Whether you’re refining your business model, mastering new technology, or finding a strategy to take advantage of the next market boom, Inman Connect New York prepares you to take a bold step. The next chapter is about to begin. Please join us. Join us and thousands of other real estate leaders from January 22-24, 2025.
Ryan Serhant’s eponymous brokerage has grown steadily since launching during the 2020 pandemic, with the New York City-based firm now operating in eight states along the East Coast. is being developed.
Looking to the future of real estate, Serhant said he is focused on helping agents work more efficiently and effectively. One way he’s delivering on his previous promises is by rolling out the S.MPLE workflow platform, a large action model (LAM) that can understand and execute human requests in real time, to all of the company’s agents in September. That’s what I did.
He and his agent also recently began filming Season 2 of Netflix’s Owning Manhattan, about Serhant. The CEO himself, as well as his agents, are working to close some of the city’s biggest real estate deals.
Ahead of his appearance at Inman Connect New York in January, Mr. Inman spoke with Mr. Serhant about the technology his brokerage firm is deploying and his predictions for the year ahead. The following is his statement, edited for brevity and clarity.
Inman: Brokers and agents have a lot to worry about right now, including inventory shortages, rising home prices, commission litigation settlements, the stock market, and regime change. How do you know what exactly to focus on?
Ryan Serhant: My mission is to develop talent and build the best environment, culture, and support system (ecosystem, etc.) for our salespeople and the brands they operate under. Sirhant. Technology is truly an advanced sales enablement ecosystem, right? The reason SellIt.com has grown so much is because we empower salespeople to do more with what they have. .
The reason we are expanding so quickly is not because there are no brokerages available, but because our agents, and by extension our customers, understand that we are strengthening our forward-looking model. I think it’s because they are so helpful. It wasn’t in yesterday’s model.
That’s very surprising to me. I was expecting a lot more news this year about all the other companies doubling down for the future, but what happened is literally the opposite, it’s like doubling down on yesterday’s model. And maybe it’s not safe, I don’t know. Perhaps large companies are just being extra cautious. I don’t know.
I think we’ll definitely see a lot of consolidation. We were seeing it on our side too. So the big companies cannibalize each other, and then the independents flee in favor of brand quality. That’s what we’re seeing. Much of our growth has been driven by independent brokerage and acquisitions, or “job grabs”. This was a super fun way to get a great partner. And we look forward to doing even more over the next year.
Let’s talk about one of today’s hot topics. Currently, there appears to be mixed opinions within the industry regarding a clear cooperation policy. Do you understand what a SERHANT agent is? Would you like to think about it?
Our agents abide by norms and follow rules. They follow guidance from managers and local leaders. They want to be registered in MLS, right? They want their listings on every website. And that’s a big part of our pitch. We work at SERHANT. and our listings are outside of the standard listing platform and use social. We can get more attention and listings than anyone else. all over the world.
Our agents are motivated to provide maximum access to help buyers and sellers to the best of their ability. And if Clear Collaboration is not a threat to the industry, but a benefit to the salespeople who keep it afloat, they’re all for it. But agents also don’t sit in the C-suite and think about the larger moves of the company. They are busy trading all day long. They got stuck in traffic. They’re at an open house.
Sirhant. Technologies owns SERHANT., SellIt.com, and SERHANT. Studios and S.MPLE recently raised $45 million in their first equity funding round. You must be proud of it, or perhaps even happier?
I have a lot of feelings about it. And we filmed the entire process of season two of Owning Manhattan.
Nice.
So the decision-making process and thought process will be there. Because…things change, but they also don’t change. Well, I’m a company, right? Although this is a small investment, it is an exciting next step in our journey to transform the industry for the better, and that is what excites me most.
And the partnership between Jeff Berman at Camber Creek and Harley Miller and his team at Left Lane has been a really great strategic partner, and we’ve been turning down funding for years. It’s not about money. To me, that’s a signal, the exciting partnerships we can create, and the deliverables we can execute. It would be great if we could deliver something faster and better to more people so that salespeople can make a bigger and better living. Let’s do it. And it’s about the market and the investment community recognizing that what we’re doing is different and working well and is poised to really take us to No. 1. I think it’s also a signal that there is.
wonderful. So, with the holidays coming up, I wanted to ask, do you guys have any traditions that you do at SERHANT? Would you like to celebrate together?
Well, the first few years we started a day of worship. There was a serhant. Day of service. It’s a day when all of our companies in all our markets come out and support local charities and give back. [community] Kitchen or what do you have? I often work with City Harvest, Robin Hood, etc. This December is all about SERHANT. Serve the moon for us. that’s great. So we do that, and we have different holiday parties going on in our markets and different types of philanthropy associated with all of them, and that’s exciting and good.
As Inman Connect New York approaches, is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to about the event?
Collaboration and community and meeting as many people as possible. I think it should be interesting. I believe you are doing a moderation panel, right? So it’s slightly less stressful for me than delivering a keynote using an entire PowerPoint. It’s very rare for me to go on stage with a clicker. [Laughs] So I think, and we’re going to do that right after the inauguration, right?
Yes, I think that’s right.
Listen, I think America opens for business on January 21st. And what better business than the real estate business? So it seems like a very good time to have a Connect event, especially in New York City.
We look forward to seeing you there.
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Email Lillian Dickerson
