Global readiness: Preparing for the luxury summer selling season across markets by Rainy Hake Austin for HousingWire

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Preparing for the summer season — typically a peak period in most real estate markets —requires strategic planning and a keen focus on the client experience. Competition can heat up quickly and as a global brokerage, here’s how we’re preparing for a successful luxury summer selling season across the markets we serve — and how you can do the same.

Strengthen operational readiness

Operational readiness is critical as the summer selling season revs up, and part of that is adding and allocating brokerage resources effectively. From launching a large volume of new listings to preparing winning offers, it’s important that clients feel confident and supported at every touchpoint.

Make sure you have ample and well-trained transaction management staff and review operational processes ahead of time to ensure smooth transactions throughout the summer season. This also applies to technology. Spring is a good time to ensure your tech platforms are optimized. 

Empower your team for peak performance

Take time to train or refresh your team on market intel, selling strategies and tech tools, so they can make the most of their CRM, scheduling tools and transaction management platform. Streamline workflows ahead of time to maintain top-tier service that caters to mobile-first buyers searching for homes across borders and sellers who want to close quickly. I also encourage my team to be both well-informed and well-rested as summer approaches. Plan mini-breaks as needed and manage stress—whether that means hiring a personal assistant or a personal trainer.

Reignite client engagement

Summer is a highly social season — and now is the perfect time for agents to reconnect with clients and nurture relationships. Host client appreciation gatherings, creative property previews, or social events that highlight your listings and your market expertise. Strategic marketing initiatives for agents might include targeted postcard or email campaigns to share valuable seasonal information like selling tips, landscaping tips, curb appeal ideas or updates on local market conditions. Then follow up with phone calls to learn if your clients are ready to buy or sell this year. 

Summer is also prime moving season for families who want to settle in before a new school year begins. You’ll want to engage with this demographic and tailor outbound marketing to their unique needs, highlighting school districts, private schools, family-friendly neighborhoods, walkability, safety, and amenities that are important to families, like parks and sports fields.

If you operate across state lines or globally, as we do, be prepared for remote transactions and fast closings—many of these buyers are on tight timelines and appreciate agents who are organized, communicative, and proactive.

Showcase summer lifestyle features

Discerning luxury buyers have high expectations, and those change with the seasons. Summer is the time to spotlight the features buyers are yearning for most — including outdoor kitchens, pools, terraces, and seamless indoor-outdoor living spaces. As you prepare to market properties across regions, consider photography, staging, messaging, and social sharing that position these lifestyle features front and center.

Make sure listing videos, virtual tours, and digital marketing reflect the vibrancy of summer while conveying the exclusivity that discerning buyers are searching for. 

Understand international investor needs

Our global clientele are looking for lifestyle-driven acquisitions with long-term value —whether it’s a beachfront retreat in Spain or a pied-à-terre in New York City. Your team must be skilled at facilitating global transactions, leveraging in-house legal support, financing, and relocation services.

We provide all of these services for the complete transaction lifecycle to make it effortless for our clients to transact across borders, no matter where they are in the world.

Leverage market data to optimize impact

Recognize that summer isn’t peak season everywhere. In Palm Springs and Arizona, residents leave town as temperatures rise. Analyze cross-market data before deploying strategic marketing campaigns and resources to the highest-impact markets. In this way, you can capture demand where it’s surging — including popular summer getaways like the Hamptons or Cape Cod, second-home markets like Hawaii, and investment hot spots like the Cayman Islands. 

Track inventory levels, pricing trends, and buyer activity shifts in each region. These insights not only help you allocate resources effectively—they can also inform your pricing strategies to help your seller clients remain competitive. Advise buyers to move swiftly — especially in low-inventory markets — and ensure buyers have their finances in order. Likewise, ask sellers to be available and ready to respond to offers as soon as their listings go live.

Looking ahead: Stay laser-focused on the client experience

Summer is a key opportunity to showcase our value as real estate professionals — bringing together local market expertise, a global perspective, and exceptional service across every market we serve. Capitalizing on it starts with early, strategic preparation. Whether you’re a solo agent, leading a team, or running a global brokerage, the groundwork you lay in the first months of the year will help you thrive when the market heats up. Putting the client experience at the center of your planning, marketing, outreach and operations can set you up for a successful summer selling season. 

Rainy Hake Austin is a brokerage leader at The Agency.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners.

To contact the editor responsible for this piece: zeb@hwmedia.com.

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