Fiona Dogan found her way into real estate as a result of a home building project — her own.
By Robin Jovanovich
Fiona Dogan found her way into real estate as a result of a home building project — her own.
“We moved to Rye in 1998 for the all the good typical family reasons — we followed friends here, the good commute, great schools, the water, the international community,” said Dogan, who was grew up in Scotland and is married to a cardiologist who grew up in Turkey.
The Dogans bought an older home on Mead Pond. The location was ideal, but not the house. They hired local builder Dave Turiano to build them a new one and bought a smaller house in town to live in during the construction.
“It didn’t take us long to realize what a great guy Dave is,” said Dogan. To date, they’ve done seven homes in Rye together.
Once her children were all in school, Dogan, who studied German and modern history at St Andrew’s in Edinburgh, decided to get her real estate broker’s license. She joined Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s in 2007. “I didn’t consider any other firm,” she said. “I’m a global thinker, as are they.”
For Dogan, who is both a realtor and developer, real estate is “more than just opening a door. I don’t think of it as bricks and mortar but as helping clients buy into a community, a neighborhood, a lifestyle.”
Not one to do things by halves, Dogan pursues both careers energetically. She’s educated herself on everything from mortgages to mold removal. “I go deep for my clients!” she says brightly. And after the closing, she doesn’t just hand her buyers the keys. She finds them plumbers, roofers, whatever resource they need. “I love being part of one of the most important transactions of people’s lives. I especially love helping incoming ex-pats.”
In a community with so many first-rate realtors, how does one of the newer agents on the block distinguish herself? She comes up with an eye-catching print ad campaign. Her ads are personally compelling and provide an immediate visual connection to the community. They show people enjoying life in Rye. Dogan says she has great fun picking the photos. She’s also made a video, which you can see on fionadogan.com.
While one of the charms of Rye — for Dogan as well as countless other Rye residents, and potential buyers — is its well-preserved Colonial character, its tree-lined downtown, that quality is disappearing as older housing stock is being torn down and replaced with new and much larger Shingle-style colonials.
Dogan said she thinks new construction is not a phase. “While many families start off hunting for an older home, they also want a large central kitchen, a big master bedroom, high ceilings, an open family room plan. It’s rare to find those elements in older homes and renovating a home to include all those things is costly.” She added, “And, just as importantly, today’s families are busier than ever. Many don’t want to spend six months or more renovating when they can move into a new home or add their taste and specifics to a mostly finished home.”
While the weather is anything but spring-like, Dogan is already thinking ahead. “I think we’re going to have a phenomenal spring.”
