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Cover – Brandy Coffey – Coffey & Company – Keller Williams Luxury Homes

Brandy Coffey

Dancing With The Stars

By Ed Bertha

Photography by Giovanni Lunardi

Layout by Christian Lunardi

Enter any neighborhood in the surrounding area and there is a good chance you will see Realtor, Brandy Coffey’s, unmistakable yard sign. One would think the mega mansions in her portfolio are the stars. The real stars, Brandy shares, are the clients she and her team work with. These stars range from first time home buyers to retired corporate executives and all walks in between.

As a young child Brandy moved to Sarasota in 1985 with her family, who all still reside here. As the middle child, with an older sister and younger brother, she says smiling, “I was the independent, I don’t need anyone child. I could do everything on my own.” She adds, “What I didn’t realize growing up is we had the ideal family. That’s why all my friends always wanted to come to my house. Now I know why.”

Brandy’s “ideal family” also instilled key qualities laying the groundwork for the success she is enjoying in life. Her father taught her the importance of a strong work ethic and the need to be competitive. Her mother inspired her to be a kind, good person, look at things from a different perspective and be more open minded.

Graduating from the University of South Florida with a B.A in Psychology, Brandy was contemplating continuing on to graduate school for a degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology. The advanced degree in analyzing businesses was placed on hold and she came back home to be with her mother when during a time of need.

At that time real estate was booming. Brandy shares, “I looked around and said if I’m going to live here, I’m getting into real estate. I started studying for real estate, had friends in the industry and in 2004 started out as an administrative assistant.”

In the office Brandy saw the excitement in helping people, but felt she could help them even more. “This is a job where you can help people. Whether it’s a first time buyer or someone relocating their entire family for a new job, it’s a huge stressful event in someone’s life. I can help take some of that stress off of their shoulders and help them find their dream home at the same time.”

How long would the market boom last? “We had 28.9% market appreciation. How much higher could it go? I kind of saw the writing on the wall. It wasn’t just me. I had great mentors too. I decided to go get my ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative designation) and learn how to work with buyers. I also earned my mortgage brokers license. I just shifted my entire business to what was out there; buyers,” she states emphatically.

Even though Brandy’s business was thriving the market contractions were taking their toll in the industry. “A lot of people left town. I didn’t rush into real estate to sell and make a lot of money. I really wanted to learn. I went to motivational classes, attended different lunches to network and ask questions and took board classes. I tried to do a lot of learning and sold along the way,” she reflects.

In 2006, with the encouragement of now husband, Ric del Vizo, Coffey and Company Realty was formed. Brandy now had complete control over her future.” I literally started working from home and built it out of nothing,” she muses. As they say the rest is history with Brandy securing her place as a dominant player in the marketplace.

Inquiring what drives her success, without hesitation Brandy offers, “Client service. I really do pride myself on that. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to contacting people right away. I’ve hired talent to do what I can do, maybe even better. After you have branded a business, built a referral database and have new business coming in from multiple channels you have to treat every client the same. Whether it’s a luxury client or first time buyer never owning a home before you need to deliver the same level of service.”

Client Shane Barrett reiterates, “Finding a good real estate agent is tough! Especially one that kicks butt at what they do. We were referred to Brandy and her team by a friend of ours. After the first few minutes of talking with her on the phone, we said, ‘this is who we want!’ She’s good at what she does. She’s busy (because she’s good), but still always found time for us. I’ve got to give her credit… She shares her candid thoughts on the properties, yet maintains a professionalism that will knock your socks off. A class act and fun. One of a kind.”

Client’s Jim and Leigh Koeniger add, “We enthusiastically recommend Brandy and Ric. They did an outstanding job for us. Whether it was the showings or the paperwork, they were total professionals. They are experienced AND possess high energy. That combination is important because a realtor can have one without the other. They have BOTH. We would be happy to speak directly with anyone thinking of listing with Brandy and Ric. We interviewed NINE agents for over an hour each and chose Brandy and Ric. They were, by far, our first choice. We’re glad we hired them and would do it again without hesitation.”

Beyond satisfied clients, success does not go unnoticed. Brandy was completing a transaction with operating principal and top agent Joanne Owens who was looking to open a Sarasota location. Joanne inquired about Brandy joining. The two met, met again, and met some more. There was a nagging feeling on Brandy’s behalf why she should join when she had control of her own brokerage. “My fear was I would lose what I had built. I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do. I like to do things my own way.” Continuing on she finishes, “I did my own due diligence. I researched top teams across the nation. The more I learned about the company (Keller Williams), I found I could merge Coffey and Company, gain more technology, more training and more exposure, yet maintain control and keep the brand I built. Keller Williams is an agent centric company. It didn’t happen overnight. It took a while.” Thus Keller Williams on The Water’s Luxury Homes division was launched in Sarasota.

Although Brandy obtains personal satisfaction from helping her clients, real estate is a grinding business. Days, nights, weekends, there is no set schedule. Things are constantly changing. How does Brandy unwind and recharge her batteries? “The biggest thing I do to unwind is Yoga. It lets me decompress. I also love running.”

Once you get to know Brandy you find her second love, her cat. “Sherlock is the most inquisitive, best looking and interesting cat in world. He’s a traveling cat. He’s probably been in more states than most people have. At the beach you’ll see him in the water, he also goes kayaking and jogging with me. All on a leash. He’s a blast!”

Community involvement is also important to Brandy. “I got Keller Williams involved with the Child Protection Center. Everyone should take a tour, but bring your Kleenex. It’s something I’m passionate about.” Center for Hope is also special to her. “I just volunteered for an event to help raise money with them. Cancer patients go there for yoga, counseling or support. I learned about the center from my sister when my nephew went there while he had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s hard to watch someone undergoing treatment. I can’t describe what it’s like to watch a family member go through chemo. So I can’t image as that person going through the chemo.” Playing into her passion for theater, recently Brandy was named Director of Development for the Urbanite Theatre. The theater strives to bring undiscovered pieces by great writers to the stage and to collaborate with emerging talents in all fields.

In closing Brandy shares, “I think it’s a huge testament to say I’m back home. I could have gone anywhere after college. I could have lived anywhere. I came back home. Now I’m selling the dream.”

Brandy Coffey
The Coffey Group Fine Homes International
Keller Williams Island Life Realty
206 Harbor Drive South
Venice, FL 34285
(941) 284.4474
BrandyCoffey@KWLuxuryHomes.com
www.InSarasotaRealEstate.com

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