Above (L-R): Jerry Braklow, Rob Hill and Monet Deshler.
Rob Hill, Platinum Realty Director of Growth and Market Development
Jerry Braklow, SunWest Operating Principal and Platinum Realty Luxury Ambassador
Monet Deshler, SunWest Broker and PartnerÂ
Kansas City, MissouriÂ
https://www.MoveWithPlatinum.comÂ
Region served: Kansas City and major Midwest markets in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma
Years in real estate: Rob: 30; Jerry: 14; Monet: 14
Number of offices: 11
Number of agents: 2,500
Platinum Realty welcomed SunWest Real Estate Advisors into the fold late last year. What were the main motivations for seeking out a merger partner?
Rob Hill: We have considered establishing a luxury division for quite some time. I’ve known Jerry for a long time, and knew he had SunWest, so I picked up the phone to see if there was any interest. After some meetings, we determined that not only was there interest, but he was in the process of putting together something that from a luxury standpoint I haven’t seen in the marketplace.
Jerry Braklow: We’ve grown SunWest into a successful luxury services brokerage, but realized that if we wanted to reach our goals, we needed a strong partner with the large market presence of Platinum Realty—and the deep resources of its national partner, United Real Estate. Our agents were empowered to move into a larger organization, yet still have that small-atmosphere feel. It was a strategic growth opportunity, a partnership where the agents could flow right into this network and not have various disruptive changes to their own businesses. Each one of our agents could still have their own team or their own business underneath this new powerful, national network.
How are the combined resources and areas of expertise of Platinum Realty, SunWest and United Real Estate creating a competitive advantage in your market?
Monet Deshler: Platinum and United offer an agent-centric approach. They’re focused on allowing the agent to develop their own business. With SunWest, we bring that hands-on, personalized luxury feel to the process. By partnering with United, there’s broader access to national trainings, technology and marketing tools.Â
JB: Within a smaller organization, there are always big ideas and big plans to accomplish, but the ability to scale takes time and multiple resources. By flowing underneath an umbrella like Platinum and United, it makes our scalability instantaneous. Now it’s about tightening up and building consistency around the processes.Â
Tell us about your vision for a Platinum Realty luxury division.
RH: Jerry and Monet created something special at SunWest that will set the groundwork for a different kind of luxury experience. When it’s unwrapped, it’s going to be different than anything the marketplace has seen. The people involved in Platinum luxury will not only be Platinum agents, but they’ll also have certification in that area, assuring the public that they’ll be working with a skilled luxury agent who truly understands buying and selling high-end properties.
JB: We are creating a product mix that aligns with the luxury client. As a whole, the luxury service experience has been lacking in our marketplace. It’s about our agents having the ability to cultivate a relationship around a positive service experience and exposure to clients, showing that they have the tools to represent luxury products properly.
People often say they’ve represented a client on a million-dollar property, but they’re using the same tools and resources they had to represent a client with a $250,000 property. To us, it’s about elevating that service experience, providing the correct marketing and the correct channels to market those products to sell quickly.Â
How does being part of the eighth-largest national brokerage network, United Real Estate, enhance your value proposition and business operations?
MD: We have access to United’s national level tools, training and all that they bring to the table. One thing we struggled with as a smaller boutique-type brokerage was the referral network. With so many people moving out of bigger cities and into Kansas City, having a referral network that’s responsive and that can have the training and tools through a luxury program is key. You can refer a client knowing that whoever’s going to pick them up has the same standards and is going to provide continuity of service and tools throughout the process.Â
Platinum Realty celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Why do you believe it has become Kansas City’s largest residential real estate office by transaction count?
RH: One of the biggest differences is that when it comes to attracting talent, our focus is on successful agents who are looking for the advantages of one of the fastest-growing independent real estate companies in the marketplace. That allows business owners to continue to focus on what they do best. We just give them the support, tech systems and tools we have through United. Agents come here and breathe a sigh of relief when they discover that there aren’t rules or requirements that burden or force them to pay for things they don’t want or use. This allows them to run their business how they want, and not like other brokerages might dictate them to.
What advice would you give to other brokers for growing their office?
MD: There’s a balance between giving an agent the tools they need for success while allowing them to create whatever kind of business they feel is organic to them and their lifestyle. One thing you need to do as a brokerage is build a system that’s not a nickel-and-dime approach both financially and in terms of the agent’s time. Those are just hindrances, so finding a good balance is crucial.
JB: I’m a pilot, so some of the examples I use in my discussions have to do with the aviation industry. Thirty years ago, there were 15 major airlines in the U.S., and now we’re down to the big five. It’s kind of like that in real estate. The market has changed so much that it’s hard to have a small business and build a brokerage because you have to have a lot of the expensive tech and sell in high-end markets in order to recruit the talent. It’s getting harder and harder to compete. And when you have a company like Platinum, and you have somebody like United that’s over the top of that, it’s very hard for others to compete.Â
RH: Understand who your client is. The most important thing a brokerage does is to ensure their agents have everything they need to be the best they can be. They have to do this while making sure to protect the financial viability of the business along the way, and that’s why the scale of the business matters. While mainstream real estate brokerages are continually trying to justify increased costs, we strive to keep costs low and remember who our client is, and deliver service at the highest level. If you do that, you’ll have a chance at recruiting top talent.
For more information, please visit https://www.GrowWithUnited.com. Â
