The median sales price in Q2 of 2019 was $279,600 across the United States.
Christophe Choo represents buyers and sellers for properties more than 71 times that amount.
With 32 years of experience, Christophe specializes in the Beverly Hills luxury market and is in the top 1% of brokers worldwide.
On a recent visit to California, I sat down with Christophe and toured his most recent $20M listing in Beverly Hills.
If there is only one thing I can say about Christophe, it is that he is living in his element.
Find out how he worked his way to the top of the luxury market by staying true to himself.
Learning to Prospect
In his first year in the real estate industry, 18-year-old Christophe had one sale: a $43,000 condo.
Even though he was doing open houses every week and working in the Hancock Park office, he was not doing any business. His manager told him if he didn’t step up his game within the next 90 days, he would be off the team.
Christophe knew he didn’t want to be a solo agent, so he attended a seminar about one of the most valuable skills in real estate: prospecting. Immediately, he implemented strategies learned to get expired listings.
“At the time, expired listings were pretty easy to get,” Christophe explained.
For the next eight years, he began getting more deals, closing between 65-70 transactions a year, with an average price point of $200,000.
Although his business was growing, Christophe felt stifled. The people, social events, and real estate he yearned for were in Beverly Hills, yet he was working in Hancock Park. After meeting the assistant manager at a Beverly Hills office, Christophe was invited in for an interview. Once he had an official offer to join the team, he immediately packed up and began working his way into his dream market.
Scaling Up
So, how did Christophe grow from an average price point of $200,000 in Hancock Hills to between $6M to $12M in Beverly Hills?
Time, patience, and incredible work ethic.
Even to this day, Christophe arrives in the office before 7:00 am, and stays at least 12 hours. He is always willing to put in the extra work for his clients.
Throughout the years, Christophe continued to prospect, close more deals, and build relationships. Soon, he began getting listings at higher price points. It began small, as Christophe remembers how excited he was when he got his first listing for $489,000. He began to double his commission every year, raising his average price point along the way.
“Every year, my average price point raised,” Christophe explained, “so every year I would not go below that new average price point.”
Live it, Breathe it, Be it
In Beverly Hills, luxury real estate is a relationship market. There are 5,000 agents on the same street as Christophe’s office, so relying on marketing alone will not suffice. In order to build relationships with clients, you must live the Beverly Hills lifestyle – going to social events, attending charity functions, shopping, and dining – in the same areas of potential clients.
“A luxury client wants to know you are part of their world. If you are not part of their world, they are not going to think you can sell their house,” stated Christophe.
Christophe was drawn to the Beverly Hills market because he loves the lifestyle. The fashion, jewelry, and travel that Christophe partakes in allow him to meet clients and get business because of similar interests. He’s learned that being true to what you love will attract people – in life and in business.
“When you do what you love, and you are in your environment and you’re happy, that’s when business comes to you,” he said.