Courtney Poulos, Founder of SERHANT. CA and Team Lead of ACME | SERHANT. in Los Angeles, believes the real estate industry has a perception problem, one she calls a “mirror problem.” “A lot of people see real estate agents as overpaid paper pushers who don’t earn what they make,” Poulos said. “And while the class action lawsuits and the public relations battles are largely driven by forces outside agent control, the way we show up, how we communicate, how we position ourselves, that is on us.”
Poulos, who is completing Harvard University’s Advanced Management Development Program (AMDP) at the Graduate School of Design, observed that agents often fail to see themselves as senior-level executives. “The only thing that is really missing is real estate agents considering themselves as senior-level executives in a business. We are not taken as seriously as we ought to be, like a lawyer. And we are still contending with a degradation of our perceived value, even at the senior level,” she said. She cited a recent example where a client attempted to negotiate her commission down to a figure that would not cover the marketing costs already incurred. “That is the level of disrespect I am talking about,” she added.
Poulos identified messaging as a key lever that the industry is not pulling. A session led by Carmine Gallo in her AMDP coursework emphasized audience-centric messaging: starting with what matters to the person you are trying to reach, rather than what makes you look credible to peers. “Real estate agents fall into the trap of marketing to each other. We post about our sales for other agents to see. We compete on metrics that our clients don’t actually care about. And we miss the opportunity to explain, in plain terms, what we actually do and why it matters,” Poulos said. She argued that the core of the work—data analysis, risk management, negotiation under pressure, and sustained client relationships—is akin to what executives in any complex industry do. “We protect our clients. We navigate. We clarify. That is the message. And most agents are not saying it.”
To address this, Poulos is developing a series of workshops and seminars, with the first session launching in Orlando this week, open to agents at all brokerages. The goal is to help agents build messaging that holds up with clients, the press, and regulators, and to rebuild public trust. “If what we can clarify for the public is that we are not overpaid, that we are experts, and that our public relations battles are not actually about whether we deserve to be paid, then we start to reverse the narrative,” she said. “And the housing market is a place where there is a lot of good stuff going on, despite the headlines. It is the moment for something optimistic.”
This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions. Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.
