Is co-branding the future of Real Estate sales?

How many of you have heard of the Mercedes House in New York city? What about the Bently, Porsche or Aston Martin residences in Miami?

Now more than ever, buildings around the country are going up in partnership with branded experiences, which begs the question…

Is co-branding the future of real estate sales?

We dove a little deeper into this topic and have come back with a few thoughts of our own.

As it turns out co-branding is not a new phenomenon, just take a look at Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robins. Around the country they have paired up, merged signs, and shared storefronts in an attempt to drive audience and increase revenues.

Together they make a strong team, want an iced coffee? Come on over to Dunkin in the morning. Looking for an ice cream? Baskin is here at night!

Now this does not exactly translate to real estate or luxury goods as an extension (of housing) in the same way, but there are parallels to be drawn.

Let's just think about it: every household needs a car, every car company needs a dealership, both houses and cars need sales teams to move product. Wouldn't it make sense to collapse this value chain?

The short answer: it's already happening.

The result: what it means to be a real estate agent will continue to shift.

In 2023 agents are no longer simply selling homes, they are selling lifestyles. Lifestyles that might start with Housing, but certainly extend into Transportation, Design, Furniture, Art, Entertainment, etc.

The exciting question here is, what happens when the lines blur further? Will the actual amount real estate agents participate in the cross-pollination increase? We think so.

Maybe Doulgas Elliman strikes a deal with BMW, or Compass strikes a deal with Ford. I don’t know about you, but if my Hamptons house came with a Bronco and my agent could negotiate me a discount, I'm sold.

What are your thoughts on all of this? Is co-branding the path forward, and is this a future we should be excited about?