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Perez to accelerate growth by partnering with brokerage executives seeking to more strategically leverage technology in their business
Wellesley, MA, October 31, 2024 — Cloze, a provider of AI-powered sales and marketing software for real estate brokerages, announced today the appointment of Jose Perez as the company’s new General Manager of Partnerships. Perez will draw upon his 30-year career at both notable real estate brands and proptech companies to expand Cloze’s reach within regional, national, and international real estate brokerages and brands.
With a real estate industry still in recovery and grappling with seismic changes to its model, brokerages are looking closely at how to improve profitability and productivity across their businesses. In its just released “The Real Estate Opportunity Report,” analyst firm T3 Sixty points to AI as a technology that “can, and most likely will, dramatically shape the future of real estate, creating more intelligent, leaner brokerages, teams, and agents,” but simultaneously warns that “fragmentation continues to slow technology adoption in the real estate industry in almost every aspect.” As brokerage leaders reconsider their technology approach and move away from historically convenient but limited and siloed all-in-one platforms, they’re seeking partners that will take an active role in helping them execute a redefined technology vision.
As General Manager, Partnerships, Perez will build on Cloze’s momentum and leadership to extend the company’s presence within the industry. In addition to working with co-founders Dan Foody and Alex Coté to drive engagement with senior real estate leaders, Perez will be responsible for meeting Cloze’s overall growth objectives and expanding its sales team to match the market demand. Perez’s appointment comes just one month after the addition of industry leader Simon Chen to Cloze’s Board of Directors.
Over his career, Perez has focused on driving growth in real estate, including as a senior vice president at Realogy (now Anywhere Real Estate) where he drove expansion by helping franchisees adopt a merger and acquisition growth strategy. More recently, Perez has translated his deep understanding of real estate brand operations and needs into growth opportunities for proptech companies. In his last role as senior vice president of business development at homegenius, a subsidiary of Radian, Perez was a key member of the executive team that evangelized a “platform as a service” model for their AI-based real estate ecosystem. As the sales leader, Perez was instrumental in driving adoption of the platform, including its positioning and public promotion.
“Both T3 Sixty and our existing partnerships with senior leadership at brands like Sotheby’s International Realty and Windermere have reinforced the critical need to move away from technology silos and toward a Connected Brokerage,” said Dan Foody, CEO and co-founder of Cloze. “As the industry shifts from a tactical technology approach to a strategic one, Jose’s deep connections within the real estate industry and commitment to a consultative approach will strengthen our ability to showcase to top leaders across the industry Cloze’s instrumental role in that shift.”
The newly created role of General Manager, Partnerships, brings Cloze’s unique partnership approach to more brokerages and brands as they seek to de-risk their technology strategy against vendor lock-in, more rapidly adapt to innovation and market conditions, and increase technology adoption among agents.
“Cloze is doing more than just helping brokerages keep pace with market needs; Dan and Alex are leading an industry-wide conversation about how technology can drive profitability,” said Perez. “By switching the discussion from a ‘tactical all-in-one’ mindset to thinking about technology as a strategic enabler of agility and growth, Cloze is helping reshape technology strategy across the industry. I can’t wait to show brokerage leaders how that mindset can transform their business.”