5 questions for estate agent Karina Nippérus
Karina Nippérus brought the American real estate agency The Agency – known from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – to the Netherlands. “We are a boutique office with the service level of a concierge. We avoid the traditional Dutch brokerage model.”
How did you decide to bring The Agency to the Netherlands?
“I ran my own real estate agency in Amstelveen, but had been ready for something new for a while. During the first lockdown in 2020, my daughter watched The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills . At first sight I thought it was terrible, all those screaming women. Still, I decided to try an episode and I was hooked right away. The series follows, among others, Kyle Richards, her husband Mauricio Umansky and his real estate agency The Agency. I was impressed by Mauricio’s approach, did some research and discovered that The Agency did not yet have an office in Europe. I emailed them to ask if they wanted to come to Amsterdam and after a few conversations we opened our brand new office next to the Vondelpark in Amsterdam.”
How does The Agency work?
“We are a boutique office with the service level of a concierge. A personal approach and customer experience are our priority. Before we offer a home for sale, we walk through their home extensively with customers. We discuss where they can relax best, where they prefer to work and what the unique qualities of their home are. We include this information during appointments with potential buyers. Mauricio’s motto is: ‘We sell your house as if it were our own’. That motto is central to our approach.”
How does The Agency differ from other real estate agencies?
“Most real estate agents rely on the advertisements in their shop window. Who watches that anymore, I wonder. Everyone is now on Funda and Instagram, right? We avoid the traditional Dutch brokerage model and mainly use new media and advanced technology. In 10 years, The Agency has grown from 9 to more than 850 brokers and they all work with the same CRM system. This international network helps us to achieve local successes when buying or selling houses.”
In The Real Housewives mainly priceless villas are reviewed. Which segment of the market are you targeting?
“Outside of Beverly Hills, The Agency focuses on more than just the luxury segment. Internationally, we mainly try to get the best of the best. It can also be a five-ton building, as long as it is fun to photograph. From the office in Amsterdam, we now focus on the Randstad, with a nod to ‘t Gooi. In time, we would like to expand the Agency family throughout the Netherlands.”
Can we expect the Housewives in Amsterdam soon? In the season when Mauricio opened an office in Mexico, they came to take a look.
“Mauricio will definitely come by. He will probably take his two daughters with him, but whether Kyle will be there, I don’t know yet. She is of course very welcome.”