Sarita Dua and the AskSarita Team leverage PLACE for superior agent technology and training
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“PLACE provides us the backend partner that works with the technology, the training, the recruiting, and the legal so team members can concentrate on their strengths and, ultimately, we better serve our clients.”
Portland, Ore.; August 2022 — PLACE, the industry’s only brokerage-agnostic platform delivering intuitive technology and business services to top real estate professionals, announced today that Sarita Dua and the AskSarita Team are now powered by PLACE. PLACE improves profitability and production for the top 20% of real estate teams, and currently supports over 130 real estate businesses across the United States and Canada.
Team owner Sarita Dua is a real estate icon, professional speaker, Inman Ambassador, and sought-after coach with Glover U. She is among the top one percent of all agents in Oregon and she and her team average 100 to 140 transactions a year at a 62 percent profit margin. With a background in technology, her high tech and high touch philosophy has served her clients well over the 20 years she has worked as a real estate professional.
Prior to getting licensed, Dua worked in the technology sector for 14 years and thrived in the energetic, creative, and fast-paced environment. Moving to real estate was not an easy decision but it was the best decision for her family. “It was definitely a lifestyle solution for our family,” she explained. “I loved the start-up scene. Ultimately, with two small children and both my husband and me in high-pressure jobs where travel was required, something had to give.” While still working, she began building her real estate business by obtaining her real estate license, drafting a business plan, securing the asksarita.com domain name, and interviewing with several brokers in her market.
When Dua began her real estate career two decades ago, she had lived in Portland a few years, worked at four startups, was active in her neighborhood, the Indian community, several networking groups, and various non-profit organizations. Having formed those connections in the years prior, Dua was able to build a small database. “I came up with a list of 500 people that I knew and sent them all notes, letting them know that I was in the real estate business and would be happy to help them buy or sell a home but, more importantly, if they had any questions related to real estate or home ownership to reach out to me. AskSarita took off and the database continues to grow as we help connect clients and friends with services they need.”
Prior to forming her team, Dua was initially a solo agent at a small boutique firm. “I did two open houses every Saturday and two every Sunday,” Dua remembered. She had been warned that she would be lucky to make $40,000 her first year. But, with fear as a motivator, she was named Rookie of the Year with 21 transactions and $7 million in sales volume in her first year. That success compounded, her database grew, and today, Dua leads a team, coaches other Realtors®, and is a thought leader in the industry. Still, she loves vacations, has visited every continent, prioritizes her family, and participates in marathon training.
“I believe that partnering with PLACE is going to enable me and my team to work seamlessly alongside our clients to provide them an even more amazing real estate consumer experience.”
Dua knows every AskSarita Team client by name and keeps up with them throughout their lives. She is part of every transaction, writes every offer, and acts as the team negotiator. While this model is unique, Dua believes it has been paramount in ensuring that clients are her top priority. Her hands-on efforts have resulted in a tremendous referral business. “I tend to attract agents that are okay with the interdependent model,” she explained. Part of her reasoning for partnering with PLACE is to potentially move toward a model where her agents have more options. “I want a true path for my team members,” she explained. “I want them to have options to grow but still stay with me.”
Dua is excited about the industry inflection that is currently manifesting itself. “There will be a lot of real estate professionals on the market searching for a team that has the best value proposition for them,” she explained. While she sees onboarding and training as a challenge, Dua believes PLACE offers her tremendous leverage on that front. “I want a productivity-based culture on my team, but I don’t know if I am the right person to enforce that culture. To have essentially a partner that is a productivity boot camp for my agents is amazing and if they take advantage of all that is offered they can live huge, limitless lives.”
PLACE, according to Dua, will also provide a facelift for her brand. “I have a vision of updating my digital brand, look, and feel, but the resources and time weren’t there to make that a priority,” explained Dua. “PLACE provides us the backend partner that works with the technology, the training, the recruiting, and the legal so team members can concentrate on their strengths and, ultimately, we better serve our clients.”
“I have worked with Sarita for a long time and am delighted she has partnered with PLACE,” said Chris Suarez, Co-Founder of PLACE. “Our business philosophies are aligned and her willingness to prioritize the growth of her team members so they can live bigger lives is inspiring. I am excited to watch this very successful team reach new levels.”
“Sarita is a great teacher, mentor, and friend,” said Ben Kinney, Co-Founder of PLACE. “I welcome her to PLACE and know that this partnership will be good for all of us as we face changing markets, new technologies, and shifting economies. Her entrepreneurial spirit is going to lead to exciting growth for her team.”
Dua is already identifying and working toward goals she has set for her PLACE partnership. “I would love to be able to work from anywhere,” said Dua. “I believe that partnering with PLACE will enable me and my team to work seamlessly alongside our clients to provide them an even more amazing real estate consumer experience.”