Sotheby’s: Synonymous with Quality

The people of Sotheby’s International Realty certainly know how to give homes the red-carpet treatment. The ultra-modern and absolutely stunning $35 million Glass Pavilion by Steve Hermann in Montecito, Calif., has become the trending topic of conversations among architectural votaries and potential homebuyers, thanks to impressive media exposure on Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! Real Estate, and the likes—which is thanks to the people of Sotheby’s International Realty. “When I came to the company about the property, they jumped on board to get the listing out to these media outlets,” says Montecito agent Suzanne Perkins.

While signs of recovery look bleak for housing markets across the nation, Sotheby’s International Realty’s growth remarkably continues to be steady and stable, particularly on the West Coast. “Overall, unit sales for the first half of this year are ahead of last year’s,” says Frank Symons, executive vice president and COO of the company’s Western Region.

Los Angeles-native Symons owned and operated his own real estate company before joining Sotheby’s International Realty in 1995. He then created the first Western Region office in Beverly Hills. “The first thing we did was take over a space previously occupied by a bank, which we remodeled and rebuilt as a real estate office, hiring a core group of agents who are still with us. Then we opened a second location in San Francisco before moving on to Brentwood. That was our initial growth,” Symons says.

Through a steady rate of start-ups and acquisitions, Sotheby’s International Realty’s Western Region has grown to also include the greater Los Angeles area, Montecito/Santa Barbara, Carmel/Monterey, Ventura County, San Francisco, Sonoma, and Santa Fe, N.M.

The Western Region now represents many of the most luxurious stunners scattered along the Pacific Coast Highway, including an 8-room, $22 million Carmel splendor anchored directly into the rocky shoreline with panoramic views from Point Lobos to Pebble Beach and an 8-bedroom, 8-bath, $40 million Malibu behemoth split into two side-by-side beachfront gated homes.

Sotheby’s International Realty simply commands the real estate market from SoCal to NorCal. “People looking to buy or sell in each of our markets within the region look to us,” says Symons. Yet the Western Region has also made transactions by way of the company’s other branches and affiliates across the country. “It’s not unusual for a client who has a home in Manhattan to also want a property in Malibu,” Symons says. “Recently, we had a referral to Malibu from Atlanta.”

The Western Region has grown to include luxury developments among its listings in addition to traditional home sales. It has exclusively listed two high-end projects in Los Angeles—the opulent 20-unit Montage Residences Beverly Hills and the hip, modernized Residences at W Hollywood. “We always try to be responsive to the clients’ needs, and representing these properties provided an exciting new opportunity to do just that,” Symons explains. “We’ve always represented the most luxurious homes and condos in Los Angeles. Developers saw the value of our global exposure and approached us. Would we take on other luxury projects in the region? Of course we would. If we can service the projects at the level that we should, we will take them on.”

Symons credits much of the company’s success to conventional rapport and customer service. “One of the best things we do is the level of service we provide to our clients.” Bestowing that highest level of service to clients means the company has to offer the right support to the agents. “Though I’m based in Beverly Hills, I frequently visit all other offices to keep abreast of the needs of our agents, who in turn really stay on top of the needs of our clients,” says Symons.

Sunset Strip agent Russ Filice appreciates Symons’ support. “There is no better leader, friend, or colleague than Frank Symons,” he says. “His leadership and professionalism are one of Sotheby’s International Realty’s greatest assets.”

Perkins, who has been an agent for the company since 2001, also attests to the fine guidance from the top. “I can’t even begin to expound the type of support our company gives its agents. From ad and media exposure to Internet opportunities, I can’t imagine any other company would be able to do the same.”

In fact, according to the independent web analytics provider Compete, Sotheby’s International Realty’s proprietary websites drive more traffic than any other residential real estate networks targeting high-end buyers. Sothebysrealty.com and sothebyshomes.com together receive over three times more visitors than their closest competitor.

Sotheby’s International Realty’s powerful global recognition sets it apart from other real estate businesses. With 10,000 affiliated sales associates in 500 offices in 38 countries, they are truly the global experts in property sales, attracting homebuyers and sellers from coast to coast, stateside to over international waters.

“I can take the Montage Residences to London or the W Hollywood to Hong Kong,” Symons says. “Other companies can’t deliver like we can. We have direct links to all of the offices in our network at all times. We know their properties; they know ours.”

It’s that international exposure that drew Perkins to come work here. “They had that cache—the elegance and resources for international exposure,” she says. “You go overseas and people know who Sotheby’s is. The name is synonymous with quality.”

Of course, the Sotheby’s name is a powerful seller itself. Since 1744, the brand has carried the tune of perfection, prestige, and being of the finest in fine art, antiques, collectibles, and luxury homes. “When people think of Sotheby’s, they know we can be entrusted in things of value—from decorative art to fine homes,” says Symons. “That’s why they reach out to us for these special properties.”

In fact, a client from London who walked into the Beverly Hills office recently is now working with agents there to look at multi-million dollar properties. “What brought him in was the name,” Symons says.

Sotheby’s is also the world’s oldest international auction house, and its unique relationship with Sotheby’s International Realty provides the real estate company with access to the most affluent consumers. “Here’s what we can do as a company,” Symons explains. “I represented the Montage Residences Beverly Hills at an exhibition at the auction house in London during the biggest sale of the season. We had a great reception.” Sotheby’s International Realty will also take the Residences at W Hollywood to the Hong Kong auction sale in October.

Contrary to the housing trends in other parts of the United States, the market is booming, not crashing, on the West Coast. And the Sotheby’s International Realty Western Region is growing, but doing it wisely.

“We are always interested in expanding the brand where it services our clients and fits our company,” says its Executive VP. “But we expand in the appropriate markets at the appropriate times.”

The pinnacle of the industry is indeed Sotheby’s. “I deeply believe in the brand,” Symons says. “It’s amazing to come to work each day and know you work for a brand that was created in 1744. We have huge pride in this company, and we want to make sure we nurture it, preserve it, and grow it. Agents join us because they get it.”