Every week, we ask a real estate professional for their Short List, a collection of tips and recommendations on an essential topic in real estate. This week, we talked with Lisa Johnson, Vice President and Managing Broker for Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, about her best strategies to recruit top talent to her office

1. Ask your current agents for recommendations – If you take care of and truly support your current agents, they will want to recommend great agents to join the company. Your existing agents will attract similar agents with the same mindset.
2. Build a relationship with the agents in your marketplace – It is very easy with social media and networking to really get to know an agent. I truly enjoy the relationships I have with agents in our company and outside of our company.
3. Your decision to bring someone in to the company should never be based on production alone – Look at business practice, reputation and attitude to ensure they fit in with the company culture.
4. Make sure your office environment is not only physically appealing, but is also one of encouragement, energy, and support – This is where the phrase “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” applies. An agent coming into the office to interview will either be impressed or unimpressed.
5. Don’t focus on the number agents you have or need – Instead, be focused on the “kind” of agent you want.

Working in real estate since 1997, Lisa became the associate broker for the Coldwell Banker Buckhead office in 2003. In 2006, Lisa was named the managing broker for both Coldwell Banker’s Roswell and Intown offices before joining Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty in 2013.