Real estate veteran Forster moves to Compass Florida
A leading real estate broker with more than 35 years of experience has joined the growing Florida ranks at Compass.
Jo-Ann Forster, who specializes in single-family and condos in Coconut Grove, made the move earlier this month. She is working alongside an 11-member team out of the Coconut Grove office, including with her son Brian Shapiro, daughter Lauren Goodkind Allan and sister Sande Forster Keil.
Prior to joining Compass, Forster was with ONE Sotheby’s for six years, where she was a senior vice president and top-selling agent. Her previous firm was EWM, now Berkshire Hathaway Home Services EWM Realty.
“The world is changing and Compass is leading that change,” Forster said. Founded in 2012, the New York-based brokerage leans heavily on technology tools for its agents.
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Recent initiatives by Compass and feedback from its brokers sold Forster on the company.
“I don’t know of another company that has an out-of-box thinking,” she said.
The open floor plans in Compass offices and employees’ attitudes help foster a collaborative spirit, she said. Whereas real estate agents and brokers normally keep listings and expertise to themselves, Forster said, “At Compass, people share their best practices online and in person.” After building a career on learning and sharing her experiences with others, Forster said she found that companywide attitude important.
“I called Compass agents that I knew from coast to coast. I asked them to tell me the good and the bad,” Forster said. “None had anything bad to say.”
The Compass Concierge nationwide program, launched a year ago, also enticed Forster to join her new team. The company gives sellers between $2,000 to $150,000, depending on the equity on the home, to stage a home, paint or pay for an inspection, Christian Martinez, Compass regional president, said in an interview earlier this month. The upgrades help a home sell faster, Martinez said. Sellers then pay the loan, interest free, at closing.
At ONE Sothebys, she sold over $2 billion in real estate and was recognized as a top producer company-wide for 2017 and 2018.
Forster has been named a leading Miami-Dade broker by organizations including Miami Association of Realtors and the Wall Street Journal.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 12:00 AM.
