Anthony Lamacchia
Founder & CEO
Lamacchia Companies, LLC
Waltham, Massachusetts
https://www.lamacchiarealty.com
Region served: New England and Florida
Years in real estate: 22
Number of offices: 27
Number of agents: 731
You have a reputation as one of the industry’s most aggressive and effective growth strategists—acquiring 14 companies in 2.5 years. What tactics led to this success?
A lot of hustle, but mainly having good relationships in the markets we’re in. We’re a value-based brokerage, meaning we offer services, technology and resources that most other companies do not offer. Once owners and agents realize that, they see the value and know how much they can scale their business.
You’re also considered a key educator for agents and brokers. What has been your main educational focus lately, and how are you tackling it?
It’s a never-ending process of always educating, always being on top of market data, but also what’s happening outside of real estate. The market is addicted to rates, and there are many factors that influence the rates. Being knowledgeable on all of that means I can better inform our agents and our clients. With the recent headlines and news about seller choice and private listings, I’ve been busy with media calls and different things. I think it’s sort of ridiculous that the industry has gone this way, but what can you do?
What is your best advice for those working in real estate today?
You have to hustle. A lot of people get into this business and don’t want to work. They watch “Selling Sunset” and think sales are just going to come to them, but you have to work at it. Having recently launched the Certified Real Estate Consultant, tell us about the motivation behind the creation of the training and certification program.
It’s time to raise the bar. Our industry, because of these ridiculous lawsuits and cases, got into a position where we’re looked down upon. Not only is it frustrating, but it’s also unfortunate that people don’t have as much respect for Realtors® as they should. Allan Dalton had the vision of creating a real estate consulting certification, and I’m the person who knows how to build out and record trainings, so we made it all come together. It’s really extraordinary. It’s helping agents a lot, and I think it’s going to help us raise the bar of the whole industry.
What is different about this certification?
We’re teaching agents to go into homes long before they’re on the market, meeting with clients on an annual basis to provide advice along the way—from home maintenance to home upgrades, equity reviews, mortgage reviews and property tax reviews. We teach agents how to address the topics homeowners care about—topics many agents aren’t equipped to discuss. No one says no to, “Hey, do you want to meet with a real estate consultant to learn all the things that you can do to improve your home?” By supporting clients along the way, we’re hoping to decrease the real estate loyalty gap where 92% of people say they would absolutely do business with their agent again, but only 13% actually do. I believe that we’ll eventually teach consultants how to charge for these annual meetings—and that clients will pay, just like they do with insurance or financial advisors.
How do certifications enhance a real estate professional’s value?
Unfortunately, most real estate professionals don’t feel an extreme need for training. They’re not as determined to be trained on all that they can until it hits them over the head. We’re kind of in a “wing-it” business. A lot of people just get up and wing it every day, and I don’t believe in that. There’s a lot of preparation, and you have to be able to adapt in this industry. A big part of that is seeking out education and certification courses.
For more information, visit https://www.lamacchiarealty.com.
