Michael Pappas: Leading a Major Keyes Family Real Estate Transition

With a career in real estate spanning more than 40 years, Michael Pappas now oversees more than 50 branches and 4,000 associates and affiliates as CEO of The Keyes Company.

Under his leadership, The Keyes Company generates more than $8 billion in sales and services annually and is one of the nation’s largest independent real estate brokerages.

As a child, he witnessed the work ethic needed to become a master salesman through his father Ted Pappas and knew he wanted to follow in his footsteps. Michael Pappas first joined the Keyes as a sales associate in 1980 and rose through the ranks, serving in various positions, including general manager of the Coral Springs, Fort Lauderdale and Coral Gables offices, eventually becoming president in 1991.

A graduate in business and Spanish from Wake Forest University, he is also responsible for Capital Partners Mortgage, Home Partners Title, Keyes Insurance and Keyes Property Management.

He has received numerous honors, including the Young Presidents Organization Legacy Award and the Price Waterhouse “Real Estate Up and Comer of the Year” award. As a technology forward-thinker and innovator, Mr. Pappas received the RISMedia Real Estate Tech Titan Award in 2015.

Other notable honors include honors from the Miami Association of Realtors, which recognized him as the Industry Leader of the Year in 2017. He has been honored twice as a RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker, in as a luminary in 2019 and an influencer in 2021.

Still a family-owned business, Keyes understands that a local business must know the wants and needs of its communities and have the ability to turn that knowledge into results for its customers, he said. Keyes combines this understanding as a local company with a broad range of product and service offerings typically reserved for national companies, to provide a better, more personalized experience for customers and real estate agents and brokers, Mr. Pappas said .

As the real estate industry continues to evolve in the world of advanced technology and AI, Pappas said it has implemented professional skills initiatives to better train its agents. From complete marketing automation to personalized real estate data reporting and listing syndication across 900 global housing search sites and real estate portals in over 30 countries, Keyes says it ensures its agents are in front of consumers where and when they search.

Giving back to the community is also an important part of the company’s foundation, Pappas added. Keyes partners and raises approximately $250,000 per year with the Dolphins Challenge Cancer, Move 4 Hunger and many other organizations. Corporate staff and individual agents give back because it’s not just about real estate, it’s also about taking care of people, he said.

Last year, he celebrated and ushered in the fourth generation of Keyes leadership by naming his daughter, Christina Pappas, president of the firm. A longtime industry visionary, influencer and advocate, Mr. Pappas says he sees a bright future for Keyes.

“Only 3 percent of family businesses reach a fourth generation of leadership, and only 12 percent even reach a third generation,” said Mr. Pappas, of The Keyes Company, which is celebrating its 98th anniversary. “With my daughter becoming president of Keyes, this marks a special moment for our family and puts us in a strong position for the future.”

Mr. Pappas spoke with Miami Today reporter Abraham Galvan.

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