Vitals: Robert Paul Properties
Years in Business: 9
Size: 10 offices, 100 agents
Regions Served: Cape Cod, Greater Boston, Coastal Mass.
2017 Sales Volume: $615 million
2017 Transactions: 629
www.robertpaul.com
Ever since beginning a career in real estate in 1981, Paul Grover has personally handled more than $1.5 billion in sales, and continues to broker some of the most expensive residential transactions in Massachusetts.
In 2009, he partnered with Robert Kinlin to co-found Robert Paul Properties, a boutique agency specializing in the high-end niche markets throughout the state.
How did you first get involved in real estate?
Paul Grover: After graduating from college, I got my real estate license thinking I would sell houses for the summer and save up enough money to travel for a year before going to law school. I didn’t sell a single property that summer, but I caught the real estate bug and all my plans changed. That was in 1980, and I’m just as excited about the profession today as I was back then. I love being able to facilitate a successful transaction for my clients.
How is your market faring in 2018? What are the factors contributing to conditions this year?
PG: The Greater Boston market has cooled off a bit after a few years of unprecedented activity. Inventory is still low across the board, but the market was due for a correction after median prices hit historic highs, and that’s what we’re seeing a little bit of right now. On Cape Cod, however, the high-end is perhaps the strongest it’s been in the last five years. This is what we typically see, as the Cape is Boston’s feeder market and tends to be a year or two behind.
Are you planning to grow your firm in the next 12 months? If so, in what capacity?
PG: We’re always looking for exciting and innovative ways to grow our company while exceeding our clients’ expectations. In the next 12 months, we’ll continue to scale technology to enhance both our clients’ and agents’ overall experience.
How are you updating your technology and training to provide the resources agents need to succeed?
PG: Technology comes and goes so quickly that it’s more about having the people who understand it and know where it’s headed than having the right technology. In addition to elite agents, you need an ensemble of talented people who keep a pulse on the cutting edge when it comes to areas like digital marketing, web development and analytics.
How does your firm differentiate itself from others in the market?
PG: We’ve assembled an incredibly talented team that lives to provide the best service in the industry. That’s every brokerage’s goal, but we’re the only locally-owned firm that does it from Greater Boston to Cape Cod and along the Southern coast of Massachusetts. Our coverage area connects the dots among where our clients spend their time, and we provide a one-stop service with deep local roots to handle all of their real estate needs.
What are the biggest opportunities for increasing business right now?
PG: Properly leveraging technology to increase our reach and improve our ability to effectively communicate with existing and prospective clients.
How are you preparing your salesforce to meet the expectations of today’s consumer, especially first-time homebuyers and millennials?
PG: The fundamentals of our job have largely remained the same: learn the clients’ goals, navigate them through the process and deliver results. The difference today is that it needs to happen faster. In order for agents to succeed in this climate where they’re expected to be available practically 24 hours a day, we had to significantly bolster the support that goes on behind the scenes so the agents can do what they do best and provide uncompromising service without being spread too thin.
How are you attracting new agents to your firm and retaining top producers?
PG: We believe the reason Robert Paul Properties has been able to attract, cultivate and hold on to such talented people is that we give them the resources to be more productive here than they would be anywhere else. Our management team has created a culture of success that’s driven by synergy throughout the company. We have over 100 agents serving three distinct markets, but across the board, there’s consistency in values, vision and ability. The company is structured in a way that streamlines communication and ensures that every part complements the whole.
Keith Loria is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
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