ties to New Jersey-based Realogy Corporation. Industry sources have said that JoAnne Kennedy, the COO of CBHK, will
be relocated within Realogy, and in a memo released Wednesday, Kennedy
told CBHK brokers that if they “follow her,” they will be able to keep
their listings and data. When asked whether Kennedy would be hired by Corcoran and bring CBHK agents with her, Liebman said she had no comment. [more]