A couple of weeks ago, I made the jump from Big National Brokerage to Small National Brokerage.  To date, I don’t regret my decision at all. 

As time passes, I may come to view this decision as I do the one I made to get lasik surgery:  just wish I hadn’t waited so long to do it.

The move has been good for all the reasons mentioned by my new broker, Brad Nix at Maxsell Real Estate, in this post on Agent Genius.  Small is indeed the new "big."

However, it is the intangibles that I have already received from my new broker that are really adding up.  Take for instance this little surprise I received the other day.

Unbeknownst to me, my new broker wrote a recommendation for me on my LinkedIn profile.  I didn’t ask him to do this; I didn’t coach him on what to write; I didn’t make a subtle hint in a late night email.  Heck, I don’t even make it a practice to harvest or request recommendations on LinkedIn like some people do. 

That is why his doing it was even more noteworthy.  I’ll tell you what: There isn’t a broker in a major national brokerage in Atlanta who would ever have thought about doing that, let alone have a LinkedIn profile.

What Brad gave me was credibility and he did it in a public forum that has high online respect and visibility.  For that gift, thank you, Brad.  By doing this, you’ve once again demonstrated that YOU "get it" and understand that modern real estate is practiced online.  You further convinced me that "small is the new big" because you do things like this.

Pardon me for self aggrandizement (I’ve actually recently had clients tell me they want more testimonials and recommendations on this website, which I will be adding), but here is what Brad had to say about yours truly:

“Kevin is one of the few ‘get it’ guys in real estate today. He understands
client service and commitment to excellence. Yet, he goes beyond these cliches
and constantly works to make himself better. Kevin uses the leading edge
technologies available to Realtors and never settles. He constantly pushes for
more innovation and better service to his clients. I am honored for Kevin
choosing Maxsell Real Estate as his broker partner and can’t wait to see what he
comes up with next. His clients and competition are certain to be impressed.”

Brad Nix, Managing Broker/Principal, Maxsell Real Estate
managed Kevin indirectly at Warmath Real Estate

By the way, Brad, I can’t wait to see what I come up with next, either ;->.  Stay tuned later today for some updated CRCT scores for 2008 that I’ve uploaded and linked to real estate for sale by school district, something that is surprisingly hard to find online for some reason.

I’ve been a LinkedIn user since its early days back in 2004 and use it regularly to keep track of people from former employers, schools and projects.  I enjoy getting that update email from LinkedIn briefly telling me who has changed jobs or who is now connected to whom.  What I haven’t done a good job of doing is linking with all my current and past clients. 

So here goes…call to action…if you are an active or past client of Warmath Real Estate and you are using LinkedIn, please invite me to your network and I’ll reciprocate.  It is just another way that we can stay in touch, keep track of each other and use the tools of social medial to our advantage.  People are naturally more comfortable doing business with people they know and trust or who are referred by someone they care about. 

I was wondering if your best friend was going to buy or sell a home. Do you know
an agent that you would feel comfortable introducing them to? I would love to be
the person you feel comfortable introducing your friends to who need cutting
edge real estate advice. Click on my linked-in profile and let me know what
would have to happen, right now, for us to make that a reality