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WATCH: How to succeed as a niche real estate agent

AJ Canaria of PlanOmatic

Kofi Nartey, the national director of Compass’ sports and entertainment division, might have some high-priced clients in Beverly Hills, but he got there by toiling away in a very niche field in a massive industry.

Kofi Nartey

Nartey highlighted the ever-evolving journey of a niche real estate agent when he participated in a sponsored panel discussion with Qualia Founder and CEO Nate Barker, Quicken Loans’ Senior Vice President of Mortgage Banking Jason Pace, and Agentology CEO David Tal at Inman Connect Las Vegas Tuesday.

“I’ve had to define myself with specific topics and subjects several times,” Nartey said. “Redefining myself from an athlete and an actor to a real estate broker, I had to dive into real estate. Going into sports and entertainment as a niche, I had to roll up and say, ‘What’s different about specializing in sports and entertainment?’ and I had to learn about that and position myself to service that type of clientele.”

One of the keys to becoming a proactive expert — rather than just reacting to what your specific clients’ needs are at any given time — is making the best use of the vast access to information at your fingertips, he said. Nartey is now learning all about rezoning laws so that he can expand his field of expertise.

“If you look at it from a service standpoint and say, ‘OK, if I can learn this information, I can service my client better, and my client’s going to have a better experience,” Nartey said, noting that being proactive means anticipating the needs of his clients.

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