Real estate agents face a pervasive undervaluation that is partly of their own making, according to Courtney Poulos, Founder of SERHANT. CA and Team Lead of ACME | SERHANT. in Los Angeles. Poulos, who is completing Harvard University's Advanced Management Development Program at the Graduate School of Design, says the industry has a 'mirror problem' in how agents perceive themselves and communicate their value.
'A lot of people see real estate agents as overpaid paper pushers who don't earn what they make,' Poulos said. 'And while the class action lawsuits and the public relations battles are largely driven by forces outside agent control, the way we show up, how we communicate, how we position ourselves, that is on us.'
Poulos points to a lack of self-reflection as a key issue. 'The only thing that is really missing is real estate agents considering themselves as senior-level executives in a business. We are not taken as seriously as we ought to be, like a lawyer,' she said. She recounted a recent incident where a client attempted to negotiate her commission down to a level below the marketing costs she had already incurred, calling it 'the level of disrespect' the profession endures.
During her Harvard program, a session led by communications expert Carmine Gallo emphasized audience-centric messaging—starting with what matters to the client rather than what impresses peers. 'Real estate agents fall into the trap of marketing to each other,' Poulos said. 'We post about our sales for other agents to see. We compete on metrics that our clients don't actually care about. And we miss the opportunity to explain, in plain terms, what we actually do and why it matters.'
Poulos argues that the core work of agents—data analysis, risk management, negotiation, and long-term client relationships—mirrors that of executives in complex industries. 'We protect our clients. We navigate. We clarify. That is the message. And most agents are not saying it,' she said.
To address this, Poulos is developing workshops and seminars starting in Orlando this week, open to agents from all brokerages. The goal is to help agents craft messaging that resonates with clients, the press, and regulators, and to rebuild public trust. 'If what we can clarify for the public is that we are not overpaid, that we are experts, and that our public relations battles are not actually about whether we deserve to be paid, then we start to reverse the narrative,' she said. 'And the housing market is a place where there is a lot of good stuff going on, despite the headlines. It is the moment for something optimistic.'
ACME was founded in 2011 as a boutique brokerage in Los Angeles and as of April 2026 is now ACME | SERHANT., under the umbrella of the national firm led by celebrity real estate agent Ryan Serhant.
