New study from Side shows that agents who join boutique teams report greater benefits than agents who join teams at traditional, big-box brokerages
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (January 17, 2022) — Agents who join boutique teams report higher satisfaction and income compared to agents on teams at traditional brokerages, according to a new study released today by Side, the only real estate brokerage platform that helps top agents, teams, and indies create and grow their own companies.
Side surveyed over 100 agents across multiple states, demographics, and sales histories who lead or are part of boutique teams (i.e, teams that are not affiliated with traditional, big-box brokerage brands) and compared the results to additional industry studies from Workman Success Systems and RealTrends.
The analysis found that high-potential agents seeking career growth should consider joining a boutique team, for the following reasons:
- More agents on boutique teams (88%) report a positive or extremely positive experience than agents on teams in general (77%).
- Agents on boutique teams are more likely to see the team as pivotal to their success than the average team agent (89% for boutique teams, compared to 72% for the average team agent).
- Nearly every single agent surveyed (96%) reported earning higher income after joining a boutique team, compared with 76% of agents who reported higher income after joining a team in general.
- Agents on boutique teams are more likely to prioritize customer service, with 74% saying they decided to join a boutique in order to provide better customer service to their clients, compared with 59% of team agents on average.
“This study reinforced what we at Side have always known to be true: Boutique teams are the future of real estate,” said Michelle Denogean, Side CMO. “Teams will always outperform solo agents; they’re better able to distribute the workload so each team member can focus on what they do best. Agents receive tremendous value when they join a team, and that value is compounded when they join a boutique company led by a local expert.”
As the housing market normalizes, Side anticipates more agents will gravitate to boutique teams. Per 2022 data from the National Association of REALTORS®, half of all REALTORS® licensed today have been in the business for eight or fewer years, meaning they have never experienced a down market. In these market conditions, the benefits of joining a boutique team — particularly income growth — will be be even more enticing to agents.
The power of the boutique team will be a central theme at Side x Side, the real estate industry’s premier event for high-volume real estate agents and teams, which will be held in Long Beach from February 7-9, 2023.
