Why Retained Search Matters When Appointing a Senior Hire

Director-level hires in real estate are rarely just about filling a role.

They influence client relationships built over decades, shape fee income, carry regulatory responsibility, and often become the public face of a business in the market. Get it right and the upside is significant. Get it wrong and the commercial impact can be felt for years.

Yet many senior appointments in real estate are still approached using contingent recruitment models designed for volume rather than consequence.

At Director, Partner or Board level, a retained search approach is not a luxury — it’s a risk management tool.

Real Estate Is a Relationship-Driven Market

Real estate is a small world. Reputations travel fast.

The most effective Directors — whether in investment, development, valuation, capital markets or agency — are rarely applying to job adverts. They’re busy servicing clients, growing teams, and protecting their personal brand.

A retained search allows businesses to:

• Access passive, high-performing leaders

• Engage candidates discreetly, without market noise

• Approach individuals who would never respond to an advertised role

This is how senior real estate talent actually moves.

Discretion Is Often Non-Negotiable

Many senior real estate hires involve sensitive dynamics:

• Succession planning within partnerships

• Replacing a fee earner with long-standing client relationships

• Building a new service line or regional presence

• Preparing for investment, merger or growth

Advertising these roles can create unnecessary speculation — internally and externally.

Retained search enables a confidential, controlled process that protects the business, the incumbent, and the market-facing brand.

The Hidden Damage of Flooding the Market

One of the most common — and costly — mistakes businesses make is allowing multiple agencies to work the same senior role while advertising it widely.

In practice, this leads to:

• Several recruiters calling the same candidates with inconsistent messaging

• Confusion around role scope, remuneration and seniority

• The role appearing repeatedly across job boards and LinkedIn

In a senior market, this doesn’t create momentum — it creates doubt.

For candidates, it signals a business that looks reactive, uncoordinated or under pressure. For the wider market, it can suggest instability or internal issues. Over time, this approach can damage employer brand, making the business less attractive to exactly the calibre of leader it is trying to secure.

At Director level, perception matters.

Market Knowledge Beyond CVs

In real estate, titles rarely tell the full story.

Two “Directors” can have vastly different fee responsibility, leadership capability, client depth, and commercial impact. Retained search allows for:

• Detailed market mapping of teams, competitors and fee structures

• Understanding who genuinely drives revenue versus who carries a title

• Benchmarking remuneration, incentives and equity structures

This level of insight is difficult to achieve through contingent recruitment alone.

Candidate Experience Matters More Than You Think

Senior real estate professionals are selective. How they are approached — and how a process is run — reflects directly on your brand.

A retained process ensures:

• Considered, personal engagement

• Clear role definition and honest conversations

• Respect for confidentiality and reputation

Even candidates who don’t move walk away with a positive impression — critical in a market where today’s candidate is tomorrow’s client, JV partner or referrer.

Focus, Accountability and Depth

With a retained search, the brief is properly defined upfront:

• What success looks like commercially

• How the hire fits within existing partnerships or leadership teams

• The balance between fee generation, people leadership and strategy

The search partner is accountable for outcome, not activity. Shortlists are deliberate, well-informed and grounded in the realities of the market — not rushed to win a fee.

The Pros and Cons of Retained Search in Real Estate

The Upside

• Access to passive, revenue-driving leaders

• Stronger cultural and commercial alignment

• Greater discretion and control

• Better long-term hiring outcomes

The Trade-Offs

• Upfront commitment

• A more considered timeline

But when weighed against the lifetime value — and potential risk — of a Director-level hire, retained search consistently delivers better returns.

Exposure vs Precision

Senior real estate hiring is not a numbers game.

Wide market exposure can:

• Undermine confidentiality

• Attract misaligned candidates

• Create internal and external noise

Retained search prioritises precision — engaging the right individuals, in the right way, at the right time.

When Retained Search Is the Right Call

In our experience, retained search is most effective when:

• Hiring at Director, Partner or Board level

• Protecting sensitive client relationships

• Building or restructuring leadership teams

• Entering new markets or disciplines

• A contingent approach hasn’t delivered

Final Thought

In real estate, leadership hires shape more than headcount — they shape revenue, reputation and long-term value.

Retained search isn’t about paying more. It’s about hiring properly.

For businesses serious about making the right Director-level appointment, it remains the most effective — and commercially sensible — approach.

Planning a Senior Appointment?

Before going to market, understand what success really looks like — and how the market will perceive it.

SONDR delivers retained search solutions for senior real estate hires where reputation, relationships and results matter.

→ Contact SONDR