Standing Out in the New Chicagoland Luxury Marketplace

by Jason Porterfield, Peter Thomas Ricci and James F. McClister

May 04, 2015

Going Beyond the Traditional Confines

Scott Parker, the sales manager at john greene Realtor, also a member of Luxury Portfolio, says that luxury means going above and beyond the typical call of duty.

“We go one step further with our luxury marketing with our magazine program and materials,” Parker says. “We believe that there’s a story in every home, and it’s our job to bring that story to life – and when you get into the luxury market, it’s usually a very unique story.”

Telling that story, Parker says, means hiring a professional copywriter to craft a unique narrative for each property; using professional photography to capture the essence of the home in high-definition resolution; partnering with a videography service to produce cinematic, virtual open houses; and utilizing a team of stagers.

“It’s marketing with intention,” Parker continues, encompassing john greene’s approach. “It’s not just taking a couple shots, writing up some gibberish copy and putting it out in the MLS for realtor.com and those sites to pick up. It’s a million-dollar product, and we’re going to market it as a full production.”

Luxury Treatment For Every Client

Luxury real estate is often equated with expensive listings and high sale prices, but for Jeanine McShea, the managing broker at Related Realty, “luxury” is not so much the physical price tag as it is a mood and a feeling of sophistication and refinement.

“I’m reluctant to fix a particular price point when defining ‘luxury,’” McShea says. “Luxury is more of a state of mind, and everyone wants that really high-end experience.”

And that high-end experience, McShea explains, must stretch across the entire real estate spectrum.

“Every single one of our clients, whether they are sellers or buyers, whether they are in the luxury market or not, receives the same level of service,” McShea says. “Whether it’s the materials we offer – great brochures and great pictures, for instance – we do that for everyone. Some properties might require more custom materials, but we don’t work on the assumption that they need to be in a certain price range.”

For Related Realty’s luxury process, McShea says the brokerage takes a team approach, sharing both the workload and, depending on the ambitions of the marketing, the cost.

“At Related, it’s a team approach between the seller, the agent, the marketing department and the managing brokers,” she says. “We will all sit down and decide the best plan of action for our marketing schedule and a marketing plan for each individual property.

“We cover costs for many tools,” she continues. “For instance, if our agents need customized materials, custom photography or customized brochures, we cover a majority of those expenses. However, if it’s a whole campaign that includes more extensive processes, like making an app, that might be more mixed coverage between the owner, the agent and everyone involved.”