Alright, time has come to switch offices. You're fed up with your current location, and you feel like it's time for a change. If you were in this position, what would you look for in a new brokerage?
In 2010, the brokerage I worked with merged with a sister office 60 miles away. I wasn't about to drive that distance everyday, but I didn't want to just change and find another office that was limping along either. So, I decided to start my own brokerage. That took most of 2010, and in the early days of 2011 I started the Cornerstone Business Group, Inc.
At first, I wondered about all of the agents in our office that were left rudderless, and I thought I should gather them up into my new office. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that only two or three of us were actually carrying that office. So, I decided not to invite any of them to join me. Actually, I decided not to have anyone join me the first year.
I realized that the biggest need I had was learning the ins and outs of web-based marketing and SEO. I wanted to create a web-presence in the early days of my new brokerage. So, I set aside the first six months to do those things. What I learned right away was that it was going to take more than a year. So, I set aside hiring in order to acquire more training and to secure a deeper understanding of the use of the Internet in my business model.
Now, nearly a year later, I'm starting to think about hiring. I hesitate because I don't want to hire a stable of agents who just want a place to hang a license. Offices like that are a dime a dozen. I would prefer to hire those who have vision and want a place that will ultimately dominate the local market because of the high caliber of service delivered.
So, I go back to my question. If you were an agent with a proven track record, and you were looking for a new office, what would it look like? You can help me build the most successful real estate brokerage in the Shenandoah Valley. Please throw out any and all ideas and lets see what happens.
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