This week at RSIR we’re featuring the SeattlebyDesign team and sharing their unique story
Enrico Pozzo needed a vacation.
That was 10 years ago—when he couldn’t get on an airplane without clients calling him ready to make an offer, and then to the frustration of his family (and himself), he spent the rest of his “time off” on— readying the offer, preparing contracts, and closing the deal. Though he loved the privilege of assisting clients with such important investments and transactions, after not really having any time off for 10 years straight, he was considering walking away from real estate.
Barry Bergner, who started his career in real estate at the same time as Enrico, felt many of the same pressures. The necessity of being on 24/7, 365 days a year, felt unsustainable. They realized, however, that they could solve this dilemma if they became a team and each covered the other when they took some time off. It just so happened their styles complemented each other, too. So, 10 years ago they joined forces and formed the SeattlebyDesign Team. They have not looked back. They were able to grow their business and become more efficient and effective, all while getting some much-needed time off once in a while.
The SeattlebyDesign Team joined Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty about seven years ago. While they continued to grow, they also expanded their role in mentoring new brokers coming into the business of real estate. Both Chris Kallin and Danny Varona joined Enrico and Barry as part of the SeattlebyDesign team and have matured into committed, dedicated, and powerful real estate brokers serving their clients.
“It’s a Privilege”
“The most important skill we have is communication and hearing what the unique needs are for the client we are working with,” said Enrico. He, Barry, Chris and Danny are united by the core value of providing service to their customers to produce the best possible outcome. One of the major lessons that Enrico took away from his mentor when he was coming up in the industry was the importance of always paying attention to providing service and value to the client. “Don’t worry about the money.” his mentor said. ”Take care of your clients and money will be there.” Enrico never forgot those words and they remain the foundation of his philosophy and that of this team.
And in 2020, that meant helping clients who were on a real estate journey that was at times atypical, but always important. Whether assisting buyers and sellers impacted directly or indirectly by the pandemic, being able to help people meet their goals was and continue to be, at the core of who they are.
Continuing to Build the Team
“Barry and I are working diligently to empower Chris and Danny to continue to lead this team well into the future,” said Enrico. “It’s so fun to see watch Chris and Danny flourish after being in the business for such a relatively short period of time.” They have been able to accomplish in two to three years what we had to do in more than five years as we were discovering things on our own. Watching them grow and flourish is so rewarding. And with their unique assets, they added to the team, and the team is getting better over time. Within a partnership based on similar values and good communication, we discovered that 1 + 1 was more than 2, and 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 is more than 4, as each of us brings our unique talents and past experiences to the team that ultimately our clients will benefit from.”
Chris Kallin and Danny Varona will be future leaders in this industry, Enrico and Barry agree. “There is no doubt in our minds that they will impact the future of our region for many years to come. We are proud to be a part of their journey.”
Looking Ahead
Amidst all of the difficulties experienced in 2020, there was still so much to be thankful for. The team was one of the brokerage’s top performers by sales volume for the year. With that comes the reward of knowing there are many lives that they have impacted and served.
“One of the things we learned in 2020 is to be more efficient with our time,” said Enrico. “It was transparent to us that we spent 45 mins. driving to and 45 mins. back for a 15 min. meeting over coffee. That was not an efficient use of our time. None of us would have picked the hardship that came along with 2020, but inside that year were many valuable lessons that made us more efficient, effective and nimble to change. We are looking forward to discovering what the future will bring!”