The $195M listing that launched a brokerage (try not to drool)

“I’m joining REAL!”

“I’m joining Compass!”

“I’m joining eXp!”

Me, me, me.

Today’s email is a masterclass in making a big announcement using a listing instead.

Here’s what is on this week’s B.I.T.S. agenda:

🏆 [B]est in Class: She handed the mic to the house and it closed
💡 [I]deas That Work: The 6-phase listing presentation checklist
📈 [T]raffic & Attention: Serhant turned a $195M listing into a launch
🔔 [S]eller Signals: 80% of sellers have regrets (make sure yours don't)

Let’s dive in 👇

Ryan Serhant didn't announce his California expansion with a press release. He announced it with a listing.

Last week, Serhant launched in California with $2 billion in statewide inventory, and the lead story was a single property:

Palazzo di Amore, a $195 million triple-gated Mediterranean villa on 25 acres in Beverly Hills.

Six-acre vineyard. 10,000-bottle wine cellar. 5,000-square-foot primary suite. 24-car garage.

The listing didn't just sell a house. It sold the brokerage.

Why this matters beyond the price tag

Most agents announce a new chapter with a bio update.

Serhant announced his with a trophy listing that generated national press coverage across the New York Post, real estate trades, and entertainment media simultaneously.

The property became the proof point for everything the brand claims to be, before a single Serhant agent had closed a deal in the state.

That's not accidental.

It's a deliberate content and attention strategy: lead with the most visually and emotionally arresting listing available, let the listing do the credibility work, and let the press do the distribution.

This ideology can work for every agent

You don't need a $195 million listing and to be a TV star to apply this logic.

The principle is that your most compelling listing should be doing more than sitting on the MLS.

It should be anchoring your brand narrative, used in introductions, in content, in listing appointments, and in conversations with future sellers about what kind of marketing attention their home will get.

Serhant's brokerage is billed as the most followed real estate brand in the world with 10 million social media followers.

That following wasn't built by posting market updates. It was built by consistently leading with properties that gave people something to react to.

Every agent has a version of their best listing.

The question is whether it's working as hard as it could be.

Wednesday ✅

The next time you have a big announcement to make, lead with a listing.

Your clients could not care less what brokerage you are with or what market you are expanding into.

But we all love beautiful houses.

Monday: She handed the mic to the house and it closed
Yesterday: The 6-phase listing presentation checklist
Today: Serhant turned a $195M listing into a launch
Tomorrow: 80% of sellers have regrets (make sure yours don't)

- Chris Smith and Jimmy Mackin