Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to another SLG meetup now I'm very excited about today because we're gonna have a very special guest and so friend of mine I've known him for a while already and I'm very fascinated by what he has accomplished in the last few years His name is Sam Palmer He's a luxury real-state professional from London currently based in LA And what I find fascinating about him is that not only he works on properties that are 10 million and above But the network that he's built over the years and how he's bringing all of that and all those connections into the real-state game And that has just taken him upward and through the knowledge expertise and connections He's built a great business and he's currently with the agency one of my favorite brokerages And I do believe that his combination and the formula has led him to massive success and he's gonna tell us all about it today There he is the man himself. What's going on time? How are you? Thank you for that lovely introduction I mean you deserve nothing by the best.
It's a good to see you It's a big cold at the moment. I left London. I left here and it was at 27 degrees before Christmas and then I've come back And it's a lot colder. So it's not not the not the best Listen, but the properties are still keeping you warm and it's all exciting when it comes to this industry Yeah, the property is that it's been a good start of the year so far So it's been a it's I think it's gonna be a busy year last year was so so this year I've got getting the feeling that it's gonna be quite a good year Can't wait to see what you have in store for all of us because every time I see you you are doing something incredible I mean both of us love to travel but you're taking it to the next level because you're expanding also the whole real-state business And the connections that you're building around to bring them into your I guess playground in LA because that's where some of the most incredible homes in the world are located So tell us a little bit about how you've been transitioning from being in London Then you moved somewhere else Monica came back to LA and how you've been doing all of this into becoming one of the Go-tos when it comes to luxury real estate in LA Yeah, I think that was that was a I made sure I did that so we moved to Monaco co we we left here in COVID 2020 ended up moving to Monaco came back for a little while and then we decided to go again went to London Switzerland and then back again, but I knew that this was gonna be my path I was gonna take obviously we we buy and I'd say we're we have slippers ourselves So I I knew this was gonna be the path that took so I thought while I was in all these different places to meet as many people as possible But as many agents as well So one thing with me is I always work with a partner whatever deal I do I always work with the part is just a way I like doing it I think it's better for the client it's better for me I know my strengths my weaknesses so our partner with someone that I feel that brings something to my weaknesses And at that moment that guy is Blair Chang one of one of the owners of the agency we've been working close on a couple of deals And so I've been meeting that and then I've got something in London different because in London is very different You have buy a side sell aside so I work with different people on both sides and all of a sudden these all these connections have started coming through It's been two years three years really of building it but it started to trickle through I just got something in London last week that I put now my partners in London into I don't know big deal in Switzerland last year with Someone I work with in Switzerland so they've all started to trickle in and it's been amazing I think more people could do it I think it's because of we've traveled so much and the network we've managed to build hard to build that network if you're not on the ground I just applaud what you're doing because a lot of people especially in this industry They have the ego to want to do everything else like all do everything And if you put that ego aside and you're thinking what's best for the client and you already have those connections And you've been building them over time How can you serve because you've been coming from an industry of property management you've been helping to stuff right you were Stuffed in homes so you understand what the client is looking for when it comes to adding value and keeping everything up to speed and what they need and Through those connections you started to build your brand to become the real estate agent that people can trust and it was not a matter of You can trust me because of all the experience I have not but because you're resourceful You're partnering up with those individuals that will be the best fit for whatever that client is looking for plus the expertise and the things that you can bring to the table And you're learning through the process everybody's winning and I think it's a genius idea Especially if you're trying to keep that broad international network So my only question for you while you've been doing that is how you brand yourself because sometimes people get a little bit confused Whether you're just doing one thing in one place Yeah, another and I personally have these issues sometimes and I see a lot of people that try to expand too quickly That all of a sudden they delude this threat and people don't even know anymore what to go for that guy So I do a lot actually that's a good question because I've actually put a lot of thought into that and before when I started I was trying to probably be a bit of everything to everyone And I'm not that I'm I brand myself as an off-market property specialist because I I hear a lot of things other people don't And I also have a network that I can take things amazing things to trophy listings around the world so people come to me with information I'm a very I think I'm a very good middleman I'm not there's a lot of agents that are better than me in in the whole package, etc I am I'm a very good marketer, but I'm also very good at putting things in front of people and I've realized now that's my strength And I'm now not interested in the property is not exciting.
I'm not interested and I turned something down two weeks ago It was it was it was a lovely house, but it was it was a run of the middle house It was eight million and I gave it away to him because I just had no interest in working on it I want to for me. I really want to really break records. I I'm very lucky I live in the houses that we sell so it makes it very different I can advise on a different level than the most agents There's probably only another two in the world that can do that. I don't know if there's another two that have lived in sort of multiple hundred million dollars But that's the difference we lived in a fifty six thousand we've lived in an apartment in Monaco We've got one of the best homes in London, so we we know and understand that side of the market I know what it takes obviously for staffing as well But obviously living it what it takes to staff these houses you can just add such different advice So why for me going sell two million dollar homes when that guy doesn't really get me anyway?
And I think that's it and it's not I actually I think I said this on yesterday I find it harder to sell two million dollar homes I got half of the people to sell volume because for me it's such hard work I think that also some of the takeaways from what you mentioned is to stay authentic to who you are because people are gonna Connect with you also on the lifestyle level and on your knowledge level and that knowledge comes also from how you live every day I mean we already doing all these different things that also the people that buy the ten twenty thirty million dollar properties are doing Or that it's traveling to all these jets of locations dining in the same restaurants or engaging in all sorts of activities Then you connect to those people to a higher level than those that maybe are doing something different with their lives And they're looking for a million dollar property nothing wrong with it But it's about staying committed to your niche audience based on how you can connect beyond what it is about real estate And you can always elevate yourself right? It's not just that you sell one million dollar properties and you say that forever the whole idea is how can you elevate yourself as a human Financially as well and then start working with people that are also a bit at a higher degree. So it's exciting. It's exciting How do you enter or how can you because a lot of people are asking?
Well, okay? It's great the guys living at these amazing properties and all that everybody has it But what's their roadmap? What's some of the take like key steps that you can take to start entering that world of the ultra network? Someone asked me this yesterday and look within anything within specially where it's like it's about your network without a doubt If you haven't got a network, it's going to be very very very difficult But that said I'll take it back to one of my previous jobs in recruitment I was very determined of what I was who I was what I was gonna sell This is the path I'm taking and if it is for me if I was built if I had no network in the two million dollar homes And I had no networking thing I've just come to LA kind of like what we did just choose the highest go for it and but then it's about branding yourself, right?
Making sure your website looks good that you're gonna have to spend money But that's I think when I see people trying to do it and they're not spending any money that's Why is anyone gonna take you serious? Can you get people? I suppose look what does the seller want to see? Can you get them exposure to to your network a bigger network?
Can you get them social media exposure? How does that work? Can you get them in the press that all these things start trickling on then if someone takes a shot on you and they can see And are you there every day one thing that I never one thing I suppose about me and I'll say Blair as well who I work with We open every open house. We close every open house We do the paperwork for the a times ads.
We are calling the drone videographers We're not leaving it to an assistant We're doing it ourselves and I think that is when a client looks and goes, you know what these guys work hard They're not just here to be on Instagram and show there is plenty of agents that are like that and what's great is I'm stealing their business Now of course everything sounds very appealing very sexy, but there's a lot of obstacles along the way So what are some of the things that you will say you've faced through your career that is like wow This was like one of the hardest like thousands will give the wall and this is last month. I got from it. Yeah last year I suppose having I suppose we're working on a property at the moment, but I truly believe in I truly believe is the best property on the market So much like we actually tried to buy it originally. So it's up for 26 950 I offered 34 on this property before so that's how much we believed in it Unfortunately people then say we're widening your bias It was pre construction and it didn't have a certificate and we had to move in but I believe it in a 34 Obviously the market's changed so much now.
It's now down at 26 950 and I think it's the biggest steel on the market now Where's the frustration? We've had this in Rob report will show journal every Instagram page any system I walk through on there So we've given it every piece of exposure that we could give it we've put it in front of all the agents and it tells us now It's the market that there's because we know there's not other houses selling in the area at the same price But it's not something we're missing But it is frustrating that there's this amazing property sitting there that someone could probably get an amazing deal and actually in some ways I think they could do put a bit money into it furnish it and then flip it again for more money That's one of my biggest frustrations at the moment Just not the market dictating a little bit what our hard work and effort has done hasn't paid off at this moment But I know it will you already tied up with your schedule So I don't want to take too much of your time But one thing that always comes to my mind when I talk to our guests is what is really luxury to you? God, I think it changes. I think that it's funny someone else asked me I think luxury probably changes for you every year Because as you learn more and you see more and what you thought was luxurious becomes actually something in the past So I think it's I think it's a it's a learning thing is luxury What is luxury within your own life being able to do something you enjoy on your own time schedule?
I think is probably one of the biggest luxuries of life I want to just interrupt you side with the one last question. What will you tell your younger self if you start again? Oh, gosh Yeah, I think it would have been pay attention a little bit more at school And then but then follow your own path. I think I've there's nothing about my life that I regret So I've traveled the world.
I've lived in different countries all over the world Got a beautiful family. So it's worked out well for me. Yeah, so it's I think yeah, just keep following yourself Listen, always good to chat with you. That's what you're doing.
I look forward to seeing you soon See you soon. Thank you so much. All right, brother. Take care.
Bye. Bye And thanks again for everybody tuning in today. We hope you enjoyed it and remember embrace its beautiful success in life My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time