5 minute read
June 2023~ Jacksonville Real Producers
Photos By Renee Pareneau
Ray Sonny & Downey Rivera
United Real Estate Gallery
Over the past five years, the real estate market has shifted dramatically. The market was thriving through 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic upended the global economy. Contrary to what many people forecasted during the onset of the pandemic, the resulting market was one of the most active real estate markets in recent memory. Although business has slowed over the past year, it remains a strong seller’s market. Meanwhile, more technology continues to burst onto the scene, and the way REALTORS® are doing business continues to evolve. Clients have more access to data than ever, and agents are being asked to do more. Responsiveness, efficiency, and a technologically intelligent approach have become necessities.
Brokers Sonny Downey and Ray Rivera have had a front-row seat to the ever-changing market conditions. Their understanding of what it will take to succeed in the future of real estate has led them to make significant strides in their business, moving toward a more agent-friendly and tech-savvy approach.
One of the shifts is their move from EXIT Real Estate Gallery to United Real Estate Gallery in October 2022. The move is more than a name change; it’s a representation of their approach to the future of real estate.
EXIT Real Estate Gallery was founded in 2007. The brokerage was forged in the fire of the Great Recession and grew through it, so Sonny and Ray know what it takes to survive tough economic times. They have taken that wisdom with them as they embark on their newest venture.
“Our whole business model has changed,” Sonny says. “With our previous brand, our business model was driven, quite frankly, by recruitment.
With this new business model, the focus is on the agents and their personal brand. We offer more aggressive compensation structures, giving agents more control over their marketing dollars. They can spend the money where they see fit.”
To survive the current low-inventory market conditions, Sonny and Ray are advising their team of over 370 agents to go back to the basics, like following up with their sphere of influence, checking in with their database, and being active in the community.
With United Real Estate Gallery, Sonny and Ray are able to provide the same level of service while putting money back in their agents’ pockets. It’s a win-win.
“It was a big decision for us,” Ray adds. “We’d been with EXIT for about 15 years. When the time came for our last renewal for our franchise, we reviewed our options… The market has really shifted in the last four to five years. Agents are getting paid more. Consumers are paying less. We looked at what the best choice for us was moving forward. We felt this company is in the right position in the industry — high commissions to agents, they own their own tech, and it’s an international brand. It checked all the boxes for us.”
high-end market, while low to midtier sales haven’t been as deeply impacted. So, they are encouraging their agents to get in front of potential first-time homebuyers, too.
“Any local buyers that you told to sit out over the past two years, reach out to them. A lot of those are first-time buyers. Those firsttime buyers are not as heavily impacted by interest rates as the higher-end consumer because the focus with those buyers isn’t interest rate; it’s payment,” Sonny says.
NEW NAME, SAME SERVICE
Sonny and Ray may be leading their brokerage under a new name, but their culture remains the same. As Sonny says, “It’s a culture of giving.”
“Our motto is, ‘Always do the right thing.’ Sure, it’s about making money, but it’s more so about doing the right thing. Service the customer. The way we treat our agents is the way we expect them to treat our customers,” Ray explains.
One of the primary motivations for the move to United Real Estate Gallery was to find a growth partner that would allow the brokerage to expand in Northeast Florida. Despite the down market, Sonny and Ray remain on a path of expansion.
“I want everyone to know it’s still Sonny and me,” Ray says. “We’re the same people as we were before, and for the people that loved us before, it’s still us. We’re not going anywhere, and with the new partnership with United, we can offer agents more resources and better compensation than ever before.”
Sonny and Ray have seen the most significant reduction in sales in the
“Everyone has to go back to the basics,” Ray says. “Second, we are known in the market for our training. We have a big focus on lead generation, and we embrace technology. For example, we’re partnering with a lot of buyer portals, like Opcity and Zillow Flex, to be able to supplement business for agents. We want our agents to focus on what they do best.”
