Andy Swanton, an Opendoor exec and former Redfin VP, will “build the next version of rentals” at the company. Plus, Colorado’s IRES MLS adds operations pro.
Editor’s note: As an industry with millions of agents and over 100,000 brokerage companies, new leaders rise to the top every day. Here we highlight executives and other notable leaders who’ve recently taken on, or stepped away from, roles that influence the residential real estate landscape.
Former Redfin VP returns as GM of rentals
Redfin has re-hired former VP Andy Swanton to help rebuild a core part of the company’s business, according to a Nov. 6 email from Rocket Companies.
Swanton has been appointed general manager of rentals at Redfin, a move that follows recent litigation tied to the company’s rentals division. In early 2025, Redfin wound down its rentals business and cut 450 roles as part of a $100 million syndication agreement with Zillow. Per the terms of the deal, Zillow became the exclusive provider of multifamily rental listings on Redfin and its owned rental sites.
That partnership was the focus of a September 2025 antitrust lawsuit filed by the FTC and five states against the two search portals that claimed the deal constituted “an unlawful agreement to remove competition from this already highly concentrated market.” In August, the parties reached a settlement allowing syndication to continue but also requiring Redfin to reestablish its own multifamily rental product beginning in 2027.
As GM, Swanton wrote on LinkedIn, “I’ll get to build the next version of rentals at Redfin.”
“Renting is where so many housing journeys begin,” he continued. “We’ll build solutions for people at every moment in the journey: deciding whether to rent or buy, setting a budget, finding the right rental, and preparing to buy when the time comes.”
Swanton rejoins Redfin, where he served as vice president of properties in 2022, after two stints at Opendoor. He spent the past three years as senior director of acquisition pricing at the iBuyer and was previously Opendoor’s general manager.
Redfin Chief Product Officer Ariel Dos Santos called Swanton a “proven operator who has rapidly scaled consumer real estate businesses,” adding that the new GM “will make the rental search experience on Redfin.com, Rent.com and ApartmentGuide.com even better.”
North Colorado MLS adds operations leader
IRES MLS, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, has also welcomed a familiar face back to the organization. Samantha Ewing, who previously spent 13 years with the MLS as projects manager and quality assurance tester, is now director of operations, IRES announced this week.
Ewing was most recently director of user experience at the residential real estate technology company TRIBUS Group, and she brings over two decades of MLS operations experience to the North Colorado MLS, according to a news release.
In her new role with IRES, she will be tasked with improving operations, collaboration and internal processes companywide.
“Having Samantha return to IRES is an exciting opportunity for our team and the local industry we serve,” IRES CEO Julie Dahl said in the announcement. “Her familiarity with IRES, combined with her broader industry experience, gives her a valuable perspective on how we can continue to improve and grow alongside the industry. She will help us build on our strong internal culture and work more effectively as a team to deliver quality service and practical solutions for our customers.”