Sotheby’s International Realty Achieves $108 Billion in Global Sales Volume for 2017
112 Autumn Lane, Mountain Village, Telluride, CO.
Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC reported that in
2017 its affiliated brokers and sales professionals achieved approximately $108 billion USD in global
sales volume, the highest annual sales volume performance in the history of the brand.
“In 2017 we witnessed the expansion of the global economy,” said Philip White, president and chief
executive officer, Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. “The Sotheby’s International Realty®
brand is in 69 countries worldwide, so we were well-positioned to both contribute to and benefit from that
growth. The success of the global economy, coupled with our strategic goals, yielded outcomes better
than we could have ever anticipated in 2017. We look forward to carrying that strength into the new
year.”
Global Growth
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand also reported growth across its global network. At year-end, the
network totaled nearly 950 offices and approximately 22,000 sales associates worldwide.
In the United States, the Sotheby’s International Realty brand achieved over $96 billion USD in sales
volume in 2017 and added six independently owned and operated residential real estate firms to its
network and 58 new offices. This past year witnessed continued significant growth by the brand’s existing
affiliate companies through talent attraction as well as mergers and acquisitions, most notably increasing
the brand’s market presence in the San Francisco Bay Area; Castle Rock, Colorado; and in Southern
Florida and Key West. The brand also entered several key new markets last year, namely: Roseville,
California; Avalon and Stone Harbor, New Jersey; the Central and Western Adirondacks regions of New
York; Greater Greenville, South Carolina; and southeast Wisconsin.
Outside the United States, the Sotheby’s International Realty brand achieved over $12 billion USD in
sales volume in 2017 while continuing to expand into key markets. In Europe, the brand grew its
presence in Spain into the coastal cities of Valencia and San Sebastián, and in Belgium to Antwerp and
Waterloo, as well as expanding to the Greek island of Rhodes. The brand also sold the rights to the Asian
countries of Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka to establish a future presence, and grew within India to
include the key markets of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, Goa and Kolkata
Reaching the Consumer
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand website, sothebysrealty.com, saw another record year with
nearly 27 million visits, a 25% increase year-over-year, with 60% of visitors coming from outside the
United States and 17.5% of traffic being from new users.
An exclusive alliance with the Nikkei, the most influential news publication in Japan, was launched in
2017. The alliance enables the brand to generate Japanese buyer interest through the Nikkei’s digital
platform which reaches over 29 million monthly readers. The Sotheby’s International Realty brand is the
first real estate brand to present property listings outside of Japan to readers of the Nikkei, giving Japanese
consumers access to residential real estate offerings in nearly 70 countries and territories.
“In 2017, the brand launched a dedicated effort to establish meaningful connections with the emerging
affluent consumer,” said Kevin Thompson, chief marketing officer, Sotheby’s International Realty
Affiliates LLC. “Data from sothebysrealty.com indicates that we are already well-positioned among this
demographic, showing that nearly half of the traffic coming to the site was from the 25-to-44-year-old age
group. As personalization has begun its reign over the luxury mindset, the consumer journey has also
experienced a shift; it is our mission, as a preeminent luxury residential real estate brand, to continue to
identify and execute new and authentic ways to connect with discerning clients.”
Additional Achievements
In 2017, the Sotheby’s International Realty brand added to its senior leadership team. Thompson was
appointed as the brand’s Chief Marketing Officer to oversee the marketing, advertising, and public
relations initiatives worldwide. With an extensive background working with globally recognized luxury
brands, Thompson set forth early in the year to create exceptional consumer experiences through the
strategic use of marketing and branding. Later in the year, Julie Leonhardt-LaTorre, a proven global real
estate and management leader, was appointed Chief Operating Officer to spearhead strategic growth plans
for the brand.
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand’s affiliated companies and sales associates raised more than
$500,000 USD for New Story, the brand’s charitable partner and a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization, by the end of 2017. The funds raised will go directly to the construction of new homes in
Mexico. The highlight of the partnership came at the brand’s Global Networking Event, where affiliates
of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand pledged funds for over 150 homes in just 32 hours.
The Sotheby’s International Realty brand was the No. 1 real estate brand represented in two of the six
categories that comprise the 2017 REAL Trends/The Wall Street Journal “The Thousand” for the second
year in a row. The brand claimed 46 of the top 250 sales associates in the REAL Trends Individual Sales
Volume category, more than any other real estate brand, and had the highest combined individual sales
volume from sales associates in the same category. In addition, the Sotheby’s International Realty brand
had the most individuals represented in the Individual Average Sales Price category.
Sotheby’s International Realty listings are marketed on the sothebysrealty.com global website. In
addition to the referral opportunities and widened exposure generated from this source, each brokerage
firm and its clients benefit from an association with the Sotheby’s auction house and worldwide Sotheby’s
International Realty marketing programs.
