What Luxury Clients Actually Want

By Justin Stoddart

Luxury real estate is often defined by the property: the price, the finishes, the architecture, the location. But after my recent conversation with luxury real estate veterans Tami Simms and Jack Miller, I was reminded that the professionals who serve this market best tend to think about luxury very differently.

For the client, the home is only one part of a much larger picture. They are thinking about how they want to live.

That distinction matters, especially in an industry where consumers have more information at their fingertips than ever before. Anyone can search bedrooms and bathrooms, compare properties, calculate drive times, and research neighborhoods. Our value as professionals has to extend beyond information. It comes from understanding what clients actually want, helping them articulate it, and then using our relationships and expertise to make that life possible.

Start With the Life, Not the House

Jack described how the nature of relocation has changed over his career. Earlier in his career, many of his clients were moving because they had to. A new job or corporate relocation dictated where they needed to go. Today, remote work and greater flexibility mean many clients, particularly in the luxury market, are moving because they want to.

That changes the conversation.

A client might want access to restaurants, performing arts, and a walkable downtown. Another might want acreage, privacy, and enough distance from their neighbors to feel removed from the city. Both could be luxury buyers in the same market, looking at similarly priced homes, but seeking entirely different lives.

As Jack put it, “Luxury lifestyle could be living on a horse farm. Luxury lifestyle could be on the fiftieth floor of a high-rise luxury condo.”

Our job is to uncover which version of luxury matters to the person sitting across from us. That means asking better questions before recommending properties. What does an ideal day look like? Where do they spend their time? What do they want nearby? What do they want to get away from?

Tami takes this a step further by putting buyers in the car and driving through neighborhoods they might never have discovered through an online search. She pays attention to the character of the streets, nearby businesses, access to the beach, and even how neighborhoods feel during the holidays. These are difficult qualities to reduce to a listing description, but they may ultimately determine whether someone feels at home there.

Become the Person Who Can Make Things Happen

Tami came into real estate with an unusually relevant background: resort concierge work. Early in her career, she helped open a historic luxury resort with ambitions of earning five stars. Part of her job was building a Rolodex of virtually anything a guest could need, from restaurants and activities to a florist who could produce the right bouquet on short notice.

When she later joined her mother’s real estate team, that same philosophy translated naturally.

“It’s a whole idea of what is your need? How can I make it happen? Who do I know that can make it happen if I don’t know them directly?”

That is a powerful way for real estate professionals to think about their role.

You don’t personally need to solve every problem. You do need to become someone who knows where to turn when a problem arises.

Jack offered a good example. Clients sometimes contact him because they want to join a particular country club. He isn’t a country club member himself, but he knows people who are. He can call a friend or past client and arrange a personal introduction to the membership director or golf professional. Instead of handing the client a phone number, he creates a warm connection.

That is what makes a professional difficult to commoditize. Your value isn’t simply what you know. It is your ability to listen, understand the need, and connect the right people at the right moment.

Great Service Continues After Closing

One of the ideas Tami emphasized was that the concierge relationship shouldn’t end when the transaction does. In fact, she wants clients calling her for resources and recommendations decades later.

I think there is an important lesson there for anyone trying to build a business on referrals.

If our mindset is centered on completing the transaction as efficiently as possible and then moving on, we give clients very little reason to remain connected to us. But if we continue paying attention to what homeowners need before, during, and after the transaction, our role changes. We become part of their trusted network.

Technology can make us more efficient, and there are countless tools worth using. But efficiency shouldn’t become the objective. As Jack pointed out in our conversation, some professionals become so focused on the newest platform or tool that they lose sight of the fundamental skill underneath all of this: listening.

Technology can tell someone a great deal about a property. It cannot replace the relationship with a professional who understands what that particular person values, anticipates what they might need next, and has spent years building the relationships necessary to help.

That level of service isn’t limited to multimillion-dollar transactions. It is a philosophy that can be applied to every homeowner we serve.

The question I would encourage you to ask is simple: What does your client need beyond the transaction they hired you to complete?

Start listening for those needs. Build relationships with professionals who can solve them. Make the introduction rather than simply handing over a name. And continue being a resource long after closing.

Do that consistently, and you give your clients a reason not only to come back, but to tell the people they care about that you’re the person they should call.

At ProInsight, we help professionals build a referral engine for their business. Apply here to see if becoming a Homeowner Concierge™ Select Professional is available in your area.