A boutique brokerage derives from the French meaning of a small store that caters to a specialized clientele. After opening my first RE/MAX franchise in 2005, the model was to add as many agents as possible. At one point, we eclipsed 50 agents in a short time. I quickly realized that was not in line with my vision, as personalized attention and care was paramount for our company. We proceeded to r
educe our agent count and hold only those agents who held similar values and standards as ownership. "We wanted to invest our resources, energy and time with those agents who we knew would thrive with that support", recalled John Benson, Founder and Broker/Owner. Our boutique environment can simply be defined as follows: We are in the business of serving your (our agents) business! We are a collection of agents that have experience and are committed to a sustainable life and career in real estate. Our agents are learning-based, taking advantage of the customized training and development coaching we offer as an office. This is much different than most large brokerages, where there may be a lot of training, but may not have the direct approach towards specific agents and their businesses. A boutique office has flexibility. It allows agents to create their own business model to better serve the needs of their clients. We focus on each and every agent's needs and growth. We are not a "numbers first" organization. We offer support that simply can not be offered by larger firms. Our broker is involved at every level of operations. The broker is involved in training and development. The broker meets with agents for reviews. The broker answers weekend and evening calls from agents to assist with situations. The broker meets with the staff weekly to review all activities and tasks. So, what agent count constitutes a "Boutique" Real Estate Office? "In today's real estate brokerage, particularly in high populated cities and surrounding suburbs, most companies are geared towards recruiting and adding 100s of agents. Again, it's more about quantity than quality (from the management level). We have a roster of 30 agents per office. Our philosophy is simple - A broker and staff can properly manage 30 full time agents or less. At this level, the agent is not lost. We do have production minimums, which are strictly enforced. We do not want 20% of our agents as mega agents while 40% of our agents are not even achieving national standard production levels. We prefer to focus on those agents falling between those two categories. We currently have below 25 agents per office, which is an ideal roster to provide personalized attention. Most of our agents close more than 8 transactions per year and the majority are in 6 figures in commissions per year. Instead of being overly concerned on their statistics for awards, we want to know what an agent's annual income goals are as it pertains to their lifestyle." "I believe there is an environment for everyone. Some agents want to be a part of a very large organization. But there are many who want that small, family-owned leadership where the broker is also a helping hand and friend. By partnering with the most recognized real estate brand in the world, we can give our agents world class recognition and personalized attention." - John Benson
