“Boutique” has become the buzz-word du jour for the alternative real estate brokerage model, and at San Diego Castles Realty we consider ourselves a boutique brokerage. But what does that mean? Does it mean we are smaller than the familiar, big-name companies? Certainly. But, what it really means is that by the very small and focused nature of our model, we are better able to deliver superior, personalized service to our clients. After all, helping people buy and sell properties is our only business.
Our world is changing, and so is the way our customers buy and sell homes. Real estate will always be a people business, but technology will continue to play a greater role in the transaction. Large real estate firms are slow to react and slow to change. Their traditional model of big offices with countless agents and huge overhead is no longer relevant in today’s web-based environment. To pay for enormous operating expenses, the success of their model becomes dependent on recruiting large numbers of agents. In turn, these agents must be trained and, in an industry with large agent turn-over, recruiting and training become a never-ending, nearly full-time endeavor. Company tools are designed with the goal of agent recruitment in mind, and the focus becomes one of providing the basics, the minimum necessary for the newer, inexperienced agents to survive. Unfortunately, this often comes at the expense of excellence, and more often at the expense of the customer.
And what happened to the customer? In an industry where the customer is routinely referred to as a “lead,” and company training is most often geared toward “converting” those leads rather than improving skills, we believe it is time to redefine the way we treat our business and our clients. At San Diego Castles Realty, these are one and the same. We are concerned with two things only – exceptional service and exceptional results. All of our agents are highly educated, skilled and experienced. All share our philosophy of adhering to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism. All are committed to continually improving our service through the use of the latest technological tools. “Paperless” transactions, web-based transaction management – streamlined efficiencies – are not only possible but are a reality today. Local, national and global exposure for our selling clients is as basic today as the newspaper ad was yesterday. Economy of scale allows us not to react to an evolving way of delivering our service, but to lead.
Most importantly, at San Diego Castles Realty, the customer is always at the center of our business. We look forward to earning your business, and we assure you that we will never take that trust for granted.
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