Into Real Estate
Both DJ and Lindsey DellaSala come from the service industry: fine dining and bartending. In 2005, DJ's son, Noah, was born. For DJ, it was clear that he would need to find a way to provide a life and future for his son. That same year, DJ went directly into selling real estate.
Lindsey was also a teacher before going into real estate. Specifically, she taught second grade in Orlando. After that, she decided to move back to St. Augustine where she decided to change careers. Her whole family is heavily involved with the construction, development, and sale of real estate. So logically, "it was a natural transition to getting into the business," she explains.
For Lindsey, it was as simple as "joining the family business." Lindsey truly enjoys what she does. As seen in her teaching background, her love of teaching and deep understanding of different learning styles easily transitions into real estate. "As a former teacher, I love getting to educate buyers and sellers on the process," she explains. "I also love training and seeing new or seasoned agents having fast success or buying and selling their own real estate."
As for DJ, he also delights in the process of educating buyers and sellers.
Fun with the Family
DJ's son, Noah, is 16 now. As he gets older, DJ and Lindsey are looking forward to Noah getting his real estate license in a couple of years and joining them. DJ likes to surf wherever there are waves, and he plays golf during much of his recreational time. Lindsey enjoys her Pilates classes and is currently looking to spend more time playing tennis this year.
As a family, they enjoy traveling together. Their shared love of traveling naturally combines with their passion for buying and renovating properties. "Currently, we are building our personal portfolio of luxury vacation rentals.'' Since 2012, they have renovated over 50 different properties. A little-known detail that they are proud of is the fact that top real estate educator and best-selling author Tom Ferry is not only their personal real estate coach, but he also officiated their wedding.
Strength in Teamwork
For their business, DJ and Lindsey are currently focused on expansion. "We're currently a team 150 and we would love to have 500 people with our company by the end of 2022," DJ says.
"Our entire staff is some of the kindest people on the planet. They all work together as a true team, always finding ways to make things better or more efficient! "
One of their core goals inside DJ & Lindsey Real Estate is to raise leaders from within. "Brittany Nolan has been with us since the beginning, and she is actually one of our brokers," says Lindsey. "Brett Moreland and Travis Moore are also working on becoming Brokers so they can continue to lead with knowledge AND experience." "Our entire staff is some
of the kindest people on the planet," Lindsey happily shares. "They all work together as a true team, always finding ways to make things better or more efficient! ... We love being able to provide stable work for our employees, being able to offer benefits like health insurance and 401(k) matching."
Client-First Philosophy
DJ & Lindsey Real Estate takes focusing on its clients to a new level. "The consumer has always been our North Star," DJ explains.
"We are a brokerage focused on perfecting the consumer experience. We know that if we always put the consumer first, we will be able to grow our business based on a great foundation," DJ shares. However, many businesses now follow this same consumer-first approach, and DJ and Lindsey know this. They know that there is a big difference between proclaiming that you are client-centric and proving it.
"The consumer has always been our North Star"
"There are so many agents and flavors of brokerages, that in order for us to stand out, we had to do everything in our power to earn a five-star review on every transaction with our customers," says Lindsey.
"For agents, this translates to earning lots of referral business, locally and nationally, because people trust us with their people. Our agents are able to hit the ground running with customers who want to work with us," says DJ.
This has been their philosophy since they opened their first brokerage in 2013.
For more evidence of their company's client-driven foundation, many articles are available on their website's blog. These articles provide helpful information to both buyers and sellers, as well as a selection of information on previous sales.
Looking to the Future
For their business, DJ and Lindsey are excited about their goal to grow their company by 350 people to 500 team members by the end of the year. ''We'd love to see our agents continuing on a path towards financial freedom, buying, selling, and holding investment properties," DJ explains.
"Personally, we want to continue investing in real estate and creating unique vacation experiences with our properties," Lindsey explains. "We love buying and renovating properties, improving a neighborhood or a street."
It is abundantly clear that success can be greatly attributed to their focus on people and the genuine joy they have within their industry. It is a bright future for DJ and Lindsey DellaSala and for their team and clients as they continue to dedicate their efforts with a people-first mindset.
Originally Published by Jacksonville Real Producers @ realproducersmag.com