Owner’s Representative

Owner’s representative for luxury AV and automation projects

Most luxury homeowners do not realize they can hire someone to sit on their side of the table during a multi-million-dollar AV and automation project. They can. We do this work globally, and the reason clients keep asking us to is the same reason we are willing to take it on: someone has to tell them the truth.

What an Owner’s Rep Actually Does

On a luxury project, the homeowner is the only person in the room who is not technical. The architect, the builder, the AV integrator, the lighting designer, the network engineer, and the acoustic consultant are all conversant in their disciplines. The homeowner is being asked to make seven-figure decisions on systems they cannot independently evaluate.

The owner’s rep is the homeowner’s advocate inside that room. We read the AV scope of work and tell the client what is fair, what is over-specced, what is missing, and what the integrator is hoping the client will not notice. We attend the design meetings. We review the change orders. We call the integrator on the bid items that should not be there. We tell the client when an integrator’s recommendation is right, and we tell them when it is not.

Why Wealthy Clients Need This Most

There is a quiet truth in the luxury industry that nobody talks about: ultra-wealthy clients are oversold to more aggressively than anyone. The assumption every vendor makes is that a high net worth equals a desire for the biggest possible specification, and that the client will not push back because the price tag is small relative to the portfolio.

It is not true. Most ultra-wealthy clients we work with are precise, tasteful, and quietly resentful of vendors who treat their wealth as a license to overbuild. We saw a project recently where the integrator was pushing an over-the-top theater specification. massive screen, oversized speaker arrays, the maximalist version of every line item. not because the client asked for it, but because the integrator assumed that is what wealth wanted. The client wanted the opposite. They wanted a tasteful, quiet, perfectly engineered room. They had no one in the room to say so until we joined the project.

Why Restrepo

We are an Elite Pro Crestron Dealer, HTA Luxury Certified, OSHA Certified, and a Ubiquiti UISP / Pro Partner. We design and install the same systems we are reviewing on owner’s rep engagements, which is what makes us useful in that role. we know what a fair scope looks like because we write fair scopes ourselves every week.

We are also independent. When we serve as owner’s rep, we do not bid the install work. There is no incentive on our side to steer the client toward us. The client is paying us to tell them the truth, and the only way to be useful in that role is to actually do it.

How the Engagement Works

Most engagements start with a 30-minute call. If the project is a fit, we sign a representation agreement and join the team. Fees are typically structured as a flat retainer for the duration of the AV scope, plus an hourly rate for additional review work outside the original scope. Total cost is usually 1 to 3 percent of the AV and automation budget. a small line item against the savings we identify in the first set of bid reviews.

We have served as owner’s rep on projects across NJ, NY, CT, Florida, California, the Caribbean, and Europe. Most engagements are by referral from architects, designers, and prior clients. If you are starting a project and want someone honest in the room, this is a call we are happy to take.

Elite Pro Crestron Dealer · HTA Luxury Certified · OSHA Certified · Ubiquiti UISP / Pro Partner