Former Ten-X [1] and Carrington [2] executive Rick Sharga has joined RealtyTrac [3] as its EVP of Marketing. Sharga brings decades of experience in consumer marketing, business development and data operations to the role.
ATTOM Data Solutions [4], foreclosure data licensor and parent company to RealtyTrac, a foreclosure listings and search portal, Tuesday announced Sharga’s appointment.
In this position, Sharga will oversee RealtyTrac’s marketing and public relations initiatives and implement new marketing strategies to increase brand awareness.
“As ATTOM continues its growth and expansion in the data licensing business, we also have been revitalizing RealtyTrac, one of the original and strongest online brands in the U.S. residential real estate market,” said Rob Barber, CEO of ATTOM Data Solutions. “Rick’s extensive experience in the real estate and mortgage industry, along with his established industry relationships, make him an invaluable addition to the growing RealtyTrac team.”
This announcement comes on the heels of ATTOM’s recent acquisition of Home Junction [5], further solidifying ATTOM’s mission to increase real estate transparency, and showcasing its continued investment in data and people.
Sharga is intimately familiar with the RealtyTrac brand where for 8 years in the early 2000s he helped lay the foundation for its internal and external communications program. Now Sharga will be responsible for developing and executing a strategic marketing plan to optimize growth and drive business development.
“Adding Rick to the growing RealtyTrac team is a testament to the continued investment from ATTOM and its investors at Lovell Minnick Partners,” said Ohan Antebian, General Manager of RealtyTrac. “The vote of confidence in the brand and ATTOM’s strategic decision to re-invest in the site will solidify awareness of our organization and its near-term modernization.”
Sharga most recently served as EVP for Carrington Mortgage Holdings, and CMO of the company’s Vylla business unit. He served as the primary spokesperson for the Carrington family of companies and worked with the company’s business development and industry relations teams to identify and secure business partners and opportunities. Prior to his work at Carrington, he was CMO at Auction.com, the nation’s leading online real estate marketplace, where he was responsible for re-branding the corporate entity from Auction.com to Ten-X, creating new internal communications programs and coordinating the development of a brand architecture that supported both the corporate and business unit brands.
“I am excited to return to RealtyTrac and look forward to re-establishing the brand as the go-to source for consumers, investors and real estate professionals looking for foreclosure property information,” Sharga said. “In a housing market with high demand, historically low inventory and escalating prices, RealtyTrac can be a valuable resource for buyers looking for hidden values in the housing market.”
Sharga has appeared regularly over the past 15 years on CNBC, FOX Business, and Bloomberg, as well as the CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, CNN, ABC World News, and NPR. He is a founding member of the Five Star National Mortgage Servicing Association, a member of the Board of Directors of REOMAC, and was included in the Inman News Inman 100, an annual list of the most influential leaders in real estate in both 2013 and 2014.