What does it take to consistently be one of the top agents at a brokerage known for its luxury sales?
Agents who want to know need look no further than Dina Goldentayer.
Goldentayer has been affiliated with Douglas Elliman for more than nine years and has become one of its most apparent examples of success, particularly in Miami, where she dominates the city’s top transactions. And after about two decades in a highly competitive market, word has gotten around that few can best Goldentayer’s prowess in managing the most elite luxury home sales.
Goldentayer wasn’t always one of the firm’s highest-earning agents, of course — but she learned through experience what steps she needed to take to consistently rise to the top, and she shared some of her secrets with Inman. Take a look at her tips below.
Pay attention to market trends
Staying on top of the market and what is moving with buyers is a huge part of any agent’s job, but Goldentayer has learned to keep a close eye on what types of properties are finding favor with her elite clientele in Miami.
In recent months, Goldentayer became increasingly aware that mid-range luxury properties in her market, around $20 million to $25 million, were becoming more of a challenge to move.
“And I didn’t know that until I had many of those listing expire,” Goldentayer told Inman. “Or [didn’t] find a buyer during my listing term. So this season coming up, I’m being very careful with my listings in that price point because I don’t want to end up being the biggest listing holder for that price point in town if the buyers don’t come.”
Homes in the teen-millions, as well as those priced at $30 million and up, continue to move, so Goldentayer focused on those price points while there is ample demand.
“I think there just ended up being a bit of an oversupply,” Goldentayer said. “So if you’re a buyer looking to spend $20 [million] to $25 million in Miami Beach, which is really my marketplace, you have a lot to choose from. So naturally, when buyers feel that they have a lot to choose from, they don’t feel scarcity, they don’t feel pressure to perform and [they feel] that they can wait on the sidelines.”
Only accept the best listings
One of Goldentayer’s current best-in-class listings at 142 Island Drive for $18.9 million | Legendary Productions / Dina Goldentayer
Goldentayer has spent years cultivating a niche of best-in-class listings, meaning that she only accepts the “unequivocal” best listing of its type and price point. Those properties certainly have a premium price attached to them, but it’s important that they not be considered “overpriced,” Goldentayer said.
Being selective about which listings she accepts and pricing them appropriately are crucial skills that have made Goldentayer one of the most elite agents in her market.
“I’m saying ‘no’ to a lot of business because I’ve learned that taking on product just to have listings is going to lead to high days on market and potentially expired listings,” Goldentayer told Inman. “So as hard as it is to say ‘no’ to something and see a competitor take it on, I’m really trying to stick to my guns. Occasionally, that backfires because I see that property sell rather quickly, but oftentimes, I see the property sit on the market forever, never find a buyer, and it just reaffirms my decision to pass on it at a certain point.”
Whether the property she decides to represent is worth $1 million or $100 million matters much less than its condition, Goldentayer said.
“I find that I tend to have the most renovated, the most complete properties,” she told Inman. “The ones that really catch people’s eyes online are what I’m most drawn to represent.”
Create a detailed marketing plan
Contrary to the belief of many homesellers, properties don’t just “sell themselves.”
So, even though Goldentayer makes sure to accept only the best-in-class properties for representation, her marketing plan is also as thoughtful and detailed as can be. To be specific, Goldentayer has a 100-step marketing plan that she applies to each of her listings to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
“That’s why sellers choose me over other agents in the marketplace, because my marketing is top-level,” Goldentayer told Inman. “That’s what I’m known for — I’m known for the most superior marketing in my marketplace.”
It is no surprise then that Goldentayer’s name is tied to transactions with ultra-high-net-worths like Jeff Bezos, tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, ex-celeb couple Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, financier Adam Sender and attorney Bill Carmody.
In 2023, Goldentayer co-listed with Elliman’s Danilo Tavares a $79 million property on Indian Creek Island that sold to Jeff Bezos as the Amazon founder was relocating from Seattle to Miami.
For other agents just starting out in Miami’s luxury market and hoping someday to transact with similarly ultra-high-net-worth clients, Goldentayer advised patience.
“Early in my career, I took on a lot of overpriced listings to break into that market that didn’t sell, but I didn’t want to pass up on an opportunity to have such expensive listings,” Goldentayer said. “But to take on high-priced listings that don’t sell, they’re a liability, both from a cost of marketing point of view and from an exertion of time point of view.”
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