Building a Better Business with Brokerage Partnerships
3/16/2026
Growth in property management often begins with a handshake. For many companies, partnerships with real estate brokers—both internal and external—are proving essential to attracting new owners, increasing referrals, and building long-term trust in the community. Whether through in-house brokerage teams or collaboration with local agents, these relationships can drive meaningful business development and strengthen a company’s reputation in competitive markets.
Expanding Inventory Through Relationships
For Suzanne Natoli, business development manager at Sunset Rentals, partnerships with outside brokers have become one of the company’s most valuable sources of new business. “Most of our locations do not currently have in-house agents or brokers, but we have in the past, and it’s extremely convenient to have a knowledgeable real estate professional working just down the hall,” she says. “However, the relationships we’ve cultivated with outside real estate brokers have become paramount to our success in many markets, as they continually drive diverse owner traffic in our direction.”
Word of mouth remains one of Sunset Rentals’ most effective growth tools, and strong, trust-based partnerships with local real estate professionals help amplify that reach. “Having strong, trusting relationships with local agents can provide us with free, yet meaningful advertising,” Natoli says. “When they know they can count on us for quick responses to requests for realistic rental income projections or provide specific, honest answers to client questions, they feel they can comfortably refer clients to us.”
Mutual Benefits for Managers and Brokers
Natoli emphasizes that the most productive partnerships are built on mutual benefit. Property managers gain exposure to new owners, and brokers gain trusted referrals when their clients are ready to buy or sell. “We’ve found that having a mutually beneficial relationship with real estate agents allows for growth in our business and theirs,” she says.
John Kevan, partner, general manager, and principal broker at Maui Paradise Properties, sees that same symbiosis from the broker’s side. Originally focused entirely on sales, the company has since shifted to emphasize management, a move that has shaped how it collaborates with other brokerages. “From the advantage side, you control the property/owner, so when it comes time for [an] owner to sell or buy more, you kind of have a captive audience,” Kevan says. “The downside is that other brokerages, due to competition, will work hard not to let their clients into your program, as they end up losing their clients in many cases. Our position, since we’ve switched to significantly more management than sales, is that we work with other brokerages and their agents and always refer their clients back to them when they want to buy or sell. That relationship and expectation of outside agents has been one of the reasons for our growth.”
In-House Versus External: Finding the Right Balance
While some companies prefer to keep brokerage capabilities under the same roof, both Natoli and Kevan note that external partnerships often broaden opportunity.
“In-house brokers/agents are typically very easy to get in touch with, as we see them more routinely,” Natoli says. “However, when we limit ourselves to only in-house agents, it’s easy to miss opportunities, as our potential stream of contacts narrows dramatically.”
Kevan echoes that sentiment, though from the opposite starting point. “It is my belief that you can’t build both well—you will always do one or the other better, and that will lead your decisions,” he says. “Having lived through that as we have grown, we pulled the trigger to focus on growing management and management skills and services.”
Building Trust Through Communication
Both Natoli and Kevan underscore the importance of communication and responsiveness.
“In most markets, picking up the phone is the most convenient and effective way to get in touch with agents and brokers,” Natoli says. “In the digital age, it’s easy to lose that personal touch through texts and emails. That being said, response time is extremely important. We know that agents need answers quickly, and we try to tailor our responses to whatever mode is easiest for them.”
Kevan, whose company works with outside brokerages throughout Hawaii, agrees that consistency builds trust: “Keeping their agents aligned with the clients they bring in, providing their clients the best management services possible, and building the trust between us” has been critical to sustaining partnerships.
Expert Advice for Property Managers
For property managers looking to strengthen or start brokerage relationships, both leaders emphasized investing time and attention before expecting results. “Communication and response time are of the utmost importance,” Natoli says. “While we may not see an immediate return on the time we invest assisting realtors with income projections, rental histories, or answering client questions, the relationships and trust being built can absolutely pay off down the road.”
Kevan recommends that property managers consider developing at least some in-house brokerage expertise—not necessarily to drive sales, but to strengthen operational and legal knowledge. “I believe they need to have brokerage services internally, but again, not so much for building a sales business but for owner/guest support on laws and knowledge,” he says. “They are intrinsically connected but do require a greater understanding and real estate and financial certifications.”
Creating Shared Value
Whether through in-house expertise or external alliances, brokerage partnerships can act as powerful growth engines for property managers—helping companies attract new owners, build credibility in the community, and provide more informed, comprehensive service to clients. As both Natoli and Kevan make clear, success in this area hinges less on structure and more on trust, responsiveness, and shared value.