You've seen the signs on local lawns: Windermere, John L. Scott, Coldwell Banker, along with the other big names in real estate.
But what about EHI or The Landmark Group?
You may not recognize those names, but according to their owners and agents, it doesn't matter. These local real-estate professionals pride themselves not only on for whom they work, but the type of service they provide.
"We take pride in our communication with our clients," said Pat Suarez, owner of EHI Real Estate Advisors, 2800 E. Madison St.
In this age of corporate takeovers, buyouts and mergers, few independent, locally owned businesses remain, and the real estate industry is no exception. How do they do it?
Quality over quantity. They may not have the biggest business, but they give the best service, they say.
Competitiveness
Suarez, who started out working for a large company, said he grew tired of the "every man for himself" atmosphere. He said he had to lock up all his files when he went to lunch.
So about two years ago, he decided it was time for something new. So he started EHI (Experience, Honesty, Integrity), a young office; all the agents are between 25 and 32 years old.
The dozen-or-so folks at EHI work together; there's no need to hide your Rolodex or lock up your files here, he says.
And unlike some of the larger offices, he and his agents are always available: "You're never going to have an agent who can't answer a question," he said.
For Susan Gartner, an agent at EHI, choosing the company was easy. "It was just the right fit," she said.
She spoke to people at bigger offices, but it seemed like the agents weren't accessible, she said, and the agents didn't seem to work as a team.
"Everybody [at EHI] kind of feeds off of everyone else's energy," added Tim Waite, another agent at EHI.
There is something to be said about name recognition, Suarez admitted. Getting people to know the company's name is still a challenge.
But becoming a huge company isn't really an aspiration for Suarez.
"I will grow as aggressively as I have to" to stay competitive, he said, as long as he doesn't sacrifice quality. "We're not going to grow simply just to grow."
Word-of-mouthPaul Bascomb, of Bascomb and Associates, 2301 S. Jackson St., has seen his business fluctuate throughout the 33 years he's been in the industry, but he still has aspirations for growth.
"I don't thing growing is a negative thing," he said, as long as you do it right.
Bascomb and his agents tend to deal with homes under $500,000, but he would like to become a little more diverse, not only in his homes but in his office and his clientele. He and his six agents are African American, and they work mostly with the area's African-American community.
But he certainly doesn't want to neglect those who have supported him through the years. "We do a great job here, and we're satisfied with who we work with," he said.
He admits that, being a smaller company, he lacks the name recognition as a recruitment tool. "We have to do a bit more" to stay competitive, he said.
People in the area know him because he's been around for so long, he said, but he still relies heavily on referral and repeat business.
A 'personal touch'
Loren Chotzen, owner of The Landmark Group, 3101 E. Madison St., said he can do everything a larger office can do, but with "a personal touch."
Before Chotzen opened The Landmark Group, he worked for a larger company and found that people really liked him, not just the company he worked for, he said. So he thought it would be a good idea to go into business for himself.
And in 1985 he did. He started with just himself and his secretary, and now the company boasts about 50 agents, and Chotzen isn't looking to grow much bigger. "We're not so concerned about growth as about quality," he said.
He calls this "quality control." When companies get too big, things can slip through the cracks, he explained, and the owners sometimes lose control of how people work and act. There also tends to be more part-time agents at the larger offices.
"You lose expertise," he said.
Mark Anton, an agent at The Landmark Group for about 11 years, said "you get lost" working for a large company.
Anton has worked for a big company as well as for another small office, and he said that The Landmark Group "is more like a family."
He said some agents new to the business may think they need a big name behind them to get started. But if you're a hard worker, he explained, all you need is you.
According to Chotzen, one of the advantages that a larger company has, however, is the area they cover. If someone from outside of his area - Seattle and vicinity - calls him up and wants his service, he has to refer them to another business, whereas the larger companies have offices everywhere.
Other smaller offices
While The Landmark Group and EHI don't specialize in any specific price range, Ewing and Clark Inc., 4108 E. Madison St., work mostly with luxury homes.
Owners John Brian Losh and his wife - along with the 15 or so agents - specialize in homes that cost upward of a $1 million.
And this company, which has been around since 1900 (Losh has owned it since 1976) has no problem competing with the larger offices. "We just do a better job," Losh said.
Madison House Ltd./Sotheby's International Realty, 4227 E. Madison St., tends to specialize in the higher prices ranges as well, but doesn't limit their business to just that.
Kitty Hughes bought the business (founded in 1981) in 1988, and in 2000, the company became affiliated with Sotheby's, an international franchise system that supports their affiliates with marketing, operational, recruiting, education and business development.
Hughes started in the business in 1978 at John L. Scott, but wanted an opportunity to create her "own niche in the marketplace," she said.
Madison House, which has about 20 agents, covers a large area, including Skagit and Island counties. Hughes said, as the area grows, they could grow as well. "It's inevitable," she said, as long as it doesn't sacrifice the service. "We're always working towards improving the service we give."
All these small companies agree that the business is about people, not just about selling homes. "We don't just sell real estate." Bascomb said, "It's about taking care of people's needs."
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