Boutique Real EstateYou know, when we first embarked on the formation of Montana 406 Real Estate as a company, we really looked long and hard at who we are and wanted to base the company on our past experiences and successes...and when brokering real estate in Bozeman versus Orange County, California, we wanted to still remain true to what brought the company to be special and so well-recognized by our clientele.

It was about a year ago and when we were first doing research on a partnership with Leverage Global Partners that the term "Boutique Real Estate" really hit me...and the fact that it fit perfectly with our character, business model, and the way we do business.  I always hear about the agents who are doing 100-plus transactions each year and am a bit in awe of their systems at times....BUT, then I realize that 30 or 40 very happy clients relates much better to our agents and how we want them to do business and interact with the clientele and the community here in southwest Montana.

Then I got to see that we have boutique everything; food, clothiers, yoga studios, pet shops, distilleries, breweries, hair salons, and more...  I wanted to know more in my research of "are we, at Montana 406, boutique?"  by definition...and viola, we find that boutique is "a business that serves a sophisticated and specialized clientele" ...and that, we are.  

It was just earlier this week that I was sitting down and discussing our natural boutique-ness with the partners and some discussions lead to talking more about how we like to give undivided attention to the client we are workign with at any given moment; to the fact that only like to work with a certain character of client and only a few at any given time; and to the desire to make sure all our clients are educated in the processes of their transactions.

When it comes to serving people and their real estate needs and wants, we are very passionate about our industry, our company, its reputation, the fact that we pay close attention and do our best at every turn, and the fact that we deliver a good and memorable experience to our clients.  Funny thing, as shortly after having this discussion, an article came out wiht one of the premier real estate industry news firms, Inman, regarding the very same topic - here it is as a reprint for you and please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions and/or if you enjoy passionate, professional and great service.

Takeaways:

  • Boutique brokerages march to the beat of their own drum.
  • Independent brokerage leaders are vigilant about cultivating their firm’s culture and brand.
  • Boutique brokerages curate a specific look and feel for their firm.

Boutique real estate brokerages march to the beat of their own drum — and they’re on fire.

Their popularity is fueled, in part, by the passion of their owners, who cultivate unique brands, cultures and business models.

Take Courtney Poulos, founder of 14-agent Los Angeles firm Acme Real Estate, for example. She built her firm to exemplify her independent, rebel spirit, she said at an Inman Broker Connect San Francisco panel today.

Poulos shared the stage with Stephanie Lanier, co-founder of 12-agent The Lanier Property Group in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Heidi Rickerd-Rizzo, vice president and principal of 45-agent San Francisco Bay Area brokerage Terra Firma Global Partners.

Instead of generic lead generation, Poulos targets the hip, edgy, East Los Angeles clientele in her peer group.  That’s reflected in Acme Real Estate’s sleek website, built by a designer from outside real estate.

It also shows up in the type of agent Poulos hires: She’s after those who can represent the brand well and deliver a high quality of service. Training agents isn’t her bag, so she’s more apt to bring on midcareer agents, who won’t chip into her quality of life or her firm’s culture.

Lanier and her husband, who co-founded The Lanier Property Group, have a different vision. She views agents as part of a work family who should be enthusiastic about their work. She exemplifies that desire: For example, she did a cartwheel in a pencil skirt recently, all in the name of team-building.

The firm celebrates Mondays with margaritas and massages, because Lanier wants to celebrate the excitement the firm and its agents have for their work.

Maintaining that positive spirit starts with hiring agents who are a good fit, Lanier said. She wants the agents who take action and who proactively choose her firm.

If you’re an agent and unhappy at your firm, Lanier had some advice: “You’re not a tree; move.”

Culture is extremely important to Rickerd-Rizzo and her husband, who founded Terra Firma Global Partners in 2010.  They’re vigilant about protecting culture, she said. The moment she and her husband can’t keep a hand on the pulse of the business by attending frequent office meetings or visiting the firm’s eight offices frequently enough, they know they’ve hit their size limit.


Posted by PollyAnna Snyder on

Tags

Email Send a link to post via Email

Leave A Comment

e.g. yourwebsitename.com
Please note that your email address is kept private upon posting.