Team Spotlight: Kafin-Kessler Group

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Name: Sam Kafin and Isaac Kesler

Title: Co-founders of the Kafin-Kessler group

Experience: Sam Kafin’s background is in hedge fund management, private equity and real estate investing. Isaac Kessler works in property management, infill development, real estate investment and construction management.

Location: Miami Beach, Bal Harbour, Surfside, Coconut Grove, Sunny Isles, Aventura

Broker name: ONE Sotheby’s International Realty

Transaction side: 44

1. What would you say to a new agent before they start the business?

Selling real estate should be approached like any other business. It is essential to consult an accountant and a lawyer first to discuss the tax and legal structure of your business. Another crucial element is setting short and long term goals, creating a comprehensive marketing plan and allocating a budget accordingly.

In the beginning, it is more important to prioritize your knowledge than to earn money. Surround yourself with good people and work with an established team, a mentor or those who will help you grow and celebrate your successes. Be fully committed and take this business you are building seriously.

Very few people will simply hand you a list at the start; they will first want to see how you conduct your business. When speaking with potential clients, make sure you have in-depth knowledge on the subject and present them convincingly.

Initially, you should take all the business you can and then try to define yourself, whether that’s geographically, with the product you’re focusing on, or both. It’s good to be optimistic when working on your listing prices (hopefully you’ll get plenty of that), but also be sure to be realistic by doing your homework on comparable sales in the neighborhood and current environment.

When working with other brokers, be professional and friendly, as they are your “partners” in closing future transactions. Most importantly, work hard and enjoy every moment of what you do in the ups and downs of your daily real estate business.

2. What do you suggest clients know before starting a real estate transaction?

Many of our clients already have real estate portfolios or have completed large real estate transactions in the past, so it’s important to us to help educate out-of-state buyers on the local nuances of dealing in our markets. Specifically, we focus on transaction expenses, post-closing expenses, contractual deadlines, obligations, and neighborhood-specific information.

We want our customers to know what to expect and when to expect it to happen and we want to avoid transaction surprises. In today’s market, we suggest being prepared to act quickly, as many buyers are looking for similar homes with a very limited pool of quality inventory.

Before engaging with our clients, we like to have a conversation about specific market prices and buyer demand for different property types (new build, existing build and developable land) to set the tone for what to expect.

3. If you could do anything other than real estate, what would you do and why?

Sam Kafin: We’ve both been lucky enough to work at high levels in other industries and formed the Kafin-Kesler Group because that’s what we really love. We both love analytics, which we use daily, and meeting amazing people, seeing spectacular properties and working with a fun team are just added benefits.

Isaac Kesler: Besides selling real estate, I’m really fascinated by all aspects of construction. Growing up with 10 siblings certainly had its challenges as the house was in constant need of maintenance. This led me to learn more about home mechanics, reading Home Depot DIY books from an early age. When my parents couldn’t find me, they knew to check local development sites or job sites where I would likely oversee construction crews.

4. What is one thing everyone should do to improve their life or business?

Take time for yourself and your family, keep a cool head and don’t dwell on the past. Instead, take time to reflect on the past and use it as a way to improve the future.

We strongly believe in giving back to the community, whether in money or by volunteering our time. We also find that working with good people, in the office, on your team, other brokers or clients, will make your business and your days more enjoyable and ultimately more profitable.

If you interact with people you don’t get along with, it will affect the rest of your day, so for us, it’s more productive to minimize those interactions (you can’t get rid of them all) and focus on the right people. It’s been said many times, but staying positive is very important to you and the people around you.

5. What is the best advice you have ever received from a mentor or client?

Between the two of us, we’ve received quite a bit of sage advice over the years from some very smart people. Something we’ve both learned from our clients is to make sure you have a good team in place.

In real estate, you have to work with lawyers, inspectors, contractors, etc., and having a good team can mean the difference between closing a deal or going home with nothing. It’s one thing to find sunken treasure, but you’ll always need help bringing it to the surface.

Isaac Kesler: My father passed away last year after battling cancer for seven years. Just before he passed, he got to see some of our successes as a band and told me the following: It’s great to see you’re on the path to success, but make sure you stay humble, keep your ego out of dealings, and treat everyone fairly and with respect. That advice came years after he dabbled in real estate sales, working with Weichert in New Jersey.

My older brothers who have been my business partners in various past ventures have told me these two pieces of advice: No matter how established you are, keep learning and growing; never be satisfied with your education. You will have to spend money to earn money, but be very careful about this. make every dollar work as hard as possible.

Sam Kafin: Some of my most successful clients have taught me that knowing when to cut losses is important. If something isn’t working, there’s nothing wrong with putting it aside and moving on to something that will work. The most important thing you have is your time and if you spend too much time making bad decisions, you can end up ruining your business.

Another trick I learned in the area of ​​risk management is that not every good decision will result in a win. If you make good, thoughtful choices, ones that have positive expected value, you will come out ahead in the long run.

You don’t need to win every time to be successful, you just need to make winning decisions.