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COOPERATION, NOT

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HOW TO RECOGNIZE

HOW TO RECOGNIZE

Cooperation, Not Competition, Creates Mutual Success for Agents

When people get along during a business transaction, everyone comes out happier. And in a service industry like real estate, agents have the power deliver that happiness. By working cooperatively, sharing advice and helping each other help clients, agents not only enhance their own reputations, but that of real estate in general.

“Bring everyone together”

Matt Kobelski, with Credentials Real Estate Group in Massachusetts, points out that providing good service involves more people than the party you’re representing. “I’m not afraid to bring together all the parties in a deal and say, ‘OK, let’s figure out a solution that works best

Teaming up with an agent from a different brokerage on a transaction is not as uncommon or complicated as it might seem

for everyone,” he explains. “My goal is to avoid being adversarial.” Real estate, he believes, should always be a field in which each person can win. “It’s about working toward a mutual goal, shaking hands, and walking away happy that a seller sold, a buyer bought and everyone got what they wanted.”

But Is it that simple? Most agents have experienced the ways conflicting personalities and tension during a transaction can heat up even the most cordial relations. In reality, however, it’s more productive to let down your guard and work with others as a team than it is to allow stress and competition to preside. South Florida REALTOR ® and broker associate, Risë V. Siegrist, for instance, has zero interest in competing with other agents. “It’s more important to be professional and associate with competent, caring people,” she says. By serving others with a cooperative spirit, experienced agents like Risë set an excellent example for emerging real estate stars. Risë hopes to be a model for the next generation of agents, training people who may one day become part of her team.

Risë’s position on cooperation inspires more reasons for nurturing relationships with other agents. Over the decades, many agents change brokerages several times. Who knows if that agent across the table will one day work at the same brokerage you do? Perhaps you’ll even have an opportunity to partner on an exciting, future transaction. Good relations keep doors open to endless possibilities.

Co-listing cooperation

Teaming up with an agent from a different brokerage on a transaction is not as uncommon or complicated as it might seem. In fact, some agents cleverly capitalize on their collective attributes, rather than competing against one another. South Carolina REALTOR ® Kimberly Pannit is a perfect example of the universal benefits of co-listings. Although she has always been an independent agent, Kimberly works hard to form professional alliances that give her business the feel of a cooperative network across brokerages.

This cooperative approach may be nontraditional, but it benefits clients in unique ways. By working closely with agents at other brokerages, she shows how agents can improve client service while helping one another.

Kimberly’s cooperative approach began in her own neighborhood, where an agent friend from a different brokerage also lives. “Several years ago, I approached her because both of us were friends with our neighbors. I asked, ‘Why don’t we give our neighbors superior service and

co-list together? We both love our area and are passionate about our jobs, the location and schools.’” She also didn’t want to make their mutual friends choose between them when they could work together. “I said, ‘Let’s give them amazing service together!’” With their brokers’ permission, two weeks later the agents co-listed their first home and put extra energy into ensuring uninterrupted client service.

Networking and “Co-opertition”

When the ultimate goal is to match a client with the perfect home or create optimal terms of sale for a listings, networking with other agents can facilitate that ideal buyer-seller match. Nashville REALTOR ® and broker/owner Lisa Land embraced every opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the real estate industry and to her local market, even before building her own team. “Agents would frequently ask me for help or advice,” she says, noting that she shares, rather than guarding, the methods she uses to get through difficult or confusing transactions. “I was fortunate to have great mentors when I started in real estate, so I’m always willing to offer help, even to agents outside of The Luxe Collective.”

Meanwhile, on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Janet Leigh Scott describes the climate between agents as relaxed and professional. “While the real estate market is highly competitive, we’re truly a ‘co-opertition’ market; agents work together and a have greater sense of community than you might experience in off-island brokerages,” Janet says. “If I have buyer coming into town, I’ll reach out to agents I’ve done transactions with to ask if they have anything coming up that might not be on the market yet.”

Even in hot, competitive L.A. real estate, independent agents such as Andrej Nagy of The Agency RE knows the importance of receiving and providing professional mentorship. “My relationships with clients are extremely important,” he says. “But my relationships with agents on the other side of a deal are also important.” For REALTORS ® like him, working smoothly with other agents is a privilege. Doing so builds rewarding relationships while ensuring win-win transactions for everyone at the closing table.

Graham Klemm

Graham Klemm

Top Agent Graham Klemm oversees forty seasoned agents across four unique offices, serving clients across Connecticut’s Litchfield County, and New York’s Columbia and Dutchess Counties.

Graham Klemm grew up in the real estate business. His parents launched their namesake firm, Klemm Real Estate, in 1986. After Graham went to Washington D.C. for college, he realized his own passion could be found in his family roots. Ultimately, after starting a luxury real estate career in D.C., he returned to his home state of Connecticut to join the family business. That was twenty-six years ago, and in the time since, Graham has

established a reputation as an incisive regional leader, known for his industry prowess, astute counsel, and proven track record.

Today, Graham oversees forty seasoned agents across four unique offices, serving clients across Connecticut’s Litchfield County, and New York’s Columbia and Dutchess Counties. From his main office in Washington, Connecticut,

Graham guides a business largely specializing in luxury properties over $1-million, catering to the second home and country home markets. To date, almost the entirety of Graham’s business is driven by repeat and referral clientele who trust his extensive experience and seasoned insight. “We’re somewhat old school in that we believe in phone calls and talking to people face-toface,” he says. “In this day and age of electronic

“It comes down to a personal touch. We interact with our clients on a human level, because in the end, most people want to do business with someone they know and trust and can relate to.”

communication, some things can get lost in the mix, but we’re a hands-on business and most of our clients become our friends.” In fact, Graham and his team emphasize the importance of personal connection when navigating the complexities of the transactional process. “It comes down to a personal touch,” he explains. “We interact with our clients on a human level, because in the end, most people want to do business with someone they know and trust and can relate to.”

When listing properties, Graham and his team leave no detail unaccounted for. All listings are

12 Copyright Top Agent Magazine equipped to the fullest with high-end photography and documentation that provides prospective buyers with an immersive and memorable presentation. From there, listings are distributed across the leading online listing platforms and social media outlets, in addition to agent and network outreach that yields results in short order. Last year, Graham and his team closed hundreds of deals with an average sales price in excess of $1 million. “We look at the closing table as the beginning of long relationship, not the end,” Graham says. “We’ll still be there to introduce clients to people in the community,

to tell them about upcoming events, and acclimate them to life here.”

Beyond the office, Graham gives back to his community by supporting various local causes. He serves on the Sharon, Connecticut Library

Board, and hosts numerous charity events at his home. Last year, at one single event, he helped raise over $150,000 to support an area non-profit in support of seniors as they find independence in their own homes. In his free hours, Graham most enjoys time spent with

family and loved ones, traveling, skiing, and exploring new food and drink destinations.

As for the future, Graham intends to keep progress steady as his business continues to grow. “It always takes hard work,” he says. “You have to keep your eye on the ball and continue to work at a high level. We’ve built long relationships with our clients, and we work with an amazing group of people. We’re hopeful that those relationships will continue to grow as we maintain our stronghold on the market here. We’ve got a long trajectory to look forward to.”

To learn more about Graham Klemm

email gtklemm@icloud.com, visit

www.klemmrealestate.com,

or call (860) 488–6635

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