Above, Harma Hartouni
Reimagining what’s possible in real estate, Los Angeles-based Equity Union was created to be a completely unique real estate company—one that treats agents like clients and is genuinely committed to their growth, success and satisfaction.
Meeting agents and brokers where they are today while providing a pathway to a more successful tomorrow, CEO Harma Hartouni believes the brokerages that will thrive are those with leaders who have a clear vision of what they will—and won’t—do.
To that end, Hartouni has no interest in turning Equity Union into a tech company. Instead, he’s built a brokerage that’s focused on long-term growth rather than chasing the latest technology trend, because the best brokerages don’t just adopt technology—they choose partners.
That philosophy is what led Equity Union to partner with Inside Real Estate, running BoldTrail and BackOffice together to connect the agent-facing side of the business—CRM, lead gen, marketing—with the operational side—commission, compliance, account.
“They say leadership starts at the top, and the BoldTrail team has really stepped up,” says Hartouni, who can’t say enough about the fact that they’re forward thinking and have real estate backgrounds so they understand the audience they’re building for.
“They’re the backoffice, CRM and marketing, and I appreciate how they’re all intertwined,” he says.
Collaborating with the product and engineering teams, Hartouni notes that expectations are managed well across the board.
Collaborating closely with BoldTrail’s product and engineering teams, Hartouni points to their responsiveness as one of the most valuable parts of the partnership. The team lays out realistic timelines upfront, walking him through the reasoning so he always knows what to expect, and weekly check-ins have continued without a dropped ball.
“The communication is exceptional,” says Hartouni, recalling a recent question that had BoldTrail’s chief revenue officer on the phone with him within 10 minutes. “I’d rather know exactly what I’m going to get.”
While proud of the firm’s 1,000-plus agent roster, Hartouni places a greater emphasis on increasing agent productivity and humanizing the company to a greater extent in the face of the growing use of AI—highlighting the fact that Equity Union has more producing agents than any local company in its marketplace.
“Most of the agents that are producing, they aren’t into technology. They might say they want to, but they don’t do it,” says Hartouni.
“You cannot ask agents to change, but you can help them adapt something through other people,” he adds, pointing to a group of agent ambassadors within the firm responsible for educating their peers.
For those evaluating technology as a long-term investment, Hartouni cautions against jumping on the first product or exciting thing you see.
“Pick the person you’re getting into business with and make sure it’s long-term. And don’t think about what’s best for the company, but rather, what’s best for the agent,” says Hartouni, who points to the partnership as a key piece of the puzzle when it comes to recruiting, retention and growth.
“It’s helping agents realize that we’re willing to make an investment to do this while making them feel welcome,” adds Hartouni, emphasizing the importance of understanding each agent’s “why” in order to define their goals.
Whether it’s increasing annual sales volume or growing from 24 to 35 transactions a year, Hartouni notes that this simple exercise has had a dramatic impact on the firm’s growth.
“No one will ever do anything if they don’t know what’s in it for them, so the big ‘why’ is what gets communicated, because if you don’t have a system like BoldTrail in place, your business isn’t going to grow,” he concludes.
For more information, visit https://boldtrail.com.
