PLACE - Premier Issue

Closing the Loyalty Gap

WITH CHRIS STUART

How to achieve success by building client relationships that last a lifetime page 40

STEPS TO PUT POWERFUL SCRIPTS TO WORK FOR YOU Valencia Brown simplifies scripts

page 54

ROAD-TESTED

RECRUITING RULES

Grow your team with strategies from Adelina Rotar, Jay White, Jacqueline Smith, and Kimberlee Meserve

page 18

REVIEWING YOUR P&L

WITH SUZANNE COLVIN

Profitable insights into the formula that prosperous agents use to stay financially healthy

page 12

SEE THE LATEST

A Letter from the Founders

The Inaugural Edition of PLACE Magazine

Welcome to the first issue of PLACE Magazine, a collection of industry insights and updates, remarkable agent success stories, and most importantly a celebration of our shared exponential growth. In this inaugural edition, we invite our readers to explore PLACE as a leading PropTech organization while also learning about the top 20% of real estate teams across the United States and Canada whom we are fortunate to call our partners.

With a full-stack technology and business services platform designed to streamline operations while helping CEOs run their real estate businesses more profitably, PLACE simplifies the real estate transaction for both our partners and their clients. In 2022, we demonstrated strong partner growth and expanded our network with thriving teams including Dow Realty Group of New Hampshire, The Nicole Gary Team of New York, and Vija Real Estate of Washington. PLACE is expected to double our partnership count year-over-year by the end of quarter four.

Additionally, our internal corporate headquarters expanded to more than 630 employees dedicated to helping our partners power the future of the real estate industry. A behind-the-scenes support system, they provide PLACE Partners with intuitive technology, human resources, recruiting, marketing/branding, accounting, legal and agent-training support. New members we’ve welcomed to our leadership team this year include Emiliano Delucia (Chief Technology Officer), Abby Powell (Chief Marketing Officer), Suzanne Colvin (Chief Financial Officer), Vija Williams (Head of Industry), and promoted former CFO, Ross Clawson, to Chief Administration Officer.

The past few years have been busy and packed with growth. PLACE is valued at over $1B, thanks to a $100 million investment from Goldman Sachs, with participation from 3L Capital and Viewpoint Ventures, just two years after launching the industry’s only brokerage-agnostic platform of its kind in 2019.

In this inaugural edition of PLACE Magazine, we’re honored to spotlight just a few of our outstanding partners. These real estate consultants are leading the industry using the highest-quality recruiting tools, unbelievable coaching and development, paired with unparalleled innovative technology services.

And our journey is only beginning! We owe our incredible growth thus far to PLACE Partners and their teams who share our unrelenting commitment to delivering the dream of homeownership everywhere, with simplified solutions and superior service.

Ben Kinney, Founder

Chris Suarez, Founder

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

WEALTH BUILDING

YOUR WEALTH BUILDING JOURNEY STARTS NOW

by Ben Kinney

SIX TIPS FOR REVIEWING YOUR P&L by Suzanne

Colvin

HOW TO BUILD WEALTH FROM SCRATCH by

Laura Castillo

TEAM DEVELOPMENT

DITCH THE TALENT TREADMILL — GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH INTRAPRENEURS

by Holly Priestner

RECRUIT LIKE A PRO with Adelina Rotar, Kimberlee Meserve, Jacqueline Smith, and Jay

White

BRANDING TO POWER PARTNERSHIPS

by Alex Day

THE FIRST PLACE PARTNER with Tamara Lamore

BUILDING A HIGH-PERFORMING TEAM FROM THE BOTTOM UP, IN THREE STEPS

by Dru Lee

TIPS TO COACH YOUR TEAM TO SUCCESS

by Debbie De Grote

NEW AGENT SUCCESS

by Marley Jackman

BREAK YOUR ADDICTION TO INSTANT GRATIFICATION

by Chris Suarez

TECHNOLOGY

POWER UP PRODUCTIVITY WITH PLACE TECH

by Bob Stewart

HOW TECH IS CHANGING THE WORLD OF LEAD GENERATION

by Amy Gerrish

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

FROM TRANSACTION TO TRUST: BUILDING LIFELONG CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS

by Chris Stuart

WHY TEAMS ARE THE FUTURE OF REAL ESTATE by Vija Williams

LEVEL UP YOUR REAL ESTATE GAME with lessons from the stage of BuiltHOW

NAVIGATING THE SHIFT leading market insights from PLACE professionals

POWERED BY PLACE

SUCCEEDING IN LUXURY a conversation with Jeannette Spinelli

4 STEPS TO PUT POWERFUL SCRIPTS TO WORK FOR YOU by Valencia Brown

BUILD A BUSINESS THAT RUNS WITHOUT YOU by Fred Sed

MARIA GALIZIA: FROM ZERO TO A MILLION by Maria

Galizia

NEGLECTED TO NEW: FLIPPING DOWN SOUTH with Cody J. Cummings and Paul Mielke

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

PLACE IN THE NEWS what others are saying

MEET THE LEADERS PLACE leadership

WELCOME TO PLACE our newest teams

Your Wealth Building Journey Starts Now

Embrace financial freedom; it’s right within reach Ben Kinney, Co-Founder, PLACE

Although I am a PLACE co-founder and have launched multiple real estate companies, I am also someone who has known what it means to have little.

My parents separated when I was very young, and then my father raised me. We lived in a cabin without power or water, owned an outhouse, and relied on a food bank. These circumstances drove me to break the cycle of poverty in my family and then master wealth building.

THE TRUE MEANING OF WEALTH

Finances have power over us and our relationships. We stress about them. We fight about them. And many times we fail to realize there’s a more active approach to money; we don’t have to just let it happen to us. There are a lot of beliefs floating around when it comes to money. Some people think wealth is bad, but I have a very simple take on it. To me, wealth is the ability to do WHAT I want, WHEN I want, and with WHOM I want. It is interconnected with freedom. People who live below their means enjoy a freedom that those who constantly seek to upgrade their lifestyle just don’t have. You, too, have the ability to be one of these people, as long as you reframe your former beliefs surrounding money. Here are some myths and facts that can help change the game:

Myth: My bills are covered; I’m good money-wise. Fact: You should make more money.

You might be thinking to yourself: “I’m good money-wise. I can pay my monthly bills. I’m comfortable. I don’t need more.” I can go through an entire list of people who felt the same way…until a loved one fell sick and everything changed. Feeling financially secure isn’t a lifelong guarantee, but you can surely be more confident in your financial future by always striving to make more money. Here are key reasons why this is important:

For emergencies: You or a loved one gets sick. A natural disaster hits. You get into a big accident. We all assume that everything we have and everything we’re doing is going to continue asis, but that’s not a realistic worldview. Things change, and they change quickly. And when they do, you need to be prepared.

For opportunities: According to Warren Buffet, the greatest distributions of wealth happen in down markets. Chaos creates opportunities. Will you have the opportunity to be in the game when the next financial crisis hits? Do you have the capital to take advantage of a buying opportunity when the market is down? Deploying capital during uncertain times creates a path to serious wealth building.

For leverage: When I was about 20 years old, I had zero money and a car clutch causing trouble. So, I went to my stepfather’s house to find tools, and spent the next five days figuring out how to replace the clutch. It would have made a world of a difference if I could have paid someone else to do it. Saving money isn’t always the secret. Sometimes you have to buy your time back.

For legacy: It can be leaving your assets behind for your family, supporting your community, or tackling humanitarian challenges — it is your driving force to make more money.

For memories and experiences: At the end of the day, making memories and sharing experiences with your loved ones is the most important part of life. And those experiences, more often than not, have a financial component attached.

Quick exercise: Jot down a paragraph about a time when not having money has affected or hurt you in each one of these areas.

Myth: Achieving wealth is too complicated.

Fact: With education and a shifting mindset, the sky’s the limit.

One of the biggest reasons people don’t achieve wealth is they think it’s unattainable and complicated. They may have negative emotions around money, or think that it’s about status. They may

“To me, wealth is the ability to do what I want, when I want, and with whom I want. It is interconnected with freedom.”

think having more money will make them more stressed. They may feel like there is a fixed amount of money out there and they’re waiting for someone or something — the government, an inheritance, a future husband or wife — to save them.

In reality, wealth is there for you. You just have to make it a priority, and just like any other goal, there are multiple ways to achieve it. You have to create a plan that’s right for you, stick with it, and stick with it long enough.

Wealth building is a process that grows incrementally. First, slowly, then faster and faster. But oftentimes, impatience, and focusing on the small pleasures of today, keep people from reaching their wealth potential. Let’s go back in time to 2001, when the iPod was released for $399. What if instead of buying the product, you had used that money to buy Apple stock? Today, that stock would be worth $58,000. Think about the Amazon items you buy on a daily basis. What if you bought the stock instead? Shift your mindset to choose later over now.

Recommended Exercise: Pledge to take 15 to 30 minutes of your day to focus on educating yourself instead of entertaining yourself. Between books, podcasts, and mentors — a slew of resources exists when it comes to wealth building. Imagine how much your bottom line would change by simply learning 15 minutes per day over the next year.

Myth: There are shortcuts to wealth building. Fact: For best results, I have to commit to the long game.

Short-term solutions aren’t real solutions. If you’re ready to change your life, commit to the long game. If you are ready to build your empire, phase out distractions and focus on seven steps that will completely change the game:

Reality check: Where are you on your financial journey? How much debt do you have? How much income? What’s the value of your assets, and what is your net worth?

Retirement check: Are you on track to retire? Do you know how much money you need for your retirement?

Saving up: Strategically reduce expenses and live on less. This will allow you to pay off debts and start saving.

Student of wealth: There are many concepts, equations, and models that can help you become wealthy. PLACE and the “Win Make Give” podcast are both fantastic resources.

Increasing income: Whether you work for a company or are

“Short-term solutions aren’t real solutions. If you’re ready to change your life, commit to the long game.”

“Ultimately, when you retire and your income goes to zero, you will still be able to live comfortably.”

self-employed, there are different strategies you can use for increasing your income.

Pay less: There are legal ways to pay fewer taxes. Learn them. Invest wisely: You have potential to see massive returns.

FINALLY, FLIP YOUR TRIANGLE

Ultimately, you want to be in a position where you’re not worrying about money, and instead are spending time thinking about making more money. Imagine that you have a triangle in front of you, divided into three pieces. The vast majority of the population exists at the base; their income is in direct relation to their salary. They exchange time for money.

Moving up to the middle of the triangle, there is cash flow. This is money earned from investments. Whether it be collecting interest on a loan or renting out one of your properties. People who reach this point can use cash flow to improve their lifestyle or use the money to buy more assets.

At the top of the triangle are assets and investments, and they contribute heavily to your net worth. What does flipping the triangle look like? In a perfect world, the base of the triangle would be filled with assets — real estate, stocks, bonds, cash, collectibles, and companies. These things must have tangible value, and they need to create cash flow. When you flip the triangle and add the value of your assets, it should be greater than that of your cash flow.

And in turn, that value should be greater than your income. Ultimately, when you retire and your income goes to zero, you will still be able to live comfortably.

Ben is a businessman, real estate agent, and bestselling author with offices throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

On my podcast, “Win Make Give,” we talk about wealth and financial freedom as part of the Wealth Series. With new content in 2023, the 16-part series will cover strategies that can help change your financial future. Sign up now at winmakegive.com/wealth for hard-hitting content and workbooks that will help you achieve your goals. Plus, one lucky winner will walk away with $10,000 to put toward building personal wealth.

W E C A L L I T A P L A T F O R M B E C A U S E I T D O E S

E V E R Y T H I N G

EVERYTHING and more… from customizable websites with advanced lead capture, to lead-generation campaigns managed by professional marketers, to the industry-leading CRM system with built-in, time-saving automation AND access to models and systems built by the No. 1 team in the world.

Is Your Lender Your Partner?

Jesse Passafiume shares how client-led, agent-centered mortgage solutions power better transactions

Today’s market requires lender partnerships that provide more than contracts and loan options. The best partners support agents with high lead conversion, long-term lead management, and homebuying plans for clients. At its foundation, the partnership empowers agents, proactively positioning them as market experts at the center of the transaction while keeping clients updated on every element of the financing process.

“Lenders who involve themselves in agents’ success will be considerate of that partnership throughout every decision related to workflow, processes, escalations, and economics,” said Jesse Passafiume, BKCO Mortgage president. “Lenders can optimize buyers’ purchase experience and improve the likelihood of successful transactions.”

Passafiume noted optimal lender features that can make the purchase process uniquely effective, exceed client expectations, and encourage repeat referrals.

Passafiume explains four programs make our featured lender purchase process uniquely effective, which consistently exceeds client expectations and encourages repeat referrals.

1. Look for a lender with a marketing platform designed to convert leads while keeping agents connected to every opportunity.

2. Find a lender available to provide a pre-approval within the first few days of beginning the home search process with a client so they are prepared to make an offer when the right property comes along.

3. Research your lender partner to ensure they have a consistent track record of closing transactions by or before the expected closing date. Timeliness in closing often

illustrates reliability and systematic processes.

4. Seek a lender partner who offers competitively low fees and/or lender credits without sacrificing high-quality service.

Optimal mortgage partners curate and share the most relevant information, helping agents learn the financial component of the transaction to better assist buyers and sellers in achieving their preferred future. Passafiume stressed the importance of adapting to current conditions in real time. For example, many lenders currently recommend home buyers consider a 2-1 buydown loan, which helps reduce interest rates for buyers in the short term to make home buying more financially appealing when interest rates are higher. Creative lending can help ease affordability concerns for many buyers in today’s market.

“Lenders should always be teaching agents to leverage what is happening in today’s mortgage market to increase sales and success,” Passafiume said.

Agents who receive a constant flow of knowledge from their lender partners, including training on the inner workings of mortgage finances and weekly market observations, can employ updated expert information and language when engaging new and existing clients.

“The new normal requires you to pick a lender partner who provides a level of advice and expertise that makes you better,” Passafiume said. “Pick a partner who explains options to consumers and increases your credibility so that you earn referrals and repeat business. The most important question is ‘How will you select your lender partner to optimize your business?’”

Six Tips for Reviewing Your P&L

Prosperous agents keep fiscal health first Suzanne Colvin, Chief Financial Officer, PLACE

We sat down with new PLACE Chief Financial Officer Suzanne Colvin to discuss best practices for reviewing a profit and loss (P&L) statement to ensure your business is making enough money after expenses to justify your output and identify areas of improvement. Prior to PLACE, Suzanne served as the CFO of Egnyte, a content security and governance SaaS company designed for multi-cloud businesses, that grew to $175 million in revenue and 1,000 employees during her tenure. And, she was previously the CFO of Napster from its ramp up stage through the company’s acquisition by Best Buy.

Suzanne’s team consults with PLACE Partners to grow their profitability while also powering future growth. In speaking with so many real estate professionals over the years, her team noticed a common theme: most novices, and even agents further along in their careers, consider gross commissions a top success metric.

Suzanne says that prosperous agents take a more wellrounded approach, adopting the lens used by successful business owners to examine fiscal health. This tactic means diving deeply into company financial activity and asking tough questions around revenue, operating expenses and more, with a thorough review of your profit and loss statement.

As you review your company’s P&L, Suzanne recommends these six tips to live out your own version of the PLACE vision: win in business, make money, give to others, live experientially, and do good.

REVIEW YOUR PROFIT TARGET

When you created your first P&L, you probably set an initial profit target (and if you haven’t created that P&L, here is your first order of business). Take a look at that target through fresh eyes. As an individual agent, it is not unheard of to hit a 50 to 60% profit margin, but as your business expands, revise your estimate to a target of 30 to 40%.

Our own PLACE Co-Founder, Chris Suarez, decided to run his business as a team from the get-go. When creating his initial P&L, he put himself on a commission split, allocating 10% to leverage and an additional 10% to lead generation in his operating account. This approach also helped attract talent, as agents had the same potential net profit margins as the business as a whole.

TAKE A DEEP REVENUE DIVE

Don’t just take your GCI at face value. Instead, ask yourself these five questions to help understand what is driving this critical metric and identify areas for improvement:

• How does my GCI compare to what I budgeted, and if there is a variance, why?

• What is my ratio of list vs. buy units for the month, and the year?

• What sort of training does my team need to focus on moreprofitable listings?

• What was the overall team commission percentage this month, and year-to-date?

• What is my average selling price year-to-date and how does it compare to last year?

UNDERSTAND YOUR COSTS

From commissions to brokerage fees, it’s important to understand exactly what money is going out the door and how it affects your bottom line. Use these questions to help set your record straight:

• Am I paying reduced commission splits for appointments set by the team?

• Based on my agent splits and regular business expenses, are referral fees worth what I am paying?

• Does the value from my brokerage justify its fees, and have I hit my brokerage fee cap?

• Is my gross profit at 50% or better, and how many of my agents’ monthly transactions were on <50% splits to the team?

DIG INTO YOUR OPERATING EXPENSES

Have you gone through your expenses in detail? Now is the time to do so. Print out the statement, and as you go through it, be alert for monthly or yearly recurring charges. Ask yourself:

• Which of my expenses could be reduced or eliminated in a low-production period?

• Am I personally authorizing/approving new expenses before they’re incurred?

• Do any expense jumps stick out or do you notice any unfavorable trends over the past 12 months?

• How does my current month compare to my year-to-date in each spending category?

• Which of my expenses are known revenue-producing activities?

• Are my staffing expenses what I expected, and are my employees and contractors aligned with those expectations?

DON’T FORGET THE ODDS & ENDS

A true audit isn’t complete without looking at yourself, team growth, and lead generation. Here are some important considerations to keep in mind:

• How many agents were productive in the month, and how much did I contribute to the team production?

• What is my team’s trend in agent count?

• How much time am I devoting to agent recruiting on a daily basis?

• How much am I spending on leads; how quickly is my team initiating follow-up and converting them into transactions?

• Is every client in my database set up to receive a listing alert or market report?

• Am I taking full advantage of the PLACE technology platform?

STAY CONSISTENT

You dove headfirst into your finances. You asked yourself the important questions and made the necessary adjustments to increase profits. Now, it’s important to not lose steam. Set a goal to review your P&L on a monthly basis and focus on growth and profitability. What will help you achieve both? Stay true to your targets, and use your review to determine when to go full speed ahead, and when it may be time to pull back.

LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS

If you are looking for more support managing expenses and driving profitability, reach out to your financial team at PLACE for a consultation. Our accounting professionals can help you develop a plan to improve profitability.

How To Build Wealth from Scratch

Money lessons learned and imparted

Laura Castillo, Owner/Operator, BKT Midland, Texas

For some people, wealth is about addition. It’s about obtaining more possessions, buying bigger homes, and watching bank accounts climb.

For me, wealth is about subtraction. It’s about eliminating any constraints on my choices. It’s about removing the need to be dependent on any one person. It’s about taking away the stress of living paycheck to paycheck. It’s about extinguishing the specter of poverty forever.

In other words, wealth is a life that’s all mine. Wealth is freedom.

I grew up in rural Mexico, and we were very, very poor — so poor we didn’t have an indoor bathroom. My parents were the

worker bees whose labors kept our lives humming along; even into their 60s, my parents still had to work hard for a living.

I knew early on I didn’t want to follow that pattern, but I didn’t know what exactly my own pattern looked like. I only knew that having long-term security was important to me.

THE AHA MOMENT

When you work in real estate, making money is fairly straightforward. You sell a house and you earn a commission. Building long-term wealth is something different, something that’s often opaque. For a long time, it seemed outside the realm of possibility for me.

Laura Castillo

Then I met PLACE Co-Founder Ben Kinney. In little more than a decade, Ben built something so much more substantial than your everyday real estate business. He built wealth, as well as the mechanisms to keep growing and sustaining that wealth over time. He built something that would endure.

I realized I was looking at my own opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. I could empower myself through wealth, as opposed to just income. I could create something lasting.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

The first step toward building wealth is having the initial money to build upon. So, I became purposeful about setting aside money from every single paycheck. In “The Richest Man in Babylon,” it’s suggested to set aside at least 10% of your paycheck for investments; I shoot for 20%.

Now, when there’s enough in my investment account and the right opportunity comes along, I take it.

With this strategy, I’ve grown my investment portfolio over time to include 20 single-family rental properties and business that builds spec homes, as well as four single-family residences and two cattle ranches in Mexico that comprise roughly 6,000 acres.

Here in Midland, Texas, in oil and gas country, the most recent single-family rental property I closed on cost $445,000 and will rent for roughly $5,500 a month as an Airbnb.

TREAT WEALTH LIKE A BUSINESS

When you go to a lender to take out a loan for an investment, they will ask for your net worth statement. If you ask, “What is that?” it doesn’t look great. I’ve learned through experience to treat my investments as a business, which means keeping a separate profit and loss statement for each property. Because I’m a very visual person, this technique also helps me quickly determine if I’m doing well with that property and if it should stay in my portfolio.

Drilling down the numbers can help you determine which new projects are actually worth investing in. For example, a few weeks ago, I put in an offer for land to develop because the development project looked really fascinating. But once I broke down the numbers, I realized I would do better buying more rental properties because, ultimately, they would generate a higher percentage yield.

By learning to review deals, you realize not every deal is going to be good for you. I’m an optimist by nature, and I want every deal to happen, but not every deal must happen. Unless you have unlimited capital, each deal you do means another deal you can’t.

WOMEN HELPING WOMEN

As I’ve solidified my own independence through my investments, I’ve been able to help others do the same. The very first time I started an LLC was after a friend from Colombia whose husband had been having an affair called me and said, “I don’t know what to do because I don’t know how to do anything. I’ve been his wife for all these years, and I have nothing.”

I asked her if she had any savings, and together we established an LLC to build spec houses. Three years later, that LLC probably has close to $1 million in reserves. We built eight spec houses last year alone.

This success is one example why I’m so passionate about wealth building, especially for women. Growing up in Mexico from a very traditional family, most of the women in my life were almost entirely dependent on their husbands.

There’s nothing wrong with being married or having a husband, but I want to help women break the pattern of depending solely on a man for financial survival. I want to help empower women so they don’t have to depend on anyone else.

I want to help other women discover the same liberating freedom wealth building has given me.

“That’s when I realized I was looking at my own opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. I could empower myself through wealth, as opposed to just income.”

Ditch the Talent Treadmill — Grow Your Business with Intrapreneurs

Grow their empire and they’ll help grow yours

Holly Priestner, Head of Talent, PLACE

Let’s be honest, recruiting can be exhausting. You spend hours each week connecting with top talent to build your team. You hope those you hire will stay and grow with your business, but sometimes they don’t. Does it feel like you’ve got a revolving door on your business?

You can close that door by hiring intrapreneurs who want to grow their enterprises within a business they’re committed to – yours.

DEFINE INTRAPRENEUR

An intrapreneur is someone who works within your organization but behaves like an entrepreneur. They go beyond understanding their roles; they comprehend how a business functions.

You know you’re talking to an intrapreneur if they’re selfmotivated rather than direction-seeking. But there’s more to intrapreneurs — they take initiative instead of waiting for permission. They’re good at communicating, rather than just talking. They’re doers, coachable but empowered to proactively seek out solutions. They don’t expect you to build them a team. They already know how to recruit, hire and coach talent to create an enterprise within your own.

In short, they think like you — as a business owner.

TALK TO THEM AS PARTNERS

Nothing draws top talent like admiration. Intrapreneurs are

attracted to businesses where they can see a clear path to career progression and success.

Speak to them as business partners from your first conversation. It’s far more effective to use matter-offact business terms rather than trying a hard sell on your team. In conversation, pay attention to the words and phrases they use and repeat. People focused on splits and commissions don’t fit the business-minded intrapreneur mold. Intrapreneurs speak of business profitability and achieving income goals, frequently using words like growth and opportunity.

An intrapreneur wants to collaborate. Explain their profits will be directly tied to yours, simply as partners who happen to have different roles.

Show them you have a proven path to success. Show them that your team is not just productive but also profitable. Highlight the tangible value you bring to make them profitable. Not just marketing and support, but also tools, technology, operations, and coaching.

BE A CAREER DESTINATION

Intrapreneurs see how you’ll fast-track their income goals this year, next year and beyond.

You’re not looking for people who join short-term to use your business as their launching pad. An intrapreneur will help drive your business as they grow theirs. Show them your organizational charts:

• Where you started

• Where you are now

• Where you’ll be in 20 years

Ask them to identify which of your business units they’d like to grow. Help them see how.

MAKE IT ABOUT THEM

They can develop a business unit within your team while leveraging the systems and processes you already have in place.

Intrapreneurs view themselves as more than a means to achieve someone else’s business goals. Talk about what you can do for them, not just about what they can do for you.

• Focus the conversation on their goals

• Chart a path for their success

• Ask about their passions and dreams

Again, listen to the words they use. Find out what motivates them and the projects they’re committed to. Their vision of the future should align with yours for your relationship to grow long-term.

This is particularly true for emerging talent. Millennials, who now make up most of the workforce, want to work for an organization whose mission aligns with theirs. They’re attracted to real estate as a career for the flexible schedule, opportunities for self-starters, and ability to set income goals. Show them how your organization can help them build a bigger life in and out of work.

DEVELOP YOUR INTRAPRENEURS

Retaining top talent is one of your roles as a business leader. Tell intrapreneurs how you’ll invest in them and their goals. You should be charting a path that leads to their achievement. This means investing time in your intrapreneurs.

• Weekly coaching on growth goals and their production

• Quarterly conversations about their contributions to the team

• Yearly formal growth planning and review

Work with them to create a formal growth plan from the beginning. Hold them accountable for following their plan. But remind them that they’re building something that goes beyond their personal goals.

Growth-minded intrapreneurs want to pursue the next opportunity. Create benchmarks for them to reach that, and open the door for them to do so.

Recruit like a Pro

PLACE Partners share their top tips to attract talent

Adelina Rotar, Jay White, Kimberlee Meserve and Jacqueline Smith

Recruiting is crucial to your business. Leveraging your team will be the key to your growth and success. Whether you’re a new PLACE Partner starting over alone or already growing an established team, you can learn from the successful recruitment strategies of PLACE Partners.

Adelina Rotar: Commit to your Zero

Owner/Operator, Austin, Texas

The first step of recruitment, no matter where you are in your career, is knowing your zero. Your zero is the baseline number of team members that you want to build initially and not fall below that number.

Adelina Rotar (Austin, TX) has a team of 23 with a zero of 20 agents. To maintain her zero, she spends two to three hours a week keeping talent in her pipeline. But in the beginning, she made building her team to 20 her ONE Thing. When her number of agents dips below 20, it becomes her priority again. Until her team is over 20 again, she’ll spend 20 to 30 hours a week focusing on adding to her sales force.

“When you have 20 agents and one agent leaves or two agents leave, everybody brushes it off,” Adelina says. “But if you have eight agents and one agent leaves or two agents leave, that’s like 25% of your sales force, and it’s really rough for you.”

In addition, you must talk to enough people to have enough appointments, she says. The process is simple and similar to getting listing appointments: set an appointment, build rapport and if the appointment is going somewhere, then do a needs analysis, and share the value proposition of PLACE and your local team.

Closing them doesn’t finalize the agent’s place on Adelina’s team. A new agent doesn’t work in the team’s office until graduating from PLACE Launch and completing all prerequisites. Through experience, Rotar learned that no exceptions can be made – they must enter the office already plugged in and prepared.

Jay White: Fish Where the Fish Are Owner/Operator, Charlotte, North Carolina

When Jay White (The Jay White Group) launched his team a year ago, he went straight into heavy recruiting as his GCI wasn’t steady, and it was mostly generated by himself.

“We knew we had to increase agent count to increase our GCI and make it consistent,” he shares.

He started recruiting new agents because it was an easy win: they needed a place to sell real estate, and he had the solution. He sponsored real estate school classes, then went and talked to the agents about joining his team.

“We were just fishing where the fish were,” he explains. “They were getting their real estate license in six weeks, and I wanted that.”

Since launching, Jay has built his team from four to 18 agents. He shares their stories and the team’s success on social media to attract others. “Brag about your team when you have something to brag about,” he suggests.

As a result, agents reach out to him regularly, asking how the team’s doing it.

With a growing team, Jay’s daily focus and activities have shifted. While his agents are lead-generating for buyers and sellers, he’s lead-generating for talent every day. In June, he only spent 10% of his time producing, whereas before that was more like 50 to 70%.

“I’ve got 400 leads in Brivity right now that are all recruiting leads. And I’m working that pipeline,” Jay says.

“If you look at operators who are recruiting the most agents to their team, every month, they talk to 60 new connections they’ve never talked to before. These top team builders meet with 18 of that group in person, then present an opportunity to eight. They’re actually hiring three out of the eight.”

— Chris Stuart, President, PLACE

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

Through conversations with other PLACE Partners, Kimberlee Meserve (Street Property Team) has been able to leverage the expertise of others and learn from them. “I’m not reinventing the wheel,” she says.

Earlier this year, she spent a lot of time in conversations that didn’t develop into anything. “It took me a long time to figure out how to recruit,” Meserve admits. “My struggle was that I was too enthusiastic about the opportunity, almost to the point of not being clear enough on the expectations.”

She says she’s also “kind of copied what Jay is doing” by getting her admin involved to do the last interview to go over expectations and get her thumbs-up.

“We’ve done a lot of Indeed ads. I do something similar to what Adelina is doing if they’re not licensed; I funnel them to my career night,” she explains.

Her first career nights drew a group of 20 and her most recent career night welcomed more than 40. If an attendee is licensed, she schedules a phone screening with them.

Since February, all eight of her hires have been new agents. After two of them left, she pivoted to make it more clear in recruiting conversations that her team wasn’t for everybody. She can do this during her initial telephone conversation with the agent.

“We’re for the people that want to come in and build a really big business together, grow together, and we work super hard,” Meserve tells potential recruits.

“I think the number one thing that I’ve done wrong is I’ve really underestimated how much I need to recruit,” Jacqueline Smith (BKT Vancouver) cautions.

After joining PLACE, the Vancouver, Washington partner made recruiting her priority with a goal of building to 12 agents by the end of her first year.

She’s learned the hard way that she needs to double down on recruiting if she wants to do more than maintain her team. There are a lot of factors she doesn’t have control over, like a military spouse being transferred out of state or a new parent needing to spend more time with their child, she says.

Her ongoing recruitment strategy is to send out value. She reaches out to agents in her recruiting database every Monday, experimenting with the content to get a response and engagement. Tuesday through Thursday, she’s contacting potential recruits to set up coffee and lunch conversations.

She switched her focus from recruiting new agents to targeting those in the business for 12 to 18 months, “who have done a few transactions but still are not really fully getting off the ground,” she says.

Since then, she’s built her team to 21 agents with a goal of 30 by the end of this year, she says. She has developed a strategy to avoid making cold calls to experienced agents. “I’m inviting agents to do the things that I’m doing and see who is engaging, then I’m connecting with those people,” she says.

Jacqueline Smith: The Need to Recruit Owner/Operator, Vancouver, Washington

Kimberlee Meserve:

Owner/Operator, Newton, Massachusetts

Branding to Power Partnerships

How tailor-made branding can grow your team

Alex Day, Creative Director, The Shanna Day Team

Your recruiting efforts are fruitful and people are showing interest in joining your team. They’ve had an initial conversation with you, perhaps attended a career night, and are close to signing. What’s the next step to them successfully signing with your team? The answer: personal branding.

By showcasing for recruits the suite of tailor-made and branded collateral they can have on day one, you help them experience the feeling of being on-brand within a partnership that boosts their business.

Studies show a strong, consistent brand leads to more recognition; more recognition leads to inspired team members, greater trust in the marketplace, and ultimately more business. I have been in the real estate industry for five years, now focused on recruiting, retention, and team growth through brand recognition. Prior to joining the Shanna Day Team, I ran a creative agency catering to some of Arizona’s most iconic brands.

CREATING BRANDED COLLATERAL

During the recruiting stage, display your brand kit to showcase all of the possibilities to your recruits. Once they sign, offer them a tailor-made, branded collateral kit with the scripts, strategies, and solutions to market their business from day one. Take a look at what my team includes and how we implement our tools.

A press release detailing their new career path

A press release should include a bio about the new agent and a quote from them about what excites them most about being a part of the team and one from the team leader about why the team is looking forward to partnering with this individual.

Our releases emphasize the team’s value propositions on either the agent experience while working there or why consumers should choose our team to do business with.

We post this on the agent’s website blog. The agent then reposts the blog article to their social media accounts, driving traffic to their new website.

New business cards and nametag

Getting our agents’ business cards with a nametag as quickly as possible gets them excited about being a part of a team. More than 50% of our recruiting pipeline is generated with referrals from recent recruits, since they love everything they receive from the team in their first two weeks, and are so excited to share!

Available on store.place.com.

Pop-bys

We like to prepare their first month of pop-bys with new business cards. “Your neighborhood’s trusted real estate agent,” is a great foundation for building brand awareness. Pop-bys are best handdelivered by the agent, accompanied by face-to-face conversations with as many contacts in their farm area as possible.

Our team shows prospective recruits a visual calendar of their entire ensuing year, right down to the marketing materials available to them each month. We love how showing them what we offer to help build their business excites each of our new recruits.

Agent farming postcards

Designed to generate brand awareness, postcards to the agent’s farm area are so easy to send. Ours usually include a message of, “Your neighborhood’s trusted real estate agent,” with some market stats or recently sold properties on the back.

Available on PLACE Marketer.

Staging and selling lead magnet

Our agents get a branded booklet designed for prospective sellers teaching them how to stage and prepare for showings, individualized with their headshot, name, and phone number.

This printed booklet, with their information professionally presented both inside and on the cover, is the tangible, product-in-hand they need to feel they have a real business when meeting with prospective clients. One simple booklet, even when agents are brand-new, helps them understand the value they can deliver to prospective sellers, giving them valuable confidence to farm for listings.

Nine questions lead magnet

Agents on our team also get a branded booklet designed for prospective buyers and sellers covering, “Nine questions to ask your Realtor® before hiring one, and the answers you want to hear.” The newly recruited agent delivers a tangible, eye-catching, and professional item of value to clients.

The agent is branded on every page of this material; the same material also trains the agent on answering the inevitable questions a client will ask, and how to handle common objections like, “Why are you worth 6%?” The booklet is as functional at getting agent recruits to feel valuable as it is providing equally valuable information to their clients.

FSBO/canceled/expireds lead magnet

We also give agents on our team a branded booklet that functions as a free guide for FSBO/Canceled/Expireds to get their homes on the market successfully a second time. This huge portion of the market is currently up for

grabs. Our team generates these leads for our agents daily; when an agent claims a lead, one of their tasks is to mail or drop off a branded booklet to the owner.

Not only does it position the agent as an expert, it brands with their name, number, and headshot, giving newly recruited agents confidence to go after a huge pool of leads. We’ve watched this practice generate immediate business.

Social media templates

We announce every new recruit on multiple social media platforms. Our team has a variety of templates to choose from for creating social media announcements. These announcements usually pull elements from the press release, including quotes from both the team leader and new team member. PLACE Marketer has made it easy to customize these templates and make them your own.

We’ve found it’s most effective to create both a story and a post to generate optimal interest.

Available on PLACE Marketer.

Email templates

Upon joining the team, we provide a series of three emails to the recruit’s database which always redirects to the agent’s new website. The first email centers on the new career move, building brand awareness, and the new partnership.

The second email highlights the benefits of the team’s enhanced transparency and communication to the consumer for their real estate needs.

Third email emphasis — it might be a new team, but working within the same community prepares them to help them buy, sell or invest in real estate. This final email features available tools, including listing alerts and market reports.

Tap into templates via PLACE marketer

Already using PLACE CRM? You can locate many of these templates on PLACE Marketer and store.place.com.

Need a personal consultation or custom design work? Reach out to design@place.com

The First PLACE Partner

Immigrating from Canada in 2001, Tamara Lamore remembers thinking, “If I’m starting over, then being a real estate agent is next.” For the next eight years flying solo, she was glued to every step of every transaction, closing 35 homes a year. Balancing being a successful one-person business, a mother of three young boys, and a wife was more an anomaly than a long-term solution.

Luckily Lamore, seeking a team for leverage and community, met PLACE Co-Founder Ben Kinney, who illustrated his vision for her on a napkin by drawing a circle inside a circle. He labeled the outer circle PLACE resources and the inner circle Lamore, promising, “The PLACE circle will continuously grow bigger, so you will always have room to grow.”

Lamore joined him. PLACE established office space for her closer to home in Everett, Washington, as she lived an hour from the team’s location in Bellingham. As a long-distance team member, her annual sales jumped more than 40%.

“I had to forget about what I was doing as an independent agent to fully embrace the models and systems of PLACE,” Lamore said. “Once I mastered those, I could add my flair.”

Quickly she became one of Kinney’s five listed long-distance team members and naturally solidified as the Everett location’s official team leader and first PLACE expansion partner. Lamore’s team was the Bellingham location’s leverage, assuming an overflow of leads and clients while building a local database.

“Because the Bellingham team entrusted financial, marketing, and administrative needs to the Leverage Model, I focused only on buyers and sellers,” Lamore said.

Lamore recounts the leads piling so high that one more could send her weekend of showings into chaos. In a moment of urgent problem-solving, Lamore originated the first step of the PLACE Leverage Model: earning a showing agent.

She called her colleagues on the other side of her cubicle walls,

A testament to the power of leverage with Tamara Lamore, Owner/Operator, Everett, WA

LEVERAGE MODEL

delegating four showings to her teammates while focusing on the fifth. After spending most of the weekend at home, within a week, all offers were under contract. The entire team benefited financially. Shortly after, one of those agents happily committed to being Lamore’s full-time showing specialist.

“I decided not to work evenings or weekends, and never miss any of my children’s field trips or games, so I found a way to

ensure that,” Lamore said. “Having a team within a team allows me to have every weekend with my family while still serving clients through a showing specialist. It changed the structure of my life while making me money.”

After two years of support from a full-time showing specialist, Lamore’s sales jumped 61%. Her team has advanced to 24 agents in three locations, closing $3 million in GCI annually. Her original showing specialist earned additional opportunities, tapping into the leverage model.

“I needed to release all the parts of the transaction that I was in control of and let the team handle it so I could fully focus on my ‘seat on the bus, the Ben Kinney Team,” Lamore said. “My showing specialist eventually joined me on my seat ‘on the bus’ and then we worked all our clients together.”

Today Lamore’s office is a paper toss away from the cubicle where a weekend’s solution inspired the foundation of the PLACE Leverage Model. She explains that the circle of resources that Kinney once drew for her years ago grows constantly, quickly implementing new products and improving systems. Agents are supported at each stage as they move through the Leverage Model to build a team within Lamore’s team. The greatest model benefit she’s seen change agents’ lives is the company health insurance that opens the door to the PLACE Opportunity Model.

“PLACE agents are talented,” Lamore said. “The faster we fully embrace the standards, vision, and value propositions PLACE offers, the faster we grow.”

Tamara Lamore

Building a High-Performing Team from the Bottom Up, in Three Steps

Be selective, play to numbers, and top-grade your talent

Dru Lee, Owner/Operator, Oklahoma City, OK, Forward Coaching Real Estate Coach

When you focus on a new target, a goal, or desired outcome, what do you tend to ask yourself first? “What are my goals for the year?” “How will I get there?” “What obstacles might I run into on the way?” And my personal favorite, although admittedly, I am biased, “When is my next coaching call to go over all these questions in my head?” One question, however, supersedes the others when setting goals for building a business; that question starts with WHO…

WHO, if you should add them to your roster, make the goal instantly more achievable? Over time in the real estate industry, the idea has grown that building a team should be its own goal. Why would you want to build a team? What do we need one for in the first place? We should focus instead on building a business so massive it requires a team dedicated to “Delivering the Dream of Homeownership Everywhere,” to as many people as the team can possibly support.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb

“If you want to go farther and faster, go with the right others.” — I’ll take credit for that one…

BE SELECTIVE

Building any team requires keeping every position filled with the right partners to help you win. If you have ever been involved with youth sports, you’ve watched the forming of a team. We’ve all witnessed teams picking players and filling every roster position rather than finding one team member at a time.

Consider how your growth strategy might change if instead of hiring for one specific role at a time, pausing to train that person, measuring their performance, then resuming hiring, the leader recruits for every roster spot as quickly as possible. The bigger the vision, the further into the future the leader must consider who will be needed and how long it will take that partner to perform to standards.

TEAM-BUILDING STEPS FOR SUCCESS

1. Determine the team you need to accomplish your business goals.

2. Add 30% to that number to account for normal attrition; remind yourself life happens, usually without a “save the date” note.

3. Plan out the next three years of growth to get an idea of the team you are building, along with the total number of people needed for the future.

Organizational Behavioral Management theory teaches four fundamentals occur when a team moves from construction to achieving:

• First, a team is formed. The leader determines where they are going and who is needed, then recruits to the organizational positions, thus forming the team.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

— AFRICAN PROVERB

• Next, the natural progression leads to conflict known as storming. In a sports team, storming may appear when determining the starter versus the bench.

• Once trust is built and conflict becomes healthy, the team moves into phase three, known as norming. While no team is driving to be considered normal, this phase is crucial to get to the last one.

• The final phase of team construction is performing — now it’s time to achieve the goal.

IT’S A NUMBERS GAME

No matter the strategy, regardless how long it takes to build a great roster, recruiting is ultimately a numbers game. For example, Google, with more than 3 million applications submitted each year, hires roughly 20,000 people annually, for a 0.67% acceptance rate! Statistically speaking, it’s easier to be accepted into Harvard than to get a job at Google.

I graduated Navy basic training as one of just over 52,000 Naval recruits graduating that year. Of those, an average 6% are eligible to try out for the Basic Underwater Demolition School to eventually join Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams. On average, 2000 SEAL candidates attend BUDS annually; only 200 to 250 graduate with the Trident. The odds of making it from Navy Recruit to becoming a SEAL is a spare 0.49%.

“It takes a Navy to find Navy SEALs.” — Ben Kinney

Perspective: According to Business Insider, our PLACE partner, Goldman Sachs, receives about a million applications for mid-level jobs each year. Only about 0.5% of people (just 5,000 out of that million) actually get hired. PLACE is partnering with the Navy SEAL of Banking.

WANT MORE NUMBERS?

NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision formerly known as Div-1A, is the highest level of college football in the U.S. These programs start scouting talent from high school sophomore and junior classes. Seniors eventually recruited often start receiving offers four to five years before ever stepping foot into a college classroom. An estimated 310,465 high school seniors play football in this country. Of those, 7,0147 (or about 6.5%) go on to play football for an FBS program.

Of 15,588 starting seniors, only about 6,500 are scouted by the NFL. Only 256 of the 350 top college players invited to attend the NFL combine are drafted. Football hopefuls have a .08% chance of going from playing in high school to making it to the NFL. And of those lucky elites, only 150 athletes play for more than four years, which might be why many players facetiously refer to the NFL as “Not For Long.”

Perspective: Of the NFL’s 25,000 players, 362 reach the highest level of achievement and are inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.

“If you want to go farther and faster, go with the right others.”

— DRU LEE

The entrepreneurial optimist recruits one person and crowns them talent. A savvy businessperson knows to recruit four hires; if one is talented and stays, you get to average. If one in three is a great hire, you’d be an expert. Leaders hiring two and finding one great talent are considered genius-level savants. We’ve run the numbers and the results are in; the higher the level of talent needed, the more applicants required. What does performance look like for these amazing hires? We’ve all heard our PLACE Co-Founder Ben Kinney’s infamous, “If you sell 12 houses a year, you get to stay,” career guideline. Are you wondering how long it truly takes to get that person into production? As long as it takes! Think like a college coach — recruit earlier for more time to develop your talent. It’s how to get the best from them.

TOP-GRADE YOUR TEAM

The last step in building your incredible team of high-performers is to Top-Grade. After forming your team, focus on improving it by replacing the lowest performers with higher-caliber talent based on leadership expectations. For example, if a team has 10 members, the bottom 20% translates to two members being top-graded and replaced. The team goal would be improving the talent, while the goal of the players is outperforming the bottom 20%. Jack Welch used this strategy to turn struggling General Electric around. The downside of this strategy is often fostering a cutthroat culture to do whatever it takes to avoid being the lowest performer on the team. Arguably, this recruiting strategy has merit, yet consider, if practically applied, even the greatest basketball team ever assembled (obviously the first — and in my opinion, the only — dream team), the 1992 U.S. men’s team would still have a bottom 20%.

If you want to get ahead, play like you’re behind. It frequently takes longer to find great people than we like to acknowledge, but more people at the top of the funnel get you the best available talent. Lastly, determining who you need is easier when you know where you are going. Recruit ALL the people you might need as quickly as possible in order to have the team, train the person, and then coach to performance. Need 24 hires in a year? Do not hire two a month. Instead, hire 24 in the shortest time possible. Then work with the team you have, while you top-grade to get the best available.

“Team-building is easy,” said no one ever! Unless you want your business to stall, recruiting is the ultimate way to hold team members accountable, while getting the best out of them. Continue growing until you have your own Navy SEAL dream team of the highest and best performers.

“If you want to get ahead, play like you’re behind.”

Tips To Coach Your Team To Success

Add these best practices to your coaching

Debbie De Grote, Co-Founder, Forward Coaching

Coaching is a remarkable tool with immense power for helping others discover new realms of possibility. As shared by Timothy Gallway, “Coaching is centered on unlocking a person’s potential to maximize his or her own performance and the development of skills.”

For leaders looking to amplify their team’s performance, coaching is KEY. Yet, before diving into how to be a great coach, let’s discuss what coaching is not. Coaching is not training, dealdoctoring, or sharing personal stories of how you did things.

Coaching is:

• Helping your team members find and achieve greatness within themselves to overcome any limiting beliefs.

• A two-way street. With everyone you coach, be wellprepared and give them your best. In return, they must be willing to show up, participate and do the work. You cannot be overly attached to the outcome; it’s up to the team member to do the work.

• Balancing candor with care. If you see something inhibiting the achievement of your team member’s goals, you must say something. Be relentless in getting them where they need to be.

As a coach, your job aspires to five achievements:

1. Inspire

2. Give hope

3. Help team members chart a course to pursue their dreams

4. Reveal blind spots

5. Help them master the fundamentals

PREPARING FOR YOUR COACHING SESSIONS

Time is valuable; it’s imperative you make every coaching session.

Begin with being well-prepared:

• Block time for the meeting to ensure no interruptions or distractions

• Determine how you will meet (video chat or phone)

• Set up a coaching file for each person on your team in advance so you can easily review goals, numbers, personality assessments, and previous session notes/ action items

• Establish a system for scheduling, confirming and delivering post-session follow-up

Being well-prepared shows you are invested in the outcome. If you demonstrate you feel the session is important, they will likely follow suit.

It may take them longer to master the fundamentals and take action than you hoped it would, so keep finding new ways to bring them back to the actions and skills they must do and must master. Be relentless and realistic about their path to progress, that doesn’t mean, though, that you should buy into their stories and excuses.

START POWERFULLY

When your session begins, avoid long anecdotes and idle chitchat. Instead, “build the bridge,” with a 15 to 30-second, “What was exciting about your week?” or “Of everything on your plate, what’s the most vital for us to discuss today?”

While your purpose and plan are important for the session, it’s equally important your team members get to share with you what’s on their minds and hearts. Because they may discuss personal life details, treat this as a confidential session. They must know they can trust you to be open and honest. If you feel you must convey information to others to help a team member grow, obtain their permission before sharing it with the appropriate people.

ASKING GREAT QUESTIONS AND ACTIVE LISTENING

Masterful coaches ask thoughtful questions, diving deep below the surface to uncover limiting beliefs, skill gaps, and other challenges their team members may be confronting. These obstacles aren’t always immediately brought to the surface. As you’re coaching, read between the lines and circle back to what must be overcome for them to succeed. A somewhat direct or confrontational question, while sometimes needed, can be softened with lead-ins such as, “I’m curious,” “May I ask,” or “Tell me…”

As you work through your session, ask clarifying questions; don’t be afraid to ask for additional information before you jump to giving advice. Be certain you really hear the questions they’re asking, too.

“The 7 Powers of Questions,” by Dorothy Leeds is a great resource I return to time and time again. The art of asking great questions doesn’t come naturally; it’s a skill you master. I also encourage you to write down three to five powerful questions before each coaching session. You may not get through them all, but they are great for fostering interactive coaching sessions. Some examples:

• “What are you avoiding that you know if you did it you would have great success?”

• “What is something I don’t know about what is going on with you, that if I did know I could help you more?”

• “What do you need from me to make this coaching process perfect for you?”

FEED THEM WITH A TEASPOON

It’s a normal tendency for someone passionate about helping their team succeed to attempt too much in a single coaching session. We expect too much to happen, too fast. When you’re tempted to do so, remind yourself to feed with a teaspoon instead of a fire hose. Recognize the possibility that the more you assign your team member, the less they might accomplish.

Worst-case, they leave each session feeling overwhelmed and eventually give up.

Give them one key goal to achieve, with one or two additional small actions, and be certain they understand exactly what you expect of them. Ensure the action steps are crystal clear by asking, “How will you do it? When and where? What are the expected outcomes?” While tracking and measuring their numbers, keep them focused on achieving outcomes versus simply going through motions.

Always take detailed notes on your assignments to refer to in the next session for specified inquiries about their success in completion. Everyone loves recognition for a job well done! If they haven’t successfully accomplished the agreed-upon action, don’t ask, “Why not?”Why questions can be interpreted as confrontational and generally only yield excuses. Instead, try asking, “What got in the way?”

Don’t give up easily. Remind them you believe in them.

FOCUS ON THE FUNDAMENTALS

While any given coaching session could focus on myriad issues, no matter your students’ experience level, a focus on the fundamentals is always crucial.

Remind your coaching students, slumps are almost always caused by some breakdown in a fundamental aspect of their

business. Drama and deals may make for more interesting conversation; however, mastering the basics really moves the needle of production.

Key areas to revisit frequently:

• Mindset

• Adhering to a schedule

• Fear of rejection

• Basic skills

• Discipline

• Buy-in and relationship commitment

WRAPPING UP

As you wrap up your coaching session, strive for a strong finish. Summarize what the team member has committed to do and clarify that they understand their course of action. Leave them with a powerful thought, ideally one that rings in their head until your next session.

If you feel a session did not go as well as it should, follow up with a quick text or call just to ask, “Did you get what you needed from me in our time together?”

At the end of the week, look at the list of those you’ve coached to review what happened in each session, just in case there are additional follow-ups you need to accomplish.

Approaching Accountability

While good coaching encompasses accountability, it shouldn’t be a series of boxes to check off the list. “Did you do?” sessions bore both participants and don’t allow a deep dive into pertinent issues. Additionally, accountability shouldn’t be harsh or shaming; just be clear and direct, beginning with permission. When I ask someone’s permission to confront an issue, they almost always give it, allowing me to dig in and lay it on the line.

How you say something is as important as what you say. Strive for a tone of curiosity and discovery versus judgment. Review page 19 of the DISC assessment prior to meeting with them for the dos and don’ts of their preferred communication style. When you speak their language, they are more likely to listen — and take action. “Fierce Conversations,” by Susan Scott offers loads of helpful tips on confronting without drama.

Tips from Pro Coaches

PREPARE FOR A GREAT COACHING SESSION

“I have to be in a positive mindset and environment, without interruption. I like to start with asking a question, ‘What’s top-of-mind for you?’ ‘What’s the most important thing you want to make sure we cover today?’ Listen to what the client has to say and use their words in the conversation. I also review my notes and check the action items to see how they did.”

Mary Bakas, PLACE Operator of BKT Chicago West, Coach with Forward Coaching

ONE OF THE BEST COACHING QUESTIONS

“‘What’s the story you’re telling yourself in that situation?’ I like this question because it forces the other person to pause and really think about their reactions or the assumptions they are making. In that process, most people get into the logical side of a situation instead of the emotional side and they can generally come up with their own solutions.”

Michelle Bailey, PLACE Operator of BKT Boise, Coach with Forward Coaching

TEAM DEVELOPMENT

New Agent Success

Preparing for PLACE Launch 101

Marley Jackman, Director of Agent Launch, PLACE

Setting your team up for success in the early stages of PLACE onboarding is key to ensuring a successful partnership. We find that leaders who set their own launch tasks to guide their teams in the right direction can more quickly integrate with the PLACE technology, systems, and services proven to increase team productivity and performance.

Each launch program is 12 weeks long, which begins with a first full week of “kick off” calls, followed by weekly launch labs. While the launch program is designated for new and experienced agents specifically, Operators can implement the following strategies to set their agents up for success early on in the partnership.

BEFORE LAUNCH

Schedule a pre-launch meeting the week before your agents start. Review the details, lay out expectations, and set goals with your agents throughout their time in launch. Don’t forget to provide encouragement. Celebrate their first day of launch, have the team all send them a text wishing them luck on their first day, and acknowledge accomplishments and milestones they hit throughout the launch. Shoutouts on the Friday Partner Call always feel good and keep agents engaged.

As the beneficiaries of the PLACE Launch Program, agents should also come willing and ready to learn our proprietary models and systems. They should attend the first launch call with cameras on and ready to participate. Agents should review

the welcome emails and content they’ve received, make sure they know how to join the calls, and see what activities will be completed day one. Remind your agents that they get in what they put out. If they sit on the calls with their camera off while browsing the MLS, their results will reflect that. They’ve committed to follow the program, so follow it the way it was designed. Do the activities, show up to the calls, and get ready to take action.

DURING LAUNCH

During launch, PLACE Operators should have a standing weekly meeting to coach agents on their progress. This can be done as a group or in a one-on-one format. Check in on skill development, activity completion, time-blocking, and help them overcome challenges or obstacles. Throughout the process, don’t forget to trust the data. Your agents are tracking everything they’re doing in launch in Brivity and their Launch Trackers. Use this data to guide your coaching conversations and track completion. Finally, communicate with our launch team. Let us know if you have an agent who needs extra support or if you’re struggling to coach or lead them, even if it’s to let us know an agent may need to pause or re-launch in the future.

Remind your agents to track their data throughout launch. Launch is a numbers game and we will teach agents who, what, when, where, and how to track data, log calls, and set themselves up for a thriving database. But, we can’t update

their databases for them. Agents should take the time to sort through their lead generation each day to make the necessary entries for long-term success.

Make sure everyone on your team understands that launch has no spring break – there isn’t going to be down time or a break in activities to catch up. They must stay on top of their activities from the beginning by putting each item from the Launch Tracker into their calendars to ensure it’s getting done each week.

Most importantly, remind them to always remember to ask for help. We are here to make sure their start with PLACE is a huge success. Their wins are our wins and their struggles are our struggles. If your agents need help, feel overwhelmed, or simply need some guidance, please reach out to our Launch Team so we can get them back on track.

Break your Addiction to Instant Gratification

The paycheck chase never leads to long-term satisfaction

Chris Suarez, Co-Founder, PLACE

One of my favorite studies of all time was done in the 1970s by researcher Walter Mischel at Stanford University. Children were offered the choice of one marshmallow right now or, if they were willing to wait 15 minutes, an adult would return and give them two marshmallows. It’s a perfect distillation of instant versus delayed gratification. The participants’ academic and life progress were measured for years after the original study; the kids who chose delayed gratification had more successful outcomes in everything from SAT scores to self-regulation as adolescents.

So, what do marshmallows have to do with real estate?

Let’s go back to my early days when I started as an agent at 21. I was living in New York City, where I was born and raised. My office was inside the third building that fell on 9/11. Thankfully, I was house-sitting that day, but it was a wake-up moment for me. Evaluating whether to stay in the city where I’d grown up, I realized I was ready for a change. So just like that, I moved across the country, nearly as far west as I could go, to Eugene, Oregon, leaving my real estate business behind. I would spend the next five years in Eugene building a new one. Later, when my wife and I decided to move to Portland, Oregon, the business I’d worked so hard to rebuild in Eugene was gone, again.

That’s when I realized there’s something wrong with the real estate business as a whole if I can spend five years building my business, pouring blood, sweat, and tears (to say nothing of time, energy, and finances) into it, and then tomorrow it’s gone.

Now I know the reason for those losses; I spent my early years in this industry choosing the single marshmallow.

Chris is passionate about real estate coaching, leading a number of consulting programs through his company, Xperience Growth. You can also find Chris speaking at industry events across the globe.

Again and again, I chose the sale, when what I should have been choosing was a sustainable business. More effort, undoubtedly, and a longer wait time too, but a much greater reward in the end.

A DIFFERENT BUSINESS BLUEPRINT

When I got to Portland, instead of simply diving immediately back into sales, I decided to build this business the right way. I chose to wait, knowing that delayed gratification would net me something more than a business that vanished to nothing when I moved 100 miles away. I wanted to build something that wouldn’t depend on a specific location, which I know runs counter to so much of what we’ve been taught in real estate. We want to be the local guy, the one people know, who they see on the streets, but being that guy would mean losing my business the next time I moved. I started challenging everything the industry had led us to believe about what being a real estate agent is all about. Sure, I was starting over again, but this time I was heading in the opposite direction.

That meant hitting the books. Studying, reading, and figuring out what other people are doing — these are things I love. Because I wanted a different start this time, I read up on different industries. I looked at insurance businesses and technology companies. I checked out every business book in the library. One that caught my eye was, “The Millionaire Real Estate Agent,” by Gary Keller.

I come from a world where my dad was a copy machine repairman from the day he graduated high school until the day he retired, 50 years later. I remember being 12 or 13 years old asking my dad, “What’s a million dollars?” His reply? “Don’t

worry about that. You’ll never make a million dollars. In fact, you’ll work every day of your life, and you’ll add it up at the end, and it still won’t be a million dollars.” That was his story, so it became mine.

When I saw this book about “millionaire” real estate agents, I thought it was a joke, but I read it anyway. It became the first time someone modeled running a real estate business and not just running sales. I began to emulate that model the best I could, setting up separate divisions for business, lead generation, operations, and budgets. I used an organizational chart. Little by little, it started looking more like a full-fledged business than a typical real estate sales practice.

YOU’RE ADDICTED TO THE PAYCHECK

A big part of running your business as a business is not just transacting as much as you can possibly transact. Chasing sales is choosing the first marshmallow. And I get it — that first marshmallow looks really good.

At one point in my career, I was selling 50 to 70 homes a year; coming from nothing, that is a lot of money. Deconstructing that instant gratification — being willing to do it differently — is nearly impossible once you’re addicted to the money. I wasn’t even spending much at the time. I bought my first condo for $86,000, and I was living cheaply, but I still had this addiction to what we’re taught to do in this industry. I told myself, “I do this activity, and I get this result. Every time I do that open house, I get two clients, and I’m going to close one of them. Every time I close, I’m making money.”

That instant gratification — activity equals result — is what drives our industry. It’s almost like these addictive personalities are drawn to real estate because we do something and then get something almost immediately, and what we get also happens to be a lot of money.

Ultimately, instant versus delayed gratification looks like this in real estate: I’m going to pick up the phone and go get a sale, or I believe I’ll get two sales if I actually take the time to build out this system or follow this process. It’s choosing the pain of discipline over the ease of instant gratification, but let me tell you the delayed gratification is bigger here than anywhere else. No one gets checks like these in other industries. But while we have these massive paychecks on the line, our industry has built this scarcity mindset. We all have the fear of our commissions going away.

PUT YOUR TRUST IN CONSISTENCY

Fear and trust play inescapable roles in our ability to delay gratification. Think about it — if the kids in that experiment are afraid the adult isn’t really going to come back in 15 minutes, why on earth would they hold out for two marshmallows that might never appear? Of course, they’d gobble down the first one.

A lot of the fear in our industry stems from not really trusting the models. We don’t trust that if we do this each and every day for three years, our business is going to be here and thriving. When

we don’t trust the models, we don’t commit. Instead, we pinball all over the place. Unfortunately for this method, success comes not from sporadic activity but from disciplined daily effort.

One of the biggest obstacles people face when transitioning from being good at sales to turning sales into a business, is lack of consistency. I don’t care how bad you are when you start, if you’re consistent with your activities, you’re going to improve simply by doing them consistently over time. I was never great, or even good at anything, but I did work consistently over a period of time, and I got better…and better…and better.

Once I committed to a model and continued to learn new models entering the industry, it gave me this runway to live in this world of delayed gratification. To get there, I had to brace myself for the possibility of not selling a house for three years, knowing I would still be fine, as I had no intention of changing my budget. And I did. I trusted that consistency would take my business to new heights — and it did.

Since rebuilding — my third real estate business — in Portland in 2008, I’ve produced a scalable, sustainable business that isn’t dependent on where I live or how much I sell. And you can do the same.

Don’t settle for one marshmallow. Wait out the temptation for instant gratification. In the long run, you’ll get more. Make more. Build more. Be more.

Power Up Productivity with PLACE Tech

Embrace these features and see your business grow

Bob Stewart, Head of Technology Implementation,

PLACE

From running a brokerage to co-founding an online social blogging platform, my 21-year career in real estate tech has been assorted and wide-ranging. In 2015, when I began working with Ben Kinney to build out Brivity, I knew something remarkable was on its way. Fast forward to today and it’s been humbling to see the initial, BIG vision translate into reality. I’m proud to say that the Brivity platform powers thousands of top real estate teams, and the platform has been further expanded and customized to power the PLACE Operating System.

Today, my focus centers on helping PLACE teams fully utilize all we have to offer to be productive and profitable with the least amount of friction in the market — of the moment and beyond. As we settle into a shift, embracing technology is more important than ever, as it enhances your efficiency and productivity without adding the cost of additional overhead. Along with our top Brivity users, I’ve outlined some key tips and features to begin leveraging TODAY to amp up your productivity and bolster your bottom line.

1. LEVERAGE THE DIALER AND LEAN INTO YOUR DATABASE

One of the things that a lot of people do in a shifting market is try to go find new business. But the reality is about two-thirds of the business in the industry every year comes from past clients in our sphere and people who already know us. Don’t go looking outside your sphere when you already have a lot of potential in your database. Use the tools already available to you for maximum performance.

In the PLACE Operating System, several tools help keep you organized and connected, yet one in particular I really love is the dialer. The dialer is one of the most underutilized tools connecting agents with the people they already know. People in your sphere looking at the “doom and gloom” news headlines and getting their real estate market information from places other than you, the real local market expert. Agents should be going out and meeting their customers where they need to be met, actually giving them the real scoop on what’s happening in the local real estate market. This agent outreach is what they need.

2. USE MARKET REPORTS TO ENHANCE YOUR STANDING AS THE LOCAL EXPERT

Aside from organizing your database and digital presence, one of the most popular tools are the Market Reports. It can be a little scary initiating a call with someone you haven’t spoken to in several years. How do you set up that conversation? Market Reports! Every day, one of your past clients or a prospect drives home in their neighborhood and sees a “Just Sold” sign. Immediately, they want to know what that home sold for. Market reports allow you to set up a tool for them to get information directly from you, not someone else. This keeps you top-ofmind and accessible to your sphere. Requiring minimal effort to set up, Market Reports establishes you as the neighborhood expert of choice.

3. AUTO PLANS ENSURE CONSISTENT COMMUNICATION

One of the most challenging aspects of managing a database is ensuring a consistent flow of communication with a prospect.

Gail Smith,

Q&A with Top PLACE Tech Users

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER PARTNERS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF TECH?

“Follow the 10 Daily Steps to Succeed resource religiously. It is easier to create the habit right from the start. Brivity can be the best tool in your toolkit, as long as you inspect what you expect. Left unchecked, it just becomes a place to store information.”

That is where Auto Plans shine! Whether it’s new prospects or leads for nurture, you’re able to choose from hundreds of templates designed with the right messaging to reach your audience. You can run as-is, or duplicate and customize. While you’re working on your business or enjoying time away, Auto Plans are hard at work in the background, communicating with your database.

4. LEAN INTO PLACE MARKETER TO SHOWCASE A VISUALLY-STUNNING BRAND

Your brand matters when it comes to standing out. With Marketer, you’re able to create beautiful marketing with a couple of clicks. Best of all, Marketer taps into your MLS so all of your MLS data populates your marketing pieces with descriptions and photos. You can even turn your listings into videos. Marketer encompasses Facebook ads.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT THE PLACE TECHNOLGY?

“I love how user-friendly the CRM is. I do not feel overwhelmed or like I need a degree to understand it. I love that the ops group gets to go over the tech and play with it before it is launched to us. Market reports, templated ads and the entire Brivity suite are my favorites. I would tell other operators that they need to plug into the PLACE Tech immediately. The different trainings, Facebook group, and Bob Stewart are all there to help us grow quicker. We have a obligation to lean into them. One day soon the PLACE Tech platform will run our entire team.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHER PLACE PARTNERS LOOKING TO GET THE MOST OUT OF TECH?

“Many features are super useful. I’d say to dive in, stay connected through the Facebook page, and really learn what is available to you.”

“I call market reports the gift that just keeps on giving. Set them once and let the system do the heavy lifting for you. We have multiple examples of clients reaching out to us to sell their homes based on just these alone, dating back to 2018.”

Owner/Operator, BKT South Sound

Jamie Estes, Owner/Operator, Central Missouri

Gail Smith, Owner/Operator, South Sound

Jake DaRosa, Owner/Operator, The DaRosa Team

How Tech is Changing the World of Lead Generation

From awareness to purchase, Brivity Connect hits all aspects of the marketing funnel

Amy Gerrish, Director of Brivity Consumer Leads

Funnels have fundamentally shifted in the world of marketing. They used to look like this:

• Radio listeners and TV viewers hear an ad (awareness)

• Potential clients visit a store or an office (traffic)

• Some of those people purchase a product or a service (conversion)

Currently, with everyone’s attention tuned to their mobile devices, and online shopping at an all-time high (partially pandemic-fueled), a digital marketing funnel is more important than ever.

So we developed Brivity Connect, designed for optimal lead and traffic generation, along with promoting continued awareness. In ecommerce, for a purchase made at the retailer’s website, the conversion happens online. In real estate, it’s not nearly so easy. The conversion usually happens over the phone or via text, an inbound form-fill on an agent’s website, or an inperson event. The Brivity Platform marketing funnel connects prospective buyers and sellers directly, by providing userbehavior data ranging from website visits to homes-favorited and more. Coupled with the platform’s long-term nurture plans, you have a machine built for lead conversion.

A breakdown of the Brivity Connect funnel:

• Buyer lead generation (awareness)

• Buyer revisits your website (traffic)

• Buyer sees your brand across the internet (continued awareness)

• Brivity Platform (conversion)

LEAD GENERATION

Because Brivity is constantly pulling in live and dynamically updated home listings from agents’ IDX feed, our content stays fresh and relevant to our users. When they see a post on Facebook, they’re able to scroll through homes for sale on their device with ease.

When they find a home they like, they can simply click to view pictures and details on the agent’s website. Most importantly, they are qualified before they do so. After asking prospective clients when they are looking to move and whether they have a home to sell, we discovered 10 to 15% of buyer leads are actually seller leads, too.

REVISITS VIA RETARGETING

Technology can track your leads to see what homes they are most interested in, so next time they check Facebook, Brivity will deliver them a new ad with even more homes of interest, no questions asked. Users can go straight to the agent’s website to look at homes. On the back-end, the Brivity Platform reports what homes they are looking at and how many times they revisit the website.

CONTINUED AWARENESS VIA REMARKETING

The old 1930s marketing “rule of seven” was that a lead must see your ad seven times before making a purchase. Today, it is more like 40 to 70 times. A continued awareness campaign keeps your brand top-of-mind on the popular sites an agent’s leads might visit.

CONVERSION IN THE BRIVITY PLATFORM

Combining the campaigns with the tracking and automated nurture plans in the Brivity Platform gives you all the data insights and communication starters you need to convert leads!

BOTTOM LINE

Brivity Connect hits all facets of the marketing funnel, making it easier for agents to convert by providing data on lead-behavior insights and leveraging automated nurture technology.

SEE FOR YOURSELF

Interested in learning how Brivity Connect can boost your leads? Schedule a demo at info.brivity.com/connect.

From Transaction to Trust: Building Lifelong Client Relationships

Earn client loyalty and achieve long-term success

Chris Stuart, President, PLACE

When it comes to building a successful real estate business, we all know leads are the heart of what agents do. After all, without them, our real estate businesses aren’t likely to grow. But all too often, I see agents fasten on the wrong leads. Companies aren’t built to last by churning through new contacts. It’s in the existing relationships at the heart of your business where an agent’s true potential lies. But loyalty among these potential repeat clients is earned, not assumed. To zero in on building your business for the long-term, it’s essential to foster these relationships and improve the entire consumer experience for those clients already in your sphere.

FOCUS ON THE CLIENTS YOU HAVE

Across industries, people tend to focus their attention on nonexistent problems. In real estate, the need for leads gets the lion’s share of attention. But I don’t actually think of this scenario as a problem in need of solving. Most agents already have the leads they need to succeed in their sphere; they just don’t know how to use them effectively. The problem isn’t a lack of leads, it’s agents who don’t devote the time and energy necessary to develop the relationships with clients they already have. And this creates a loyalty gap.

THE LOYALTY GAP AND OPPORTUNITY

When asked, most buyers and sellers are satisfied with their agent’s performance. In fact, according to The National Association of Realtors® most recent Profile of Buyers and Sellers, 90% of home buyers would use their agent again. But when it comes down to it, the average Realtor® gets only 16% of their business from repeat clients and customers. I call this the loyalty gap. And it represents a huge opportunity for agents.

I believe this is due, in part, to agents focusing too much of their attention on attracting new clients rather than maintaining their existing ones. When push comes to shove, agents would be far more successful if they focused on enhancing the customer experience for their existing clientele and on deepening those relationships instead of focusing on the next new lead or shiny new lead-capturing tool.

I encourage you to ask yourself how many deals you got from your personal network — whether directly or by referral. These relationships are where the best long-term business-building opportunities lie. And when you really work to enhance these relationships and meet the needs of those clients, you will close the loyalty gap.

WHERE ARE THE REPEAT CUSTOMERS?

I see it over and over; you’ve served your clients well. They were happy at the end of the transaction. But next time they need an agent, they don’t return to you.

Awareness isn’t the problem. They know you exist — they’ve used you before. Affinity isn’t the problem, after all, your client liked you. Representation doesn’t come into play either, as most people on both sides of the transaction use an agent these days.

When it comes down to it, you’re likely overlooking the details required to instill true loyalty. Clients are touched by the things they find valuable. All too often, I see agents who either don’t bother to stay in contact with their past clients or don’t provide quality touches. Your clients are looking for more value than the latest housing inventory. They’re looking for advice, insight, and counsel. When a client can go online and promptly get their questions answered by the internet, they are looking for more from you. When you provide the deeper knowledge that can only come from your experience and personal connections, you instill loyalty.

BECOME INDISPENSABLE

To become a truly vital asset to your customers, you need to provide them with value they can’t get anywhere else. Think about your sphere. Everyone in it leads lives busy with work,

families, obligations, and social activities. They don’t need us to toot our own horn and talk all about our successes. They aren’t interested in self-promotion; they want us to guide them.

To do so, we need to figure out their ongoing household conversations over real estate. As agents, we may not always know what our clients don’t know. It pays to find out, and share your expertise. For instance, maybe your satisfied clients are currently trying to save money, or extend the life of their home with maintenance. Maybe they are focused on expanding their equity by making smart decisions around refinancing or remodeling. When we determine what they need to know and provide this information to them, we become a valuable guide. It naturally provides a longer-term connection.

A book I often suggest agents read, “Building a StoryBrand,” by Donald Miller, highlights the importance of putting the customer’s needs above our own. This goal is especially true in real estate, where we can not just encourage our buyers and sellers, but equip them with the information, insight, and expertise that will help them to come out on top. When we take the time to show our customers we understand their frustrations, they’re far more likely to trust us to solve them.

BETTER SERVE YOUR CLIENTS

When you solve problems for your customers, you add value to the relationship. When you take the time to determine the best ways to address their issues — through your personal interactions, along with the products and services you offer — you’ve turned yourself into an invaluable asset your customer will return to again and again. This designation is what keeps you ahead of the competition.

The key is then to stay top-of-mind within your sphere via sharing generously the nuggets of value and wisdom they seek.

When we take time to understand what our customers want to know and accomplish, we have found a common language we can use to effectively both interact efficiently and customize our messaging and communication to their needs. Closing this loyalty gap can double — possibly triple — your business.

Source:

NAR Profile of Buyers and Sellers

Miller, Donald. Building a StoryBrand. Harper Collins Leadership. 2017. https://www.inman.com/2021/01/27/the-real-estate-industry-needs-to-mind-the-loyalty-gap-bhhs-ceo/

“Closing this loyalty gap can double — possibly triple — your business.”

KNOW YOUR VALUE

As an agent looking to build on your existing relationships, one of the most important things you can do is understand your value. Failing to appreciate what a customer’s seeking leaves you vulnerable to another agent earning that client’s business down the road. But when you’ve consistently helped solve the problems of existing clients, you’ve already met them where they are. The next time they need help in that arena, they are infinitely more likely to turn to you, an established and trusted resource, for help.

5 Ways to Bridge the Gap

1

Maintain connections with your current business rather than churning and burning through new leads.

2

Stay in touch with your sphere — the frequency and quality of the content you deliver matters.

3

Pay attention to the type of insight and advice your clients seek; position yourself as the sole/best provider of this information.

4

Keep personal promotion to a minimum in all content.

5 Whether they are buying or selling now or down the road, be your client’s best guide.

Teams are the Future of Real Estate

Go further, faster while delivering a better experience for your clients

Vija Williams, Head of Industry, PLACE

I look back to the start of my real estate career in 2002 and there wasn’t this concept that you could press a button and expect to see a house in an hour. It was a manual process back then. The client picked up the phone and called their agent; the agent called the seller or listing agent to make a showing appointment (usually with a minimum one-hour notice); then the agent and client viewed the home. It certainly wasn’t one press of a button, and it was almost always the primary agent showing the home.

Consumer expectations have changed since then. Heck, the actual consumer has changed. They want speed, and they are showing us this loud and clear through their actions. Today’s real estate consumer has high expectations for call response time, property access, integrated core services, and home management resources throughout their homeownership.

Meeting these expectations requires a team of professionals. It is increasingly difficult to meet these increasing demands as a solo agent.

New studies I’m seeing are saying a two-minute response time is necessary to capture somebody while they’re still on their phone or a website to convert a lead into an appointment. 120 seconds! That means somebody needs to be ready to follow up on leads full time. Consumers expect to see a property within an hour. That means agents need to be on-call to show them a house 24/7. Marketing a listing now includes sophisticated pay-per-click, social media boosting, and digital photography and video that are well beyond the scope of the paper flyers we cranked out in the early 2000s, thinking we were great real estate marketers.

HOW TEAMS ARE EVOLVING

What we are now seeing is the evolution of large real estate teams. A team’s customer service and deliverables increase with size. There is more support, more administrative staff, more agents, and more specialists to better serve the consumer. When teams are large and sell more units, they

have the revenue to have advertising and lead contracts, so they are in a better position to grow their business. There’s also an expense economy of scale that happens as they grow.

As the consumer’s expectations grow, so does competition to get their listings. You have to be a good agent to get multiple listings a year. Teams and top agents are winning more and more in this arena. They have access to more marketing, training, coaching, and presentation materials than a typical solo agent. As their business grows so does their market share and customer acquisition.

THE PROBLEM

Most real estate teams are founded by highly successful real estate brokers. They begin to see success, then hire agents and staff to help support that. Many of them have never run large businesses before this. In many cases, they are scaling faster and larger than they have the resources and skills for, and they are often doing it alone in their respective markets.

Things break. Things get reiterated. People get hired. People leave. All of this is fine and to be expected. The days of going it alone, however, are (thankfully) long gone. This is why we are seeing teams grow larger – because they have the resources they need to grow into large businesses.

WHAT TEAMS SHOULD DO TO THRIVE

Teams need to focus on the consumer experience while also experiencing growth. Chris Stuart, president of PLACE, talks about the “loyalty gap.” This occurs during that seven to 10-year period of time in between sales. Teams need to do a better job staying in front of the homeowner so they come back to them. Most buyers and sellers liked their agent, but at the time that they were ready to buy or sell again, they just weren’t there. As teams spend more and more on customer acquisition, they need to keep that customer for multiple transactions. This means focusing on their experience with their home sale, and also during their tenure as a homeowner, adding value to the full lifecycle of homeownership.

The other thing teams need to focus on is core service partnerships so they are getting more revenue per client. Mortgage, settlement services, and insurance lines are the minimum. They also need to create and partner with home services – things that keep you in front of the consumer during homeownership such as security systems, contractors, weather protection products and services and anything a homeowner needs while they own their home. That way you are top of mind when it is time for the next transaction.

Teams will have to either build these services themselves or partner with people to provide them. The advantage of partnership is that it unlocks economies of scale, ultimately generating higher quality support for lower cost. For example, the PLACE platform allows top-performing agents to leverage multiple built-in components – including lead generation, recruiting, training, legal, HR, accounting, and marketing support – so they can direct their focus to their customers.

It is real-time change right now. As the market shifts and undulates, so must the real estate team. The goal is to grow and adapt fast. Sometimes it feels like whiplash. If it doesn’t feel that way, you probably aren’t doing it enough!

If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of joining a real estate team, visit place.com/agents.

Williams

Vija

Level Up your Real Estate Game

Lessons from the stage of BuiltHOW Live, the real estate industry’s newest and only brokerage-agnostic mastermind event

Our industry thrives on personal connections, which is why top-producing agents and operations leaders anticipate the biannual BuiltHOW conferences throughout the year. BuiltHOW was designed to help real estate industry professionals learn how to power their businesses better while fostering relationships with the nation’s leading thought leaders.

In late September, over 1,300 top agents representing various brands and brokerages converged in Phoenix for the latest BuiltHOW Live conference hosted by Debbie De Grote, Ben Kinney, and Chris Suarez. There was an overflow of knowledge shared, namely these key takeaways:

1. PLAY CHESS, NOT CHECKERS:

The market is dynamic, and right now it’s shifting into a unique playing field that many of us have not seen in our careers. You must be ready to adapt and strategize according to the new climate. Your business cannot resemble what it was last year when you were working in a convenient market, and you may be required to alter your talent recruitment strategy, team goals, or overall expectations.

Like in chess, play strategically and stay four steps ahead with the end goal in mind. Recessions and volatile markets are a natural part of the economic cycle and are historically followed by high returns in real estate. Study the market as it shifts and adapt through deliberate action – that’s the game and the business.

2. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS:

World-class athletes are keenly aware of their numbers, whether that be split-second timing, exact stroke count, distance, and duration. Performance can always be measured. Similarly, studying the real estate market daily will make you a better advisor while providing perspective on broader economic changes that will help you evaluate your business. For example, if home sales slow down x amount, how will that impact your team’s sales and how will you

pivot accordingly? Or, which expenses can be cut without interfering with your agents’ success rates? Finally, how many recruits do you need?

3. USE SELF-IMPROVEMENT TO CREATE IMPACT:

Show bravery by evaluating yourself with growth, rather than failure, in mind. Acknowledge your shortcomings to motivate change, reassess, and repeat. Use adversity to your advantage. Personal growth must happen consistently to compound and impact your business growth. Any day without growth negates the progress of other days.

4. UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIP:

Throughout BuilHOW and the many panels on topics like luxury homes, recruitment, economics, and tax codes, one message echoed – who you do business with matters. Entrepreneur Jim Rohn says you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Surround yourself with leaders, top performers, and game changers — those who are grateful, ambitious, gritty, and positive. Pick your partners wisely, hold each other accountable, and maximize the relationships you’ve built.

5. SET YOUR EXPECTATIONS WISELY:

BuiltHOW Speaker Mack Newton said, “You don’t get what you want, you get what you expect.” Your actions, words, work ethic, and mindset are at the center of your control. To expect and earn different results, perform differently to achieve them. Raise your expectations even if you and your business do not meet them after the first attempt. Take ownership of your growth and expect more as you work towards it.

Knowledge and inspiration were abundant during those two days in the desert. Now we move forward with new wisdom and connections between top agents across the nation. BuiltHOW will return in spring 2023 to join real estate leaders for another mastermind event.

R e a d y t o e l e v a t e y o u r r e a l e s t a t e g a m e ? C o m e t o o u r n e x t l i v e e v e n t !

J o i n u s f o r t h e i n d u s t r y ’ s n e w e s t a n d o n l y b r o k e r a g e - a g n o s t i c m a s t e r m i n d e v e n t f o r t o p a g e n t s a n d t e a m s , c o m i n g S p r i n g 2 0 2 3 !

F E A T U R I N G

D e b b i e D e G r o t e , B e n K i n n e y ,

C h r i s S u a r e z & S p e c i a l G u e s t s

V i s i t B u i l t H O W . c o m t o R e g i s t e r

Navigating the Shift

Change, while natural to economic cycles, prompts significant unease among buyers, sellers, and the agents who represent them. As real estate professionals, it’s our responsibility to combat extreme uncertainties that are often driven by a lack of consumer education.

Having knowledge of what’s going on in the market – and why – allows you to be a better fiduciary to your clients during changing economic cycles.

BIG PICTURE: CHALLENGING AFFORDABILITY

As of October 2022, the consumer price index has increased 7.7% year over year. Despite this falling above economists’ expectations and being the lowest inflation reading since January, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said they still have “some ways to go.”

During the pandemic, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates near zero in hopes of minimizing damage to the economy. However, inflation persisted thanks to a variety of issues both global and local that constrained the supply chain despite stable consumer demand. We know inflation’s a major issue when we see prices rise across a variety of industries while our spending power decreases.

In an effort to curb inflation earlier this year, the Fed approved its first rate hike since December 2018. Since March, we’ve seen six consecutive rate increases, four of which have jumped by 75 basis points. Today, borrowing costs across all sectors are at their highest rates since 2008. With the current economic headwinds expected to persist into 2023, rising rates will have a lingering effect on the economy overall.

Leading market insights from PLACE professionals to help you navigate an uncertain market

2023 will be a year of waiting and holding. Buyers will be reluctant to move until they see rates drop, and sellers are looking to hold on to their low-rate loans. Market insight and client service will be critical.

INFLATION’S IMPACT ON MORTGAGES

Mortgage rates have risen from their lows of 2.65% in January 2021, and the latest estimates reported by Forbes from the Mortgage Bankers Association show the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to end 2022 at 5.4%. Between the high cost of borrowing and (still) elevated price points caused by low housing inventory stemming from the pandemic, the average homebuyer today is facing a significant decrease in affordability.

Prices are now inevitably dropping due to lower buyer demand. This year, the Case-Schiller Home Price Index saw its largest month-over-month dip since 2012. Still, not every U.S. region is currently facing the same degree of fluctuation. Prices are somewhat stable in the Midwest and Southeast, and on the West Coast, where asking prices soared to new highs during the pandemic, tumbling sales prices are more pronounced. The higher the climb, the farther the fall.

REMEMBER: THIS ISN’T 2008

There are two key issues that separate today’s market from the Great Recession that began in 2008: low housing supply and low foreclosure risk. Housing inventory remains near historically low levels — at the end of October, total housing inventory registered at 1.22 million units, down 0.8% from both September and one year ago, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors® published in November 2022. This lower supply helps offset waning demand due to mortgage interest affordability concerns.

Further separating the conditions of 2022 from the market shift of 2008 is the low risk of foreclosure in 2022. Many homeowners have built up significant home equity as prices soared during the pandemic, and borrowers face far stricter loan requirements today. Home values would need to fall significantly for a notable share of 2021-originated mortgages to fall underwater, or owing more on a home than its current market value.

PREPARING FOR THE SHIFT

Top real estate agents and team leaders need to be prepared for a shifting market with fewer transactions and cooling home prices. In 2023, sellers will be incentivized to hold on to their lower mortgage rates, and potential buyers may be more inclined to wait for rates to drop. With fewer transactions to be had, you need to dial up your lead generation activities significantly. Agent productivity will be a critical metric to watch.

As agents, we must position ourselves as housing market experts and consultants by prioritizing learning. More than half

of Americans invest in the stock market, and in the U.S., the no. 1 avenue to building long-term wealth is through real estate. With so many eyes on the economy right now, particularly among investment-focused clients, education and service will be critical to maintaining trusted relationships. In addition to cultivating a deep understanding of the national and local markets, continue working closely with a trusted mortgage partner to provide buyers a multitude of financing options.

What your clients

need to know: The

market has slowed, but sellers should know home prices are still up dramatically year-over-year. Although each situation is unique, many homeowners have received enough passive equity over the past few years to make a transaction worthwhile despite dwindling buyer demand.

Days on Market (DOM) has increased in nearly half of the largest metro areas since last year, yet remains at record lows compared to pre-pandemic years. Median home prices are no longer rising at record rates but are leveling off instead. And, although price reductions seem more common now compared to a year ago, they are more in line with pre-pandemic levels.

Gone are the days of listing a home and receiving multiple, over-asking offers before the photos even had a chance to populate on the MLS. But, that was never sustainable. Expect to adjust your strategies when advising buyers and sellers in the new market and keep in mind that the changes we are currently seeing, while unnerving in the short term, will move us toward a more balanced and healthy real estate market in the long term.

POWERED BY PLACE

Succeeding in Luxury

A Conversation with Jeannette Spinelli, Owner/ Operator, Spinelli Residential Group

When Jeannette Spinelli began her career in real estate, she was a far step from the top luxury agent she is today. As a part-time agent whose average price point was around $99,000, she was content. Then tragedy struck. Her fiancé was killed in a car accident mere weeks before their wedding day, leaving bills and debt that compelled her to change how she approached her business. It was time to increase her price point.

Although she wasn’t from a luxury background, didn’t have the luxury contacts, and lacked the country club membership, Jeannette studied the demographic, hit the pavement, and cold-called her way into the luxury price point. Now in her 24th year as a successful real estate broker with an average price point of $2.2 million, it’s clear Jeannette has a lot of insight to share and help others achieve her success.

PLACE Magazine recently sat down with Jeannette from her office in Austin, Texas to learn about how she established and maintains her position as a top luxury agent, as well as ask her what sets the luxury space apart from the traditional real estate market.

How did you break into the luxury market?

Jeannette: Anyone can break into luxury if they have the intentionality. I was a student of that demographic and examined what a luxury consumer would want. This is before Google, so I went to a bookstore. I would buy a $2 coffee and grab everything I could find to read about where they liked to go on vacation, what they liked to wear, their lifestyle, their interests, their needs, and their wants. I did consumer research first and market research next. And within six months, I landed a very sought-after neighborhood of home-sites that every luxury agent in the city was going after. From that one neighborhood deal, I’ve been able to track $280 million in sales and referrals.

What important foundations did you use to build your luxury business that continue to be important?

Jeannette: At every price point, customer experience matters. The ideas are the same, but the service becomes more detailed and more expensive to execute as your price points go up. I find you must examine what works in your market and then bring it up several notches for a luxury clientele. For example, I may bring a bottle of wine to some clients, but for luxury clients, I will bring the food, drinks, and entertainment, and host a departure or welcome party. A concierge mindset is important. If it’s not illegal, immoral, or unethical, my team will do it. I want to be the person the client calls for everything, real estate or otherwise.

What is important for an agent trying to break into the luxury market to know?

Jeannette: I believe that you shouldn’t even try to sell a house unless you really know your stuff. And as you move to a high-end price point, you become the piece of the puzzle for that particular person alongside their estate planner, their stockbroker, their insurance agent, and their estate planning attorney. Your job is to earn a seat at that table of decisionmakers. Because that’s what wealthy, highnet-worth individuals expect.

Relevant Conversations in Today’s Market

Conversations about interest rates are very topof-mind these days for both buyers and sellers. As a luxury agent, it’s up to you to proactively share creative ways to make buying or selling easier for your clients.

Consider these talking points as interest rates increase, using a $650,000 home as the example:

FOR BUYERS

Let’s talk about permanent rate buy-downs. If you can’t afford a higher payment, let’s consider going to the seller and asking them to buy the rate down. Decreasing a buyer’s interest rate by 1% can cost the seller about 3%. If you’ve got a $650,000 note, you’re typically borrowing $500,000 and putting down some money. Three% of the $500,000 to be borrowed is $15,000.

FOR SELLERS

I’m sure you would agree, seller, that a $15,000 reduction on a $650,000 home would not get you much attention. But if you take that same $15,000 and provide that to the buyer, it enables the interest rate to come down. Now you’re able to open up your property to more buyers instead of them walking away because they can’t afford it.

Jeannette’s key piece of advice? When you have a captive audience, tell them something different.

“

“Your job is to earn a seat at that table of decision makers. Because that’s what wealthy, high-networth individuals expect.

Tips from PLACE’s Top Luxury Agents

“The success of my luxury business has always been because of intentionality in my relationships and activities. I put myself in the right room with the right people. Whether it be in a boardroom for a charity, on the golf course at the right club, or locking arms with other business leaders in my community, I always want to be adding value to key people in my community. I always have two things top-of-mind when heading into those rooms: One, expertise in the market and two, knowing what makes me different from my competition, and how it benefits them.”

To excel in today’s market, what should a luxury agent focus their attention on?

“Market your listings to international buyers. We have seen an influx of international buyers bringing money back to New York in the past few weeks. Work your database and be a matchmaker. Bring listings to your past clients who may not even be in the market to buy. Buyers continue to put their money into hard assets, one being luxury real estate. The market is there. Focus on who the buyer will be. Differentiate yourself from other listing agents with the best marketing; your marketing is your brand and will help you get your next luxury listing. Hire the most talented photographer and videographer you can find, and give it your all. Be realistic with your sellers and let them know if you believe the price should be dropped in a shifting market. Stay in front of them weekly.”

— NICOLE GARY, OWNER/OPERATOR, NICOLE GARY TEAM

“In this market, you need to put 30% more effort into basics, and 30% more effort into lead generation, contacting clients, and building relationships. You have to build your relationships with clients at the right price point; I always reach out to past clients and remind them I am their resource for anything they need for their home. This often leads to referrals.”

— CESI PAGANO, OWNER/OPERATOR, CESI PAGANO & ASSOCIATES

“Tap into your partnerships to elevate your luxury business. Partnering with PLACE has given me a larger platform and access to the highest producing agents across the country. I received an $8 million referral from another PLACE Partner and I was referred an $11 million client. PLACE also helps with getting visibility to press releases and social media. It is so helpful to tap into a network of the best minds!

ELIZABETH OLCOTT,

Jeannette: You always have to know your product, your numbers, and the inventory. But because the market is shifting, luxury agents need to get really good at forecasting. You have to know where the market is going. Agents can’t control the interest rates or global happenings. But we can control our preparation and knowledge, so we can bring our clients information that will help them. You should be thirsty for data and information from all different sources. I use resources like Wealth-X, Knight Frank’s Wealth Report, and other third-party trend reports. Trusted economists or financial advisors are also great sources. And because real estate is so hyperlocal, we must provide grassroots information in addition to global-level information. You have to be able to share insight that they can’t get on Google or elsewhere and be confident in what you’re saying to them. Otherwise, they don’t need you.

How has a partnership with PLACE helped you to succeed?

Jeannette: I personally feel like there is no other business, even outside of real estate, that has the dedication to the personal and professional growth of every single individual like PLACE does. And that can create a really big business and meaningful freedom for agents and business owners like myself. Having a day-to-day business is over, and with PLACE, you are really creating something that is sustainable.

— ADAM DOW, OWNER/OPERATOR, DOW REALTY GROUP

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OWNER/OPERATOR, ELIZABETH OLCOTT & ASSOCIATES

S T A F F , P R O D U C T I O N , E X P E N S E S

I N H A L F

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Hiring your virtual assistant has never been easier or more affordable. Available on a project-based, part-time, or fulltime level. Visit brivityva.com and schedule a consultation.

“In two days together, my Brivity Virtual Assistant and I have gotten more done than I’ve accomplished in two months' time with in-house assistants in the past.”

Sarah Forti | Forti Homes | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

POWERED BY PLACE

4 Steps to Put Powerful Scripts to Work for You

Plus, 5 Key Components of a DIY Script

Valencia Brown, Director of Sales, The Davis Team

In the fast-paced real estate world, it’s essential to equip your team with tools for effective conversations that convert both buyers and sellers. Here’s where scripts are so effective in helping propel you and your team further, faster. Integral to PLACE value, you get instant access to the training, resources, and coaching to free up your time to get you and your team to the next level. Valencia Brown, director of lead generation for the Davis Team in Dallas, has helped agents become six-figure producers. Her top tips for putting scripts to work for you:

PICK ONE

A script is basically just a road map for any conversation you want to have. There are thousands out there on every topic imaginable. Pick one.

Which script is best?

Start by pinpointing the category of conversation you want to have. When calling For Sale By Owners, you wouldn’t pick a script for Just Sold or Just Listed. Specify as best you can without getting overwhelmed by all the options. Make your initial choices based on the general subject and then dig deep to personalize it.

Where can you find the best scripts?

As a PLACE Partner, you have hundreds of tried-and-true scripts from the best in the business, right at your fingertips. I also recommend Forward Coaching courses. Jordan Davis, Debbie De Grote, and I teach the exciting course, Converted, which equips you with the cadence and language of our team’s script packet. Ben Kinney’s cards also offer powerful and proven scripts easy to take on the go.

LEARN IT

Once you have a script, work it! Practice it over and over; read it to a mirror until you naturally make it your own. Don’t memorize to the point of sounding robotic, but internalize the message enough that the conversation can flow organically.

ROLE-PLAY

Work with a trusted colleague to role-play different scenarios, such as an Open House or Expired. Tell them not to let you off the hook or make it too easy, either. Role-play with a difficult or tricky personality, or pretend to be an older or younger person. This allows you to flex your conversational skills and grow your ability to communicate well with a wide variety of people.

Valencia Brown

Build your own script

Can’t find the perfect script for one unique situation? Build your own! Just include these five components:

Opener

Introduce yourself and figure out their name, or use it if you know it. Make sure to state who you are and where you’re from to establish validity in the conversation.

Rapport

I can’t just unload information on a lead. I have to seek first to understand who they are, and what they want to do. Why are they at this open house? Why are they looking at homes at 3 in the morning? We have to establish some common ground before we can move forward.

Motivation

Get to the root of your lead’s motivation to buy, sell, or make a change. You’ll notice when you’re moving closer to their dream and a solution because there will be natural breaks in the conversation. Your lead will likely slow down and hesitate. This is a normal part of the process, and helps us get to the objection.

Objection

As long as you know the objection is coming, it won’t catch you off guard. Objections come up naturally, so you can express that you fully understand, offer to research their concern, do some homework, and get back to them. This flows perfectly into the next step.

Commitment

Address their objection by getting a commitment. Here’s a great question to ask, “Which day this week can I call you back with that information?”

As a PLACE Partner, you have exclusive access to our robust resource library that includes time-tested scripts for almost every buying and selling situation. Tap into it 24/7 and watch your team’s productivity improve!

Build a Business that Runs Without You

A fuller life will follow with Fred Sed, Owner/Operator, Fred Sed Group

When Fred Sed of Orange County, California’s Fred Sed Group, and his family started talking about taking an epic cross-country RV trip, it felt like a distant dream. Fred rarely took even a week off; this trip would be for weeks on end — during peak summer sales season.

Part of what attracted Fred to partnering with PLACE was the opportunity to use real estate to build an experiential life, and to gain some much-needed leverage to enjoy true business freedom. Both benefits became reality this summer, when Fred completely unplugged for nearly two (consecutive!) months. He shares what he learned, how he did it, and why you should, too.

DEFINE YOUR WHY

One of the reasons I took the vacation is because, personally, I wanted to set business aside and focus completely on my family. Professionally, I wanted to purposely pull myself out of the actual day-to-day to see if I had a business that could function in my absence.

LIST YOUR TASKS

I wrote down everything that I do to run the business and lead my team of 20, as well as my activities for real estate sales, because while I still handle about 40 homes a year, the team does more than 200 units. I assigned someone to handle each of my own tasks, giving each of them complete ownership.

PREPARE YOUR MIND

I had amazing coaching conversations with Ben Kinney and Chris Suarez about the importance of mindset and how to mentally prepare for what my business should look like when I returned to it.

Heading out of town, I was at a crossroads about how to make the biggest difference in this industry’s future: continue selling real estate or start changing the lives of people in my organization. The latter’s where I really want to excel in the next five years; helping 50 to 100 agents or staff members sell enough homes each year that they, too, can experience financial and time freedom.

LOOK FOR THE GAPS

If you’re running (or want to build) a team, you must understand how it ticks and what the gaps are. Then, coach the gap so you can close the gap. Time away quickly helped me see our problem areas:

• Lagging conversions

Our team was doing a great job with the number of dials and conversations, but we weren’t converting. Stepping back helped me easily identify this problem. Since, we’ve been working on conversion nonstop and took more listings in the 35 days since I’ve been back than we did all year previously.

• Lacking leadership development

Even before my departure, I knew I needed to boost investment in my leaders to help them excel. That’s why I’m thankful for the unlimited training opportunities we have at PLACE. I strategically place members of my team in classes and calls so PLACE can help train them, rather than drawing from my own limited time. Vacation taught me:

• Your business doesn’t have to depend on you

I pulled myself out entirely: no calls, recaps, meetings, training, deals, problems… nothing. When I came back, I realized I was doing so much prior to leaving that actually didn’t require my oversight. My team handled it all beautifully, and continues owning it, which naturally gives me more of my own time back.

• Power in partnership

We’ve succeeded because we take what PLACE offers and strategically (and consistently) implement one thing at a time. Implemented knowledge equals wisdom.

As I turn to growing leaders, I can confidently say a lot of my team members at the Fred Sed Group would not be able to surpass their opportunity goals on their own without PLACE partnership. I would not be able to help them nearly as effectively alone. Because of my partnership with PLACE, I can guarantee any opportunity my team members want. You can, too.

Maria Galizia: From Zero to a Million

Austin, Texas-based Maria Galizia shares how she went from start-up to $1M GCI in just seven years

When Texas native Maria Galizia graduated with a marketing degree in 2015, she was drawn to the dynamic nature of sales — particularly the idea of creating your own income—and decided to venture into real estate.

From the beginning, she partnered with the Adelina Rotar and BKT Austin team in Austin, Texas and later joined PLACE, where she’s been a perennial top agent on the Austin team, recently closing $1 million in GCI. With seven years in the business, Galizia shares more about how she went from startup to top earner in less than a decade.

MAKE LEAD GENERATION YOUR PRIORITY

In the beginning, your only business is lead generation. All day, every day. Your main priority is finding business. One big catalyst for me was Bold 6000, an intense six-week, lead-generation push where we generated at least 250 contacts each week. Some of the avenues I explored for leads were expireds, withdrawn, sign calls, Internet leads, and For Sale By Owners.

TRUST THE PROCESS

My first year wasn’t anything to write home about. I did three deals in my first six months. The majority of my days were spent lead-generating for my entire first year. I also had a second job waiting tables. While the income part of the business hadn’t come yet, I knew it would. All the leads I continually added to my database, along with stellar service, gradually led to more deals.

Once business starts flowing, you can shift your focus to service. For me, this meant:

DEEPENING OUR RELATIONSHIP

Now that I have a good flow of business, my larger focus is strengthening my relationship with each client, including:

• Being incredibly precise with every detail

• Focusing on the long-term relationship, not short-term gains

• Advising them along their wealth building journey

• Keeping them updated on assets once they close

• Sending updates as their home grows in value

• Checking in after life events to ensure they’re still in a home they love

The relationship never ends with the transaction; it’s ongoing.

TRANSACTIONS ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFERRALS

This idea goes hand-in-glove with providing incredible service. Every transaction has a compounding component that can lead to future transactions. My best advice for getting the next referral from your current clients is to peel the onion. Don’t ask just one question — open-ended queries that go several layers deep get to the heart of their motivations and goals.

LEAN INTO LEVERAGE

I now have a buyer partner and just hired a Brivity Virtual Assistant. I’m very invested in their growth and our future business, and we work really well together, which has proved a huge piece of leverage as far as gaining back time to pursue more listings and achieve quality of life.

BE CONSISTENT

Consistency may not seem like a strategy, but it’s enormously important in establishing a productive business. I’m not a natural salesperson, but I do have consistency and focus in my activities when it comes to following up with people and providing the very best service; I excel at ensuring nothing is missed. Being someone that people can always count on for offering consistency is a real strategy, one that has served me well.

PARTNER WELL

PLACE is such an incredible platform to help agents put any vision to life. I have continuous access to marketing, technology, resources, systems, and models that free me to fully focus on my day-to-day business, while the back-office activities run seamlessly, truly powering my success.

POWERED BY PLACE

Neglected to New: Flipping Down South

Spotlighting PLACE Partners’ Feel-Good Mission

A&E’s latest remodeling show spotlights unwavering commitment by PLACE’s Cody J. Cummings and Paul Mielke to reviving Alabama communities

Alabama communities like Birmingham are dotted with unlivable properties — ranging from historic mansions to one-bedroom homes — resulting in hundreds of house fires and millions of dollars in property losses. In response, Birmingham is demolishing hundreds of properties across 99 neighborhoods (with more planned) to address years of citizen concerns. PLACE Partners Cody J. Cummings and Paul Mielke decided to approach the problem with a novel solution, revitalizing abandoned properties and returning them to the community at a fair price. Their mission impressed the A&E television network so much they invested in the journey with a national home-improvement show “Flipping Down South.”

Before the duo’s collaboration, Cummings’ expertise was in single-family real estate; collaborating with Mielke opened up new investment possibilities. Leverage from operating their respective real estate teams, The Apollo Property Group and Monroe Park Homes, powered by PLACE, allowed them to pursue a second income stream through their partnership.

“When you’re an agent selling and selling, you have to keep the cash flow going, so it’s hard to step back and find profitable investment opportunities,” Cummings says. “The solution to that problem was partnership with another agent. Our businesses are profitable, but they could always be more profitable, which turned us toward another strategic partnership with PLACE.”

DOING GOOD WHILE MAINTAINING A PROFIT

The pair discovered their dedication to affordable housing presented a challenge. The price point is lower while overhead is unchanging, so volume must rise. Challenges to their mission arose. Case in point: accept a firm’s quick cash offer for a classic 1915, Tudor-style home, or sell it to a single homeowner with a lower offer. While there aren’t many cash offers in affordable housing, there are plenty of contracts falling through. There are also people struggling

“The show is about taking homes that have been abandoned — left to rot — and giving them back to the community. We focus on that $100-220k price point, providing nice homes to working-class people and protecting the dream of homeownership.”

— PAUL MIELKE, OWNER/OPERATOR, MONROE PARK HOMES

to pay what they can to build wealth. They sold the property to the homeowner. No other choice would abide by their values to serve the community first.

They tweaked their business to include some luxury real estate to uphold a healthy balance sheet. This practice has become integral in delivering and protecting affordable homeownership in areas where the community is crying out for improvement.

Through conversation with PLACE CoFounder Ben Kinney, Cummings and Mielke decided on yet another stream of income: holding real estate instead of selling immediately. Flipping houses isn’t an investment, it’s revenue generation.

Holding property as it appreciates is investing. Cummings’ ongoing industry education has changed his conversations with clients. He now finds himself, when he discovers a client is selling, suggesting they hold the property and buy another. Repeat.

“An agent’s job is to give their people access to wealth,” Cummings emphasizes. “People don’t know about home equity lines of credit or how to cash-out refinance. As their real estate professionals, we owe it to them to learn more and provide them with all the information.”

The team’s current focus is guiding former clients through the process of establishing rental portfolios, with the goal of homeowners ultimately having more equity in their own communities.

“People deserve stake in their neighborhoods. It gives them a seat at the table when decisions are made,” Mielke adds.

WHERE TO WATCH FLIPPING DOWN SOUTH

Catch Season 1 of “Flipping Down South,” on Hoopla, DIRECTV, A&E or free (with ads) on Pluto TV. Or purchase on Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, and Vudu.

NEWS IN THE

Throughout the United States and Canada, top agents are flocking to PLACE for our commitment to empowering agents and teams with tools, training, coaching, wealth building, support, and services.

We’re turning heads in the press, too. This year, PLACE caught the attention of Inman News, RealTrends, PropTech, Online Marketplaces, RISMedia, GeekWire, Built In Seattle, and Real Estate Almanac, to name just a few. As we enter 2023, we reflect on the extraordinary moments and growth leading to our prolific media and news coverage across a wide range of news outlets and online periodicals. Here are some highlights from 2022.

PARTNER NEWS

PLACE’s innovative Co-Founder Ben Kinney tops the Swanepoel Power 200 annual list of most powerful and influential real estate leaders in the industry

PLACE takes one of the coveted spots on Built In Seattle’s list of 22 start-ups to watch in 2022

PLACE wins GeekWire’s Deal of the Year Funding Award

Dynamic PLACE President Chris Stuart is honored for his phenomenal leadership as one of RISMedia’s 2022 Influential Real Estate Newsmakers

PLACE is the #1 Mega Team by RealTrends 2022 The Thousand

PLACE Partner Jeannette Spinelli, of the award-winning, luxury real estate Spinelli Residential Group, is featured on CNBC’s Power Lunch to discuss her team’s observations on the Austin, Texas, real estate market

PLACE Partner and Team Leader Cerissa Jornod is named to the inaugural RealTrends Emerging Leaders list showcasing trailblazing agents including Jornod, whose team grew exponentially this year, increasing production by 40%

PLACE Partner and founder of the Building Dreams Team in Kirkland, Washington, Thuy Nguyen is named to the inaugural RealTrends Emerging Leaders List for her innovative work building a multilingual team serving families new to the country

PLACE Partners are industry leading experts! Here are just some of the mentions our Partner teams have received:

Meet the Leaders of

PLACE’s dynamic leadership team is composed of legendary industry standouts who work together to help the top 20% of real estate teams build big businesses, find success through nurturing others, grow their unique local brands, enhance their value propositions, save time, boost production, and increase profitability using tools, resources, models, systems, and community.

Chris Suarez and Ben Kinney co-founded PLACE in 2019, launching it in February 2020 with 41 of the top-producing teams across the United States and Canada from a wide variety of brokerage brands. Late 2021, PLACE closed its series-A round, led by Goldman Sachs, for $100 million, yielding a $1 billion valuation. The organization continues to grow with more PLACE Partners and employees on a collective mission to deliver the dream of homeownership everywhere.

Ben Kinney, Co-Founder

Ben is a businessman, real estate agent, and best-selling author. Prior to launching PLACE, Ben founded the Ben Kinney Companies, which include Brivity, ActiveRain, Kwkly, Blossor, coaching and training companies, plus mortgage, title, and escrow. Three of his companies were recently ranked in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in America, and he has personally trained more than 100,000 business owners via conferences, classes, and webinars.

Chris Suarez, Co-Founder

In his 20 years of experience, Chris Suarez has successfully grown multiple real estate teams across the United States and internationally. Chris has been recognized as an Inman Innovator, RISMedia Real Estate Newsmaker, and maintains a presence on the RealTrends “The Thousand” list. As co-founder of PLACE, he brings experience in real estate law, title, and sales to his teams. Chris is passionate about coaching and speaking and leads coaching, masterminding, and consulting programs. He lives this mission by traveling and creating lifelong experiences with his wife and two daughters.

Chris Stuart, President

President Chris Stuart joined PLACE from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, where he served as President and CEO of the global real estate franchise network. Chris has an impressive track record of rapidly scaling real estate franchises while driving consumer brand and experience. During his time in the role, BHHS grew from 32,000 to more than 50,000 real estate professionals around the globe, and he oversaw the expansion of the brand globally into markets throughout Western Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico.

Ellen Curtis Head of Partnerships

John Powers Head of Productivity

Josiah Ubben Head of Design

Bob Stewart Head of Technology Implementation

Katie Benson Head of Growth

David Wiggs President of PLACE Tech/Brivity

Jillene Snell Head of Operations

Vija Williams Head of Industry

Holly Priestner Head of Talent

Abby Powell Chief Marketing Officer

Suzanne Colvin Chief Financial Officer

Ross Clawson Chief Administrative Officer

Emiliano Delucia Chief Technology Officer

Savannah Dowe Head of Support

Jesse Passafiume President of PLACE Mortgage

Mikey Farinha Head of Marketing

Roberto Moreno Head of Artificial Intelligence

Vic Stephens Head of Technology Talent

Jared Hull Head of Product

Debbie De Grote Head of Coaching

Lakefront Luxury with Breathtaking Views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Mountains

308 & 309 Sewall Road Wolfeboro, NH 03894

Dow Realty Group, powered by PLACE and affiliated with Keller Williams, has announced a luxury real estate opportunity located at 308 and 309 Sewall Road. The estate comprises two homes, The Lake House and The Barn. The prestigious estate is located on Wolfeboro’s premier Sewall Road. The Lake House offers unobstructed westerly views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Mountains and The Barn is perfect for overflow guests and family.

“This is a unique opportunity to own a two-home compound, designed for anyone who appreciates detail in craftsmanship. Rarely does an opportunity like this come available in this neighborhood,” said Listing Agent and PLACE Partner Adam Dow. “The spectacular sunset views and private beach are just the beginning of what these properties have to offer.”

The level waterfront boasts a walk-in sandy beach, water’s edge patio, outdoor kitchen and shower and beautiful lawn. John Sweeney Builders, known for their attention to detail and custom millwork, designed these properties’ carefully crafted finishes, including a massive kitchen in the Lake House featuring top of the line Viking, Sub-Zero, and Bosch appliances with dazzling green granite countertops and limestone floors.

Located across the street from The Lake House, The Barn captivates with reclaimed Carlisle oak floors, four en suite bedrooms, a full game room on the lower level, and a spacious living room with a floor to ceiling fireplace.

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The spectacular sunset views and private beach are just the beginning of what these properties have to offer.

Additional features of these amazing properties include, but are not limited to, the following:

THE LAKE HOUSE

• Heated driveway and walkway

• Bose whole house sound system with all weather outdoor speakers

• All stone is limestone except granite kitchen

• White oak floors

• Elevator accessible to all floors

• Whole house humidity control and air purification

• Private beach

• Steam shower with rainfall attachment and surround sound in master bathroom

THE BARN

• Private dock with a double jet ski lift and room for 4+ boats

• Cedar roof with all Azek trim

• Blue sugar marble vanities

• Radiant heat floor

• Secret garden with fenced yard, screen porch and firepit

308 and 309 Sewall Road are being sold together at a list price of $8.9 million. For additional information, and showing requests, contact Adam Dow at 603-7309207 or email adamd@adamdow.com.

PRICED AT $8,900,000

NUMBER OF BEDROOMS/BATHS 7/9

SQUARE FEET 12,211

LOT SIZE .79 Acres

An Oasis of Contemporary Luxury in Lush Arizona Desert

1440 N Citrus Cove Circle Mesa, AZ 85213

Shanna Day Team, powered by PLACE and affiliated with Keller Williams Realty East Valley, announced a new listing with this picturesque estate located in the Groves Corridor of the Mesa Valley near Phoenix.

Merging contemporary design with elaborate amenities and thoughtful space, this property features living areas that dramatically integrate indoor and outdoor living.

“One of the most desired homes in Mesa is now available, a crown jewel of the Legacy Community,” said Shanna Day, listing agent and owner of the Shanna Day Team. “Clean contrasting lines with warm wood tones and cooling organic additions make this one of the most elegant spaces available in the Valley.”

The details are beautiful but so is the functionality with a professional-grade kitchen with Wolf cook-tops, double ovens, a breakfast nook, and a large kitchen island. Take indoor entertainment to the next level with a downstairs game area, kitchenette, and theater area basement.

1440 N Citrus Cove Circle is listed at $2.85 million. For additional information and private showings, please contact Shanna Day at (480) 415-7616.

NUMBER OF BEDROOMS/BATHS 6/5

SQUARE FEET 6,535

LOT SIZE .91 Acres

PRICED AT $2,850,000

Alfarone Home Team, powered by PLACE and affiliated with Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty, has announced a luxurious real estate opportunity at 1251 SW 104th Street Rd, located in Ocala’s gated Equine Estates community. With no shortage of breathtaking views, this one-of-a-kind masterpiece boasts lush vistas, picturesque oaks, and twoand-a-half miles of exclusive riding trails.

“Rarely does a residence this coveted become available... The magnificent views and private riding trails are just the beginning of what this amazing property has to offer,” said Listing Agent and PLACE Partner Anthony Alfarone.

With 8,400 square feet of indoor living space, the welloutfitted residence is suited for both entertaining and leisure. This property’s exceptional detail is complimented by gold leaf and Swarovski crystal chandeliers, an open floor plan showcasing towering ceilings, and a resort-caliber pool and spa. The extensive outdoor space is topped off with comfort details such as gas lanterns, misters, and automated pest control.

Upon entering this splendid property, residents and guests are greeted by the sprawling great room with a fireplace that opens up to a built-in, fully equipped bar. The stateof-the-art chef’s kitchen is replete with a bar fridge and separate breakfast room. And, the stunning master suite boasts a private terrace, fitness/yoga studio, and dual closets for an extra touch of comfort and luxury.

1251 SW 104th Street Rd is listed at $6.5 million. For additional information, please see the full listing details on the Alfarone Home Team website. For other questions and showing requests, contact Anthony Alfarone at (352) 8970771 or anthonyalfarone@kw.com.

“

“ No detail was spared in this custom designed gem, resting on a little over 21 acres.

SOLD FOR $11,995,000

Astounding Cityscape Views Accompanied by Lake Austin in Panoramic Proportion

4310 River Garden Trail Austin, TX 78746

The Bucher Group, powered by PLACE and affiliated with Austin Portfolio Real Estate, has announced a luxurious real estate opportunity at 4310 River Garden Trail in Austin’s prestigious 78746 area. Inspired by the iconic Hollywood Hills Stahl House, the home is described as “New Century Modern” thanks to its sleek organic finishes and expansive outdoor living spaces.

“This one-of-a-kind residence boasts truly remarkable panoramic views of Downtown and Lake Austin. No detail was spared in this property’s design, which is demonstrated in each of its hand-selected, exquisite features and finishes,” said Listing Agent Kathleen Bucher.

Providing 6,113 sq. ft. of indoor living space, this scenic residence rests on over one acre and is cantilevered over a cliff side in the Summit at West Rim — breaking barriers between indooroutdoor living.

This property’s exceptional detail is highlighted by the Schüco zero threshold, motorized sliding door system that frames the open concept living area, Ram’s Thermal Break Aluminum windows, iron front door with sidelights, lavish outdoor pool area, owner’s wing, and state-of-the-art kitchen.

The secluded Owner’s Suite is a retreat with an intimate seating area, an expansive walk-in closet, and an en-suite bath complete with an elegant tub encased in book-matched Patagonia Granite slabs and a crosshatch chandelier centerpiece.

4310 River Garden Trail recently sold for $12M. For information on properties in the Austin area, please contact Listing Agent Kathleen Bucher at (512) 784-7169 or kathleen@thebuchergroup. com or Showing Partner Sharon Morgan at (512) 431-9482 or sharon@thebuchergroup.com

FOR $11,995,000

Elizabeth Olcott & Associates, powered by PLACE and affiliated with Keller Williams Napa Valley, has announced a luxurious real estate opportunity at 2947 Cavedale Road in Glen Ellen. Revered for its scenic mountainside views, Mountaintop Modernism lives up to its name with sleek and organic architectural elements that mimic the surrounding scenery.

“The rarest of wine country resort properties is available for the first time in over a dozen years,” said Elizabeth Olcott, listing agent and owner of Elizabeth Olcott & Associates.

Crafted by Portico West, this modernist home, built into the hillside offers a main residence of two primary suites, and a one-bedroom and one-bathroom guest house, including concrete-pressed entry doors, created by Artisan John Lamos. With warm finishes and custom internationally-inspired pieces, Favreau Design incorporated a contemporary atmosphere, with handblown glass chandeliers reminiscent of champagne bubbles.

Additional features of this mesmerizing property include:

• Teakwood kitchen and butler’s pantry

• A wine room with a back-lit onyx wall

• Bocce court, outdoor pool table, and an integrated barbecue area

• Eco-friendly solar panels and whole home water purification

• In-floor radiant heating and Elan home automation system

• Meticulous landscaping with fragrant lavender fields courtesy of Blasen Landscape Architecture

2947 Cavedale Road is listed at $7.4 million. For additional information and private showing requests, please contact Elizabeth Olcott at (707) 312-0819 or elizabeth@bkconapa.com.

“

“Situated atop a private 32-acre estate, this home is oriented towards spectacular views of the pool, lavender fields and jaw-dropping vistas.

Three Stories of Luxury in this Moreland Hills Estate

3780 Chagrin River Road, Moreland Hills, OH 44022

Amanda Pohlman Team, powered by PLACE and associated with Keller Williams Living, has announced a notable listing at 3780 Chagrin River Road in Moreland Hills, Ohio. This five bedroom, eight bathroom home welcomes with beautiful gardens and luxurious landscaping, highlighted by a private waterfall. The long private driveway and wraparound porch make for magnificent curb appeal, and the stunning features don’t stop at the entryway.

Inside, the grand great room with coffered ceiling and french doors leading to the large, screened porch make everyday living a luxury. The gourmet kitchen is outfitted with stateof-the-art commercial-grade appliances, a breakfast room, and hearth room. As an added bonus, the primary suite is conveniently located on the first level and features an ensuite bath with soaking tub, walk-in shower, and fireplace.

“3780 Chagrin River Road is an outstanding opportunity for luxury living in a prime, central location,” said Amanda Pohlman, listing agent and owner of the Amanda Pohlman Team. “Not only is it situated directly across from the Polo Field, but this stunning Moreland Hills estate offers impeccable finishes. From the natural stone exterior details that carry inside to two of the home’s three fireplaces, to the gourmet open kitchen fit to cater and host any holiday soirée, it seamlessly blends beauty and functionality in one.”

Standing three stories high, additional highlights of this stately home include a third floor recreation room, private gym, plus a spacious lower level featuring an additional family room, theater room with three rows of seating, and massage room. The stunning backyard boasts stone patios, a fire pit, outdoor kitchen area, and a pergola with seating, providing an alfresco entertainment space that’s second to none. Located a short driving distance from downtown Chagrin Falls 3780 Chagrin River Road is listed at $2,375,000. For additional information and private showings, contact Amanda Pohlman at (216) 526-8302.

OPERATOR DIRECTORY

ALABAMA

APOLLO PROPERTY GROUP

Cody J. Cummings cody@apollopg.com

205-435-1343

MONROE PARK HOMES

Paul Mielke paul@monroeparkhomes.com

205-245-5817

TAYLOR JACKSON GROUP

Taylor Jackson taylorjacksonrealestate@gmail.com

205-308-8887

ALASKA

CRAIG & BECCA CHANNER

Craig & Becca Channer craig@benkinneyteam.com becca@benkinneyteam.com

907-230-7276

907-223-5478

ARIZONA

CASTLE REAL ESTATE GROUP

Steve & Michal Castle steve@castlegroupaz.com michal@castlegroupaz.com

602-881-6228

602-717-3811

CHRISTIN KINGSBURY GROUP

Christin Kingsbury christin@prescottarizonarealestate.info

928-600-5778

THE GOODMAN TAYLOR TEAM

James Goodman & Katie Taylor james@thegoodmantaylorteam.com katie@thegoodmantaylorteam.com

480-612-5866

480-220-6364

G.R.I.T HOME PROFESSIONALS

Alexis McIntosh alexis@grithomeprofessionals.com

928-303-2199

KARL ISENBURG & ASSOCIATES

Karl Isenburg karl@karlisenburg.com

602-432-4210

LEGACY REAL ESTATE NETWORK

Travis & Kerry Bard travis@legacyren.com kerry@legacyren.com

928-710-7007

928-710-7008

THE RAMSEY TEAM

Susan & Jim Ramsey susan@theramseyteam.com

623-773-6013

SHANNA DAY TEAM

Shanna Day info@shannaday.com

480-415-7616

CALIFORNIA

THE BERGIN GROUP

Andrea Bergin andrea@thebergingroup.com

760-953-2066

THE DAROSA TEAM

Jake DaRosa jake@sacrealestatesearch.com

916-402-5786

CESI PAGANO & ASSOCIATES

Cesi Pagano cesi@cesipagano.com

949-370-0819

ELIZABETH OLCOTT & ASSOCIATES

Elizabeth Olcott elizabeth@bkconapa.com

707-312-0819

FRED SED GROUP

Fred Sed fred@fredsedrealty.com

949-274- 3733

DEMATTEI REAL ESTATE TEAM

Chris DeMattei chris@dematteiteam.com

916-717-3266

SAN DIEGO ELITE TEAM

Wesley Brown wesley@sandiegoeliteteam.com

619-495-9775

JEFF YARBROUGH GROUP

Jeff Yarbrough jeff@jeffyarbrough.com

323-854-4300

JESSE GARCIA REAL ESTATE

Jesse Garcia jesse@jesse@jessegarcia.com

916-215-4411

R.E. VIG GROUP

Jason Lucero jason@jasonlucero.com 562-572-2777

LEVEL UP GROUP

Michael Minson michael@levelupgroup.com

415-606-2625

LUTZ & CRUZ GROUP

Robert & Carol Cruz, Kenny Lutz robert@lutzandcruz.com carol@lutzandcruz.com

ken@lutzandcruz.com

408-881-4810

408-624-0460

408-464-4906

SICHEL GROUP

Marian Sichel marian@sichelgroup.com

415-279-5420

THE MONDAY TEAM

Kerri Naslund-Monday kerri@mondayteamagents.com

510-409-4966

THE MEDFORD REAL ESTATE TEAM

Carl Medford & Sheryl Medford, Michelle Daniel carl@medfordteam.com sheryl@medfordteam.com

michelle@medfordteam.com

510-750-3300

510-750-6255

510-376-9491

ROBLES REALTY GROUP

Martha Robles martha.robles@placeinc.com

951-805-1158

THE HALSTEAD REAL ESTATE TEAM

Brian & Norma Halstead, Lacey Cordero bhalstead@thehalsteadteam.com nhalstead@thehalsteadteam.com lacey@thehalsteadteam.com

209-499-5293

209-712-0684 209-642-1344

LEAH TOUNGER REALTY GROUP

Leah Tounger & John Corden john@leahtounger.com leah@leahtounger.com

510-701-6497

925-785-6356

CINDY SLACK TEAM

Cindy Slack cindyslackteam@gmail.com

805-207-9206

GUY BLUME GROUP

Guy Blume guy@ilovealameda.com

510-846-4687

ROBERT & CHRISTY REAL ESTATE TEAM

Robert & Christy Thompson christy@robertandchristy.com robert@robertandchristy.com

951-314-0607 951-532-1889

COLORADO

KELLY SPENCER

Kelly Spencer kelly@benkinneyteam.com

303-917-4469

PATH HOME TEAM

Steven Pilkington steven@pathhometeam.com 303-587-0402

EXPERT HOME TEAM

Aaron Lebovic aaron@experthometeam.com 303-250-4440

www.place.com

THE DISTINCTIVE GROUP

Tiffany Lachnidt tiffany@thedistinctivegroup.com

719-232-8703

JENSON TEAM

Seth Jenson seth@jensonteam.com

720-979-1749

THE DUNFEE GROUP

Christy Dunfee christy@thedunfeegroup.com

719-233-2208

HUDSON STONEGATE TEAM

Scott Goodnight scott@hudsonstonegate.com

303-917-9970

ALLIANCE TEAM

Jodie Walko allianceteam-jwalko@kw.com

720-810-7882

FREEDOM RE HOMES

Lucas Sherraden placeofcoloradosprings@gmail.com

281-857-2299

DELAWARE

THE MARC POLLAK TEAM

Marc Pollak marc.pollak@place.com

908-507-8178

302-464-8880

FLORIDA

CHIP WILLIAMS GROUP

Chip Williams chipwilliamsrealtor@gmail.com

850-766-0401

DAWN BURT TEAM

Dawn and Robert Burt dawn@teamburt.com robert@teamburt.com

850-684-4284

850-684-5214

THE ALFARONE HOME TEAM

Anthony Alfarone anthonyalfarone@kw.com

352-239-5002

ARMSTRONG FAMILY GROUP

Emily Armstrong emily@armstrongfamilygroup.com

407-757-5991

PLATINUM GROUP REAL ESTATE

PJ McLoughlin & Jen Peters pjmcl@kw.com

jenpeters@kw.com

703-462-4856

THE FURLAN GROUP

Brandi & Nick Furlan brandi@furlangroup.com nick@furlangroup.com

941-894-9888

702-499-9702

LOVE FLORIDA LIVING GROUP

Becky Parker becky@lovefloridalivinggroup.com

904-412-4560

THE CORY LAUER GROUP

Cory Lauer cory@thecorylauergroup.com

239-465-9290

THE KREN GROUP

Pedro Casanova pedro@thekrengroup.com

786-586-1506

TEAM GEORGEE KLUCK

Georgee Kluck gk@georgeekluck.com

305-608-5269

THE HERNDON GROUP

Michele & Carl Herndon micheleherndon@benkinneyteam.com carlherndon@benkinneyteam.com

813-748-5548

813-523-9222

GEORGIA

KAREN SMYTH

Karen Smyth karen@benkinneyteam.com

404-234-1196

OPERATOR DIRECTORY

LIVE FREE REALTY ATLANTA

Jamie Lee Yawn & Denisse Oceguera jamielee@livefreeatlanta.com

denisse@livefreeatlanta.com

912-856-4714

678-230-2792

CHATEL GROUP

Sarah Chatel sarah@chatelgroup.com

404-784-4871

BRITTANY PURCELL & ASSOCIATES

Brittany Purcell brittanypurcell@brittanysells.com

770-713-4278

REDEFINED ATLANTA REALTY GROUP

Jill Van Nuis jill@redefinedatl.com

678-907-2074

TODD LEMOINE TEAM

Todd Lemoine todd@lemoineteam.com

770-652-7306

IDAHO

AGENTS WITH A SMILE

Barb Dopp barb@agentswithasmile.com

208-830-9223

MICHELLE BAILEY

Michelle Bailey michelle@benkinneyteam.com

208-949-3288

ILLINOIS

BOB & MARY BAKAS

Bob & Mary Bakas bob@benkinneyteam.com mary@benkinneyteam.com

630-915-8313

630-344-9826

INDIANA

SPENCER CHILDERS REAL ESTATE GROUP

Spencer Childers spencerchilders247@gmail.com

765-430-4276

KANSAS

THE HABIGER TEAM

Patrick & Christina Habiger patrickhabiger@kw.com christinahabiger@place.com

785-969-6080

KENTUCKY

TEAM PANELLA

Scott Panella scott@teampanella.com

502-558-7177

MELIA REALTY GROUP

Melia Hord melia@meliarealty.com

859-351-3661

LOUISIANA

THE RED STAR TEAM

Deborah Pierce deb@theredstarteam.com

337-316-0951

THE TEPPER GROUP

Gregg Tepper gregg@greggtepper.com

TGroup@kw.com

985-789-8717

MAINE

DUBOIS REALTY GROUP

Brian & Marnie DuBois brian@duboisrealtygroup.net marnie@duboisrealtygroup.net

207-333-9019

207-312-2125

MASSACHUSETTS

STREET PROPERTY TEAM

Kimberlee Meserve kimberlee@streetpropertyteam.com

978-587-6489

MICHIGAN

THE BLEHM GROUP

Jim & Yvette Blehm jim@theblehmgroup.com yvette@theblehmgroup.com

616-719-7017

616-635-3525

MINNESOTA

BETHANY NELSON REAL ESTATE GROUP

Bethany Nelson bethany@bethanynelsongroup.com

763-257-9770

BIG LIFE TEAM

Darcie Novak darcie@biglifeteam.com

218-780-7036

THE RYAN HANSON HOMES TEAM

Ryan & Maria Hanson ryanhansonhomes@gmail.com maria.ryanhansonhomes@gmail.com

218-205-7351

218-205-6602

MISSOURI

JAMIE ESTES

Jamie Estes jamie@benkinneyteam.com 573-216-2735

KEN HOOVER REAL ESTATE GROUP

Ken Hoover kenhooversells@gmail.com 816-210-2027

TADLOCK BRUEGGEMANN REAL ESTATE

Sarah Tadlock & John Brueggemann sarah@tadlockbrueggemann.com john@tadlockbrueggemann.com

314-761-1999

314-591-9715

MONTANA

JASON BAKER TEAM

Jason & Sara Baker jason@jasonbakerteam.com sara@jasonbakerteam.com

406-552-7548

406-552-7954

NEVADA

BUSH REALTY GROUP

Michelle & David Bush michellebush@place.com david.bushteam@gmail.com

702-287-0035

702-762-8046

NEW HAMPSHIRE

DOW REALTY GROUP

Adam & Rebecca Dow adamd@adamdow.com beckyd@adamdow.com

603-867-7311

603-651-6895

NEW JERSEY

KERR LIVING

Timothy Kerr & Cheryl Dare info@KerrLiving.com

Cheryl@KerrLiving.com

856-218-3313

THE MELNIKOFF REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE

Eric Jon Melnikoff Ericjonkw@gmail.com

201-937-0329

THE HOLMQUIST GROUP

Kelly & Christer Holmquist kholmquist@kw.com christer@kw.com

908-797-3944

OPULENT LIVING

Susan & David Maryanski susan.m@kw.com david.m@kw.com

201-232-7763

201-232-7648

PRINCETON PREMIER HOME GROUP

Stefanie Prettyman sprettyman@premierehomegroup.com 609-954-5206

NEW MEXICO

ROC REAL ESTATE

Ramon Casaus & Alex Cordova ramon.casaus@rocabq.com alex.cordova@rocabq.com 505-250-3825

YOUR CASA TEAM

Valerie Almanzar Val@yourcasateam.com 505-681-6261

NEW YORK

PEAK PARTNERS TEAM

Leah Slocum & Ann Manning Leah@PEAKRealtyNY.com

Ann@PEAKRealtyNY.com 518-727-9561 518-817-0286

LAURA SWOGGER

Laura Swogger lauraswogger@kw.com 585-732-6181

THE NICOLE GARY TEAM

Nicole Gary Nicole@thenicolegaryteam.com 914-557-1666

THE RICCI TEAM

Christine Ricci christine@thericciteam.com 914-403-0179

NORTH CAROLINA

BORO REALTY GROUP

Landon Stone landon@myboroexpert.com 336-312-0675

THE CHRIS PAPPALARDO TEAM

Amy & Chris Pappalardo amy@pappalardoteam.com chris@pappalardoteam.com

336-525-1289

336-392-7775

WELCOME HOME TEAM

Brian O’Connell & Sharon Hedgepeth

brian@welcomehometeamnc.com

brian.sharon@welcomehometeamnc.com

910-495-5752

ELITE REALTY GROUP

Crystal Rierson-Villeneuve contactcrystal@kw.com

336-939-6140

JAY WHITE GROUP

Jay White

jay@thewhitegroup.com

704-654-0733

TEAM RUBY HENDERSON

Ruby Henderson & Jim Mahaffey ruby@rubyhenderson.com

jim@rubyhenderson.com

919-274-3040

919-389-4432

OHIO

AMANDA POHLMAN TEAM apohlman@kw.com

216-526-8302

OKLAHOMA

WEBB GROUP REAL ESTATE

Missy & Steve Webb

missy@webbgroupok.com

steve@webbgroupok.com

405-664-1259

405-570-7319

LIONHEART REAL ESTATE TEAM

Dru & Shanna Lee dru@place.com

shanna@lionheartre.com

405-837-1693

405-604-7690

ONTARIO CANADA

KEITNER GROUP

Austin Keitner

austin@keitnergroup.com

416-662-0390

OPERATOR DIRECTORY

OREGON

PDX PROPERTY GROUP

John Powers john@pdxpropertygroup.com

503-998-1051

THE ASK SARITA TEAM

Sarita Dua sarita@asksarita.com

503-522-0090

GREGORY HOME TEAM

Sherri Gregory sherri@gregoryhometeam.com

541-409-2106

ARK REALTY GROUP

Noah & Heather Kragerud noah@arkrealtygroup.com heather@arkrealtygroup.com

503-784-9940

503-888-4197

THE MCLEOD GROUP NETWORK

Amy McLeod amy@mgnrealtors.com

971-208-5093

THE MARY GILBERT GROUP

Mary Gilbert sold@marygilbert.com

541-430-9949

PENNSYLVANIA

THE BETH SAMBERG TEAM

Beth Samberg beth@bethsamberg.com

610-716-0997

RHODE ISLAND

THE DOWD TEAM

Connor Dowd connordowd@kw.com

401-864-4488

SOUTH CAROLINA

THE JOAN KELLY GROUP

Joan Kelly joan@joankellygroup.com

843-540-2501

SOUTH DAKOTA

DISCOVERY REAL ESTATE CO.

Destinie Marshall destiniemarshall@place.com

605-275-0555

TENNESSEE

WES POSTLETHWAITE

Wes Postlethwaite wes@benkinneyteam.com

615-545-4772

CHARLOTTE MABRY TEAM

Charlotte Mabry charlotte@charlottemabryteam.com

423-605-4393

423-664-1900

STEVE GILBERT REAL ESTATE TEAM

Steve & Amy Gilbert steve@stevegilbertteam.com amy.gilbert1202@gmail.com

931-278-5501

931-896-6434

THE SANDS GROUP

Robbie Sands robbie@thesandsgrouptn.com

865-368-0030

TEXAS

AMANDA PONCE REAL ESTATE TEAM

Amanda Ponce aponcerealty@gmail.com

512-842-9266

AMY DOWNS TEAM

Amy Downs amy@placedallas.com

214-538-5215

CERISSA JORNOD

Cerissa Jornod cerissa@benkinneyteam.com

214-770-7178

LAURA CASTILLO

Laura Castillo lauracastillo@benkinneyteam.com

806-401-4217

DELDI ORTEGON GROUP

Deldi Ortegon

Deldi@DeldiOrtegon.com

956-225-5509

SALING REAL ESTATE TEAM

Tamera Saling-Starke & Barry Saling tstarke@kw.com bsaling@kw.com

817-687-8562

817-846-8889

PREFERRED CLOSING SPECIALISTS

REAL ESTATE TEAM

Chasity & Jim Rosales chasity@pcselpaso.com jim@pcselpaso.com

915-873-2772

915-240-5558

KIMMEL REAL ESTATE TEAM

Amber Kimmel amberdkimmel@gmail.com

325-439-0787

CATHY STUBBS

Cathy Stubbs cathystubbs@cathystubbs.com

713-582-4486

VANTAGE REAL ESTATE GROUP

Michael Flores mflores@vantagerec.com

281-889-9352

BRIAN WEAST GROUP

Cyndi & Brian Weast brianweast@kw.com

cyndiweast@kw.com

972-880-0369

214-558-9100

CARLSON REAL ESTATE GROUP

Greg Carlson

greg@carlsongroupatx.com

512-840-9502

THE BRYAN DAVIS GROUP

Bryan Davis bccdavis@kw.com

972-849-8210

BRANDON RAMIREZ

Brandon Ramirez

Brandon@benkinneyteam.com

512-409-8522

AMANDA & SPENCER SEAMAN

Amanda & Spencer Seaman amanda@benkinneyteam.com spencer@benkinneyteam.com

650-743-9213

650-704-2565

LINNENKUGEL REAL ESTATE GROUP

Jordan Eicher Linnenkugel & Niki Linnenkugel jordanlinnenkugel@place.com niki.linnenkugel@placeinc.com

806-230-2624

432-934-4244

THE GREMILLION GROUP

Tracy Gremillion tracy@tgghomes.com

281-723-9890

SPINELLI RESIDENTIAL GROUP

Jeannette Spinelli jeannette@jeannettespinelli.com

512-784-8022

THE BUCHER GROUP

Zane Collins zane@zanecollins.com

512-814-7169

THE DAVIS TEAM

Jordan Davis jordan@yourdavisteam.com 817-313-7973

THE WILLIAMS TEAM

Kristen & Carter Williams kristen@williamskw.com carter@williamskw.com

512-669-2984

512-517-2276

ADELINA ROTAR

Adelina Rotar adelina@benkinney.com

512-649-2048

VIRGINIA

EAST + IVY HOMES

Nicole Canole nicole@eastandivyhomes.com 571-308-2902

COMMUNITY PARTNER GROUP

Tyson & Liz Bradley tysonbradley@kw.com

757-339-0965

757-773-1864

VERITY GROUP REAL ESTATE SOLUTIONS

Heather & Steve Heishman steve@veritygroup.pro heather@veritygroup.pro

757-675-2988

757-361-0106

COLGAN TEAM

Chris Colgan chriscolganteam@gmail.com

571-437-7575

WASHINGTON

JACQUELINE SMITH

Jacqueline Smith jacqueline@benkinneyteam.com 360-560-1156

TAMARA LAMORE

Tamara Lamore tamara@place.com

360-631-2108

GAIL SMITH

Gail Smith gailsmith@place.com

360-561-0852

SWEET LIVING

Kristen Meyer kristen@sweetlivingseattle.com

206-769-2537

LIZ KEEPS IT REAL ESTATE

Liz Johnson liz@lizkeepsitreal.com

253-670-0357

VIJA REAL ESTATE

Vija Williams & Paul Hurme vija@benkinney.com paul@vijarealestate.com

206-387-8875

206-390-8179

HABITAT

Erick & Jeannette Harpole erick@habitatkw.com

jeannette@habitatkw.com

541-579-2200

541-636-7758

THE PLATZ GROUP

Joe Platz joe@joeplatz.com

206-852-3474

MUNOZ HOME GROUP

Jason Munoz

Jason@munozhomegroup.com

253-495-7443

BUILDING DREAMS TEAM

Thuy Nguyen & Ron Ruscha thuy@buildingdreams.team ron@buildingdreams.team

425-979-6080

425-588-1519

BEN KINNEY TEAM BELLINGHAM

Jillene Snell

jillene@benkinneyteam.com

360-303-6994

HOMES ON THE SOUND

David & Courtney Berg

david.berg@homesonthesound.com courtney@homesonthesound.com

253-370-9449

253-820-8911

WISCONSIN

RABAS REAL ESTATE GROUP

Laura Rabas laurarabashomes@gmail.com

920-634-8988

DAN REALTY GROUP

Dan Gjerseth dan@danrealtygroup.com

715-577-8435

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