WILLIAMS NEW YORK

In luxury real estate, any type of brand, from the name of the building  to the star architect , the developer or the designer , can add value and help boost sales.

But what is the impact of a star agent when it comes to buying or selling a property? That depends on the way the agent built his reputation, said Dolly Lenz, the founder of New York's luxury real estate consulting firm, sales and marketing firm, Dolly Lenz Real Estate.

Although there are several ways to become a star agent, the big names in the industry generally fall into one of two categories, Lenz continued.

In the first, people who were catapulted, sometimes of mediocrity, became the center of attention thanks to television programs such as Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing" or "Million Dollar Listing New York".

"In my opinion," Lenz said, "this does not make you a star agent, it makes you a star that is an agent, which is very different."

In the second category are people with a long track record in the industry who either really have a high performance or consistently work with high profile clients, achieving high prices, or both.

This type of flagship agent is often known in specific markets and has built its reputation over time, rather than having created its name through a television show. Although in some cases, agents may have both a long history in the industry and being on television, as Lenz has done when he appeared on shows that include "Secret Lives of the Super Rich" on CNBC (something like the secret lives of the super rich).