Agent says work at Neiman Marcus gave her insight into luxury clientele
Laura Brady, a Realtor with SKY Sotheby's International Realty, is a native of Corpus Christi, Texas. She and teammate Stuart Mattison rank in the top 1 percent of Realtors in Sarasota County and the top 5 percent nationwide.
Laura, a business professional with an education in marketing and retail merchandising, graduated from the University of Texas and was recruited to Dallas to work at Neiman Marcus.
She later got her Texas real estate license and worked in management, leasing and sales for a commercial developer before moving to Sarasota with husband Corbin Brady, an interior designer.
Staff writer Stephen Frater interviewed her recently.
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Q: How long have you been in Sarasota?
A: I have been in Sarasota for almost three years and have loved every minute of it.
Q: How long have you been a Realtor?
A: I have been a Realtor for five years, previously in Dallas, Texas, where I practiced commercial real estate for a developer of retail strip centers.
Q: I see from your résumé that you worked for Neiman Marcus in Dallas, a world-famous, high-end retailer. Did the Neiman Marcus experience assist you in your realty career? And, if so, how?
A: Great question. Yes, my experience as a buyer with the Neiman Marcus Group afforded me insight into luxury clientele, a group which my business with SKY Sotheby's International Realty is focused toward. These clients are very discerning and sophisticated. They know what they want, and they value platinum service.
Q: How was 2005 and what's up with 2006?
A: In 2005, my team reached nearly $80 million in sales volume. This year, my partner Stuart Mattison and I are aiming for $85 million with an additional goal of increasing our average listing price from its current level of $2.6 million.
Q: Eighty million dollars in 2005 sounds like a pretty big number, especially in a market that weakened as the year progressed. Last year, how did you do it and how are the market conditions today?
A: We achieved this volume last year through continuous innovation, aggressive marketing tactics, both locally and worldwide, and consistent communication and service towards our clients. We are full-time professionals and run our practice as a business.
It's all about setting goals, creating a precise plan, and then executing. With my marketing background and Stuart's experience in the advertising industry, we always challenge ourselves to come up with new and innovative ways to service our buying clients and sell our listings.
We all know the market is different today than it was at this time last year. I focus on the luxury market, so I will speak to my experience/insight: Listings have increased, but Stuart and I, and our office as a whole, have experienced very strong sales in 2006 thus far. The buyers are out there. You just have to be priced and positioned correctly to command attention.
Q: Did January 2006 surpass January 2005?
A: My team's January 2006 was actually much higher than 2005, as far as written contracts go. We executed nearly $15 million in contracts last month.
Q: When do you expect these contracts to close?
A: Most of them are slated for March and April. I've seen contract time-frames tighter in the past few months, as buyers and sellers are more willing to put their best foot forward when they want to get a deal together.
Q: In your résumé, you mention that your team ranks in the top 1 percent of Realtors in Sarasota and the top 5 percent of Realtors nationwide. How do you quantify that?
A: Our statistical averages speak for themselves: List-to-sale price of 97 percent versus the market average of 74 percent, days on the market of 84 versus the market average of 100, and current average list price of $2.6 million versus the market average of $587,000 in the period from January 2004 to January 2006.
Q: There are a lot of new players coming into the Sarasota real estate market, including Premier Properties, a Michael Saunders-type and high-end Christie's affiliate from Naples. Have you been recruited by headhunters yet?
A: No, I haven't, thank goodness. I feel very blessed to be in my position at SKY Sotheby's and wouldn't even consider a move.
Q: Your husband, Corbin Brady, is an interior designer. What kind of work does he do, and have you had the opportunity to work together?
A: Yes, in fact, we work together almost every day. Last year, Corbin launched a business named "Staged" (www.stagedsarasota.com), which focuses on preparing homes for the market and full staging for new construction and vacant properties.
He actually gives a room-by-room consultation to every listing that SKY Sotheby's represents, a service offered free of charge to our clients. It's a great concept and he's been so successful that he's now growing his presence, with a new office downtown and a couple additional employees.
Q: You mentioned that "in addition to being SKY Sotheby's International Realty Associates, we are also owners of the company." How do you mean? Could you explain, please?
A: Sure. Every agent at SKY Sotheby's has the ability to both purchase and earn stock options and thus own a percentage of the firm. It makes us a very tight-knit group. We all care about the success of the business and thus the individual achievements of each agent.
Q: How many are there at Sky Sotheby's?
A: We're up to right around 20 now. It's crazy to think, as I was the third agent hired in 2004. We're growing quickly but in a deliberate manner. The owners, Brandyn Herbold and Chad Roffers, are very specific about the type of agent they hire and the statistics necessary to maintain our platinum level of service.
Q: Do you see technology making your job easier or more competitive, particularly Zillow.com, which we wrote about last week?
A: I think it makes it somewhat easier. I don't think there will ever be a day when a computer analysis could fully replace the insight offered from an experienced, educated real estate agent.
Q: What about assembly line discount yet "full service" sites such as Homediscovery.com. Do you see them as a threat?
A: No, I don't view them as a threat, since they seem to concentrate on a different market segment than I do. The luxury clientele understands the value of an experienced, full-service, knowledgeable agent with a strong, individual marketing plan for each property, as opposed to an assembly line.
Source: Sarasota Herald Tribune