Rayni and Brandon Williams of Hilton and Hyland Real Estate in Beverly Hills are known as “Billionaire Whisperers.” Not only are billionaires in the top 1%, they are the top 0.1% both stateside and globally.
Teke Wiggins of InmanNews recently caught up with Rayni Williams to learn what she could about this very particular clientele. Here is a summary of some of Wiggins’ questions and Williams’ answers.
How do billionaires resemble and differ from “regular” people?
Williams thinks the one shared attribute among billionaires is decisiveness. Since time is money, most billionaires tend to be quick studies and see the big picture very quickly. Williams said, “You have three minutes to capture their attention.”
Williams said that Uber-wealthy people tend to travel with a team of people around and with them so often, an agent has to sell a team rather than just an individual or couple. Ignore any of these “team” people at your own peril.
What are the trends in luxury deal making?
Williams commented on the slowdown being felt by most real estate professionals working at all price points. The super high end is no different. Along with the market slowing in general, Williams said luxury deal making requires more time than “regular” deals. More money translates into more details, more concessions, more cautiousness, and, with more foreign buyers coming back into the market, escrows are taking longer and longer.
Wiggins was particularly interested in the word “cautiousness.” She asked Williams about the cause of that cautiousness.
In Williams’ world, the real estate market is a global market. Any upheaval, crisis, disturbance in any part of the world has a trickle down effect when it comes to ultra-luxury real estate. Is there any part of the world that isn’t experiencing “disturbances?”
Wiggens wanted to know from Williams what sets her apart from other agents…what makes her unique.
Williams responded, “We, Brandon and I, are a tag team…you get both male and female perspectives as one.” She believes their shared candor with clients represents authenticity. “His numbers may be $10M higher than mine and during the meeting we all discuss and come to an agreement together.”
Any advice to agents wanting to break into the luxury market?
Williams believes it is a sacrifice to “get there” because one must make the decision to align oneself with that market “…and may have to turn down other business in order to hold out to build your brand.” Williams said that one cannot simply “walk into this circle of billionaires…you kind of have to be in that circle.”
Also read: https://timandjulieharris.com/2019/09/04/podcast-what-to-do-when-disaster-strikes-your-market-2.html, https://timandjulieharris.com/2019/10/01/20-us-cities-with-most-negative-net-migration.html, https://timandjulieharris.com/2019/08/30/your-real-estate-survival-plan.html