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...