Seattle Agent chatted with five local brokers who recently took the plunge and moved their business to a new brokerage. Here’s what they had to say about onboarding, emails, timing, tough conversations and more.

Yang Xiao, Coldwell Banker Bain

After a decade with her previous brokerage, Yang Xiao had an experience with a Coldwell Banker Bain agent that changed everything.

The longtime Seattle agent had been feeling like she needed more support from her office when she collaborated with a Coldwell Banker Bain agent on a Clyde Hill transaction. She’d heard good things about the company from friends in the industry, and the positivity she experienced with the Coldwell Banker agent confirmed those rumors.

The timing was just right for a change, so Xiao seized it, transferring her business to the company’s Bellevue office last July.

“The Bain office agents are so welcoming,” she shared. “We share the same value. That’s part of the reason they want me there and I want to be there. The value is mutual … I fit right in.”

Xiao says the transition has been fairly seamless. In fact, her new brokerage has exceeded her expectations.

Prior to switching, part of what Xiao had been craving in a new brokerage was strong, modern branding and marketing. She also wanted more listings, hoping to shift her clientele from mainly buyers to more sellers. Coldwell Banker Bain has helped her meet both of those goals.

But Xiao says her business has changed in ways she didn’t expect, too.

“My mindset has changed. I’m more open-minded,” Xiao explained. “I’m more willing to collaborate with other agents. I see opportunities between agents. I have my strengths, and other agents have their sources, their strengths. If we work together, it’s just going to be so much better than working alone. And most ultimately, we serve our clients better.”

Phil Greely, The Agency

For Phil Greely, there wasn’t anything “inherently broken” at his previous company — but he needed some new energy, new inspiration and new excitement about running his personal real estate business.

But staying energized, inspired and excited can be a “head game,” which is why Greely isn’t shy about moving brokerages when it’s time for a change. His recent mid-February switch to The Agency marks the second move of his career, the first being in 2016.

“Brokers can be successful at any brand. It’s not always remembered, but we’re individual businesses within these brokerages,” Greely said, adding that while it’s important to look at what brokerages can do to help you grow or support your business, at the end of the day, those things are the responsibility of the agent.

Since Greely’s business is so personal to him, his fresh start at The Agency has been a relatively smooth transition, aside from the minor obstacles of onboarding and administrative tasks. His new brokerage even executed a brand-new PR campaign for one of his high-dollar luxury penthouse listings, upping the property’s visibility.

For the most part, though, the client experience hasn’t changed just because Greely’s logo did.

“Our clients work with us,” he said. “And my new energy for working the business pays off in the experience the clients have.”

Kale Corey, Ensemble

Seattleite Kale Corey previously worked for a large national brokerage, joining in the company’s early days in the Pacific Northwest.

“It felt like a true boutique experience,” he said. “But as the company grew, that culture began to fade. Collaboration dwindled, and I no longer felt the same sense of alignment. I realized I missed the empowerment and connection that comes from a smaller, more intentional environment.”

That’s when Corey began to talk with Ensemble. In his initial meeting with the company, he explained what he’d need out of a new brokerage, including a pay-at-close option for sellers.

“Honestly, I expected the usual ‘we’ll look into it’ response,” Corey recalled. “But the very next day, they called to say they had already connected with the financing company and were implementing an identical program. That moment showed me they weren’t just listening — they were taking action. It was a clear sign of the kind of responsiveness you only find in a true boutique model.”

On his first day at Ensemble, Corey had new signs and business cards on his desk and a supportive team of coworkers, managers and administrative staff at his side.

In the six months since, the impact on his business has been significant. Corey cites the support he now receives, including that from manager Todd Shively, has allowed him to scale his business without the overhead costs of running his own team. He also says the office camaraderie and accountability are “next-level,” and that “missing an office meeting isn’t just skipping an update — it means missing out on meaningful collaboration.”

Plus, Corey’s clients weren’t just supportive of the move — they were enthusiastic.

“Clear communication with my clients throughout the transition helped reinforce that confidence on all sides,” he added.

Now, Corey says he wishes he’d made the switch sooner.

“There’s never a ‘perfect’ time to make a move — we’re always managing active clients and full pipelines. But just like advising buyers and sellers, sometimes you have to trust your instincts,” he said. “Every time I’ve made a scary but intentional decision in my career, it’s taken me to the next level — and this move has been no exception.”

Katie Criddle, Pointe3 Real Estate

Luxury agent Katie Criddle had just decided she was open to switching brokerages when a friend at Pointe3 Real Estate encouraged her to join the team. It was a classic case of being in the right place at the right time.

Criddle was ready for new dynamics. Though she was previously affiliated with a large brokerage, she had worked at a small office for eight years and felt ready for a change.

When she began to investigate Pointe3, she was impressed by the resources the boutique company offered its agents, as well as the way it had pivoted to embrace new technology.

Above all though, she liked the office culture, which provided a welcome change of pace after switching to Pointe3 about a year ago.

“It’s always important to have somebody that you can look up to, that you can learn things from, to not always just do what you’re doing because that’s what you do,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of great people to learn from.”

Since switching, Criddle expanded her business to include rental and leasing services, assisting the myriad Seattle clients who pivot toward renting.

The transition wasn’t without hiccups, though. Criddle lost 11 years’ worth of emails when she lost access to her old company account. And, like with any new job, she had to navigate through tedious onboarding and rebranding processes. While there were challenges along the way, though, Criddle is satisfied with her decision, adding that all her clients made the move to Pointe3 alongside her.

She does, however, urge agents who are thinking about making a change to do research before jumping in.

“Do the research. Signage is expensive. Rebranding is expensive,” Criddle said. “Really make sure it’s the right fit.”

Criddle also encourages brokers to “do the right thing” and have that hard conversation about leaving with their current brokerage.

“I’ve heard of agents who just leave, and they don’t have a conversation with their current brokerage. They just slip out the back door and disappear in a day, and I don’t think that’s a really good strategy,” she said. “I get it — current brokerages are not going to be super excited about that. But I think it’s really important that they have the courage to have that conversation to keep those relationships. You never know when you’re going to run into somebody again.”

She speaks from experience: The first transaction she handled with Pointe3 was alongside the designated broker of her former brokerage.

“Be brave enough to have those conversations,” she said. “If it’s not received well, that says more about them than it does about you as an agent.”

Leka Devatha, Real Residential

A well-known figure in the Puget Sound real estate investment community for 11 years, Leka Devatha initially obtained her real estate license to help other like-minded investors buy and sell properties. It was all part of her larger goal to foster a community of like-minded Seattle investors who were passionate about growing their businesses and investment portfolios.

Devatha worked with two different national brokerages after obtaining her license. Along the way, though, she realized she wanted to shift her focus away from investing and dive headfirst into the world of luxury real estate.

She had a vision for the type of company she wanted to work with in that endeavor: a luxury, boutique brokerage founded by local brokers with deep knowledge of the Puget Sound area.

She knew she had to seek out a brokerage with a robust portfolio of luxury clientele. So she browsed high-quality listings on the MLS and found that many had a brokerage in common: Real Residential.

They weren’t hiring, though, which she learned after cold-calling the brokerage’s founders. However, after chatting, they realized they shared a common goal of providing the best ultra-luxury real estate service in Seattle. After meeting with several of the founding members in person, they made it official.

Since joining Real, Devatha has begun expanding her business to include high-net worth individuals, attending listing appointments and gaining hands-on experience with Real’s founding brokers.

“The world of luxury is different because your clientele is different,” she explained. “They’re intelligent — they’re typically in tech or medicine or startups. So, catering to that segment just requires you to walk in different shoes. That’s what this team has opened my eyes to.”

Although Devatha is still very much in the middle of her transition, she says it couldn’t be going smoother. She describes her new brokerage as a “family,” full of people who are “eager and ready to go.” She also adds there’s no competition among the brokers — just collaboration.

As far as regrets, Davatha has only one: She wishes she had switched brokerages sooner.

“If you’re thinking about making a switch, find the right team and just do it. Take that leap of faith,” she urges peers. “Forget the location or the tools and the processes. Who are you going to work with and do you share the same vision?”