With six offices spread across Southern Indiana, Louisville and other parts of Kentucky, and more than 250 agents, Schuler Bauer “is a major regional player,” according to brokerage President Aaron Luttrull. The brokerage’s strong community focus, along with services that span residential, commercial and property management sectors, “ensure that we can meet the needs for all clients in the real estate space,” he said.
The company’s community ties and deep relationships are foundational to its success, and several members of its leadership team are engaged in leadership at the local, state and national levels. This gives Schuler Bauer clients “a distinct advantage,” according to Luttrull, because of agents’ enhanced understanding of industry trends, along with investments in technology and tools for efficiently navigating transactions.
Touting its “proven leadership with a personal touch,” find out how Luttrull and his company “combine big-brokerage services with a hands-on, relationship-first approach.”
Name: Aaron Luttrull
Title: President
Experience: Licensed on Jan. 17, 2007, I have been in brokerage management since October 2016 and became president of my company in August 2024
Location: Southern Indiana and Louisville MSA
Brokerage name: Schuler Bauer Real Estate Services, ERA Powered
Rankings: Real Trends No. 241 (national sides) and No. 9 (state sides and volume)
Team size: 256 agents and staff
Transaction sides: 2,507 (2024)
Transaction volume: $756.05 million (2024)
What do you wish more people knew about working in real estate?
This industry is not for the faint of heart. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the role that agents play has come under fire in the court of public opinion. Real estate agents have inadvertently led to this misconception in many cases, through what I refer to as the real estate celebrity era.
Whether it’s how we’ve been portrayed on television or the stories we’ve posted on social media, too many agents have put the focus on themselves, hoping to portray a lavish lifestyle where real estate agents make easy money. This could not be further from the truth.
Most real estate agents are hardworking people, who wake up every day without the promise of a paycheck, developing relationships and educating consumers on how to navigate the intricacies of buying and selling their largest financial and emotional, investments in their lives.
Great agents are the ones who focus on relationships with their clients and communities and put the needs of those people first.
What’s something you know now you wish you knew when you started?
As an independent contractor, you are, in effect, running your own business under the umbrella of your managing broker. Being your own boss is one of the driving factors that calls a lot of people to this industry.
Unfortunately, most fail to consider that they are also their own employees and allow bad habits to creep into their business that they’d never allow another person they were paying to do. Being successful in real estate requires you to constantly work on your business, and not just in your business.
Never lose sight of the fact that you have to continue working to develop new relationships and have appropriate strategies in place to track your business.
What’s your top tip for freshly licensed brokers?
I often find myself telling agents that they aren’t James Bond, and they shouldn’t be secret agents. In order to be successful, you have to let people know that you’re an agent and that you’re available to help them or anyone they know with their real estate needs.
Many agents are worried that they may come off too “pushy” or “salesy,” which I completely understand, but you’ll have to figure out a way to communicate your availability at some point to generate leads. Jared James has often said, “Visibility trumps ability,” which I couldn’t agree with more.
What makes a good leader?
To me, a good leader is someone who serves others first. Leadership isn’t about titles— it’s about showing up, listening and being willing to roll up your sleeves to support your team. I’ve found that the best leaders are the ones who create a culture where people feel valued, supported and inspired to grow.
They set a clear vision and get buy-in, not by demanding it but by inviting others into the process. I also believe that leadership means never stopping your own growth — whether it’s reading, learning or engaging in new challenges, I try to model the kind of continuous improvement I hope to see in those around me.
What’s the one thing you wish every agent knew?
I’ve often joked that I’d like to write a book on the secret to sales success. After nearly 50 percent of my life spent in the real estate industry and countless training sessions and conferences, I’ve boiled down what makes agents successful to three key items:
- Focus on relationships over transactions.
- Follow up with clients.
- Ask for business.
Success isn’t built on fancy technologies or perfect scripts. It’s built on putting in the work for the people who count on you and caring about their needs above your own. If you do those three things, you can build a booming business.
Email Christy Murdock