Style Victims? When Dealer And Agent Type Selections Conflict

On this month-to-month column, Anthony Askowitz explores a hypothetical actual property state of affairs from either side of the dealer/agent dynamic. Anthony is the broker-owner of South Florida’s largest RE/MAX workplace, and a working agent who sells greater than 100 houses annually.

This month’s state of affairs: The usual for applicable enterprise apparel is at all times a shifting goal, particularly in actual property. The standard go well with and pink energy tie for males and nylons with closed-toe sneakers for girls are not often seen, as a extra informal sense of fashion has grow to be the norm.

However maybe the road has shifted too far in that path, with a rising disregard for any semblance of an expert costume code. How ought to residential actual property brokers navigate this ever-shifting enjoying area, one filled with landmines in each path?

Agent perspective

After 5 years of struggling on our personal, my new accomplice and I’ve determined to kind a crew, depart our old-school brokerage, and be part of a nationwide firm that has the instruments and help we have to maximize our talents. We’re excited by the probabilities of this new path, and to proving our former colleagues mistaken.

Our market is a significant US metropolis famous for its youthful vitality, worldwide aptitude and variety of tradition — hardly the place for formal, boring costume codes. However that’s precisely the form of vibe our former dealer and colleagues tried to instill in our workplace, by no means lacking a chance to chastise us for making trendy, fashionable, but skilled style decisions.

Most of the time, we might mirror the type of our prospects and prospects, whereas these brokers would current themselves like each different cookie-cutter wannabe on the market. Our type variations deliberately set us aside, and comply with the brand new ideas about making a model for your self.

We have now each confidence that forward-thinking brokers from the foremost nationwide places of work will agree with our philosophy and eagerly recruit us to affix their places of work.

Dealer perspective

Whereas our market is actually style-conscious and trendy, there’s a line between skilled and informal apparel that newer brokers usually cross with reckless abandon. Blame it on the pandemic, social media, hyped-up actual property actuality reveals, poor mentoring or all the above, however the lack of costume code requirements has gotten means uncontrolled.

I used to be excited to interview this new crew, comprised of two brokers with 5 years of particular person expertise. Each introduced themselves professionally and had been well-groomed, clearly knew the market, and had a very good plan for reaching the following degree of manufacturing.

But when I’m being trustworthy, I had a tough time getting previous their garish style and accent decisions, which appeared higher fitted to a neighborhood nightclub than displaying property (a lot much less a “first-impression” interview).

At this level of their careers, nobody ought to should be advised that this look doesn’t encourage belief and respect in a enterprise the place they are going to be coping with a buyer’s most beneficial asset. I’m positive the hairstyles had been the newest traits and took hours at a salon to create, their designer-name garments value lots of of {dollars}, and their jewellery and make-up decisions could be good in sure settings – however an actual property workplace shouldn’t be certainly one of them.

Don’t get me mistaken – I understand skilled style has grow to be far more informal lately. I’ve grown completely comfy with type decisions from each genders that will have made me blush 10 years in the past. However there’s a line of appropriateness, and sadly this crew didn’t even understand that that they had crossed it.

That is actually a disgrace, as a result of – in these fleeting moments after I may get previous their type decisions — I actually liked their attitudes, their expertise and their confidence. How can I think about hiring brokers missing this diploma of self-awareness?

How one can resolve 

The disconnect between the dealer and these potential new members of his crew is probably not as far aside as he thinks. On the one hand, the dealer is right about an agent’s look and costume needing to encourage belief and confidence, and about skilled apparel shifting in a  typically extra informal path.

However there are different elements to think about relating to appropriateness, and totally different markets and conditions do warrant totally different costume codes – even inside one area. Taking a look at South Florida (the place this column is produced), for instance, type within the Palm Seashores tends to be “nation membership stylish,” leaning conventional and colourful; larger Ft. Lauderdale is a bit more conservative and buttoned-down; Miami sees all kinds of contemporary, cutting-edge and body-conscious decisions, whereas the Florida Keys adopts a really informal, resort-based look.

In-house gross sales representatives for pre-construction condos, who work in glamorous and ultra-chic gross sales galleries, are going to decorate a lot in another way than brokers who specialise in suburban single-family houses, who put perform forward of kind.

As a substitute of dismissing these doubtlessly productive brokers, the dealer may as a substitute resolve to have a frank, direct and judgment-free dialog in regards to the typical buyer of his workplace and their expectations of how an agent presents themselves. If the brokers really feel strongly that their type decisions mirror an untapped consumer base that might open new doorways for the workplace, they will reply simply as instantly and attempt to persuade the dealer of their choices.

With this dialog being held in a respectful and collaborative atmosphere, it is vitally potential that the 2 sides may discover a completely happy medium, with the brokers persevering with to decorate in a classy method throughout the confines of the workplace’s skilled pointers.

Anthony Askowitz is the broker-owner of RE/MAX Advance Realty, with places of work in Hollywood Seashore, Davie, Miramar, North Miami, South Miami, Kendall, and the Florida Keys, and the place he leads the actions of greater than 190 brokers. Comply with him on Instagram.

NOTE: Anthony Askowitz shouldn’t be an legal professional and doesn’t give authorized recommendation. Please seek the advice of a licensed legal professional relating to issues mentioned on this column.