"WE'RE GOING TO DO BUSINESS WHEREVER WE CAN GET IT. THAT BULLETPROOF ATTITUDE IS RECESSION-PROOF."
Building a successful team requires bringing on people from diverse professional backgrounds. When Mark Palermo set out to form the Palermo Properties Team in 2013, he knew it wouldn't be your standard run-of-the-mill real estate team. He wanted to assemble a dynamic team of people who each bring a different personality, skillset, and career path to the table.
Everyone working in the Palermo Properties Team has an extensive corporate background. Whether they come from executive positions in sales, marketing, customer relations, or product management, each individual has something unique to offer. Now, their combined experiences from the corporate world form the foundation of their real estate business that provides exceptional results for their clients. When asked why he sought to bring people with corporate backgrounds onto the team, Mark spoke to the attitude that's required to succeed in this cut-throat industry.
“I wanted to find people that understand that it takes 10-14 hours per day to get things done. We're not afraid of long commutes or putting in the work required. And we don't specialize in any areas either — we are the Bay Area experts.” Ultimately, the team funnels their extensive experience into innovative strategies that put their clients in the best possible position to sell or buy their dream home.
A CLIENT-FIRST APPROACH
When an agent in the Palermo Properties Team gets hired, they view it as forming a strategic partnership with that client. It's not just about closing a transaction on home. It's about fully understanding the essential needs, wants, and desires of every client and distilling all of that into tactful strategies that met the best end result.
Real estate is all about relationships, and the Palermo Properties Team values every relationship they nurture in their work. When clients work with Palermo Properties Team, they know they're in for a smooth, efficient process from start to finish.
“The ability to converse and engage with people, listen, and execute ... The most important thing for us is getting the job done for our clients."
TEAM HIGHLIGHT
The Palermo Properties Team includes partners Kirsten Hagen and Stephanie Sills, who cover the Coastside and 280 corridor, veteran agents Umi Park (Willow Glen and surrounding Santa Clara County) and Irina Luck North (Peninsula, San Francisco, Berkeley/Oakland Hills), and two newer agents, Sean Sabean and Craig Sargent, who cover the entire Peninsula, South Bay and San Francisco area.
RESULTS THAT MOVE THE NEEDLE
“Any opportunity that arises, we go after”
Since forming in 2013, the Palermo Properties Team has become a force to reckon with throughout the Bay Area. After a few years at Keller Williams, the team switched to Compass in 2019. The improved technology, name recognition, collaboration, and tools provided by Compass made a huge difference in their overall output. Joining Compass led to the team tripling their overall sales in just two and a half years.
Although the market share and influence of Compass had a big impact, it’s the tenacity and work ethic of the Palermo Properties Team that sets them apart from the competition. They've chosen never to specialize in any neighborhoods or areas. Instead, they focused on becoming experts in the entire Bay Area since the beginning. This bulletproof mentality has allowed the team to produce consistent and tremendous growth, despite changes to the overall market.
They didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic slow them down either. Instead, they took it as an opportunity to grow their knowledge and footprint across the Bay Area. If there’s ever any downtime, the team ‘would go out and explore different areas to get more acquainted with day-to-day life in them.
That effort has paid off. Since May 2020, 35% of their new business has come from outside of the areas where the team actually lives.
Remarkably, 90% of all their business in 2021 came from referrals. It’s a testament to the dedication and work ethic that they bring to the table for every client they work with. The Palermo Properties Team has all intentions of continuing its record growth well into the future, starting with a goal of over $200M in sales for 2022.
Above all, they're on a mission to be the top team in the Bay Area, and they aren’t showing any signs of slowing down.
