Today we’d like to introduce you to Perci Pietro.
Perci, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in New York City, of Persian and Italian descent. I am fluent in English, Farsi and Spanish and have some background in French and Italian. On my mother’s side our family name was Qajar which was the ruling dynasty in Persia from 1785-1925. You can learn more about this on the about page of our company website: www.qajardynasty.com or on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qajar_dynasty
My parents are both physicians and after we left New York, we lived in Rochester, Minnesota, where they worked at the Mayo Clinic and then moved to Ohio, home of the Cleveland Clinic, both being the leading medical facilities in the United States.
I also studied medicine to become a physician and decided not to attend medical school, moved to South Florida and got into business as an entrepreneur.
I started by living in Boca Raton, Florida and attaining my Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, with a specialization in International Management from Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida, as well as attaining my real estate license and started investing by purchasing units in high end properties such as Townsend Place in Mizner Park on the Boca Raton Resort Golf Course. I then moved to Miami and invested in luxury developments such as the Setai, Continuum, 1500 Ocean Drive, Icon South Beach, SLS Brickell and Brickell House to name a few.
I also opened a New York style, upscale lounge, in South Beach called W6 designed by world renowned interior designer Thom Filicia from the television show, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. With its cool vibe and celebrity clientele, the venue quickly became a popular spot for many years.
Then I opened a real estate brokerage in Miami known as World Real Estate Exchange. The firm had a couple of hundred associates and was known for it’s work representing residential real estate developers in traditional sales as well as bulk buying opportunities. With the economic downturn, I organized the merger of our firm with South Beach Investment Realty and Owner Diane Lieberman. Her and her family own many of the boutique hotels on Collins Avenue in South Beach. She then later merged her firm with One Sotheby’s.
After many years of having businesses with partners, I decided to then go off on my OWN. I opened OWN Realty and OWN Financial, on Brickell Avenue, Miami’s Financial District. OWN has about 100 associates who work in either Residential or Commercial Real Estate or work as Business Brokers.
The firm offers a concierge type of experience for clientele from around the world. We find that when people come from other countries they often don’t know how to manage in a foreign country, which is why we assist them with everything. We provide assistance in such areas as Immigration, Business and Property Purchase, Contractors, Architects and Interior Designers. We even provide guidance on lifestyle needs, such as with schools, utilities and entertainment. We originally started by assisting individuals and families, with relocation services. Since then the scope of our work has expanded to dignitaries, diplomats and leaders in business, from around the world.
Probably one of the things we are most proud of here at OWN is our One World Network. We pioneered the world’s first, real estate industry, Global Partnership Network. It links different real estate industry brokerage brands from around the world under one umbrella, for referrals in business and creating synergy, despite varying customs. This diverse Global Partnership Network, allows for collaboration between OWN and various real estate firms, large and small, on a global level, without limitation to brand, allowing a broader reach and all inclusive platform. The days of only large real estate firms, being able to collaborate in business on the global stage are over.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As any entrepreneur can attest, the road to success is very difficult. In the world we live in there is so much competition and having a good idea is only one piece of the puzzle, execution on that idea is just as important. In real estate just like many other businesses, timing is so important and having plenty of working capital for a rainy day is key.
I remember when I purchased the unit at the Setai in Miami Beach many years ago. I purchased the last developer tree bedroom unit, on one of the top floors, for about $800K, it was actually used as their office. The market was hot and months later I was getting offers for $1.5Mil however I thought I could do better. Then the market crashed and I was stuck carrying the unit for years at $20K per month and finally sold the unit for $2Mil to break even. If I had held the unit and rented it all these years, recently, one of my neighbors sold the exact same unit, which I believe was one floor higher, for about $7Mil.. Timing…
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I believe in life we can certainly be in the right place at an opportune time, such as the people who invested various ways in the internet before it was discovered or someone who owns land which is needed to be purchased, for some big project at a premium. In general, I find that we make our OWN luck in life. As individuals we have to constantly be reinventing ourselves, to stay relevant and cutting edge. As an entrepreneur you have to play the cards you are dealt, always stay positive and as so many before me have always said, never give up and believe. Luck never applied to me in my life experiences, the best luck which I have been blessed to have had, is a family who loves me and friends who have my back. If you have those things I find that you are truly fortunate.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1221 Brickell Ave Suite 900 Miami, FL 33131 USA
- Website: www.ownrealty.com
- Phone: 305.995.8201
- Email: info@ownrealty.com
OWN Associate Ana Maria Mantilla in Dubai, UAE
OWN Associate Gabriela Arredondo Vidal in Santiago, Chile
OWN CEO Perci Pietro in Tokyo, Japan
OWN CEO PERCI PIETRO WITH OFFICE STAFF MEMBER, MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A.
Image Credit:
Perci Pietro, Ana Maria Mantilla, Gabriela Arredondo
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