Real Estate Industry Titan Joins RE/MAX Leadership, Paves Way for Brand’s Bright Future

With over 22 years of real estate experience, Chris Lim knows the ins and outs of the industry. A longtime agent in California’s competitive housing market, Lim formerly served as President of Christie’s International Real Estate, President and Head of Growth for @properties, and Founder and CEO of Climb Real Estate. 

Lim, now embarking on his next chapter, is joining the RE/MAX World Headquarters team as Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer. In his new role, he will oversee the RE/MAX teams dedicated to supporting franchise growth and strength in U.S. company-owned regions. 

At the start of the new year – one bursting with opportunity – Lim is eager to help pave the way for the future of the RE/MAX brand and its network of exceptional entrepreneurs. 

In this Q&A, Lim discusses his close connection to real estate, his background in industry leadership and his excitement for becoming part of RE/MAX. 

A: Real estate is in my blood – my parents were immigrants who built their lives and careers through it. My dad was a builder and my mom was an agent, and they taught me the value of creating something that lasts. I’ve been an agent for 22 years now, and even my sister is an interior designer and home stager. You could say real estate isn’t just what we do – it’s who we are. 

Through my parents’ hard work, I learned that your potential is limited only by your own ambition. And I learned that working as a real estate agent is the ultimate form of entrepreneurship. Real estate agents are the CEO, CMO and CFO of their own business. It’s one of the few careers that has no ceiling – it’s all about what you make of it. What you put in is exactly what you get out.

A: I began my career as a real estate agent in 2002 and soon found myself building something bigger – a brokerage called Climb Real Estate, focused on technology and mobility. When Realogy acquired Climb, I often say I earned my “MBA in Franchising” by working on the national expansion of two brands, Corcoran and Climb Real Estate. Then, at the start of the pandemic in 2020, I was offered an incredible opportunity to grow @properties, a Chicago-based real estate firm, into a national franchise as its President. Under my leadership, it quickly expanded into multiple states.

A year into my tenure, I took on the ambitious task of leading @properties to acquire Christie’s International Real Estate, a move that positioned me as its President. I reshaped Christie’s into a franchise model, successfully adding new affiliates. Along the way, I helped bring some of the nation’s most prominent brokerages, teams and individuals into what had been a dying real estate network. For four and a half years, I was at the forefront of a team driving growth and transformation to the real estate arm of the auction house.

A: RE/MAX is an iconic brand with an unshakable foundation. I actually had the good fortune of meeting RE/MAX Co-Founders Dave and Gail Liniger back in 2016 – so that was really my first true introduction to the vision behind the brand. More recently, I met Erik Carlson, CEO of RE/MAX Holdings, and realized how incredible of an opportunity it would be to join the RE/MAX leadership team in a position that could help franchisees innovate and grow business. His vision and my vision align so closely.

What drew me to the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Growth Officer – and why I’ve been successful at selling franchises and recruiting agents – is that I’ve lived every part of this business. I’ve scaled and sold a company. I’ve launched brands. I’ve recruited agents and helped affiliates grow their businesses. Now, I get to bring all of those experiences together to help RE/MAX affiliates not just meet their goals but exceed them. At RE/MAX HQ, I’ll be leading the teams that work closely with franchisees while introducing new ideas and strategies to elevate the RE/MAX experience to the next level. 

RE/MAX is positioning itself to lead the charge, and the future of the brand is incredibly bright. I’m so excited to be here and can’t wait for what lies ahead. The best is yet to come.