Byron Lazine and Nicole White are two agents in Connecticut who give us their thoughts on the week’s news every Friday in “The Real Word,” a weekly video column on Inman.
Last week, Alex Craig wrote an article for NAR’s Young Professionals Network claiming that agents who are focused on building a personal brand are “wasting their time and money.” For starters, he said, agents will never be able to garner the same level of brand awareness as the brokerage they’re already a part of.
Craig went on to list a few other reasons agents should stop branding themselves, including: today’s vast real estate agent options (which might cause confusion), clients’ tendency to ignore complex information and the ethical consequences of marketing your own brand under your broker’s.
Byron’s and Nicole’s reaction? “This is so wrong, so wrong, for so many reasons,” Byron said. “You’re getting business as a real estate agent from your local community — from the town that you live in.” Not to mention, some marketing opportunities, like social media, “doesn’t cost you a penny,” the duo added.
More this week: Byron and Nicole weighed in on an Inman article about what agents should prepare their clients for in 2021. The seven realities of this year’s market included accelerated transactions, challenging appraised values and overvalued markets, to name a few.
Marketeer of the week
Tommy Hilfiger sold his Connecticut estate for $45 million. But his first wife is the real marketeer here. According to Architectural Digest, Susie Hilfiger is listing “the nearby property that the former couple bought together” for $40 million.
Want to nominate a “marketeer of the week”? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below, or shoot us an email.
