What Sets CITY SPHERE Apart From Other Brokerages in NYC?

We managed to fail forward.

We could not have found better words to express that we have successfully learned from our mistakes. When we created CITY SPHERE, we had an entirely different concept of what it would look like. We went after quantity and not quality; we wanted to scale it rather than align it with our internal values. Fortunately for us - the original plan did not work, and we were able to shift gears.

As a result, what did CITY SPHERE become?

Firstly, here’s what it did not become - it did not become a big box corporate real estate brokerage. Nor did it become the latest online capping model trend where agents pay a certain annual dollar amount and then earn 100% of their commission. Corporate big box models have not worked for us as agents, and there was no desire to do what we are not aligned with. Furthermore, the capping model is limiting because it needs to have a large quantity of agents to be profitable; as a result, it reduces the quality of service that can be provided to our partner agents.

We also did not want CITY SPHERE to be centered around its founders, a specific team, or a single agent. Instead, it should be a vast field of opportunity for a variety of agents with different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to succeed. No one team or founder should dim the light for the rest.

As a result, here is what CITY SPHERE became, what sets us apart, and what we are working towards:

Industry Knowledge.

CITY SPHERE’s founders have over 20+ years of industry experience, and have sold over 100 properties combined - ranging from starter apartments to prime, luxury townhouses. Company leadership does not just have theoretical knowledge, but rather practical approaches to what works to help navigate even the most difficult situations with partner agents in real time as they experience it.

In-Depth Support.

Unlike what you see on reality TV, buying or selling an apartment is a huge operation! Whether launching a new sales listing, or helping a buyer navigate from accepted offer to close, involves countless steps of service - including phone calls, emails, follow-ups, and coordination with attorneys, mortgage brokers, property managers, title companies and more. As a result, CITY SPHERE has been able to efficiently manage that process through effective systems and a streamlined operations team. This removes the heavy load that is normally placed on the agent, and provides support for our founding agents to do what they do best - connect with their clients.

Listing Appointments Help.

Interpersonal skills, knowledge, and experience play a big part in a seller allowing an agent to sell their property. At CITY SPHERE, we are able to help leverage the skills, knowledge and experience of the Founders by joining partner agents during conversations with prospective sellers and helping them win new listings.

Database Management.

Whether it is social media posts or custom newsletters, our operations team is able to curate branded collateral for our partner agents. Both items add a layer of meaningful communication with agents' contacts.

Branded Deliverables.

Solid branding behind an agent is important. We worked with a professional company to launch and curate our brand - whether it is our web-presence, our seller/buyer guides, or our physical folders, CITY SPHERE has a repository of deliverables available to our partner agents.

Education & Training.

Getting the right training in NYC real estate has never been more important. We have curated our list of effective “how-tos” for the right dialogues with various clients, new business generation, working with Zillow & Streeteasy, and more. We have compressed the information and share it through our onboarding, weekly trainings, weekly group 1:1s, roleplay practices and more. All of our training tools are available for partner agents to tune in online at their own pace or in-person at our physical office.

CRM.

We see so often that companies advertise that they provide a CRM, but what does that mean? For us, we wanted our CRM to be a go-to platform for our partner agents to use to drive more business and growth. We have worked with consultants and coaches to implement and automate client follow-up plans, visibility into transactions at all angles, and for agents to have a bird’s eye view of their lead pipeline. Our agents can plug and play into our existing system without having to spend time figuring out how to learn an entirely new CRM, or if it will even work (hint: ours does!).

Team Building & Accountability.

When a partner agent wants to grow a team, they can leverage our existing systems, operations team, and accountability systems already in place. Teams can grow faster and at a lower cost at CITY SPHERE with our existing infrastructure that supports team expansion.

Clients.

One of the hardest tasks for agents is to find clients. Through our accountability systems and advertising efforts, we are able to help agents get in front of quality clients, know what to say, and how to close. In addition, we will help agents farm their own business and navigate methods on how to build their own sphere.

Profit Sharing.

As a part of giving back, our agents enjoy a profit share from any agent that joins the company from their referral.

Office space.

Lastly, we have a physical office space in midtown with computers, desks, printers and good old fashioned human interaction! We have no plans of going 100% virtual, and always want to maintain a level of face-to-face interaction. We managed to fail forward. And while there will always be constant adjustments to be made and lessons to be learned, we are grateful for what CITY SPHERE has become today and of the value we provide to our partner agents and our clients. Our goal is to remain humble, to always listen, and to learn and grow together.