The following was published in Fresh Listings, the House Einstein Newsletter ( December 16, 2025). If you are a prospective client, please consider subscribing to the newsletter for analysis and discussion of active listings.  Sign Up Here.

Our Secret Sauce

We held our fifth annual company retreat in Mexico City last week, a spot we chose for its incredible restaurants and cultural attractions. This year’s retreat was another exceptional experience.

Thirteen years ago, I created House Einstein as a place for real estate agents who believe in our mission: Help buyers and sellers make smarter real estate decisions. The mission is important, but it’s the team that brings the magic. It’s the team that’s the secret sauce.

It can be difficult to quantify the qualitative, but after more than 20 years in this industry and a decade of professional work before that, I can share that while numbers are vital for sustainability, a better measure of our success lies in the satisfaction of the work itself and the quality of the client experience. These factors offer a far greater return than a purely financial focus.

You care about the satisfaction in the work itself. You care about the quality of the customer experience. You care about clients who become lifelong friends. And of course, you care very much about your colleagues.

Retreats have been a way for the people at House Einstein to pause and reflect on what’s important. It means taking a step back from our day to day activity serving clients and developing new business opportunities in order to see the big picture. You can’t develop effective strategy when you’re deep in the daily activities that demand so much of our attention.

The Future of House Einstein: Thoughtful Growth
One of the core topics of this retreat was the challenge of adding new members to our team. As a small boutique brokerage, we have a very unique culture. Although we’d love to have a few more faces at the table, adding them will be a slow and very deliberate process. I’ve committed to not bringing on new team members for purely financial reasons. Simply put, they must be a great fit for our culture. They must bring an exceptionally high level of professionalism. And of course, they must firmly believe in the mission.

I came away feeling closer and more connected to my team than ever. I’m also deeply excited about our plans for what unfolds next year and beyond at House Einstein. These plans are especially critical as AI begins to dramatically impact our industry, promising a very interesting and competitive year ahead.

Note: This will probably be my last newsletter for 2025. We have family coming to celebrate the holidays with us and a bit of personal travel ahead.