How this lifestyle entrepreneur went from living to selling the most expensive homes in Los Angeles
After living in one of the most expensive houses in Los Angeles, entrepreneur Sam Palmer is now trying … [+]
Hilton & Hyland
While many methods are used to close a sale, there may be no more valuable tool than personal experience – it’s much easier to see a product’s strengths when you know it well. This is why car sellers are encouraged to take a test drive or sommeliers should have tried every wine on the menu.
But for luxury real estate agents, especially those with offerings in neighborhoods like Holmby Hills or Bel-Air, where mega-villas can be purchased for more than $ 50 million, firsthand experience isn’t exactly an option. Unless you’re Sam Palmer.
Palmer, who recently joined Beverly Hills-based luxury brokerage firm Hilton & Hyland Partridge Estates Group as the first-time agent, may be the only real estate agent in the world whose experience with $ 100 million deals extends beyond the professional and personal. He and his fiancée, Formula 1 racing heiress Petra Ecclestone, lived for several years at Bel-Air’s famous Spelling Manor, a 56,500-square-foot estate that sold for $ 119.7 million in 2019.
The sprawling Los Angeles home known as “The Manor” has and is 56,500 square feet … [+]
Getty Images
The couple now live in Brentwood – their neighbor is Lebron James. This will be Palmer’s first official real estate post after collecting a résumé that includes selling high-end cars, recruiting and running art galleries, as well as starting Staffing Properties, an agency that provides house staff for luxury real estate recruited, something that Palmer is very familiar with.
I recently spoke to Palmer to discuss his new adventure in the world of luxury real estate after living in one of the most luxurious mansions in Los Angeles. His comments have been edited for the sake of clarity.
“Real estate is really about advising people and building long-term relationships,” says Palmer … [+]
Sam Palmer
I KNOW: What are you interested in real estate?
SP: Getting into real estate has always been a part of my longer term project, but I think living at the Manor really showed me that I have a great passion for homes. I want to bring the right buyer into the right home – advise people and give them a clearer picture of what it is like to live in these properties and ensure that all of their needs are met.
I KNOW: How do you think your previous work experience will transfer to real estate?
SP: I’ve worked in sales my whole life, be it art or cars, and then I’ve worked in recruiting – it’s a people business – so I think I have a good idea of what it takes to be a successful broker because real estate is really about advising people and building long-term relationships.
The Hilton & Hyland office building on North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills.
Hilton & Hyland
I KNOW: Why Hilton & Hyland?
SP: I’ve met a lot of great brokers, but it really came down to who shares my values and can share my vision. I knew there was only one choice if I wanted to be in the luxury real estate market – and that is Hilton & Hyland.
I KNOW: Do you think your luxury villa experience will give you a unique advantage over the competition?
Palmer’s first entry is what is known as the Somma Estate, a unique trophy property in Bel-Air … [+]
Hilton & Hyland
SP: I really do. I’m probably the only agent on the planet who has lived in three houses valued at over $ 100 million – so I really get that. Some agents might be really impressed with the gadgets in the house – the giant screen movie theaters, the bowling alleys – and I can drop by that sort of thing. For me I was on the site, I know how everything works, and that was the best training because I lived it. But I also have practical experience. I know the value of something and I know just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you have to spend an exorbitant amount to get the same product.
I KNOW: What would you like to achieve at Hilton & Hilton?
SP: I always set the bar high – and getting this out to the press cheers me on, of course – but I want to be the best-selling agent in Los Angeles, if not America.
Hilton & Hyland is a founding member of Forbes Global Properties, a consumer marketplace and member network of elite brokerage firms that sell the world’s most luxurious homes.
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