Recruiting strategies from Orange County’s largest independent brokerage

Today on the RealTrending podcast, we’re bringing you a special crossover episode with the Power House podcast! 

Last week, HousingWire president Diego Sanchez sat down with Michele Harrington, the CEO of FirstTeam Real Estate out of Orange County, California. Michele started her career in the Marine Corps, but after being stationed in Orange County, she not only fell in love with the beauty of Southern California, but she also got bit by the entrepreneurial bug. Now, she leads California’s largest independent brokerage.

Michele and Diego talk about what sets FirstTeam apart from other brokerages and the recruitment strategies that are helping them surpass their goal of $1 billion in recruited teams. They also talk about empowering women in leadership positions and their plans to expand outside of California, while maintaining their “fortress” inside the state.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• Women hold only 26% of leadership positions in real estate, despite being a majority of agents.
• Empowering women to pursue leadership roles is crucial for the growth of the industry.
• Their recruitment strategies focus on training new agents and placing them in existing teams.
• FirstTeam is on track to surpass $1 billion in recruited teams this year.
• The company aims for organic growth by expanding into adjacent markets.
• Michelle’s upcoming book emphasizes the importance of self-discipline in achieving success.

Here’s a small preview of today’s interview. The transcript below has been lightly edited for length and clarity:

Diego Sanchez: I love that entrepreneurial journey. I feel like it probably makes you a better CEO and manager of the agents on your team, having gone through that.

Michele Harrington: It’s such a different and unique industry of people who really want the freedom and the ability to create dreams and amazing lives. The funny thing is, when you look at like the big companies, they’re all people from outside the industry. And I think that’s why they struggle, to be perfectly honest.

If you’ve never sold a house and you’ve never door knocked and you’ve never cold called, you’re not gonna have the same experience. It’s just not gonna happen. They bring on presidents and vice presidents that have never sold real estate either and they wonder why they can’t figure it out. It’s unique. There’s no other industry in the world that is the same as the real estate industry. So I’m proud to be a part of it. I get very involved in leadership and making sure we’re moving in the right direction.

The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch.