The Breitenbach Effect

What kind of marketing strategies do you use for your buyers and sellers? Is there a formula to it?

For sellers, BAT takes a very strategic approach both in the way we sell and in the way we market properties. It is important to plan, which I feel a lot of brokers don’t. Every property BAT markets has a sales and marketing project map specifically designed to make sure each home we market maintains a certain elevated presentation standard, gets the property massive exposure online and on social media, and gets the home sold. Our goal is always to move a property within three months.

For buyers, our main value proposition is our private marketplace. In 2022, BAT has curated 56 percent of our deals off-market. Any broker can search a database for a buyer. For our team, we like to focus on finding creative solutions for our buyers. Our objective is always to help our clients achieve their real estate goals – no matter how hard. If you are loyal to us and believe in us, we will do everything possible as a team to help you get what you want, be it sell your home or buy a new construction oceanfront. If there is no opportunity, we will do our best to find it for you.

What was it like selling Truman Capote’s legendary Sagaponack home? What was it like in the house?

That was the first big deal I did after going out and starting my own team. It was a very cool property on Daniels Lane in Sagaponack. What was most cool about it was this secret forest of Japanese maples that Truman planted years ago. This forest was covered by brush for years until my clients’ landscaper found the forest years after they originally bought the home.

My client had the landscaper clear the brush which opened up this romantic element to the property, which became even better when my client put a fire pit in the middle of Truman’s Japanese maple forest. It was cool walking through the forest just pondering what these trees have seen — Truman walking by these very trees brainstorming and thinking about his next book.

Dreamy! You also sold NBA superstar Jason Kidd’s home in Water Mill. It can’t be like selling other homes… what methodology do you activate when representing so many celebrities?

I helped sell Jason Kidd his house in the Hamptons and then helped sell it for him when he was traded from the Knicks. Jason was one of my favorite clients and working with him really opened up a lot of doors in the sports and entertainment world. I am on the executive board of Compass’s Sports and Entertainment division and really enjoy working in that part of the industry. I feel the methodology is the same for athletes and celebrities: treat them like a real person and not try to “broker” them or hard sell them. These types of clients have people trying to sell them something all day or use them for something. I try to come at these types of clients with a sense of servant-ship and compassion. It is crucial to relate to them as a person and on a real level, not a fan, or not someone pushing them to do a deal just so you can tell someone you did a deal with so-and-so.

Source: James Lane Post