One advantage small brokerages enjoy over their larger competitors is their ability to craft highly distinct and local brands. A new brokerage in New York City is milking that opportunity for all it’s worth.
Fashion Realty claims to specialize in showing stylish properties through agents who dress particularly fashionably.
The goal is to embrace the abundant style and energy of New York City, according to Leonard R. Gendelberg, CEO of Fashion Realty.
“What makes us stand apart from other brokerage firms is the style of the properties we market and the stylish flair our agents possess,” Gendelberg said in a statement. “We are confident that our clients will notice a difference.”
Promotional video for Fashion Realty.
While Fashion Realty wants to see style in its agents, it won’t impose any kind of dress code. The brokerage will leave it up to its agents to demonstrate their panache, Gendelberg said.
The firm’s target clientele “will be the upper class who truly want the finest things in life,” he said, noting that focusing on stylish properties requires working with the well-heeled clients.
The brokerage is “not interested in offering run-of-the-mill properties that the majority of other brokerages have,” and will evaluate properties to determine whether they meet its criteria, he added.
Gendelberg said that some brokerages set themselves apart by offering exclusive listings.
But he felt that even those brokerages were “missing something.” Gendelberg says he’s filled the hole by focusing on providing clients with an enjoyable experience, not just the property of their dreams.
Fashion Realty’s marketing approach highlights how small independent brokerages can forge highly targeted brands that resonate with certain niches of buyers and sellers.
Along with control of technology, control of local branding gives independent brokerages the ability to craft a nimble, profitable business that can adapt quickly to market conditions, an Inman survey found.
This story has been updated.