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Name: Gerard Liguori, Joseph Liguori and Carmen N. D’Angelo Jr.
Title: Broker/owners
Experience: Each 30+ years
Location: Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Vero Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach
Brokerage full name: Premier Estate Properties
Rankings: All three brokers are consistently ranked as some of America’s top real estate professionals by the Wall Street Journal and RealTrends, a prestigious national award ranking them in the top 1 percent of the more than 1.1 million Realtors nationwide. In 2021, the firm was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for highest average sales volume per agent by the respected T3Sixty Almanac.
Team size: Fewer than 50 agents
Transaction sides: This team of three have collectively completed 54 transactions as of 2021 with a career total of more than $3.5 billion in sales.
Sales volume: Premier Estate Properties achieved $3.1+ billion in sales in 2021
Awards: Premier Estate Properties won multiple awards at the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World International Summit in 2017, including:
- Outgoing Sales Production (Sales Volume)
- Highest Average Production in Volume (Highest Average Sales)
- Momentum Club (Increased Sales)
- Pinnacle Award (Broker-to-Broker Sales).
Bloomberg and Google have honored our brokerage with three prestigious awards including:
- Highly Commended – Real Estate Agency Marketing USA (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018)
- Highly Commended – Real Estate Agency Website USA (2017 and 2018)
- Five Star – Best Real Estate Agency, Florida (2010)
Additionally, CNBC and The New York Times have recognized our brokerage with many property awards including:
- Best International Real Estate Website (2010 and 2011)
- Best Americas Real Estate Website (2011)
- Best Americas Real Estate Marketing (2010 and 2011)
- Best Americas Real Estate Agency (2011)
What are 3 things you’d like readers to know about you and your brokerage?
- Over the last 12 months alone, Premier Estate Properties has amassed $4.9 billion in sales with fewer than 50 agents.
- Premier Estate Properties holds a billion-dollar-plus estate portfolio of exceptional $1 million+ oceanfront, intracoastal, deepwater, estate enclave and country club estates, as well as ultra-luxury condominiums.
- The firm’s historic sales surpass $16 billion making Premier Estate Properties a consistently dominant high-end leader in each of its market areas.
Why/how did you get your start in real estate?
Gerard Liguori: My brother Joe and I grew up with our family in Pennsylvania surrounded by brokers in the real estate industry. We are a second-generation real estate family, so when we moved to Florida in 1987, it was a given that we would continue the same professional track as our dedicated father.
Meanwhile, our future partner Carmen D’Angelo Jr. relocated during the same time period. Carmen transitioned from the casino business on the Jersey Shore and moved to Boca Raton where he reconnected with his own family in the area. His cousin knew of his lifelong passion for design and architecture and encouraged him to take advantage of the booming real estate market in South Florida at the time. Little did we know just how much the South Florida market would grow.
The three of us met while studying real estate at Gold Coast School and quickly became good friends. After a brief time working for Carmen’s cousin, we sold out the new construction projects and then decided to go out on our own. To this day, Joe, Carmen and I work together with many of our family members and hope to continue this tradition and legacy for many generations to come.
How did you choose your brokerage?
Carmen D’Angelo Jr.: In 1993, there was an influx of people from the Northeast and Midwest coming to enjoy South Florida’s gorgeous weather and pristine beaches. We saw an opportunity to fill a void in the market — a brokerage firm that catered to the marketing and selling of properties priced exclusively in excess of $1 million.
At that time, no real estate company in the world was devoted solely to the million-dollar-plus market, and South Florida was beginning a transformational period shifting towards the highest-end housing, which continues to this day, thus Premier Estate Properties was established.
When we were creating our brokerage, we specifically wanted to foster a culture where we could think outside of the box and make our impression in the Florida high-end market. For example, after a long period where everyone was building Mediterranean-style homes, we came back from a trip to California in 2011 and were the first to introduce the modern, Malibu-style design to the area.
We partnered with a builder who believed in our vision to build 2741 Spanish River Road in Boca Raton as the first modern-styled estate in South Florida. The home went on to sell for $4,831,450 in 2013. We wanted to form a brokerage that was always on the leading-edge of marketing, architecture and design — never satisfied with the status quo.
What do you wish more people knew about working in real estate?
Gerard Liguori: The business of real estate combines strategic investment knowledge utilizing real-time market analytics and a clear understanding of each individual client’s lifestyle, needs, dreams and objectives. Achieving the best result for each buyer or seller involves far more than just the bottom line. While understanding the market and business behind real estate is essential, forming a personal connection with your client is the key. It is about the properties, but more importantly, it is about the people.
Tell us about a high point in your brokerage career. How did you get there?
Joe Liguori: A high point in our brokerage career just occurred at the end of 2021. Our brokerage doubled our annual sales numbers from $1.55 billion in 2020 to $3.1 billion in 2021 with only 42 agents. After a successful year in 2020 with the hot real estate market, we had already broken our previous record — and then we doubled it. Not only did we see our brokerage succeed, but our agents truly excelled in our industry.
We were fortunate that South Florida became such a commodity, but beyond that, we pride ourselves on understanding the nuances of our marketplace better than anyone and utilizing our connections with our incomparable global network to produce the best results. As an exclusively regional brokerage, we have an advantage in that sense.
To set our properties apart, we utilize professional cinematic video, award-winning HD and drone aerial photography, custom copywriting and 3D-virtual tours. Additionally, potential sellers and buyers are targeted through direct mailings, custom email campaigns, along with a strong social media presence, SEO digital efforts, an in-depth website and support from our PR team for record-breaking announcements.
After such a tough year, I’m proud of how our team adjusted our strategy to fit the market.
What’s one thing you wish every agent knew?
Joe Liguori: At the end of the day, an agent will be judged by their integrity, sense of discretion, and ability to effectively service each client’s needs to achieve their best results. There is no place for ego in our business. As new agents join the Premier team, these are always the key factors that we look for. We believe this philosophy is the reason for our success.
