Celebrating The Agency Los Altos’ 3-Year Anniversary And Our Journey In Quetzal’s Words

Quetzal Grimm acts as the Vice President and Managing Director of The Agency in Silicon Valley. Grimm has over 20 years of experience in real estate sales and management.

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: Quetzal! We are thrilled to do this again. Our first interview with you is actually the most-read blog on our website. People really enjoyed it!

Quetzal Grimm: Wow, that’s great to hear! I’m glad people found it interesting, and I'm happy to be here for round two.

QUESTION 1 

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: Let’s jump into it! It’s now been over 3 years since The Agency Los Altos opened. Since then, we’ve expanded with 130+ offices globally. Can you share your perspective on the growth while still offering a luxury boutique service, especially in the Los Altos and Woodside offices you directly manage?

Quetzal Grimm: Great question. Overall, it’s being thoughtful where we expand, who we partner with regarding leadership and, most importantly, being very selective with the agents we hire. Largely, we open new offices based on the lifestyle needs and desires of our clients and agents. Sometimes that means opening in second home or resort locations while other times that means business or financial hubs, especially on the global front. But what matters most is finding the select agents that care about collaborating with colleagues and providing a high touch concierge experience to their clients, just like Patricia and Kiersten.

QUESTION 2

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: What has most surprised you over the past three years at The Agency?

Quetzal Grimm: That there are so many agents and clients searching for connection and a relationship.  The home buying and selling experience is not always easy, frequently an up and down road, and people want to know that the person they are partnering with sees them as more than just a paycheck or means to an end. They are looking for someone that understands their needs on a much more holistic level. That goes for everyone who works at the Agency as well.

QUESTION 3

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: You’ve managed and mentored many agents over the years. What qualities do you believe set the most successful agents apart in today’s market?

Quetzal Grimm: Another great question. A couple things come to mind. First, you have to be disciplined and willing to put in the hours. I think there’s a notion out there that you can be successful as a real estate agent without working full time. That’s just not true. If anything, agents put in more hours than just about any other industry I know. Plus they work for free until a transaction closes. Actually sounds kind of crazy.

Second, you have to be willing to put yourself out there to the public. Usually, this doesn’t happen overnight for anyone. But over time and with a lot of practice, successful agents get to the point where they can talk to anyone and build an immediate connection. I think that’s the key.

QUESTION 4

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: The Agency has a strong brand identity worldwide. How are you tailoring that global reputation to resonate specifically with Silicon Valley clients and communities?

Quetzal Grimm: More and more, our clients live a global lifestyle. I’m constantly seeing kids doing semesters abroad and clients traveling throughout the world to places like Portugal, Spain, Vancouver, the Bahamas and Costa Rica to name a few.  Our goal is to let our clients know, through Instagram, our Agency magazine and by promoting our international listings that we are also a destination company for our clients. When our clients travel abroad, or even within the US, we want to connect them with our local office so we can tailor specific experiences for them. No one knows the hyperlocal details of a location as well as a real estate agent. 

QUESTION 5

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: As a leader, how do you balance supporting your agents with your responsibilities for business growth and expansion?

Quetzal Grimm: I learned a long time ago that the main building block for growth of an office or the organization as whole is to make sure my agents and staff feel my genuine support on a daily basis.  Positive growth cannot occur if agents and staff are unhappy and leaving the organization. Plus, I try to invite them into the process as much as possible.  Expansion and growth is a team sport.

QUESTION 6

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: Let’s dive into the current market. People always enjoy hearing your perspective on the latest real estate trends. To make it a bit fun, if you had to sum up the current real estate market in just one word, what would it be?

Quetzal Grimm: Of course you couldn’t make this one easy.  One word is challenging but I would have to say “opportunity”.  Generally, it doesn’t seem to be a buyer or seller’s market overall. We are still seeing some homes sell with multiple offers but we’re also seeing great opportunities for buyers who are willing to expand their search a bit.

QUESTION 7

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: Expanding on that, what are a few key points both buyers and sellers should keep in mind about today’s real estate landscape?

Quetzal Grimm: Be very thoughtful and find the right representation.  For sellers, pricing and home presentation are particularly important to maximize sale price. Most buyers want a move-in ready home at a price that makes sense. They may be willing to pay their max price if there are multiple bidders but a seller shouldn’t assume that will be the case.  For buyers, be willing to look at homes that other buyers passed on and even look outside their original defined area. We have buyers that are finding their dream home when there is flexibility in their dream.

QUESTION 8

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: In our latest blog, we took a look at Silicon Valley real estate growth since the turn of the century. The growth we saw was incredible. Los Altos home prices went up over 240% and Atherton home prices went up over 173% in the past 25 years! We are fully confident in the long-term real estate value growth in our region and always impress that on our clients. If you had to give a quick elevator pitch to explain why Silicon Valley and Bay Area real estate is a strong long-term investment, what would you say?

Quetzal Grimm: The Bay Area, and Silicon Valley specifically, remain a hotspot for education, employment and creativity. People come here with the hope of building a fantastic life and maybe even changing the world. We are seeing this right now with the explosive growth of AI companies. Since 2020, over 1,000 AI startups have been founded in San Francisco alone. But this is also just a great place to live with so many things at our fingertips. We’re on the ocean or bay, Napa is an hour away, Yosemite is a couple hours and Lake Tahoe is a 3.5 hour drive. So much to love!

QUESTION 9

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: Okay, so it’s been about 3 years since The Agency Los Altos opened and we’ve accomplished a lot together! What are your goals for the next 3 years?

Quetzal Grimm: I always want the Agency to be a place where agents and our staff can be the best version of themselves, whatever that may be. My 3 year goal is to find more like minded people to join our organization and keep opening offices throughout Silicon Valley and the Peninsula. I want to keep our upward trajectory moving forward.

QUESTION 10

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: Last question! Let’s get on a more personal note. When you’re not working, what’s your favorite way to unwind and get your mind off real estate? We all know we need to do a little bit more of that sometimes!

Quetzal Grimm: My wife and I love exploring with our two dogs when we can. No better way to start or finish the day. 

We also visit our kids in college as often as possible.  They might think it’s too much.

Kiersten Ligeti & Patricia Karoubi Team: That’s a wrap! Thank you so much, Quetzal, for joining us for another interview. We can’t wait to see how our audience reacts and the conversations this will spark!

Quetzal Grimm: My pleasure! Thanks for always asking such thoughtful questions. I hope everyone enjoys the read. Now, let’s get back to work, sell some more real estate, and continue building The Agency in the Bay Area!

Find Your Home in Los Altos

Kiersten Ligeti | 650.766.8319 | LIC. #01298631

Patricia Karoubi | 650.868.4565 | LIC. #01396914

The Agency Los Altos