Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of July 17, 2020. From My Perspective You’ve got a friend in Texas Perhaps you’ve heard of the friendly Texan? I can confirm that that stereotype is true. Texans — both original ones and adopted ones — are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. The same goes for Texas real estate brokerages. We are part of the Sotheby’s International Realty® network of 1,000 offices around the world — Asia, Europe, Australia, everywhere — and two of the finest are right here in our backyard. Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty in Houston has roots back to 1981. At a time when residential real estate was just a part-time dalliance for many, agent Martha Turner envisioned a firm grounded in knowledge of the market and the law. Every agent would be a principled and experienced professional and each transaction would be handled accurately and efficiently. In 2014, after topping $2 billion in sales, Martha Turner Properties was purchased by Sotheby’s International Realty. What is now Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty in San Antonio and Austin began in 1972 as a commercial brokerage. Kathleen Kuper would join her husband and son with the intention of establishing the area’s best service-oriented, residential real estate. Kuper Realty Corporation was recognized in 1978 by being named an affiliate of Sotheby’s International Realty, combining their local success with the international marketing and referral power of Sotheby’s International Realty. You probably already know our story. My father started the firm in the Park Cities area of Dallas in 1960. Today, we are more than 400 agents strong across North Texas, including Fort Worth, Plano, Southlake and Lakewood. We were named to the amazing Sotheby's International Realty network in 2010. But, let me tell you what Texans can do when they work together. Of the 23,000 agents in the Sotheby’s International Realty network, 1,145 of them are in Texas. Just last year alone, those agents, across the three Texas brokerages, achieved a total sales volume of $6 billion. That is something we are all proud of. For you real estate insiders and groupies out there, that’s 9,100 total transaction sides closed in Texas. What’s more, there was $128 million in closed total referral volume achieved by Sotheby’s International Realty agents in Texas. Think about that: That is $128 million in properties sold in Texas because of referrals from other Sotheby’s International Realty agents to their fellow Texas agents. That is what a network can do — especially when it’s one full of friendly Texans. Imagine what we could do for you. Robbie Briggs President and CEO Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty rbriggs@briggsfreeman.com
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