Interview by Ty Fischer
Photography by Steve Ragland
A former CEO and Executive Producer who spent 18 years leading renowned media companies, Tatiana Derovanessian made the transition into luxury real estate in 2010 and quickly earned extraordinary success. Recognized for her world-class service, media and marketing expertise, network of global contacts and unrivaled reputation for results, her prowess as an elite real estate professional is unquestioned. Surrounded by incredible mountain and city views at the exquisite 3619 Avenida del Sol in Studio City, here is our exclusive sit-down interview with the powerhouse behind dreamliving|LA®.
Q: You’re a native Angeleno and formerly CEO/Executive Producer in the entertainment industry. Today, you are the CEO of dreamliving|LA®. What does your company do, and what brought you into real estate?
TD: dreamliving|LA® is a full-service luxury real estate consulting, sales, design and marketing firm. We help every one of our clients fulfill their dream lifestyle.
I have always had such a passion for people, marketing, architecture, design, storytelling and negotiating complex deals, it seemed like the perfect progression and parallel to my executive role in the entertainment industry.
I had spent 18 years serving as CEO and Executive Producer for some of the most prominent media companies, spearheading and negotiating multi-million dollar complex deals, creating and producing some of the most groundbreaking multi-platform content while dealing with high-profile talent and some of the most powerful executives in the industry. Although very grateful for my success, I had reached a point where I had this deep desire to effect people on a more personal level. I was searching for more personal fulfillment in my work. It was at this time in 2007, I started investing in flipping my first real estate project on the side. I fell in love with the development process. Bit by the real estate bug I decided to pursue it further. I got my real estate license in 2010 and hit the ground running. The serial entrepreneur in me took over, and with a clear vision I launched dreamliving|LA®.
Q: How do you leverage your background in media and marketing into building your brand and clientele in real estate?
TD: My personal brand is a powerful tool for connecting with clients and colleagues. I leverage every aspect of my background in media and marketing in my real estate business. It’s my biggest differentiator and value proposition to clients compared to other agents. My marketing tactics, multi-media expertise, content creation, global network, outreach, brand presence and negotiation strategies have all carried over seamlessly into my real estate career. My years of business experience are invaluable and very influential, especially in the luxury market where consumers are seduced by the dream lifestyle in Los Angeles. I make sure my brand connects with the consumer at every touch point. It’s about the brand experience. I am a media company and real estate agency, selling the dream lifestyle to my clients everyday. Storytelling and producing an extraordinary experience, at the highest caliber of service and results while being on the cutting edge is at the core of my brand. I focus on quality over quantity and invest heavily on the relational vs. the transactional. This is why my clientele is exclusive to dreamliving|LA®. I’ve worked hard to build a stellar reputation and unrivaled track record of success with integrity and a professional pedigree above the status quo, synonymous with my brand. It’s what separates me from the pack. Media is and will always play a crucial role in my real estate practice. I’m seen hosting and being featured as a luxury real estate expert to various publications and TV shows, most recently the series “Find Me A Luxury Home” on the AWE (A Wealth of Entertainment) network.
Q: Describe what a client experiences when they’re working with you. How do you serve these high-level clients and what are the personal and professional attributes that really separate you from other agents?
TD: Real estate is such a relationship-driven industry and vital to my success. My clients are extremely important to me and are the lifeblood of my business. When a client works with me they experience the extraordinary and a wealth of knowledge and intel. I push beyond limits to overdeliver every time, through a very personal stylized human experience at the world-class level. My business style centers on being very present with my clients. I go deep with people and help them figure out what they want out of life and what kind of dream lifestyle they want to have. Humanizing the deal, I provide a competent, impactful, caring client experience worthy of repeat business. I focus on connecting and building trust. My clients have high expectations and expect the very best. I give them better! They are wise enough to know my worth and experienced enough to know the extraordinary value I bring to the table. And for that I am extremely grateful.
Clients absolutely look for agents who are considered the “experts”. What separates me from other agents is my high level of expertise, unique and diverse skill set, laser-focused approach, passion and elite business acumen. I defy the traditional and constantly redefine the standards for extraordinary service, marketing and results. I am known for my innovative use of cutting-edge technology and multi-platform strategies.
With Sellers my presentations are “consultations”. It’s about strategy from staging, pricing, digital marketing, storytelling, creating urgency and bulletproofing to ultimately negotiating the best price and terms. When I give Sellers the context they need to make a good decision, I build trust and confidence that I am the best agent to get the job done for them.
With Buyers, there’s no question they are more informed and prepared through real estate online marketplaces and technology. Today, technology drives the Buyers, and Sellers have become exponentially savvier with access to the same information we have. I embrace and maximize the technology at my disposal because it arms me with more power to market and sell than ever before. But the core role of an Agent with Buyers, is and always will be to help them see themselves in “that home” and its value. And that requires human traits of empathy, emotion and sensuality. Buyers need to touch, smell, see, hear, taste, and feel living in the home – and a great agent draws all of this out and tells the story. No robot or website can ever duplicate this service and experience, and this is even before we get to negotiation, another innate human to human interaction.
Q: What are some of the market trends that you see on the horizon for the luxury sector in Los Angeles? What role have international buyers played in the market?
TD: Our market is always going to be vibrant, robust and in demand. This is Los Angeles… the city attracts Buyers from all over the world who desire the lifestyle here. The demand to own a home in Los Angeles is worldwide because the price per square foot for luxury here in our market is substantially lower than any other luxury market in the world. People look at buying properties here as solid investments. We also have so many people in the entertainment industry who buy, sell, trade up and down consistently.
Most of my international clientele at the moment are coming from Russia, Vancouver, France and Toronto. They are mostly developers investing in luxury residential projects or high-level professionals looking to buy their second and/or third luxury home.
We have quite a bit of development going up all over the city, with an influx of ultra-luxury listings on or coming to market between $35 million and $250 million. These developments are spectacular, but some are over the top mega-mansions targeting such a specific and even smaller Buyer pool.
Breathtaking mountain and city views at 3916 Avenida del Sol, a newly re-built, re-designed 4,300 sq. ft. California Spanish Modern located in Study City, California. See more here: www.ladreams.com/spanish-modern-hillside-gem-3619-avenida-del-sol/
Luxury development projects are a big part of my business. I have a core group of developers who I represent and work very closely with in developing and designing beautiful homes. It’s such an exciting time for me because I just completed two projects and am working on three more from Beverly Hills to Bel Air. My hands-on approach with my developers and the design of the homes is something I take great pride in. I am heavily involved with each development designing these dream properties – from inception, design, creative and interiors to resale. It’s such an amazing and rewarding process. I love the collaboration and creation of these dream homes. When it attracts the right Buyer, it’s like a match made in heaven. My first project was 3085 Franklin Canyon in Beverly Hills, a gorgeous 7,000 sq. ft. Hampton’s Style Modern Transitional branded the “Happily Ever After Home”. Today we are sitting in my most recent project at 3619 Avenida del Sol in Studio City, a newly re-built, re-designed 4,300 sq. ft. California Spanish Modern with mesmerizing mountain and city views. Stay tuned for the next ones, because they will be dreamy.
Q: What does the future hold for you and dreamliving|LA®?
TD: Global expansion.
To learn more contact Tatiana Derovanessian: P: (310) 432-6507; E: [email protected]; W: dreamlivingLA.com.
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