While driving a client around who was renting a house for $5,000 a month, agent Sula Pearlman (Coldwell Banker) said the gentleman pointed to a house and said, “I like that one!” Sula pulled the car over, excited to tell him that the house was on the market.
By Robin Jovanovich
While driving a client around who was renting a house for $5,000 a month, agent Sula Pearlman (Coldwell Banker) said the gentleman pointed to a house and said, “I like that one!” Sula pulled the car over, excited to tell him that the house was on the market. “He bought it the next day for $1,500,000!”
Twelve years ago, Mary Ellen Byrne (Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s) sold a home to a young couple that were expecting their first child and wanted to start their family in the area. “I still remember feeling immensely satisfied and fulfilled in a kind of corny way to be a participant in the launch of a new family. Just a few months ago, I sold the same family their second house now that they have expanded to three children. Participating in life experiences never gets old.”
After spending nearly 20 years in real estate in Rye, Nancy Everett (William Raveis) said, “It was rewarding to work with a friend who was ready for her next step in life. She had lived in Rye for about 35 years and was not sure what direction she was heading, but knew that it was time to part with her home. She was pleasantly surprised by the sales price she received and, although selling her home was bittersweet, she embraced making the move and was excited as to what her future might be!”
For Laura DeVita (Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s), her most memorable deal was a house on Milton Point. “It was the first time I was up against the two top agents in town for the listing. I did my homework and gave the sellers all the information they asked for and more. At the end of the day, the sellers selected me, which was a huge thing for me at the time because I was a relatively new agent.
“The deal was like a grand slam at Yankee Stadium! I put the house on the market on a Thursday and by Sunday there were six offers. It was the first deal in Rye to go for $1 million over listing.”
She added, “The cherry on top was that the buyer then asked me to sell his house.”
Michele Flood, a Coldwell Banker “lifer,” recalled a listing presentation she was asked to do. “I’d known the owners for years. I did the whole nine yards of market analysis, plus brought in my staging partner and gave the owners so many ideas on how to make every room in the house shine (which always results in a higher price).
“A little luck, a lot of hard work, and many happy endings.”
“Sadly, they listed with someone else, but incorporated all my creative ideas.” She continued, “Sometimes what goes around comes around. While I didn’t end up as the listing agent for the house, I happened to be the selling agent for it — with unconditional contracts signed. A happy ending for all.”
In the spring of 2012, Andrew Rogovic of Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty was the exclusive broker on Brookchester Court, a 24-unit building in Port Chester. “I had the opportunity to be in on the sale from the start. There were multiple bidders and very different opinions on pricing. I repackaged the property, set the price, and did all the marketing.
“We sold seven units in the first 30 days and every unit within 16 months, which was way ahead of the average three-year target. And I also played a pretty big role in getting tax reductions for units. It was a fascinating and satisfying deal.”
Having been in real estate for over 17 years, Joan O’Meara of Houlihan Lawrence says, “The years kind of become a blur, so I am not quite sure how long ago it was, but I was working with this very nice young couple who were starting a family. They knew what type of house they were looking for: older with lots of charm. We had been out a number of times and nothing really had an impact. Then, I remembered a house that was not widely advertised by an out-of-town agent. At this point, having a good idea what their ‘dream house’ was, I called them to come up the next day. The minute they got out of the car I knew they loved it.
“It is always so nice when you can make a match like that, and lucky enough to find the house of their dreams and see how much they really love it.”
The most satisfying deal for Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s agent Fiona Dogan — “and for the buyer and seller” — was a waterfront listing in Rye last year.
“I worked extremely hard to get the listing and was chosen over two top producers from competing agencies. The house was a pleasure to show, as it was spectacular inside, but also a real challenge to show as the owner only wanted it shown at high tide on sunny days!
“The buyer and seller were both high-powered financial executives, neither of whom wanted to compromise on their ‘final offer,’ but after some extraordinary negotiations by cellphone — conducted by me at the 11th hour from a restaurant at the top of an Austrian mountain that was about to close in time for the last gondola down the mountain — I finally managed to get the buyer to compromise, the deal was made, and the house sold a few weeks later. All parties were exhausted but a very happy and satisfying deal was struck!”
Kate Emanuel, who has been a Coldwell Banker agent for 15 years, offered, “Hands down, the best deals are those working with first-time home buyers. I love helping them decide which community fits their needs, finding the right house, and using my resources for everything from contractors, painters, decorators, etc. to help them get settled. It can be a lot of work, and it’s not always the biggest check, but it’s the most satisfying for me, knowing that I’ve helped them with one of the biggest decisions they will make.
“And when they are happy and refer friends and family to me, that makes it even better!”
