Accidental Agent
Aaron Kirman is the chief executive of the Aaron Kirman Group and owner of Christie’s International Real Estate Beverly Hills. With more than $16 billion in luxury home sales, Kirman represents some of the finest estates across the globe and is consistently ranked in the top five luxury real estate agents in the U.S. by the Wall Street Journal. Prior to opening Christie’s International Real Estate in Beverly Hills, Kirman was at brokerage firm Compass.
How did you first get into real estate?
I got into real estate by accident. Between the ages of 15 and 18 I worked as a waiter, and somehow ended up owing the house money because I wasn’t great with numbers. It was costing me money to work. I realized at that time I had to be my own boss. I knew what I was good at, and more importantly, I knew what I was not good at. So I got into selling houses.
Tell me about your choice to branch off on your own and open Christie’s International Real Estate’s Beverly Hills office.
I was actually part of it years and years ago with Hilton & Hyland. It was everything luxury, and at the time it felt like it was very grand in its own right. So fast-forward to 2022; we had gotten to a place with a very large team that we wanted to take the next step and move on to greener pastures. And we had no question on our end what that was when it came to an international presence, alignment with our existing clientele, and of course the way Christie’s defines luxury on a global scale.
What are some of the benefits and challenges that first came with being on your own?
The challenges are really the same from brokerage to brokerage, financial risk, competition, recruiting, etc … Honestly, it has been difficult, especially with the market that we walked into. However, the team I have in place to help the growth and management, the brand and what it stands for, the growth and reception we are seeing, is incredible. It allowed us to penetrate the market in ways that…
Read the full article here
