Beyond the Feel-Good Choice: Why It Makes Sense to Work With a Small Broker

Look, obviously, we’re a bit biased. As an ethics-driven, woman-owned, small business that’s managed to survive in the hypercompetitive New York City real estate market for two decades, urging buyers and sellers to take a chance on a small business is a no-brainer. But you might be surprised by how much sense it makes from the client’s perspective, too. And that’s because it turns out that asking you to take a chance on us isn’t such a risky proposition; choosing a small brokerage is not only the norm in this country (despite what you may have heard), it’s also a smart move, and we’ll explain why.

The Local Advantage:

Sotheby’s, Douglas Elliman, Compass, and more. You know the names because you’ve seen them on signs all over the borough. And there’s no doubt these brokerages are successful. But just because they’re doing well doesn’t always mean they’re the right choice for you as a client.

According to Bankrate, 81% of brokerages are operating from a single office (ours, for instance, is a walk-in-friendly, community space on Van Brunt). Further, most of that 81% is brokerages that only handle about 15 transactions a year. And when you’re buying or selling a home in Brooklyn, working with an office that has not only the time and interest to be focused on you, but has a very real, bottom-line-focused incentive to deliver on your behalf, can make a cumbersome process much easier.

The Community Role of Small Broker-Owners:

When you call our offices, you can expect the phone to be picked up by the same person each time. When you work with one of our brokers, you can expect to enjoy easy access to them and a personal relationship informed by your needs – not our agenda. If you’re our neighbor, you can expect to see us at community events – not just showing up, but hosting, advocating, and enjoying one another’s company. And the stats prove that small businesses like ours are not an outlier but are an integral part of the community.

Small businesses are often the secret (or not-so-secret) conduit for communities – sponsoring events, sports teams, local initiatives, and more. Studies show that locally-owned businesses recirculate a significantly higher portion of every dollar spent compared to chains, infusing the local economy with jobs, economic resilience, and local wealth. You can find Realty Collective connecting neighbors with wraparound community services, advocating for our neighbors and climate resiliency in community meetings, and sponsoring holiday events through the Red Hook Business Alliance. Each year, we put money back into the community by supporting local initiatives and non-profits, including Red Hook Mutual Aid, the RETI Center, Cora Dance, Mixteca, the Brooklyn Family Justice Center, and more. If supporting values-driven businesses is important to you, look toward small brokerages and vote for change with your business and dollars.

The Client Advantage:

Choosing to work with an independent brokerage is about much more than goodwill, though. At the end of the day, what matters most is that our clients are satisfied. And we think that has a lot to do with the personal relationships that we build with clients – one-on-one and one conversation at a time. Working with a small brokerage often means that our relationships are client-based and not transaction-based. We want to do a good job for you because we know you. You’re our neighbor – and we know that word travels fast among neighbors.

The vast majority of business we secure in Brooklyn comes via word-of-mouth. Clients find us because their friends forward our contact info, or post on social media about their good experience, or slip our card into a friend’s hand – and we’re grateful. It’s a neighborly kindness we reciprocate by opening up our network to our clients. We’ve built relationships, one-by one and for over two decades, with local tradespeople, landlords, buyers who’ll become sellers, and sellers who’ll become buyers. We’re made by our reputation.

In an age – and in a city – where the big often overshadows the small, it’s important to remember the immense value and irreplaceable human touch that small brokerages bring to the real estate world. Realty Collective is proud to be part of this resilient group, and we continue to dedicate ourselves to the people and places that make Brooklyn our beloved home. Here’s to the small brokerage owners—the real movers and shakers of the real estate industry!

_____________________________________________________________________

If you’re interested in learning about buying or selling in Brooklyn, download our free Buying Into Brooklyn Ebook or our Seller’s Guide. We share a ton of valuable resources to demystify the buying and selling process.