This week, our Five for Friday features Tony Yousif, based in San Diego, CA, and is a Vice President at Sperry Van Ness Finest City Commercial.
1. What is your geographic market and product specialty?
We service financial institutions and private firms that acquired large portfolios from the FDIC and failed banks. We are assisting them with the management, lease up, recommendations and disposition of their foreclosed real estate throughout the United States. We are currently servicing their properties in 22 states nationwide. Asset types range from land, to specialty real estate like Winery’s, to more traditional real estate like multi-family and industrial assets. This is all accomplished through partnerships and collaboration with our fellow SVN advisors nationwide.
2. What’s your latest best practice tip that you can share?
I would say that maintaining a consistent flow of communication with the client and all parties that are involved is most important to me. This allows me to keep things from falling through the cracks and an understanding, at all times, of everyone’s perspective and position on a deal. Maintaining a very quick response time to all is always key in communication.
3. What’s been the biggest change over on how you run your business in the past decade?
I went from specializing in multifamily locally in San Diego to assisting institutions with their needs throughout the country. Acting as a single point of contact who is essentially a project manager for these clients is very challenging but rewarding at the same time. It is tough to coordinate everything with so many individuals, and stay on top of it all without losing focus. But it has magically worked out and I look to keep going down this path in the future.
4. What business book do you like to recommend to your colleagues?
There are many books I recommend to colleagues and friends, but the one I recommend most is an older book that many of you probably have already read. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie is a classic that helps people succeed in their professional and personal lives. A great perspective on how to communicate and be diplomatic and fair with everyone you interact with.
5. What’s a fun fact that not everyone knows about you?
Not too many people know this about me, but I used to play video games competitively when I was in my teens. I would travel throughout the United States to competitions, in which I won lots of cash and other prizes.
*All Sperry Van Ness® offices are independently owned and operated.