Agents Gone Virtual! 

Discipline 

If you are already successful in real estate and tend to be self directed in terms of client base, marketing, and keeping abreast of industry standards of practice, you may want to have a look at Scott Mikel & Associates (SMA).  

Founded by a pair of industry leaders, SMA provides agents with high levels of core service, without the unnecessary fluff of the bricks and mortar companies complete with leading edge technology, and intensive education.  

SMA is dedicated to unprecedented levels of integrity, competence and customer service.
A good fit so far? Read on…



At SMA 

Broker access is easy, administrative support is over the top, and commission structures are fair and in most cases your costs will be lower than what you pay now. The tools are top notch in the virtual world, and we don’t load you down with fees for things you won’t use. Click on the links in the right hand column to find more details.



The Whole Virtual Thing 

While the downward pressures on commissions and market fluctuations have left the bricks and mortar brokers scrambling for ways to maintain any kind of bottom line, they are finding themselves forced into that corner of raising costs to the agents or cutting services or a combination thereof. Going virtual helps relieve those pressures.  

At SMA we still maintain human support staff, considered by most to be the most critical element of any real estate brokerage. A virtual model if done correctly still maintains the human components of administrative staff, easy broker access, associate brokers, and office manager, while holding and actually reducing the costs to agents.

Our Structure

Our organizational structure is simple with the buck stopping with the guy whose name is on the sign. You don’t have to go far to get and answer to your question. 

Scott and Sam Mikel are co-owners of Scott Mikel & Associates Inc.
Scott is the Designated Broker whose focus is on legal issues and technical training.
Sam Mikel is an Associate Broker who is a master at negotiation and helps out with training
Carrie Weaks is the Office Manager and soon to be an Associate Broker. Carrie does everything from answer the phone to write paychecks, and since she is a licensed agent she can Legally support your efforts when needed. 

Sam’s View of the Culture at SMA (this is good!) 

We are looking for a few good agents of high integrity:
• Who would like to be associated with a smaller full-service company of like-minded agents
• Who are highly respected by the other Realtors and the public
• Who would like to work where the agents and broker love and care for you like you are family
• Who would like to have a say in the operation of the company
• Who do not need a big-company image
• Who enjoys leading edge technology and a company who understands how to use it
• Who appreciates that we don’t hire just anyone who shows up at the door
• Who would like meaningful training and a broker who is accessible
• Who would appreciate a simple fee structure
• Who would like to brainstorm with others and try out some new ideas
• Who understands the importance of keeping up on the community, the real estate industry, technology, and
• Who thinks marketing that is a “little different” is fun (by the way - customers love it!)  

So, if you would like to work in a virtual environment, turn in transactions electronically, and have all of the benefits of a bricks and mortar office without the costs. We will make it easy for you.  

We prefer that our agents NOT cold call, knock on doors or use any high-pressure methods. We believe in loving our customers to the point THEY would feel it wrong to use another agent.

We are only interested in agents who are willing to always “do the right thing” even when it might hurt. We will only hire the best!  

We are a small boutique real estate brokerage. We focus on extreme customer service, the highest levels of useful technology, and a degree of integrity that is second to none.  

Sam and Scott Mikel have a cumulative level of experience that will help you with your career goals like you have never experienced before. Our fee structure is simple and the agent benefits are more about your needs than a bunch of fluff that sounds good but doesn’t do anything for you.  

If this sounds interesting, please e-mail scott@agentmikel.com or call 903-1144. If you are like us, you’ll check us out on the web before you go further - check us out at www.agentmikel.com, then if that’s fun, go to Skwishblog.com, then if that’s fun go to www.skwishonline.com. One person just said that our approach is “pure marketing genius.”
If you are happy where you are, remember I told you not to CLICK!  

STILL READING? OK - This is from Sam… 

SO HOW MUCH DOES IT COST AND OTHER GOOD QUESTIONS?  

We have several fee programs to choose from – starting at $1000 per month – sound interesting!  

Read more:  

We will be there for advice, training, and mentoring. Scott and I have over 45 years of experience. We don’t know all the answers, but we can help you avoid a lot of mistakes.
We encourage and will help you become involved in CCAR and in the community, whether through your children’s activities, service organizations, your church, or your neighborhood. We believe in Network Marketing and we will show you how to make it work.  

We ask you to attend the weekly sales meeting so you know what is going on in the real estate industry and community. Our meetings will help make you the best of the best! (If you just can’t be there, minutes will be posted for you to read online.) 

We expect your reputation as a Realtor to be above reproach. We expect you to pay your Realtor and MLS dues timely. We only want to be associated with the best and want that reputation for you and for our company. We expect you to do the right thing toward your customers, the public, your family and each other.  

We are thrilled that we have a “family” atmosphere. We care about each other, we watch each other’s backs, we laugh when they laugh, we cry when they cry, and in between times we pray for all.  

We believe there is room for such a company in SW Washington. If this is the type of company you would like to be associated with, call me at 903-1144.  

We are big enough to be full service; we are small enough to take time for each one of you, to help you achieve your dreams, and to help you have a successful real estate career.
Thanks for reading. Sam Mikel

SMAvirtual.net 

The backbone of SMA virtual is our Agent Dashboard smavirtual.net. This is a very dynamic website that provides you with all of the tools that you will need to become an effective virtual agent, including our design center and our transaction platform. You can pick up your email here as well as check all of the latest real estate news national, state and local.  

The site is constantly being improved and updated. All members of the group contrubute to various parts of the site. 

Office Politics 

There are none because there is no office 

No Down Line 

Unlike others whose emphasis is on recruiting, ours emphasis is on customer service. We don’t have to pay our agents to say nice stuff about where they work. Our business is founded on integrity and ethical behavior, not on how much money we can make in our pyramid.  

If you really want to know what it’s like to work here ask one our agents. They’ll tell you without getting paid. Our commission structure is fair and our agents are chosen first for their integrity and reputation.  

Core Services  

We support a culture of integrity and ethics in our dealings with each other and all parties to the real estate transaction. We believe that technology is a tool that must be examined and adopted after careful analysis of its usefulness in the virtual business model. In order to attain the highest levels of reliability each piece needs to be examined on its own merits. Knowing that nothing comes without cost we encourage and seek buy-in from members of the group. 

Social 

At SMA we are fun! Though the highest levels of real estate technical skills are taught and practiced we have taken the social aspect of office environment to new levels. We have replaced time-wasting chit chat around the water cooler with regular office social events and get togethers. All types of creativity are encouraged. Humor is just as important as any other aspect of professional community decorum.

Dedicated to Your Success 

At SMA we pride ourselves in being unique. While each member of our group is different we celebrate those differences, understanding that each of us brings a different talent and perspective to the whole. The success of our company is intertwined with the success of each and every member of the company. Success of one is celebrated by all. It is never unusual to see one agent helping another on concepts and ideas.

Time 

Each of us is given the same number of hours in a day. How many of those hours do you put to good use?  

By eliminating the office hang out, interruptions to your work environment are put on your schedule and not on someone elses. Commute time is drastically thirty seconds rather than thirty minutes.  

By adopting virtual tools, ones that make sense that is, new possibilities open that have never before been available. How about having access to an entire set of transaction documents from your smart phone? Or for those of you workaholics an entire transaction can be managed from poolside in Hawaii!  

The possibilities are endless, but you need a company with a spirit of innovation and willingness to examine “the way it’s always been done” with a critical eye toward how we can improve. Think of the time you spend on the road to get to appointments that could (if you had the right tools) be accomplished electronically.