Daniel Zia. He considers the Keller Williams team model very powerful and is indebted to the. It s been 10 years now and he couldn t be

Transcription

1 Daniel Zia

2 Daniel Zia It s Daniel Zia s nature to grab an opportunity and run with it. He started his first business, Fusion Imports, in high school, selling aftermarket car parts online. I m not interested in cars and I don t even know how to change my own oil, he laughs. But the experience got him hooked on business. He s grateful to the National Asso ci ation for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation s largest nonprofit suppor ting microbusiness, for pushing him in this entrepreneurial direction. NASE honored him in high school as the Future Entrepreneur of Year, sending a film crew, producing a video about his business and giving him a schol - arship that opened the door for him to attend college in Santa Barbara, California. Daniel s father owned a construction and real estate company and primar ily made his money in real estate in vestments. I grew up around con struc tion, Daniel says. I saw floor plans spread out on his drafting table, listened to my dad talk to vendors and picked up nails on the sites. I drank it all in. In his junior year of college he got married, but Fusion Imports, which he was still running, didn t bring in enough money to support the high cost of living in Santa Barbara. Daniel spoke with several mentors and realized that real estate was a great fit for his skill set. It s been 10 years now and he couldn t be happier. An introvert with good people skills, he appreciates having a business that enables him to build meaningful relationships with people from all walks of life. A past National Association of REALTORS Top 30 under 30, Daniel started out at 21, the youngest person in his Prudential office and new to Santa Barbara. He used his ecommerce experience to identify real estate trends and positioned himself with a sig nificant web presence, which netted about 40 percent of his business for many years. Now his business comes primarily from referrals. Daniel never liked using real estate lingo it made him feel like a salesperson. Instead, he spoke of himself as a neutral advisor, someone who would tell people not to buy a house if it was not the right property or the right time in the market. People feel like I have their best interests at heart, he says. That is the primary reason why my team has been voted the Best Real Estate Team in Santa Barbara so often in the local readers polls. There are two sides to Daniel that make him so effective: the counselor/pastor side and the strong analytical mind side. Systems are important, numbers are important, market stats are important, he says. He considers the Keller Williams team model very powerful and is indebted to the

3 photography by Will Edwards company for providing the building blocks to create his 8-person All-Star Team. Instead of each member being a jack-of-all-trades, this team model allows them each to specialize in what they are best at and most enjoy. Growing Toward the Future Daniel does not simply want his business to grow for growth s sake. In the midst of working in our business, our team blocks out time each week to work on our business, Daniel explained. We look for ways to improve our systems and proc - esses; to discover or invent new, innovative ways to market our properties; and to actively find and recruit the most talented individuals. When deciding who to add to the team, Daniel looks specifically for people who have a passion for relationship and a unique skill set that can augment the company s specialized services. In addition to expanding his team, Daniel may expand into other real estate services, including commercial real estate sales and leasing, property management, and poss - ibly even exclusive concierge services to luxury clients. He also wants to continue to

4 partner with top agents both in Santa Barbara and in other luxury locations in California. He looks specifically for agents who want to leverage the Zia Group s extensive services, sterling reputation, and powerful marketing. The Zia Group has become a defined brand, Daniel says. Regardless of whether or not you agree with our philosophy of doing business and living life, you simply cannot argue with our results. Treating Every House as a Luxury Property While the Zia Group is known as an expert in the luxury real estate market, from the beginning Daniel has wanted to build his company with the philosophy that every client deserves the same high caliber service and expertise. He refuses to let their level of service lapse as the company has scaled. In fact, their clients can attest that as the Zia Group continues to boom, the quality of service and expertise continues to surpass expectations. The Zia Group sells more homes and estates than any other team in the area; however, they do not do this by working with anyone and everyone. They are strong proponents of indepth consultations with both buyers and sellers to determine financial qualification, motivation, and frankly, if there are strong signs of a productive (and enjoyable!) working relationship. While Daniel spends most of his time with luxury buyers and sellers, he engrains in his team that all of their clients, regardless of their financial means, deserve the same luxury level of service.

5 That s been one of his main drivers to expand the team and improve their procedures. Selling a luxury home is quite different from selling your everyday home. We look at each listing as a new business, essentially, Daniel explained. We create a custom marketing plan that determines and targets the consumer most likely to purchase that product. With innovative strategies ranging from powerful mini films of luxury estates including professional actors, extras, a script or story of how the home lives, and aerial drone cinematography to internet marketing campaigns that tag pros pective buyers that match the target profile, the Zia Group customizes their services to each individual seller. The team s spec ialized strategies pay off in big ways for their clients. They sold their last luxury home, a 6,700- square-foot, ocean-front estate for $8.4 million less than two weeks after their big release to the market. The selling price was $400,000 above asking price. Determining a luxury estate s value can be a daunting task for many. If only it were as easy as looking at Zillow s Zestimate online, Daniel jokes. His analytic mind, in-depth market expertise, and constant pulse on the local real estate market make him well equipped to counsel his clients and help them navigate the high-stakes maze of home valuation when there are 6 or 7 zeroes in play. Capitalizing on Uninhabitable Homes Unlike other real estate teams, Daniel has developed a unique niche market fix and flip houses. This is the most disgusting house I have ever seen, Daniel s wife said of one of their recent fix and flip houses. A heartbreaking situation, the owner had passed away, revealing to her neighbors and friends that her home was truly uninhabitable. There was water intrusion throughout the property, mold covering most walls of the house, and foliage creeping into broken windows and covering the floors. With a desire to restore this 1950 s cind - erblock view home, Daniel worked with an investor to write an all cash offer for $440,000, a full 10% above the asking price, which beat out two other offers. During the next 11 months, the longest escrow Daniel has had to date, the address of the property changed, an easement sold, another easement purchased, and the fourway negotiation with neighbors attorneys finished. After escrow, the renowned Santa Barbara designer Jeff Doubet drew exterior concept renderings for the design, and Daniel and his client spent more than a year and a half rebuilding the property. The renovation included adding interior square footage, changing the layout (inclu - ding the location of the main entry), two new exterior decks, and all new systems throughout. They also incorporated some innovative design ideas, like an interior window allowing ocean views through the master suite. After only 18 days on the market, the home sold with multiple offers and above asking price for $1,525,000. The Zia Group has the vision and ability to help clients see past the current condition of a home to imagine what the home could be, as

6 BEFORE AFTER either a fix and flip or a home. To help along this process, the Zia Group maintains an extensive list of contractors and vendors many of whom offer volume discounts for materials and fixtures negotiated exclusively for Zia Group clients and a host of other resources. Giving Back With all these different facets of his business, Daniel s passion is giving back and blessing others. Daniel and his wife donate to approx - imately 25 organizations every quarter from their personal Giving Fund. His ultimate goals are to be a good husband and an involved dad for his 3 1 / 2 -year-old son and one-year-old daughter. He wants to treat his family like his best clients. It s a daily challenge, but with someone as focused as Daniel Zia, it s one that s sure to be accomplished. For more information about Daniel Zia and the Zia Group of Keller Williams Realty, Santa Barbara, CA, please visit ZiaGroup.com call or Daniel@ZiaGroup.com