When Compass agent Scott Savory joined StreetEasy’s then-new Experts program in October 2019, he wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. He did, however, have an open mind – and high expectations. “When the program started, I was like ‘This is something new, and it could be incredible.’ I wanted to get in with the StreetEasy [Experts] program as soon as possible,” he says. Two years later, Experts has more than surpassed those expectations. His business and team have seen rapid growth accelerated by the program.
“If StreetEasy can put a hundred new clients in front of me a year, and I can close 10, 20, 30% of those, how big of a network do you think you’re going to have in five to ten years? What took a broker 30 years to build in the past, you’d probably build in five years,” Savory says.
Since joining, Savory has grown his team within the program to nine agents. They’re now one of the top performing teams, with tens of millions in Experts deals between them. “Everyone’s happy, everyone’s making money. You’ve got leads coming in, you’re building your business, you’re adding value. I don’t think there’s anything negative you can say about something that’s this helpful to this many people, on both sides of the transaction,” he says.
Ryan Kaplan of Douglas Elliman approached Experts in a similar way when he joined in August 2020. “Well, it’s sort of like why online date? You’re hoping to meet people that you wouldn’t have come across before,” he says.
Kaplan came in with over 15 years of experience in real estate, on both the developer and brokerage side. “I had a whole client base that I wanted to build out, and this was another avenue to test.” The program has since well surpassed his expectations. “It’s become a huge part of my business, and introduced me to amazing clients and really exciting deals.”
Experts now makes up 40-50% of Kaplan’s overall business, and his deals in the program have totaled over $50M.
Hundreds of other New York City agents have used Experts to accelerate the growth of their real estate business like never before. StreetEasy Experts helps NYC buyers and sellers connect with agents who have relevant experience and deal history in the building, neighborhood, or property type of interest. Participating agents, or “Experts,” have built 8-figure businesses from Experts deals and grown teams within the program.
“I think StreetEasy has launched and developed this program at an interesting time, a changing time, and a time of technology. Individually as an agent, I embrace technology and change,” Savory adds. “But also a lot of agents are very afraid of change, because everyone’s worried about their job. I think when people think of technology, they think of people trying to get rid of the broker.”
However, Savory found the opposite when he joined Experts: a program that uses technology to bring the unique and valuable expertise of NYC agents to buyers and sellers who need their services. “[StreetEasy is] connecting clients with brokers, people who need help, who don’t have a broker. You’re connecting me with someone who’s about to embark on a very challenging process,” he says. And clients aren’t just matched with any agent, but an agent with expertise and deal history in the client’s desired building, neighborhood, or type of property. In a market like New York City where inventory is diverse and specific, making this match is key.
“Clients trust it, brokers trust it. And StreetEasy’s figured out how to leverage over 10 years’ worth of data collection and public trust,” Savory remarks.
Speaking of data, another Compass agent and Experts participant, Les Meyers, has found this aspect of the program to be particularly valuable. Meyers was one of the first ever Experts, and one of the first to close an Experts deal. Fast forward to 2022, and this year alone, his Experts deals have totaled almost $13M – a number he expects to double by the end of the year. In 2021, he did nearly $12M in Experts deals.
“What I’ve always found to be very powerful about the Experts program is it’s an amazing amount of information and data for agents,” he says. “You see what price points are hitting. You see listings that are getting repetitive hits over others that are not. There’s a lot of stuff that you can learn. It’s something that you don’t get as an agent with any sort of traditional brokerage structure.”
Josie Hubschman, an Experts participant and agent at Casa Blanca, agrees that StreetEasy Experts is much more than a lead generating program. “It’s a partnership, it’s a new ecosystem, and a new landscape,” she says. Hubschman joined Experts in late 2021 and helps manage a large team in the program.
“It’s not just that leads are coming in and it’s some type of magic bullet. It requires partnership and collaboration, and also requires a lot of training and accountability,” Hubschman says. Experts has strict performance standards for continuing participation, and agents are assigned a Business Advisor for support and accountability.
“StreetEasy has a protocol, and you have to respect the protocol,” she adds. “It’s because that’s really going to create the best outcome and best experience for the customer.”
The collaborative partnership between StreetEasy and Casa Blanca has resulted in learnings on both sides. These learnings include the ability to create consistency in service regardless of agent, market, or price point, which Casa Blanca prides itself on. “StreetEasy has demonstrated its ability to prove the analytical side of the transaction – identifying which factors combine to result in the greatest likelihood of a transaction,” Hubschman says. “Casa Blanca trains our agents on these critical KPIs, which has proven invaluable.”
And it’s what she believes is best for the agent, too. “StreetEasy is democratizing the process and empowering agents.”
Find out more about StreetEasy Experts and join the waitlist today.