Hawkins, who previously served as CEO of the Pacific Western Association of Realtors in Southern California, will now lead CAR during a challenging time for the industry,
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The California Association of Realtors (CAR) announced Thursday that it has named a local association leader as its next executive, about three and a half months after the previous executive resigned.
Phil Hawkins
CAR said in a statement that it has selected Phil Hawkins as chief executive after a nationwide search. Hawkins served as CEO of Pacific West Realtors (PWR), an organization operating in the Los Angeles metro area. He joined PWR in 1998 and became CEO in 2015.
Central African Republic President Melanie Bakker said in a statement that she was “thrilled” about Hawkins’ hiring.
“Phil has a deep understanding of the real estate industry and California’s political landscape,” Buck continued. “His insights into many of the issues we face today make him uniquely positioned to be our next CEO. Phil joins the organization at a time of significant change in the industry and will therefore be instrumental in developing and delivering on the vision for CAR and our profession.”
The search for a new CAR chief executive began in April after John Sebree resigned as chief executive. Sebree has been on the job for about two years after former CEO Joel Singer retired in 2022.
During Sebree’s tenure, Homeownership California, a CAR-sponsored nonprofit, won many policy victories aimed at improving affordability and housing options for Californians. The association also pushed for bills that would increase capital gains exclusions, increase funding for down payment assistance programs and protect homeowners’ access to appropriate insurance as insurance companies begin to leave the state during several years of wildfires.
Sebree has not issued any statement regarding his departure, which, according to CAR’s statement, is because he wishes to “pursue other opportunities.”
Following Sebree’s departure, CAR named Debra Ferrier, CEO of CAR’s for-profit subsidiary Real Estate Business Services (REBS), as interim CEO.
Hawkins comes to CAR during a tumultuous time in the real estate industry. This is partly due to years of downturns in the real estate market, but it’s also the result of numerous consumer-led antitrust lawsuits targeting how agents are compensated. The most high-profile development in the saga came in May, when the National Association of Realtors agreed to settle multiple lawsuits from home sellers. The settlement in turn spawned a series of new industry rules that will take effect on August 17.
Although the deadline is less than two weeks away, unanswered questions and conflicting explanations have dogged the industry and were a major theme at last week’s Inman Connect Las Vegas event.
CAR itself has sometimes made headlines for its place in the committee’s story. Last month, for example, changes to the CAR form prompted the California MLS to remove two franchise fields from its online system.
So, going forward, Hawkins will be tasked with leading one of the real estate industry’s most influential organizations through a period of particularly high uncertainty. However, he said in a statement that he was looking forward to the challenge.
“I am eager to work with our leadership team, board and employees during an extremely challenging time for our industry,” he said. “I am confident that as we work together, we will successfully navigate the current environment and emerge stronger and more prepared.” to seize the opportunities facing our members, industry and organizations.”
Email Jim Dalrymple II
