This article first appeared in Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty’s 2023 Forecast Report. To get your digital or print copy of this comprehensive look at the Pacific Northwest’s ever-changing residential real estate landscape click here.
I moved frequently growing up and my parents, forever in pursuit of realizing their dreams, have owned upwards of 12 homes. So, it may come as no surprise that I now spend my days helping ease the transition of moving and relocation. I connect buyers and sellers with global real estate advisors at Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty and across the Sotheby’s International Realty® (SIR) Global Referral network (GRN). The GRN is a network of 26,000 global real estate advisors and referral teams working in over 1,075 local SIR offices internationally. The network provides exceptional opportunities to advisors, buyers, and sellers unlike any other real estate brokerage referral network I have seen. I guide people getting started and align them with a qualified global real estate advisor who is ideal for their situation, whether relocating to the Puget Sound for work or realizing their dreams of vacation homeownership or real estate investing
from sea to sky and in between.
SIR’s global network benefits sellers looking to smartsize in Seattle and buy a vacation or second home or investment property in popular markets like Palm Springs or Scottsdale. Warm weather destinations like these are some of our more frequent outbound referrals from Washington residents in the winter months. The GRN simplifies the process for advisors and clients, making the referral and relocation process relatively seamless.
Ultimately, buyers and sellers work in tandem with advisors from SIR affiliates in both locations. To facilitate, I collaborate with local referral and relocation teams that streamline the process of finding the “best fit” for their agents’ clients and vice versa for our agents’ clients. The benefit of working with two Sotheby’s International Realty agents in two separate locations, and a referral team who assigns the referral to the best suited advisor to the client’s needs is two-fold. Advisors typically communicate with each other ahead of time and throughout the life of the referral if needed. Both have the client’s best interest in mind, and the referral teams provide high-touch service from assignment to close. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Last year, European markets saw an increase in American buyers seeking second homes with the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar and euro nearly equal for the first time in 20 years. Utilizing the GRN, I worked with Sotheby’s affiliates in France, Italy, and in the Costa Brava region of Spain to identify global advisors for our broker’s clients in each country. Locally, we saw continued movement across the Puget Sound with buyers actively relocating to the Seattle area from feeder markets including California and Texas, and sellers listing their homes and moving out of state with the help of referral connections around the globe.
These connections and the SIR Global Referral Network provide peace of mind that clients, family, and friends are being well taken care of on both ends of their move. For those selling in one location and buying in another, this kind of concierge service makes all the difference. For me, it brings gratification knowing that I have assisted in some small part with one of life’s big transitions.