Real Estate’s Budnick to Oversee Growth of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Franchise Networks, Chris Stuart Departs for PLACE

Christy Budnick, CEO of HSF Affiliates and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, just announced that Christy Budnick, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty, is now chief executive officer of HSF Affiliates LLC, which operates and manages the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate brokerage franchise networks. Budnick is also now CEO of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network.

Gino Blefari, Chairman, HSF Affiliates and President and CEO of HomeServices of America

“I am pleased to welcome Christy as CEO of HSF Affiliates,” said Gino Blefari, chairman of HSF Affiliates and president and CEO of HomeServices of America, in a statement. “She is a strong, charismatic and decisive leader who has done an excellent job gaining the trust of both her agents and their buyers and sellers. She brings a tremendous amount of experience, integrity and innovation and I am confident that she will take Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living to new levels of success.”

As CEO of HSF Affiliates, Budnick will oversee both the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Real Living Real Estate franchise networks. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices has more than 50,000 real estate professionals and nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East. In 2020, the network associates facilitated more than $138 billion in real estate sales volume, according to the company.

Most recently, Budnick served as president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty. “I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to lead HSF Affiliates and its brands, said Budnick in a statement. “The Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living owners and managers are extraordinary operators, and their teams of agents are among the most experienced, productive and talented in the business. With the guidance and support of Gino Blefari, I am looking forward to growing our brands and continuing to help position our affiliates for even greater success.”

Following her time at Bank of America as its vice president of Sales and Leadership Training, Budnick joined Florida Network Realty in 2002 as manager of the Beaches branch office and was promoted to executive vice president of Residential Real Estate before transitioning to president and CEO in 2018. Under her leadership, the company has experienced year-over-year growth, and with a team of more than 475 real estate professionals in nine offices throughout Northeast Florida, the company achieved more than $1.44 billion in closed sales in 2020 and ranks as one of the Top 25 companies in the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network, according to the company.

Budnick is a board member of Dreams Come True, a Jacksonville nonprofit organization dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of children battling life-threatening illnesses, serving as president of its 2019 – 2020 Board of Directors. Budnick is a member of the JAX Chamber and the Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS® and is a supporter of The Donna Foundation and the Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville. In 2019, Budnick was recognized as a Women of Influence honoree by the Jacksonville Business Journal.

“The future of HSF Affiliates couldn’t be brighter,” concluded Blefari. “Christy’s unmatched experience and fresh perspective combined with her outstanding leadership skills make her the perfect person to grow our networks and help our affiliates take their businesses to new heights.”

Ben Kinney and Chris Suarez, PLACE Co-Founders

Budnick replaces Chris Stuart who has departed the organization to partner with PLACE Co-Founders Chris Suarez and Ben Kinney as the company’s first president. The three industry experts were named RISMedia Real Estate Newsmakers in 2021. According to the company, PLACE is an end-to-end real estate technology platform that exclusively partners with top real estate teams and brokerages.

PLACE currently employs over 150 individuals in their corporate offices located in Portland, Bellingham, Salt Lake City, Orlando and Edmonton, Alberta. Stuart will assist in their plans to hire more than 120 additional full-time positions in the next six to nine months across their corporate offices.

“Chris is a visionary leader with a deep understanding of scaling large real estate businesses and connecting them to consumer services,” said Kinney in a statement. “Stuart joins our organization at the perfect time as we prepare to scale. His track record of rapid growth is in direct alignment with our immediate goal of continued expansion across North America.”

“Our growth has been built through our focus on finding and retaining the best talent for all of our organizations,” said Suarez in a statement. “Stuart is another great example of our continued ability to attract the best that our industry has to offer. We have watched what he has built from afar and are energized to welcome him into our organization for our next phase of growth.”

Chris Stuart, President of PLACE

According to the company, PLACE ended 2020 with over $85 million in revenue and $19 million in profit, up 93% from the previous year. The platform is reportedly on pace to double again in 2021.

“I am incredibly excited to join this impressive group of industry leaders and visionaries. PLACE and its network of operators combine a wealth of experience, diversity and expertise with a culture of entrepreneurialism, hard work and results.” Stuart said in statement. “This organization is fueled by collaborative partnerships and I look forward to accelerating the significant momentum that has already been created.”

During Stuart’s time at BHHS, the brand grew from 32,000 to over 50,000 real estate professionals, including the expansion of the brand globally into markets throughout Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico.