The Real Estate Sessions

Episode 384 - Sam DeBianchi - Founder, DeBianchi Real Estate

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Episode notes

OVERVIEW

Sam DeBianchi is a native of Fort Lauderdale and the proud owner and founder of Debianchi Real Estate. Her extensive background in real estate, along with her successful brokerage, has led her to be featured on the television show "Million Dollar Listing" and open her own real estate shop after gaining valuable experience in the field for around three years. When it comes to the NAR settlement, DeBianchi harbors a critical perspective, expressing skepticism about its potential impact on real estate agents. She believes that top-performing agents, who provide substantial value to their clients, shouldn't worry too much about the settlement as they already exceed the basic requirements. DeBianchi's viewpoint, shaped by her experience in the industry, emphasizes the importance of being hands-on and selective when choosing a brokerage, underscoring the necessity of a supportive and conducive environment for success in the real estate industry. Her overall focus lies in providing exceptional service and adaptability in navigating industry changes.

Sam's blog post on the NAR Settlement

TIME STAMPS

(00:01:42) Elevating Real Estate Professionalism Through NAR

(00:08:34) "Thriving in Real Estate through Nightlife Skills"

(00:15:05) Personalized Client Relationships in Luxury Real Estate

(00:20:33) Prioritizing Personalized Mentorship in Real Estate Brokerage

(00:26:12) Realtors' Journey to Rebuild Consumer Trust

(00:29:52) Collaborative Nature of Real Estate Deals

(00:36:05) Transition to a Balanced Real Estate Market

KEY TAKEAWAYS

- Real estate agents are discussing the impact of the recent NAR settlement on agent professionalism and consumer trust.

- Sam DeBianchi emphasizes the importance of buyer agreements in preventing dishonest practices and elevating the industry's reputation.

- DeBianchi highlights the expertise, market insights, and personalized services that real estate agents provide, going beyond what buyers can access on their own.

- DeBianchi's experience managing a nightclub helped her develop skills in managing people, marketing, selling, and making quick decisions, which she successfully applied to her real estate business.

- DeBianchi emphasizes the significance of personality over price in the luxury real estate market, stressing the value of building relationships with clients based on their needs and preferences.

- Consumer distrust towards real estate agents due to lack of honesty has created a negative perception of the industry, emphasizing the need for effective representation.

- There is a prediction of a shift towards a more normal real estate market in the upcoming years, requiring adaptability in different market conditions and providing value beyond quick sales.

Socials:

- Twitter: www.twitter.com/SamDeBianchi

- Instagram: www.instagram.com/samdebianchi

- Facebook: www.facebook.com/samdebianchi

- YouTube: www.youtube.com/samdebianchi5650

TRANSCRIPT

00:00:00 - Sam DeBianchi

There's always this post that I see around on Facebook, and it lists like a hundred things of what the buyer agent does. And I appreciate that. But I also don't love that post. And reason being is because some of those items, any, anyone could say, oh, well, I can do that, you know, and I want to take it to a different level to where someone is like, I can't really do that. Peace.

00:00:28 - Bill Risser

You're listening to the real estate sessions, and I'm your host, Bill Risser. With nearly 25 years in the real estate business, I love to interview industry leaders, up and comers, and really anyone with a story to tell. It's the stories that led my guests to a career in the real estate world that drives me into my 9th year and nearly 400 episodes of the podcast. And now I hope you enjoy the next journey. Hi, everybody. Welcome to episode 384 of the Real Estate Sessions podcast. As always, thank you so much for tuning in, and thank you so much for telling a friend today, staying in my home state again, I like this. I like sticking around here. And we're going to be talking to Sam DeBianchi, who is the owner founder of DeBianchi Real Estate in Fort Lauderdale. Sam's an actual native of Fort Lauderdale, so we're going to have some great conversations about that. She also put out a blog post talking about the recent NAR settlement. And so it's going to be my goal to talk to over the next few weeks to get takes on the Nar settlement from different agents, different parts of the country, and different parts of the industry. So we can kind of make sure everybody's up to speed with what people are thinking. So let's get this thing started. Sam, welcome to the podcast.

00:01:42 - Sam DeBianchi

Thanks for having me.

00:01:44 - Bill Risser

This is going to be a lot of fun. You're my first guest post. Nar settlement, that's just become a thing over the last week.

00:01:53 - Sam DeBianchi

Just a little thing.

00:01:55 - Bill Risser

Yeah, just a few people talking about it, some media outlets maybe saying the wrong stuff in their headlines. I don't know. We'll talk about that in a little bit. I want to first find out. I know you're in the Fort Lauderdale area. I live in St. Petersburg, so I've made a few trips over to the east coast, and it's definitely a different vibe than here in the St. Pete area. But I believe you're a native of Fort Lauderdale, is that correct?

00:02:20 - Sam DeBianchi

That is correct. All 39. Almost 40 years, which is crazy that I'm saying almost 40 now.

00:02:29 - Bill Risser

I think people have their own impression of South Florida or even Fort Lauderdale versus Miami. I like to ask this of guests, no matter where they're from, right. What's the biggest misconception of the area you grew up and love? And then also, what do you think is the best part?

00:02:49 - Sam DeBianchi

So Fort Lauderdale used to you, when anyone would bring up south Florida, they'd say Miami and Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale was kind of like the redheaded stepchilds that we got skipped over and nobody talked about. It's like, you don't really want to go to Fort Lauderdale. And now it has evolved and grown tremendously. And mind you, I've lived. So I'm born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. I went to college in Boca, got my MBA in Fort Lauderdale area, and then lived in Miami. All parts of Miami for a while, moved back to Fort Lauderdale. So I'm really a native south Floridian. It's evolved and changed, especially not just with buildings and real estate and everything else, but transportation. We have now what's called the bright line, which I'm sure you're familiar with, which so many people don't realize. It connects Miami to now it'll be going to Tampa, which is awesome. And so the main stops right now are Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Orlando, and then it will head to Tampa. And I think that is probably one of the most exciting parts. Fort Lauderdale also has the biggest boat show in the world. So all of the mega yachts and tons of people all over the world come to Fort Lauderdale for an extended weekend. And because of that, it's really evolved. And it said its name. It's established its name so much more. It's still a community where you can know a lot of people, and there's a lot of walkability. It's not as overwhelming as Miami. It's not nearly as expensive as Palm beach. And it's a great place to.

00:04:29 - Bill Risser

Yeah, yeah, that's a great take on it. I think Miami is just the south beach and anywhere going north from there for a few miles as a tourist, it's where you want to be, it's where you want to go, it's what you want to see. But, boy, there's so much more in a lot of different areas, a lot of different places where there's coral gables or Brickell or all these different areas. But Fort Lauderdale, do you feel like it's kind of more self contained when it comes to. It's a little easier.

00:04:58 - Sam DeBianchi

Yeah, it's easier to maneuver. It's easier to understand. Miami is very spread out, and I think people assume oh, I'm going to Miami. And I always ask, well, what part are you going to? Brickell, South Beach, Winwood. I mean, there's very different and unique neighborhoods in Miami, whereas Fort Lauderdale, when you say you're going to Fort Lauderdale, it's generally east Fort Lauderdale. Downtown or the beach. And that's. And, and downtown and the beach, it's a mile between them. So it's really the same part. The same area.

00:05:30 - Bill Risser

Yeah, I like that. You mentioned you went to school in Boca. For me, that means fau, right?

00:05:37 - Sam DeBianchi

Yes.

00:05:38 - Bill Risser

And we're recording this on the first day of March Madness here in 2024. And look, Sam, it had to be unbelievable last year when the owls were able to advance to the final four, talk a little bit about what was happening in Fort Lauderdale last year at this time.

00:05:58 - Sam DeBianchi

Again, I mean, it was not really expected overall. You don't hear, especially people, it's now, again, put it on the map, because before, I would say years ago, oh, I went to Fau. It's like, oh, where is that? Oh, it's in Boca. Everyone knows Boca. And then I have to know where exactly it is. It's close to the Boca mall. Okay. And we left it at that. But now with March Madness and everything, there's at least a much bigger connection. A much cooler connection. And so, yeah, again, South Florida schools, a lot is happening in not just south Florida, all of Florida, I think. I mean, I went not to totally pivot, but I even toured, like, Pontavidra, Jacksonville. Everything is completely different than even, I'd say, five, seven years ago. It's wild. And it really comes down to so many people are moving here, and developers are trying to take advantage of that and kind of meet expectations and exceed them.

00:07:02 - Bill Risser

Look, I'll agree with that. Even on this coast. Right now, we live downtown St. Pete. There's a 46 story condo project and a 42 story condo project one block away from each other. Like, racing to see who can get theirs up highest. And that's two of another seven cranes you see going up in St. Pete. Just amazing.

00:07:26 - Sam DeBianchi

Tampa is one of the hottest markets in the country, and the stats show that there's a thousand people moving here. A know, I will also say there's a good amount of people moving out, but I think it's not necessarily because they are dying to get out of Florida. But I think that there's so much opportunity with the fact that you can sell your home, make a bunch of money, and then move to a different state where prices are less expensive and capture more if I can make a substantial amount and move to a different market, not obviously being a realtor, because I don't want to have to rebuild my book of business again, but to the average person, I mean, that's super enticing, and it's very attractive.

00:08:06 - Bill Risser

Yeah. Your main focus of study, FAU, was communications, correct? Communications major. Do I have that right?

00:08:13 - Sam DeBianchi

Correct. That meant that I wasn't truly sure what I wanted to, but. So communications sounded great, and I really actually enjoyed getting that degree and focusing on that major.

00:08:28 - Bill Risser

What was your first gig out of school, then? Where did you land?

00:08:34 - Sam DeBianchi

So I always knew that I wanted to be in nightlife, believe it or not. Not necessarily real estate, but I always knew I wanted to be in nightlife. And while I was getting my MBA at NSU Nova Southeastern University, I was interning at a nightclub, and I worked my way up very quickly to become a manager of a nightclub. And I did that in Miami for a few years, and that's where I learned so much about my real estate business. And you're thinking, what does one have to do with the other? But everything from how to manage people, how to manage people's expectations, how to think quickly. Marketing, advertising, PR, relationships in general, selling, and the time span of a life of a nightclub is generally two years. So you really have to think quickly and be very creative and unique. And I used those skills and that knowledge to really catapult my real estate business. And I always tell people when I speak to large groups, it was weird how I knew growing up that I wanted to be a nightlife. I wanted to be on TV, and I wanted to be a thought leader in whatever. I was going to be in the bigger picture in my true career, because I always knew nightlife was going to have an expiration date. So needless to say, I was able to accomplish all of those things. But I always go back to my experience and my job and nightlife because it made me grow thick skin. And in situations like the NAR lawsuit to you, you got to have thick skin, and you got to know how to pivot and make decisions and make moves and educate people and do all of these things that I learned back in the day, the job that everyone laughed at and said, oh, you're a promoter? I said, no, I manage a nightclub. And they never took seriously. That's what I did. And totally in a different direction. I also created a college course. I'm an adjunct professor as well. I created nightclub management when I was 25 at FIU, which is one of the top hospitality programs in the country. But I had to stop teaching when I was going on million dollar listing because there's only 24 hours in a day. And I was hoping to change that, but I never could get that to happen.

00:11:02 - Bill Risser

Yeah, hospitality is probably the top two, one of the top two or three previous careers that I come across. You see a lot of healthcare, there's that empathy to go in there and the education. Right. A lot of teachers turn into really good agents because of the same kind of reasons you're talking about. You got to be able to bring this knowledge that you built at that other career to that real estate space. So what was the trigger that moved you into real estate?

00:11:31 - Sam DeBianchi

So if you read, I recently wrote a blog that starts off with snakes, con artists, vultures. This is what most, or not, maybe, hopefully not most, but many consumers feel about realtors and real estate agents. Those are the words that come to mind if you go on Google. And I was one of them and that was the truth, I always was. Know so many people like this realtor, they're just after me and they're just in a relationship with me because they want my sale or my purchase or whatever it is, they want the commission. And so I never really liked the idea of being a real estate agent. But as I'm sure everyone has heard from their parents and family, get your license because it's always good to have that is another thing that I was born and raised with was get your real estate license. Get your real estate license. So it's kind of this weird battle, internal battle of I should get it. But I kept putting it off, putting it off. And when I was 25, when I created this course for nightlife, I knew I wanted to get out of nightlife because again, I didn't want to do that for the rest of my life. I decided, you know what, it's in this weird position and I decided to just go and take the test, which took me four times to pass. Everyone told me, any moron can pass the real estate exam. Well, it took me four times and I got my real estate license. And of course, just like everyone, it's like, wow, I'm going to have all of this business, I'm going to make all of this money like the people on Bravo on million dollar listing. And needless to say, that did not immediately happen. And I thought to myself, what can I do to be different? And what is my background? My background is that I enjoy educating people. My background is that I love PR and marketing and advertising. So I thought about everything that I knew and my toolbox, my mental toolbox, and how can I use my skills and my talents and my ability to grow a successful real estate company or real estate career? And that's what I did. I started go on social media and go at it instead of look at me and what a lot of these agents now are doing on TikTok, dancing in front of property. That's never been me. I'm more of the hardcore. Here's what's happening in the world. Here's what's happening with the economy. Here's what information that's being put out there means. Whether it's mortgage rates went up or down or the world is ending, here's what you should do with your real estate. So I went into this industry wanting to educate and help people, not just for the money, but because I genuinely care about people.

00:14:22 - Bill Risser

Yeah, that is apparent. Anyone that follows you or kind of checks out your social, it's obvious. And you work the luxury market, right, in South Florida, which is a difficult and different sort of market, right. You have to have a certain level of expertise. You have to have a certain level of the ability to connect and probably connect quickly. Talk about that a little bit. And then I want to find out how million dollar listing heard about you or found out about you. It had to be an amazing phone call to get that and say, hey, we're thinking about using you. Right. And I would just guess just to kind of round this out that that doesn't hurt your business down the road.

00:15:05 - Sam DeBianchi

No, that's a very long story. So I hope we have enough time. Okay, so I work with personality over price. So what I mean by that is I don't focus on, okay, I only work at this price point and that's it. Because I think that that's really for me, it'll stress me out. I have clients that buy a million, 2 million, $5 million homes, but then also want a real estate portfolio of properties that are $200,000. And I work with that client because I want, again, to round it out and to be all things to that person, not just all things to that price point, because then they're going to go out to other agents for other things. And it's about the relationship. It shouldn't be about the price point. And I think a lot of realtors don't think long term about that. So that's first and foremost. And that kind of segues into million dollar listing and how I got on there because I was not necessarily a luxury real estate agent. I didn't have a lot of sales. I didn't have a lot of luxury sales. I did have my own brokerage and I was at that point speaking on Fox News, CNBC as talking about real estate and the market. And so through my relationships when I was in nightlife, I knew a ton of people. And I heard that million dollar listing was coming into a variety of markets. I saw it on Facebook. It was, I believe, South Florida, Hawaii, Atlanta, like, just a lot of different markets everywhere. And you could kind of figure out that it was that show. And I remember I called my friend Chad and I said, hey, I'm going to get us on that show. And he said, sam, you're crazy. So many people are applying to be on. And I found someone who knew the production company and the people that were kind...