In real estate it is not the Agency it is the Agent you work with that makes the difference. There are many great Brand Agencies across the country and around the world. They provide the offices that you may or may not use, they provide training of various levels and they collect fees from you, the Agent, to deliver these services. There are just as many boutique Agencies that don't have national brands but serve their local communities with care and quality, but is it the Agency or the Agent? I contend that is the Agent who is either of high quality or not. It is the Agent who is strategic and dependable or not. It is the Agent who can lead you through all the myriad of pieces of a sale or a purchase not the Agency.
Agents will move from Agency to Agency looking for a better deal, a better split on their sales, more training, better support services or just because they think the grass is greener on the other field. The reality to that is that the grass is greener where the agent fertilizes and cultivates the grass no matter where the agent stands. For me the key is not the specific agency, although I have had the fortune to learn and understand several brands over my years as the Director of Marketing for a couple of international brands and my work with the Greater Boston Association of Realtors (GBAR). Surrounding yourself with good people is more key than the Agency coat you wear in my estimation. I have met great agents at almost every Agency I have had the opportunity to work with on deals. The opposite is also true. People who will lie and cheat you are out there and it is not the brand that is doing this to you, but the individual.
The international Brands will constantly tout their best statistic to let you know that they are the best. Statistics are one of the boldest forms of a lie you will find out there. I have long been a fan of Mark Twain in this regard, "There are three types of lies; the lie, the damnable lie, and statistics." Agents who gobble down these statistics and spout that their agency is the best because of the statistic are totally missing the point. What really makes a difference in an agents life is being surrounded by other great agents who are willing to share information to help you grow. Find a group of people who are not afraid of seeing you grow as they grow right along with you. Frankly, Active Rain is a place like this, but they are not a brokerage. I make it a point as an Ambassador here and in my office to be as open and caring about my fellow agents as I can. Each day growing in knowledge and experiences and not being afraid to share that information. I truly do think that it is never the Agency, and always the Agent that makes a difference.
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