A New Perspective: High Tech, High Touch | Real Estate Insights

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The personal stories of one Realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area Real Estate Market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.

This week, Sarah and I have been in beautiful San Diego, along with 2,500 other COMPASS colleaguesfrom across 50 states who are all taking part in COMPASS’ national retreat. The theme of this year’s event was: “High Tech, High Touch,” which encapsulates our personal philosophy in a nutshell.

In other words, it’s great to have advanced technology support, but ultimately, Buyers have to cross the threshold in order to buy a home. No one has yet successfully converted the industry into “virtual” sales (although they’ve tried). Consequently, Real Estate Agents are here to stay, although the industry is certainly evolving.In the spirit of “connectivity,” we’ve attended seminars on team building, luxury marketing, the future of the industry, and AI advancements(among other topics), and while there’s always a certain amount of cheerleading that accompanies such gatherings, there’s also a great deal to learn from others, including the sponsors and vendors in the lobby hawking the “next great thing.” (Evidently, a red-light wand would do wonders for my age spots and help me look years younger!)

This isn’t my first time at a business conference, but it is my first opportunity to attend a COMPASS retreat, and it’s been rather illuminating . . .(no, I didn’t buy the wand.)

Here’s what our intrepid founder, Robert Refkin, had to say:

1. For the second year in a row, COMPASS is the #1 Real Estate Brokerage in the United States by sales volume.
2. COMPASS agents sell nearly 2.5x more than the average agent in the industry.
3. COMPASS has funded more than $1 billion in Compass Concierge projects for Sellers, making it easier for homeowners to bring their homes to market, ready to compete.
4. COMPASS has invested more than $1.5 billion in the Compass technology platform; the only proprietary end-to-end platform for real estate agents that allows us to better serve our Buyers and Sellers.
5. Within 10 years of launching the first sale on Compass.com, COMPASS will have sold over $1 TRILLION dollars in sales volume.
6. COMPASS will be international with offices in London, Singapore, San Palo, and more over the next few years.

In other words, COMPASS has plans to expand globally, and while that’s exciting, it doesn’t change things much for those of us back home in the Bay Area. For us, it remains one step forward, one project at a time . . . or as Robert would say, “collaboration without ego.”

While we’ve been enjoying San Diego, Jill and Kate have been holding down the fort back in Oakland, following up on appointments, responding to clients’ inquiries, and keeping our business on track. That’s the beauty of teamwork; everyone leans into their strengths and each of us covers the other, but even on the road, Sarah and I have been busy. No matter where we are, the work travels with us.

Now that we’ve moved into the holiday season, we’re wrapping up our Fall listings, getting ready for our annual holiday toffee deliveries (we’ll hand deliver 600 boxes of this sweet treat), and planning next year’s workload.So while it may appear much quieter front facing, we are anything but. In fact, our Spring calendar is quickly expanding. (Have you called us yet?) 

Plan-ahead Sellers with graduating seniors, job transfers, retirements, or other life-changing milestones have already reached out to secure their spots, which means we are currently creating budgets, working on calendars, and mapping out plans for these specific properties. We’re specifying countertops, picking out paint colors and wallpapers, shopping for windows, selecting tiles, and attacking gardens before the winter rains. (Good preparation is key to every successful outcome.)

Getting a running start on the process, allows us to quickly bring these homes to market in late January and early February which often brings surprising results. Logistically, most homes won’t be ready until March, April, or May when the bulk of the Spring Market arrives; however, less competition in these earlier months typically translates into stronger demand and higher selling prices which is always our intended goal.

Without beating around the bush, if you’re considering a move in 2024 (or 2025) it’s not too soon to contact your Realtor® NOW to begin the conversation. Assuming you’ll be replacing your property with another residence, we’ll be ready to quickly move into action when and if that next property comes along.

With 35 years of combined experience, Sarah and I know that bringing a property to market requires a great deal of planning, preparation, coordination, and attention to detail. “High Tech, High Touch!”

​Moreover, it’s important to have everyone involved in the process align with that ethos, Lucky for us, they do. Thank you, Jill and Kate; it’s been a wonderful few days. We’re primed and ready for the next challenge, whatever it may be.

How can we help you?

Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty

Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.

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PS: Next week is Thanksgiving and “The Perspective” will take the week off. Enjoy your turkey and fixins’ with family and friends. I’ll see you at Piedmont’s Turkey Trot.