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Wednesday, 02 May 2012 22:36 |
Service vs. Social Media: The Ongoing Transformation in the Real Estate Industry
As technology continues to influence the real estate industry, reconfiguring the way residential and commercial brokers market themselves and their services, we should not overlook an essential principle: service. The value of bringing clients together - the benefits of enjoying longstanding contacts with buyers and sellers, and landlord and tenants - far exceeds the virtual reality of social media and other ephemera. None of which is to dismiss the importance of using new tools to facilitate deals and communicate with colleagues and clients. But when we rely too heavily on one resource - when we mistake impersonal advertisements and mass mailings for face-to-face meetings - we risk undermining our credibility and making our profession, which depends on word of mouth and client testimonials, into just another exchangeable commodity. My recommendation is, instead, a return to basics -- a way for residential and commercial brokers to move beyond Facebook or Twitter into the real world, where friends are more than a number to be tabulated and weighed against someone else's online profile or marketing literature.
Commercial and residential brokers who understand this fact - that success depends on your visibility and competence, with clients at your side - have more repeat business and more reach within your areas of expertise. For example: I encourage my partners to embrace social media, but to become the prisoner of technology. Meaning: we use social media as a way to reiterate our emphasis on service, while also showcasing new properties and announcing recently finalized transactions. But we do not use social media (including email) as a substitute for touring a building, reviewing files or offering candid advice to clients. Alas, too many individuals - within and far beyond the real estate industry - do not heed this advice, and thus they become the equivalent of avatars of themselves: people who spend too much time online, and forsake their careers and networking opportunities in the process.
This last point deserves repeating, because the real estate industry thrives on the personal relationships between brokers and their clients. It would be foolish to ignore this fact, while chasing the latest fad for the elusive goal of "visibility." From my experience, true visibility - and respect within the real estate industry - comes from providing services clients need and want, including: finding the right property for the right individual, getting suitably attractive financial agreements, earning the trust of building owners and operators, and acting as a source of intelligence for prospective buyers and sellers.
In contrast, excessive reliance of social media - constant email updates and video postings - results in nothing more than white noise -- background material that never wins the attention of the very people you seek to contact. All of which raises another question, What should brokers do to change this situation? Simply stated, brokers need to invest in themselves; they need to be forces of action - and leadership - in the areas they service. That means their presence, within a specified zone of business, is frequent and (frequently) effective.
By embracing these suggestions, real estate professionals can once again be forces for positive change. Clients need these services; and we should welcome the chance to provide such wisdom and counsel. Remember: technology is a tool, not a replacement for common sense and old fashioned networking. Bearing these facts in mind, we have every reason to prosper.
 James Huang is the Principal and Founder of BRC Advisors, Inc. BRC Advisors is a full service commercial real estate company, headquartered in downtown Los Angeles with additional offices throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. BRC Advisors combines a wealth of brokerage and advisory experience within a strategically aligned network of programs. With its dedication to training and innovation, BRC Advisors is competitive in all market conditions and changing circumstances.
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Thursday, 15 March 2012 22:49 |
BRC Advisors Opens Three New Offices in Southern California: Strategic Expansion for Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese Investors
Los Angeles, March 12, 2012 – BRC Advisors (http://www.brcadvisors.com), a leading commercial real estate brokerage firm with offices throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, announces the opening of three new offices in the Greater Los Angeles area. These offices will offer specialized services for, respectively, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese real estate investors and their extended network of financial consultants and business executives. These offices also provide convenient access to members of these specific communities, with locations in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley and Westminster.
This strategic expansion coincides with millions of dollars in new opportunities, directed by overseas investors who want to enter the real estate market in Southern California. Overseeing these offices will be a team of distinguished directors from BRC Advisors, each of whom is a trusted emissary on behalf of these investors.
"Our new offices the result of continued demand from investors who want the counsel our firm provides and the insight our partners enjoy. For example: our credibility within the Asian-American community – including key points of interest for Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese residents in Los Angeles – distinguishes BRC Advisors as a firm with the resources and expertise necessary to facilitate major transactions on behalf of a variety of clients. This expansion is further proof of our success and influence across the Pacific Rim," says James Huang, Founder and Partner of BRC Advisors.
"BRC Advisors is a trusted name in general and a highly respected one for Korean investors in particular. That prestige extends to our newly opened office in Koreatown, where we can accommodate the needs and interests of this community. I look forward to working with our team and the many accomplished citizens who seek our assistance," says Eric Bae, Managing Director of the Koreatown office for BRC Advisors.
“Our presence in the San Gabriel Valley allows us to meet directly with a highly qualified number of Chinese investors. These individuals value the high integrity, service, resource and wisdom we provide. In addition, quality EB-5 foreign investment projects are some of the many advantages that separate BRC Advisors from the competition,” says Eva Cheng, Managing Director of the San Gabriel Valley office for BRC Advisors.
A Conservative and Disciplined Approach: BRC Advisors in Action
BRC Advisors applies a conservative and disciplined approach to its management. "Our emphasis on value, quality and comprehensive knowledge of the marketplace is critical to our success. BRC Advisors symbolizes this approach and allows individuals to be a part of our acclaimed leadership. That philosophy underscores our achievements, earning us respect and admiration from our peers and journalists nationwide," says Rich Enderlin, Managing Partner and Director of the Multi-Family Investment Group of BRC Advisors.
About BRC Advisors
Headquartered in Los Angeles, BRC Advisors is a full service commercial real estate company, with additional offices throughout Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.
The firm combines a wealth of brokerage and advisory experience within a strategically aligned network of programs. With its dedication to training and innovation, BRC Advisors is competitive in all market conditions and changing circumstances. For more information about BRC Advisors, please visit www.brcadvisors.com. |
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Thursday, 03 November 2011 17:42 |
As the Managing Director of the BRC Advisors Net Lease Group, Sean O'Shea has over 36 years of experience in the real estate industry. His achievements include a variety of milestones, such as serving as an officer and shareholder of a regional commercial brokerage firm in major markets on the East Coast to acting as a Senior Asset Manager for a $2 billion private REIT. This exceptional leadership, based on Sean's wisdom and integrity, enables him to build superb relationships between clients and investors -- a union of trust and success that garners national recognition.
That same spirit of insight is part of Sean's blog, where he addresses a variety of topics with eloquence and clarity. Those skills - the ability to demystify complex markets and respond to rapidly changing events - are at the core of Sean's credibility. His writings are a must-read for real estate executives, clients and media. Bookmark his blog, because his advice is valuable and essential in an economy where solutions are, now more than ever, the highest priority.
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Tuesday, 25 October 2011 22:17 |
One of the founding principles of BRC Advisors is a commitment to leadership and excellence, something that demands the wisdom of a true professional. Other businesses may pay lip service to these ideals, offering a mere nod in the presence of something so vital, but the difference between that attitude and the success of BRC Advisors - a distinction of absolute clarity - rests with the people who have a record of genuine achievement. By that standard, Houman Mahboubi is someone worthy of respect and our collective thanks.
As a partner at BRc Advisors, Houman would be the first to acknowledge the hard work of his colleagues; his accomplishments are theirs, too, as the firm moves forward as a single organization with a visible goal: to bring buyers and sellers together, through the transparent exchange of information and the creation of a level playing field. In Beverly Hills, where Houman is a noted member of the community and a mentor to aspiring executives within the real estate industry, there is an unshakeable faith that Houman promotes for all to hear: trust. That is, trust is an essential part of Houman's approach to everything, not simply business reflex with a timer that shuts off at the end of the day. And the same is true for every individual at BRC Advisors - trust is an inseparable part of success. No exceptions.
By following Houman's example, and through the strengths available from BRC Advisors, we can - and should - adopt these traits. Integrity, honesty, discipline and availability: those characteristics define Houman's work. Those concepts symbolize the value of BRC Advisors.
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Monday, 10 October 2011 17:00 |
 One of the many advantages BRC Advisors offers is a strong presence throughout the greater Los Angeles area. With offices in key parts of the city, augmented by the expertise of the partners and brokers who run these operations, BRC has the necessary depth to handle a variety of transactions. In Beverly Hills, which has some of the world's most coveted retail space, BRC repeatedly proves this point: that success depends on the knowledge - and trust - of professionals who can bring buyers and sellers together, or landlords and tenants into agreement, based on terms that are fair and attractive to all parties.
BRC achieves that goal because, in Beverly Hills and across the City of Los Angeles, the company takes a long-term view towards helping clients and building a sustainable brand. Translation: BRC approaches each transaction as part of a larger whole, in which the company has an opportunity to further its presence within the community and extend its leadership to those who value integrity, insight and the wisdom only this firm provides.
These advantages define the history of BRC Advisors. And that track record will only grow in the months and years ahead.
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Friday, 30 September 2011 22:27 |
For BRC Advisors, service is not a mere buzzword. No, the integrity of this firm - and the longstanding relationships that distinguish our efforts on behalf of a variety of clients - is a testament to a fundamental principle: investing our credibility on behalf of every transaction, giving every client a customized solution that provides lasting value.
Think about that statement, because true service depends on professionals who will stake their work to an important cause or project. We understand the importance of this idea, and this blog is an opportunity for us to further convey this point, that service is not a luxury; it is a basic (but too often overlooked) part of doing business. As consumers, we expect a certain degree of service - common courtesy, available information, polite staff and respect for one another - which should be the foundation for any business.
In the commercial real estate industry, other companies may use "service" as nothing more than an advertising tactic -- an attempt to lure prospective clients, without offering the substance necessary for a successful partnership. Our approach to this situation is different, obviously, because it rests on the idea that service is not a temporary benefit, one-time gift we bestow on the few. At its core, service is a belief and an action; something we cherish, so we can apply that ideal to each specific opportunity.
Buyers and sellers understand this fact, which is why BRC Advisors enjoys its distinguished position in the marketplace. Look for future posts dealing with this theme, for we all have a commitment to each other and the community at large.
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