After making a major move into the New York City market last year, Christie’s International Real Estate Group LLC is now accelerating its efforts to build a stellar team of agents serving clients across the five boroughs as well as the Hamptons.
Christie’s International Real Estate Group (“CIREG”) represents the 250 + year old Christie’s brand name in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. When The Real Deal last talked with the team, the firm shared details behind its explosive growth across the region over the past six years. CIREG has expanded to over 30 offices, including its new flagship office in Manhattan at One Rockefeller Plaza. The iconic brand name along with a strong sales platform is attracting veteran real estate agents and propelling new growth for the firm’s New York City and East Hampton offices.
Real estate agents frequently move from one agency to another throughout their careers. The idea is that the grass is greener somewhere else, but oftentimes those end up being lateral moves. That is not the case with CIREG. “I knew that this was going to be an open frontier for me in the sense of business growth and opportunities,” says Gina Sabio. With a 20-year career in real estate already under her belt, Sabio is one of the recent additions to the New York City team.
“I had multiple reasons why I chose Christie’s, but the main one came down to knowing that I was taking the exclusive, prestigious brand and global name of Christie’s, and infusing it with my brand,” says Sabio.
“You don’t have to explain Christie’s to any of your clients, and it’s really refreshing to be able to do that. They already know that this is la crème de la crème,” she says.
Clients also recognize that Christie’s is more than just real estate. Agents also have the opportunity to talk to clients and potential clients about the auction house. “That really expands my services now, and I love that,” adds Sabio.
For the past 250 + years, the Christie’s brand has been a force that represents trust and confidence for millions of clients worldwide. That brand name certainly helps to open doors for agents. However, it certainly isn’t the only factor attracting agents to the firm. For Sean Sutherland, the firm’s cutting-edge software, the tools and support for its agents that CIREG offers. “It’s incredible how evolved the system is here,” says Sutherland. This narrative between the Old-World brand and what’s going on right now with Christie’s in terms of the technology is incredibly exciting for the future of the company.
“As someone who has been in the industry for 18 years, it’s great to be reenergized and it’s almost like starting new again,” says Sutherland.
A third factor that sealed the deal for Sutherland was meeting in person with CIREG President and CEO Ilija Pavlovic and Sherri Balassone, the Vice President and Corporate Broker of Record for New York City and the Hamptons. “I was really struck by how passionate and authentic they both are,” says Sutherland. “To me, that’s really important because vision comes from the top down.”
Strong value proposition
Balassone is spearheading the New York City and Hamptons offices, and many of the same attributes that attracted her to the firm, she is now using as selling points to recruit an experienced team of agents.
“I saw my move to CIREG as an amazing opportunity to not only enhance my career and have the chance to grow a brokerage in the biggest market in the world, but most importantly I really like the people. The team is like a tight-knit family, something that is reminiscent of years gone by,” says Balassone. Despite Christie’s International Real Estate’s global presence, CIREG operates as a boutique brokerage. “We don’t answer to shareholders. We get our needs met right away because we have the flexibility to make our own decisions. Our agents love that the support they receive from the executive, marketing and administrative staff is unsurpassed,” she says.
Given that New York City is such an international marketplace, a very important part of the CIREG value proposition is that is part of a true, global network with a presence in more than 50 countries and network sales of over $100 billion annually. The firm’s agents are able to act as global real estate portfolio advisers to their clients, fully leveraging their network of top brokers throughout the U.S. and the rest of the world. “We host frequent events at our offices with our fellow Christie’s affiliates to discuss our respective markets and how we can assist each other’s clients through our global referral network. Most recently, we hosted our affiliates from Miami, Palm Beach and Portugal. Our agents love to be able to collaborate with their fellow Christie’s colleagues” says Balassone.
Another key aspect of the brand strength is the synergy with Christie’s Auction House business. “We spend a lot of time with Christie’s Auction House executives and specialists. We meet with them, we go on listing appointments together, we really are a team,” says Balassone. Likewise, the firm is looking for agents who will be good representatives of the Christie’s brand. “When I’m speaking with potential agents who want to come to CIREG, I consider whether that agent will represent the brand well under any circumstance, in front of any audience, upholding our pennants of honesty, integrity, and the respect we all carry forward in everything we do,” she says.
Another important value proposition for agents is the company’s proactive approach to lead generation. CIREG has a department devoted to lead generation, which extends across the company’s entire footprint in the tri-state area. Leads are generated through the company’s international sales department and Christie’s Auction House, as well as relationships with industry vendors. In 2022, for example, the company sold 4,000 homes with 1,500 of those sales that came from sale leads.
“We really are using the network to create opportunities for our agents that they would not get anywhere else,” says Balassone.
CIREG also offers an exceptional support team in terms of administration, marketing, and technology. Agents are trained on how to use Christie’s International Real Estate’s award-winning proprietary software called Pl@tform, which is a combination of a client relationship management system and a marketing platform. The platform has hundreds of different templates that agents can use for marketing, communications and connecting directly with various clients. In addition, agents can work directly with support staff to create marketing materials and learn how to better leverage social media to increase their visibility and presence.
Targeting “smart” growth
The vision for the New York City and Hamptons offices is to grow, while still maintaining the family atmosphere and collaborative culture that CIREG prides itself on having. “We don’t want to create a culture where people feel the need to hide their work. We want our agents to feel comfortable sharing ideas and collaborating with their colleagues. We are creating a culture of trust and teamwork,” says Balassone.
“Being able to trade notes and ask questions and be comfortable in a friendly atmosphere is a really vital part of the business,” adds Sutherland. Any agent knows that even if you have been in the business for 20 or 30 years, there is always some new situation or new hurdle that can pop up in a deal. “It’s great to have resources and people under the same roof who are there to help each other,” he says.
A second goal is smart growth. Oftentimes, agents find themselves in a giant company that is continuing to add more and more agents. The same top five people get the majority of the business, while everyone else struggles to get to the next level. “We want to be able to give the attention to the agents that we promise. And on top of that, we want to be able to grow the agent’s business,” says Balassone. “For that growth to work, we need each other. It’s a partnership, and that’s how we see it at Christie’s International Real Estate Group.”