Does size REALLY matter in real estate?

Wanda what a great question, I was expecting  Michael Jacobs to say well it depends on:)) so since he did not say it I will, Endre

Large is not necessarily better, nor is small. It all depends on the person/people in charge, the processes, etc.

Food for thought!

I started out with a large brokerage and I enjoyed the training and resources that it provided but most of my career has been spent with a small family-oriented office and I much prefer that.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. An office and agent are only as good as the efforts they put into their individual business and helping those that need help

Having worked in both a small and a large office, I can see positives in both. Currently I own my own brokerage (for the past 12 years) and it has grown from boutique to mid-sized (we have 65 agents). In running any business, your plan has to cover costs when there is a slow-down, such as what we are experiencing now. Those brokerages which give away the store to their agents run the risk of not covering the bills during such a time, such as what happened in the great housing recession. 

A big ship that veers off course is very difficult to right.  The smaller vessel much more maneuverable.  mdm 

Hi Wanda:

My first thought is that "it depends"...on who is at the helm, the culture, the mission and values, and the agents who work there.

Jeff

There are benefits to both-- I find the smaller boutique agencies concentrate on a niche market.

That is precisely why I joined and remain at Elegran. The firm only has the 1 office- and the agents here produce 8x more than the average agent in NYC. Even though we are now about 180 agents- that is a fraction of the size of the big firms. We were selected to be the exclusive partner of Forbes Global Properties in NYC for exactly this reason. There are a few other boutique firms that are also well recognized for outperforming. I came to this industry from capital markets- working for true subject matter experts- and I wanted a similar experience working in real estate and I found it in boutique firms. 

BIGGER isn't always BETTER!  It really is all about the person.

So appreciate your post.  My license hangs with the largest volume broker in the Phoenix metro area and we're in almost all 50 states!  It's a lower cost brokerage with TONS of great tech and very innovative.  I love it there!  My GF owns her own brokerage and she's a commercial agent.  She's asked if I would join her, and am welcome any time.  It's very tempting,, but what are the risks.  Point to ponder!