L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano " After a professional career in basketball that brought me all the way up to the I t a l i a n n a t i o n a l team, I decided to start over and put myself to the test". After an important phase in his life, young and talent- ed Marco Salari started a n e w c h a p t e r b y b e t t i n g a g a i n o n h i m s e l f a n d h i s tenacity. He returned to the United States, where he was born, and in just five years he became one of the most successful real estate agents in Los Angeles. In a decidedly competi- tive market - on the West Side of Los Angeles alone there are about 800 thou- sand active licenses of real estate agents - the 26-year- o l d m a n a g e d t o e m e r g e , becoming the first Italian agent in California in the r a n k i n g d r a w n u p b y t h e Realogy Brokerage Group. I n t h e c i t y o f a n g e l s Marco works for Coldwell Banker Realty and with his p a r t n e r B r e n t W a t s o n h e created The Watson Group with which he covers vari- ous areas of the city, from Malibu to Sherman Oaks, f r o m D o w n t o w n t o L o n g Beach, as well as New York, w h e r e h e r e c e n t l y s o l d a condo, and Miami. "Being a real estate agent also means you have to be a bit of a psy- chologist, each client is dif- ferent, with a different job, p e r s o n a l s i t u a t i o n , a n d n e e d s , " M a r c o t e l l s m e . " E v e r y d a y I s e e 2 0 , 3 0 h o u s e s , w h i c h I s t u d y i n detail because when I talk with my clients I want to be prepared and know exactly what I can offer." Marco, how did you approach the real estate world? It was a decision I made when I returned to live in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . M y grandmother did it for more than 20 years and her hus- band was a building devel- oper in Los Angeles. When I moved here she said to me: why don't you try it too? It is a job that, in addition to paying you back on a finan- cial level, pays you back on a personal level, in seeing the joy of a customer for buying a house. What do clients look f o r i n a h o m e i n L o s Angeles? The European client gen- erally looks for a house with a b e a u t i f u l s t r u c t u r e b u t above all with history, they tend to appreciate mid-cen- tury homes. The American, on the other hand, is look- ing for a large house, with 5 bedrooms and a more tradi- tional style. But LA is so big and so international that the demand is really heteroge- neous. Certainly, though, Europeans are looking for something unique that rep- r e s e n t s t h e L o s A n g e l e s lifestyle. H o w w o u l d y o u d e f i n e t h e r e a l e s t a t e market at the moment in Los Angeles? It is a market that rose by 30% during Covid; in Ingle- wood, there are no houses o n t h e m a r k e t u n d e r 1 . 5 million. At the beginning of t h e p a n d e m i c w e w e r e expecting a real estate crisis b u t , i n s t e a d , L A h a d t w o incredible years. The inter- e s t o n m o r t g a g e s a t t h e moment is between 4 and 6 % , w h i l e 1 5 y e a r s a g o i t was between 12% and 15%. It is a very dynamic market: h o u s e s f o r s a l e i n a r e a s where there is a good school district, or in well-known areas such as Santa Monica, w h e r e t h e r e a r e t o u r i s m , restaurants, youth, a house or apartment in good condi- tion can be sold in a week. Which sale gave you the most satisfaction? In terms of satisfaction related to the business, I w o u l d s a y t h e s a l e o f a h o u s e i n S a n t a M o n i c a where there were 22 offers, and in the end, we won. On a personal level, however, h a v i n g s o l d t h e h o u s e o f R o n a l d R e a g a n , t h e U S p r e s i d e n t f r o m 1 9 8 1 t o 1 9 8 9 . A h o u s e w h e r e h e lived in the 1940s with his f i r s t w i f e , a c t r e s s J a n e Wyman; when my partner and I took it, obviously it belonged to another family, but when we entered it was still a very special emotion knowing that a former pres- ident of the United States had lived there. It is a very e l e g a n t h o u s e w i t h 6 5 0 square meters of interior only, in a classic style, with five bedrooms, seven bath- r o o m s , a n d a n o u t d o o r swimming pool, in an area outside Beverly Hills. It was sold out in just 48 hours. Have you sold houses to any celebrities? I sold a house to Italian model Bianca Balti. I met her through another Italian client who lives here in Los Angeles. She explained to me what she was looking for a n d I t r i e d t o m e e t h e r needs by finding the ideal home. It was nice to work with a very humble and very r e s p e c t f u l p e r s o n . I a l s o rented a house to Michael Douglas, in the Hollywood H i l l s , b e c a u s e h e h a d t o spend time in Los Angeles t o s h o o t T h e K o m i n s k y Method for Netflix. He is also an exquisite person. I was very excited, he is an a c t o r t h a t I h a v e a l w a y s seen on TV since I was little. W h a t h a s t h i s j o b taught you? That you must always be active, and make sure that the client remembers you. We must not consider our- selves only as salesmen, we also have to be honest and true. It is more important to establish a long-term rela- t i o n s h i p t h a t i s b a s e d o n m u t u a l t r u s t t h a n t o s e l l something quickly that does not satisfy the customer and ruins the relationship with him. W h a t a r e t h e strengths of a good real- tor? In my opinion, you need t o k n o w t h e m a r k e t v e r y well, from A to Z, to know the various areas of the city, and the average prices of houses. You need to know who buys them, who sells t h e m , w h a t g o e s i n t o e s c r o w , h o w t h e b a n k i n g system works, if foreigners can have access to conces- sions in buying a house in the United States. Not to mention the clauses con- cerning contracts: you need to learn to work with the notary which in America is called escrow. There are two m o n t h s o n a v e r a g e t o i n s p e c t t h e h o u s e b e f o r e buying, during which you must also stay in contact w i t h t h e b a n k t h a t m u s t approve the mortgages after h a v i n g c a r r i e d o u t t h e appropriate checks. It is a very demanding and intense job but it is my passion. How is the real estate market going in Italy? The market in Italy re- e x p l o d e d d u r i n g C o v i d , e s p e c i a l l y i n M i l a n a n d Rome. Before the pandemic it was stagnant. Many for- eign customers are investing in Italy, especially in Tus- cany and Sardinia, looking for a holiday home. So in Italy the market h a s r e s t a r t e d a f t e r Covid? The housing market has b e e n b l a z i n g , w e h a v e reached levels that have not been seen since 2008. Fur- thermore, the pandemic has taught us that what matters is having space, air. If given, this is what people are usu- ally looking for. I met two, for example, a young cou- ple, she was Italian-Ameri- can and he was American, w h o , c o n t i n u i n g t o w o r k remotely, chose to move to Italy and bought a property outside Perugia. Do you have a goal for y o u r f u t u r e , f o r y o u r career? Possibly having my own agency between Los Angeles a n d I t a l y , e v e n i f a t t h e m o m e n t i t ' s j u s t a n i d e a because I really like working with a big name like Cold- well Banker. Los Angeles and the successful young Italian who sells millionaire houses SILVIA GIUDICI Salari in the garden of one of the houses he sells. Photo: Christopher Amitrano/CS8 Photo LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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