In the latest episode of the RealTrending Podcast, host Tracey Velt talks with Chief Growth Strategist Ryan Michaelis Worth Clark Real Estateabout growing your business through recruiting, the agency fixed-fee model, and national association of realtors(NAR) settles buyers and sellers across the industry.
Michaelis began his career at Worth Clark, where his leadership approach focused on supporting agents’ careers through growth opportunities.
The conversation first delved into Michaelis’ real estate background before reaching Vos Clark. He began his career in property management before moving to Worth Clark as a property management agent. Eventually, Michaelis achieved great success as an agent and was able to recruit others to join his team. When the company decided to abandon property management and move toward real estate sales, Michaelis held a number of other positions, supporting Vos Clark along the way.
Velt then raised questions about Worth Clark’s growth plans and its flat-fee model, which essentially gives agents a 100% commission on every deal they participate in. Truly leveraging their support requires success. Worth Clark operates in 18 states and is ranked the 39th largest independent brokerage firm in the United States.
Michaelis attributes the company’s growth to his recruiting-first mentality, which he said hasn’t changed over the years.
“A lot of it has to do with recommendations from our own agents,” he said. “Nearly 70% of the brokers who join our firm are recommended to us by our own brokers, and 80% of those brokers would join Worth Clark if we had the opportunity to speak with them.”
Michaelis also mentioned that the company invites broker owners to bring their agents to Worth Clark for team training and other exercises that foster synergy.
After concluding the discussion point, Velt continued discussing NAR solutions and asked Michaelis to share his thoughts. He explains how Worth Clark prioritizes providing support and guidance to agents with the resources during post-settlement changes. The company holds regular training sessions to prepare customers who have not kept up with changes in the industry.
But Michaelis also doesn’t think the changes to the settlement will affect the brokerage’s business in the market.
“I think you can see the evidence of that in our deal growth. Our deal volume in the first quarter of 2024 was up 12% year-on-year, and last quarter our deal volume was up 13% year-over-year, when the overall market was down 3%.
Michaelis says support, development opportunities and reputation are the top reasons agents join the Voss Clark team. It’s about growing a brokerage through the right types of agents, rather than just recruiting as many agencies as possible.
“So much of this success can be attributed to our recruiting efforts, attracting our ideal agents and providing our existing agents with opportunities to grow,” he said.
Michaelis concluded the conversation by sharing his insights into the future of the industry and some of the key leadership lessons he’s learned over the years. Michaelis believes Voss Clark’s model is a good fit for the current real estate environment, as agents seek flexible and supportive brokerage services to help them run their businesses.
When it comes to leadership, he places transparency at the top of the list of qualities that make a good leader. Being humble and honest is the best way to progress as a leader, and Michaelis urges real estate executives to follow suit in their companies.
