Douglas D. Kerbs has spent more than twenty years in luxury real estate, and in that time, he has developed a reputation for something that sounds simple but is surprisingly rare in the industry: he pays attention.
Recognized by RealTrends as being in the top 1.5 percent of producing real estate professionals in the United States, Douglas has ranked among the top thirty single-producing brokers in the Denver metropolitan area for more than a decade. LIV Sotheby’s International Realty has honored him for his longstanding performance. But the numbers tell only part of the story.
A Different Kind of Experience
Before real estate, Douglas worked in the corporate world. He was relocated five times, and each time he bought and sold homes. The experiences were all the same, regardless of the broker or the city. “Every time just felt like a performed transaction,” he explained. It was probably the same way with every client each broker assisted.
When he decided to pursue a career in real estate, he made a choice. He would not replicate what he had experienced. Instead, he would elevate the process into something more personal, more considered, white glove, high touch, and bespoke per client. He began asking questions. He took time to understand the psychographics of each client. He positioned himself as an advisor and consultant rather than strictly a sales professional.
Building Relationships That Last
The approach worked. His business was built on repeat customers and referrals, grounded in an understanding of who his clients are and what their needs entail. He provides direction in ways that extend beyond a single transaction. Some of his clients have become real estate investors, second-home owners, and builders of generational wealth through real estate.
Douglas often says that his clients do not know they are moving until he tells them. Just this past November, he took on a listing for a five-million-dollar penthouse and immediately thought it would be the perfect next step for some clients of his. He called them, showed them the property, and they bought it. That kind of intuition comes from years of listening and remembering.
A Disciplined Approach to Pricing
His listing philosophy is anchored on two things: precise pricing and property-specific marketing. He will never overprice a listing, and he will not take on a listing if the seller insists on pricing above what the analysis supports. “The fastest way to get the lowest price for your home is to overprice it in the beginning,” he said. Buyers see days on market, and price decreases as blood in the water.
He puts extensive research into his pricing analysis, deriving what should be the top price during that market environment (concurrently, making sure not to be a dollar over), and then curates a marketing strategy for each property based on the features that would appeal to the target buyer. He rarely does price reductions on his listings. His days on market are in line with or less than the market conditions at the time.
Cutting Through the Noise
One of the challenges Douglas sees in the industry today is information overload. Clients have access to data from so many different sources, and it can become confusing. He regulates the process by providing details that pertain specifically to their situation. He measures his success by whether clients are asking questions. If they are asking questions, he says, then he has not done his job thoroughly or he missed something.
A Global Reach
His work with Sotheby’s International Realty has given him access to a truly international network. The firm has 1,100 offices in 84 countries and territories, represented by 26,100 brokers. Just last week, he assisted three of his clients with property purchases in Portugal, Mexico, and San Diego.
Over the years, Douglas has listed and sold the highest-priced home recorded in Denver for several calendar years. He was chosen to list and sell the personal residence of the president of Richmond American Homes. He was also integral in creating and presenting a proposal to win the bid, in conjunction with the Sotheby’s International Realty Project Team, for a resort residential project in Napa, California, called Stanly Ranch, an Auberge Resort. The development includes vineyard homes starting at five million dollars and villas offered at three and a half million dollars, and they secured the project listing. Douglas has also been nominated and selected every year as a recipient for the Five-Star Professional Award since the inception of the program. Candidates are evaluated on ten different criteria by consumers who have worked with the broker through surveys. The honorees represent those recognized as providing the highest quality of services to their clients.
Douglas D. Kerbs does not chase transactions. He builds relationships. And in an industry where noise is constant, and attention is short, that remains a difference clients remember.
