Vinicius Brasil - Your Local Real Estate Expert

Becoming a Realtor

Real Estate was something I was always interested in.  

I had seen members of my family do well investing in real estate, and I decided that if I was going to make the change, now would be the time.

I first got into real estate when I was 27 years old. At the time, I didn’t know much about real estate, and I didn’t even own a home or any property. I saw the industry being dominated by individual agents who dressed in fancy clothes and drove nice cars, and it seemed like anyone could get a license to sell.

After being in the industry for about a year, I noticed there were two main classes of real estate agents. Agents who were professionals really knew the areas they worked in and understood the process, keeping up with the changes in the laws and regulations.  And they really provided value and had their client’s best interests at heart. The second class just seemed to focus on getting clients and selling the most homes possible.

Although the idea of selling a lot of homes was attractive to me, I didn’t want to fall into that second category of agents.  To me, the industry already had a used car salesman-type of stigma, and if I was going to set myself apart from most agents, I had to provide value beyond just being a good salesman.

Since I didn’t know much about real estate, I really had to think about what it was that I was selling. What is a home? I started to realize how important the home I grew up in was in shaping who I would eventually become. 

Understanding Homes and Neighborhoods

My parents, my sister, and I immigrated to Santa Clara in 1977 from Brazil. We had extended family here and they helped us get started. After a few years, my parents were able to buy a home on a janitor’s salary and the money my mom made from cleaning homes.  

It was a small home in the Bowers Park tract, close to Wilcox high school.  The greatest thing about that home was that it was just three doors down from a family with three boys, who would eventually become my best friends. They were all older than me, but they took me under their wing.  

They taught me how to ride a bike, play football and basketball, how to hit a baseball, go fishing, and how to fix things, they took me camping, and mountain biking, and in the summer we would go to the beach almost every week.  We went on so many adventures, and those experiences were what gave me the confidence I have today to do anything.  That’s how important home and a neighborhood can be. It can change your life.

Learning What a Real Estate Professional Does

I never saw myself as a salesman.

The idea of selling something didn’t make sense. If you need something, just buy it. Why do you need someone to sell it to you?

If I was going to sell homes, I better know what I was selling.  

I felt that I needed to learn as much as I could about homes, how they were constructed, what was a good home; and what was a bad home. What were the different areas and neighborhoods around Santa Clara County?  

If I was going to represent a client on a home purchase or sale, I needed to make sure they were going to deal with a professional, someone that could provide them with valuable information so that they could make the best decision possible.

So it began. I door-knocked neighborhoods and toured as many homes as I could in every area. I would host open houses throughout the valley, from Palo Alto to Morgan Hill and even Fremont.  

I would follow the property inspectors around the home and ask every question imaginable.  There were a few times when I put on coveralls and crawled under the house with the inspectors to see what they were looking for. Having in-depth conversations about the difference between subterranean and dry wood termites.

When I would meet with contractors or foundation experts, I would grill them on their processes and ask questions to understand why a home was experiencing certain issues. 

Whether it was meeting with the city planning department to ask questions about permits or standing on top of a roof with the roofer, I soaked it all in and learned as much as I could.

A Real Estate Career Based on Experience & Compassion

I was learning everything I could about real estate and my business was growing.  More and more referrals from satisfied clients were coming in, and all of a sudden, it all stopped.

When the housing market crashed in 2008, it was an uncertain time for everyone, and for a young agent, I didn’t know what to do. 

Several months went by without any sales. Trying to make sense of what was happening, I started to read about economics to understand how our financial system worked.

It was during this time that I started to understand the factors that were influencing our economy and our local market.  This information made me feel more confident when speaking with my clients about timing and the market.  

 Although the market was slow, I kept myself busy.  Working with homeowners at the time that were interested in selling, I urged them to get their homes updated to set them apart from all the distressed homes on the market.  

That’s where I developed my service of helping homeowners update their homes so they would be able to sell them for more money.  

In many cases, the owners just didn’t have the cash for the repairs. 

Knowing that just $10-$20K in updates would help their home sell for much more, I started a system where the homeowners could pay once the home closed escrow. 

At the time, staging was a relatively new concept, and many sellers didn’t want to bother, mainly because of the cost.  

Understanding how a nicely staged home helped homes sell, I added it free to sellers as part of my service.  It wasn’t long before people around Santa Clara County started to notice my work and how my listings were selling faster and for more money.

Standing Out and Being the Best Realtor

My business grew as people started to notice my results.  As I sold more and more homes, people would visit my open houses and comment on how nice the home was presented.  My listings were clearly selling for more money and faster than other listings in the area.

The home repairs and updates, the staging, and quality marketing were really making a difference, and the calls from home sellers and buyers were becoming more frequent. 

When the market started to turn around in 2012, that is when business really started to pick up. I went from an average agent to the top agent in Santa Clara, and eventually one of the top agents in the valley. 

A New Way of Thinking About Real Estate

With all that experience, I gained a better understanding of the economy and our local market. Rather than just being an expert on the process of selling a home, I see the role of a real estate agent as an advisor to my clients. Understanding their goals and objectives and how to best position them for success is key.  And at times they may have been to advise them not to sell or buy.

Although I am far from the most successful agent in the valley, I feel solid in my understanding of real estate and am confident that when a buyer or seller hires me, they will be pleased with the service and results I achieve.

Building a Real Estate Legacy

It’s been a long journey of learning and experience. I am no longer the young new agent in the office. 

I turned 46 this year. I’m married and have 3 kids. I now operate with a small team of agents and staff that allows me to continue to help and service my clients and still maintain a healthy life balance.   

What excites me now is the same as before.  

Meeting people, understanding where they are in life, and helping them get through this transition, whether they are buyers or sellers, is the easiest and best way possible.

As always, I am excited to grow and take my business to the next level. Our team is doing such great quality work and providing a level of service that I am proud to put my name on.  

We are continuing to learn and better ourselves, continuing to help clients in the hopes that we are providing them with great information and valuable service.

Thanks again for reading, I look forward to meeting with you and helping you in any way I can.

If you would like to set up a quick call to discuss your real estate situation, click the link right here.

Until next time, I am Vinicius Brasil with the Brasil Group and Keller Williams.

Vinicius Brasil - The Brasil Group

Mobile: (408) 582-3272

Email: Email Me