Above, Ivan Chorney, left, and Michael Martirena
Founded by Ivan Chorney and Michael Martirena in 2015, the Ivan and Mike Team is a top-performing real estate group in South Florida that provides concierge-level service backed by in-depth market knowledge and integrity. Their success over the years has allowed them to grow to include 10 additional agents and operations personnel with sports, fashion and tech backgrounds and fluency in English, Spanish, Turkish and Arabic.
They operate like a family, leaning on one another for resources, expertise and their extended networks to achieve the best possible outcome for clients, earning them additional accolades in the industry: No. 2 Selling Team at Compass Real Estate in Miami, WSJ Top 5 Team in Miami and Master Broker Forum Top 300 most successful brokers in Miami-Dade.
Beyond serving buyers and sellers for existing luxury residential homes, a core segment of their business derives from new development projects. Together with their developer relationships, advanced operations personnel and investor network, they have perfected the process and earned recognition as a result—they are ranked as the No. 1 New Construction Team in Miami and ranked in the Top 1% of brokers in the ultra-wealth network.
Why do you prefer working on a team over working alone?
Ivan Chorney: Since real estate is a full-time role (7 days a week, 365 days a year), in order to scale the business, you have to surround yourself with an incredible, committed team and support system. Leveraging your team members and partner (or team founder) enables you to give the maximum exposure to your listings, and the best value to your clients.
How do you navigate the individual personalities and skill sets when working on a real estate team?
Michael Martirena: We matchmake homes and condos with our real estate professionals and know which personalities will enhance each listing and who will work best with each owner. We have matchmaking down to a science, and distill the allocation of listings and our service offerings based on how our diverse range of agents operate, communicate and speak, along with what interests them most. Everyone on our team has a unique skill set, and we pride ourselves on creating a seamless experience between clients and our team members.
As a team, what are your greatest strengths?
IC: We consider ourselves to be a wolfpack, and are truly stronger together. We pride ourselves on never turning down listings or showings, and make ourselves available seven days a week, 365 days a year, including holidays, which sometimes are the only option for clients.
Any real estate professional can continually enhance their skills. It’s a choice that we collectively make again and again. Our ethos is to always be the best versions of ourselves and examine new ways to level up. We are constantly improving the way we submit offers and negotiate, and members of the team encourage each other with every single move. Our office is a continual roundtable discussion and strategy session.
How do you operate as a team to ensure you’re all on the same page?
MM: We have regular meetings, and encourage coaching and training to monitor team members on leads. We are very much a unit and are always in communication with each other.
How is the market influencing your team when it comes to decision-making, strategy and sales?
IC: Recently, we made the decision to pull back on our marketing spend and invest in other areas. It is officially “summer” in Miami, so we are now taking the time to train new agents and plan ahead for next season. We pull back in some areas and ramp up in others.
What are some tips and strategies you can share for managing a real estate team?
MM: Always have dialogue, be transparent and hold each other accountable to commitments and goals (including personal and lifestyle). We encourage everyone to fulfill their goals in life and check all of the boxes to have the balance we all need.
What is the secret to the success of your real estate team?
IC: Pick up the phone, be honest and be a communicator. Follow up with clients and be tenacious, provide value, educate them and plan for the long game.
How do you divide workload and responsibilities amongst the team to keep everyone on track and on the same page?
MM: We have weekly reports and trackers, and encourage bi-monthly meetings and presentations among our agents. If someone reads an interesting article or learns something out in the field, we encourage them to share it with the team.
What advice do you have for real estate professionals looking to join a team?
IC: 1. Teams are the way of the future; it is the only way to scale. 2. Make yourself stand out. 3. Always create balance; it is the only way to survive without getting burnt out in this business.
What advice do you have for new team leaders?
MM: Invest the time in others and lead by example, as it is always worth it. Never give up!
What is the single most important factor that makes your team work so well?
IC: We are diligent, organized and goal-oriented. We strive to surpass our goals annually and will continue to set the bar high.
The market has experienced many ups and downs over the last 4 years. What are you doing differently in today’s market from the pre-pandemic days and during the pandemic?
MM: Pre-pandemic we were hyper-focused on Miami Beach, specifically the coast. Now we cover all of Miami and have expanded at a rapid pace. We work throughout Coral Gables, West Miami and far beyond.
For more information, go to https://www.ivanandmike.com/.
