Without risk, there would be no Silicon Valley. It’s a place where entrepreneurs leverage successes and failures at a faster rate than any region in the world. Small wins get amplified. Losses turn to wins. Failures pave the way to success; and success often depends on taking the right amount of risk at the exact right time. Like any financial investment, buying a home is its own venture. But when you live in one of the most competitive and expensive ZIP codes in the country, the real estate stakes can seem much higher.
If you have a trusted real estate professional on your side who appreciates the importance of your real estate investment, then you are one step ahead of the game. You would find such a partner in Brett Caviness, a rising star in the Menlo Park office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
Growing up on a farm in Iowa, Brett came to the Valley with a dream. He wanted to start his own real estate business. “In the beginning, sales were slow,” he recalls. “It was scary at first because it’s so expensive to live here.” He took out a personal loan and maxed out two credit cards just to make it the first year. “I invested a lot of time and energy to get where I am today,” he says. “I treat it like a business. I’m here in the office every day.” Brett went from closing just three real estate transactions during his first year to closing approximately $20 million in sales in 2017. His “make-it-work” attitude powers each real estate transaction and every business decision. This quality has earned him the respect of business-minded clients. “In real estate, buyers and sellers are looking for an agent they can really trust, and someone who is really going to go to work for them,” he says. “To start your business in real estate, you must be hungry enough to truly succeed.”
His hunger for success led him to become an early adopter of video marketing. Today, he is one of the Valley’s leading real estate video influencers. “People aren’t necessarily looking for the top agent with the largest number of awards — it’s someone they can trust,” he explains. “So when I’m on a YouTube video introducing myself and showing people how I work, it builds instant credibility because they can see you.” He leverages video for personal branding, generating leads and building interest in his listings so he can obtain the best possible offers.
“I’m willing to put in the hard work that it takes to control the transaction,” he says. “It’s not just a million-dollar deal for me. I try to transcend the transaction and relate to my clients on a personal level. I understand what it means to them financially. I realize what is at stake for my clients.”
Brett Caviness (CalRE# 01935984) is affiliated with the Menlo Park office and can be reached at 650.464.8293 or brett.caviness@cbnorcal.com.
