Above, Dave Karoly
Dave Karoly
Senior VP of Sales & Operations
Lamacchia Realty
Waltham, Massachusetts
https://www.lamacchiarealty.com
Region served: New England and Fort Lauderdale
Years in real estate: 17
Number of offices: 18
Number of agents: 640
Best tip for getting the right listing price: Stop telling sellers the price. Instead, provide the guidance so a seller can arrive at the right listing price.
No. 1 tip for establishing a healthy work-life balance: Real estate isn’t who you are; it’s what you do. Create better balance by looking for ways to delegate routine activities.
Key to getting buyers and sellers working together: Slow down. Resist the temptation to work quickly because it can cause problems for both buyers and sellers. When you work slowly and thoughtfully, not as many deals will fall apart.
How are you and your team positioning the company to respond to the NAR lawsuit?
Our agents have been using buyer agreements in all the states we service for over a dozen years. We’ve also always provided a formal buyer presentation, which helps our agents better demonstrate their value to a potential client. However, training is most important in navigating the changes coming to our industry, and we’ve provided weekly in-person training for a number of years.
Why is Lamacchia Realty focusing on better developing current agents while minimizing brand-new agent onboarding?
We pour many resources and a lot of time into every brand-new agent we bring into the company, but since the pandemic—and even with all the tools and intensive training—the historically low inventory has made it difficult for new agents to take off. Those who are doing all the right things aren’t seeing the results you would historically expect, so many new agents can’t commit to real estate full time. Based on these factors, earlier this year, we decided to not bring on any brand-new agents. Doing so has allowed us to spend more of our time, energy and resources on those who are committed.
You recently achieved high-profile recognition through your affiliation with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE). Tell us about the award and why it’s important.
Since becoming a member of LeadingRE in 2016, our relocation business has grown over five times. Our company was awarded Most Outgoing Referrals in the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® network for 2023 out of all Category Five companies, and we were recently named Q1 Quarterly Momentum winners for greatest numerical increase in outgoing referrals sent. We previously received recognition as fastest-growing affiliate in 2021, and our CEO/Broker Anthony Lamacchia received the Brokerage Leadership Award in 2022. These awards acknowledge outstanding commitment in referring clients, while assisting clients’ transactions both nationally and internationally—and also mark a significant achievement for our relocation department.
What inspired your company to establish the Lamacchia Cares Foundation?
After years of Lamacchia Cares initiatives supporting local efforts—from Boston Children’s Hospital through their Corporate Cup (over $300,000) to their annual toy drives, to support for Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, the American Red Cross and many more—it was time to create a way to collect money through a foundation and properly pay it out to various causes. During the summer of 2023, the initiative was approved as a nonprofit charitable foundation by the IRS and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. I look forward to seeing Lamacchia Cares continue to grow and leave a lasting legacy in the communities we serve and beyond.
