Boutique Approach Drives High Touch Northern Virginia Team

Above, Nicole McCullar

Nicole McCullar is part of an exclusive cadre of agents who work the top 1.2% of the market nationally. A graduate of the University of Saint Thomas in Minnesota with a focus on marketing and art history, she left a 25-year career in luxury retail management to join her husband, Shane McCullar, CEO of Keller Williams Metro Center headquartered in Alexandria, Virgina, in the real estate industry.

“I was reluctant to change careers,” she said. “But Shane encouraged me until I relented and got my license 10-plus years ago, and I not only found I loved the work but also that I was good at it.”

With her trained eye for the luxury touch, Nicole McCullar focused on the high end of the Northern Virginia market, and she quickly realized that having a small boutique team of dedicated professionals behind her would help her provide the high touch service she was committed to providing for every client.

Today, Nicole’s small but mighty three-person team closes between 20-25 transactions each year, each different from the next as the team ensures that every home they represent will get as much of a facelift or makeover as it needs to demand top price in a high-end market.

Barbara Pronin: Nicole, tell us a little about the North Virginia market you serve.

Nicole McCullar: It’s a lovely area–a destination area for many, because it’s situated so close to Washington, D.C. At the same time, it’s a bit of a transient market because people come and go from the Capitol area all the time.

BP: What is the average sales price?

NM: Typically, $1 million plus.

BP: Tell me about your team.

NM: We have Marisela, my operations manager. She’s a licensed agent who has been with me for over eight years, and she is truly my right hand–and one day, if she chooses, my heir apparent. Then there is Carey Gooch, our transaction coordinator, also a licensed agent. She is amazing at managing the workflow. We work together so seamlessly that each of us pretty much knows what the others are thinking–although we do use the Monday.com work flow platform so that we can see at a glance what we need to know about every transaction.

BP: Who does your repairs and renovations?

NM: We have a contractor we use all the time. He shares our vision and does beautiful work.

BP: Is that part of your high-touch service?

NM: Yes. We know that every home is unique and special, but sometimes when you are living in your home, you don’t realize in the day-to-day when things need fixing or replacing. Our clients are happy, when they list with us, to put their home in our care. Our job is to get it ready for sale so that it commands top dollar on the market. We carefully examine the home and make our recommendations, and once approved, take care of everything that needs to be done, from simple repairs or redecorating to more complex renovations. We stage the home to highlight its best features, and time the market so the listing is made at the precise, right moment, depending on what else is out there.

BP: Clearly, you deal with a special clientele.

NM: We do. Ninety percent of our clients are referrals, and we have a large repeat business. We are good at negotiating, and the seller has our proven assurance that their real estate goals will be met. At the same time, what we do is a plus for the buyer, because they appreciate moving into a perfectly appointed home, and they will remember that when and if they need to move.

BP: You have deep roots in the communities you serve, Nicole. How do you stay meaningfully connected?

NM: In addition to supporting several local organizations, I serve on the board of the Barber Family Foundation, which provides scholarships for children of the military, and we support The Life Guard Society of Historic Mount Vernon, a group inspired by the elite unit of 150 officers who protected George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

BP: And I know from my research that you have been honored for your professional achievements.

NM: I have, and I’m grateful and humbled. I have been recognized as a Platinum Top Producer by the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors multiple times, and named as one of DC Magazine’s Dynamic Women for the past three years in a row.

BP: What’s your best advice for others who hope to build a boutique team like yours?

NM: Take on people who share your passion and your vision. Be willing to work hard every day…and distinguish your team by going a step beyond the expected every time.

Nicole M. McCullar & the Commonwealth Team Listing

710 Miller Lane
Alexandria, Virginia
4 Bedrooms
5 Baths
3,680 square feet

Listing price: $1,560,000