Pacaso - Second Home Ownership With White Glove Service

Palm Springs made its debut as a premier second home destination decades ago, attracting Hollywood’s best and brightest, and it continues to draw celebs, snowbirds and others looking to escape the city and relax in the warm desert landscape. Brandi Pratt, a Pacaso Ambassador Agent in Palm Springs, understands the appeal. She and her family love being a part of the local community, and she strives to help buyers find the ideal home for their needs. In most cases, that home isn’t a primary residence — about 80% of her clients are second or third home owners. Over the past six years as a real estate agent, Brandi has seen consumer expectations change in response to advances in technology and digital communication. She thinks it’s critical that agents not only keep up, but actively look for innovative opportunities that benefit their clients. One such opportunity? Working with Pacaso. But first, Brandi had to figure out what Pacaso was about. “Out of the blue, I got a message from a colleague in Miami telling me to email someone at Pacaso because they needed an ambassador in Palm Springs, and I thought, ‘What’s an ambassador?’” She made a mental note and went about her day, then the next morning realized Pacaso might be something big. “I woke up and saw Tom Ferry on Facebook Live with Austin Allison — Tom Ferry had invested and was promoting the business, and I started freaking out when I realized this is what Pacaso was all about.”

Fully managed ownership a huge win for buyers

Not one to waste an opportunity, Brandi emailed the contact at Pacaso and ended up spending an hour and a half on a call with the Pacaso Crew learning about the business model. “I was thinking, ‘This is genius!’ Especially out here in the Coachella Valley, we have so many people who are second or third home owners, and they don’t want a single worry when it comes to having their home here.”Brandi knew Pacaso’s management services would be highly attractive to her clients. “They don’t want to go out and look for a property management company or make sure the cleaning crew showed up. They just want to know everything is taken care of. If they can own part of a home and not have to worry about any of that, that’s remarkable. Right away, I started going to my clients and told them this was a new concept coming to the area and wanted them to know it might be of interest.”Brandi didn’t expect much momentum from the partnership at first, but within days she received a call from Pacaso asking if she was available to show properties to a lead buyer — the next day. “It all just happened overnight, and it’s just been amazing because it’s such an awesome concept.”

Clients get the luxury they want, at a price they can afford

The ease of owning of a Pacaso isn’t the only selling point for Palm Springs buyers. Given the area’s selection of dazzling villas, estates and compounds, it’s no wonder second home buyers aspire to own the biggest and best — even if it’s beyond their budget. With Pacaso in the marketplace, Brandi has the perfect offering for these buyers. “Some clients have a minimal budget but want a $5 million estate, so I tell them, ‘Listen, you can be in that $5 million estate for less,’ and that’s quite desirable, because they can say, ‘I do have a second home that’s $5 million, but I bought it for a portion of that.’ So that’s the great thing about this model, because these are truly remarkable properties for a fraction of the cost, and it’s a true white glove service.”

Growing her business and educating her network

When Brandi first agreed to partner with Pacaso in October 2020, she didn’t know how it might impact her business. Since then, she has closed on multiple properties, and she’s brought her whole team on board to pitch Pacaso’s co-ownership model to interested buyers. “Pacaso has definitely been a benefit to my business financially, and it’s driven leads for the team too.” At the same time, she’s excited to promote Pacaso to her peers, and more agents are getting involved. “Agents are coming to me with properties they think would be a good fit and calling to ask how many shares we’ve sold — they want to know the progress, they want to know we’re doing well.” Because Pacaso is a new player in the industry, Brandi realizes it can take time to establish trust, but she encourages other real estate agents to feel confident in the company. “I would tell agents to trust the process and trust the model. Trust that Pacaso is not here to steal your client. It’s OK to pick up the phone and call a Pacaso rep to get your client’s questions answered. Or better yet, have your client on the call at the same time. I’ve found everyone to be so helpful and responsive — it’s been truly amazing. Everyone’s really on top of it, and there’s constant communication.”

‘The easiest deal’

Best of all? Buyers agents earn full commission with a minimal time investment since Pacaso handles all the details, like home tours, inspections, escrow and title. Agents just make the introduction. Brandi said that should be enough to convince any real estate agent to give Pacaso a chance. “It’s the easiest deal they’re going to do all year!”

Palm Springs agent says Pacaso model is ‘genius’ for second home owners

Fully managed ownership a huge win for buyers

Clients get the luxury they want, at a price they can afford

Growing her business and educating her network

‘The easiest deal’

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