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Ann Arbor Broker: I Don't Hire Anyone With a 5-Star Google Review
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08 Jun 2026
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It sounds like a joke. A broker with 7,500 past clients and decades of deals closed across Southeast Michigan says he actively avoids hiring agents with perfect online ratings. But for Larry Gotcher, owner of Resource Realty Group in Ann Arbor, it’s a hiring rule he stands by and one that says a lot about what actually separates producing agents from ones who are just good at managing their image.
“I refuse to hire somebody with a five-star review,” Gotcher says. “You know why? Because they’re too busy getting reviews and not doing their actual job.”
The Review Economy and What It Actually Measures
Gotcher’s position starts with a simple observation about how online reviews work in practice. People don’t typically go to Google to praise someone. They go when something went wrong. Which means the agents with long lists of glowing five-star reviews are usually the ones actively soliciting them, not the ones too deep in deals to worry about it.
“The only people that go on Google are people that want to hurt you,” he says. “You don’t get anybody going on Google wanting to help you. The only time somebody gives you a five-star review is if you ask for it.”
His preferred hiring range? Two and a half to three and a half stars. Not because he wants underperformers, but because that rating profile tends to match agents who are focused on transactions, not optics.
The Top Producers He Points To
Gotcher doesn’t name names publicly, but he’s clear on the pattern. The top commercial real estate producers in the country, the ones closing hundreds of millions annually, often have some of the lowest Google ratings you’ll find. They’re not managing their review count. They’re managing their pipelines.
It’s a version of the same logic that drives his broader approach to running a lean team. Resource Realty Group closes between $100 million and $150 million in commercial real estate annually with just 10 people, while competing firms operate with 100 or more agents. Volume isn’t the goal. Quality of output is.
What He Looks For Instead
So if not reviews, what does Gotcher use to evaluate talent? He looks at whether agents show up early, whether they listen to direction, and whether they’re willing to do the work that doesn’t show up on a profile.
“I can only give people the tools to win,” he says. “Somebody either takes it to heart or they don’t. The people that listen to me make money.”
He also puts weight on process. His wife Andrea, who co-manages the business, describes the team’s edge as a function of preparation: title work completed weeks before competitors have started, transactions moving while others are still gathering documents, deals closing while the other side is still catching up.
A Lesson That Applies Beyond Real Estate
The 5-star rule isn’t just a hiring quirk. It reflects something Gotcher believes more broadly: that visible effort is not the same as actual performance, and that the market rewards results, not reputation management.
After nearly 35 years in the industry, he’s watched the agent population turn over repeatedly. Most don’t last. The ones who do tend to share a common trait: they’re more interested in doing the work than being seen doing it. In a market as competitive as Ann Arbor, where Resource Realty Group operates, that distinction shows up in the numbers.
About Resource Realty Group: Resource Realty Group is a full-service commercial and residential brokerage headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Led by Owner and Broker Larry Gotcher, the team closes between $100M and $150M in commercial real estate annually with a 10-person team, and operates a REIT providing investors access to income-producing real estate across Michigan and international markets. Learn more at resourcerealtygroupmi.com.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
Disclosure: Individuals or companies mentioned may have a commercial relationship with KeyCrew.
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