http://westfaironline.com/westchester-county-business-journal/article/7560-the-deliberate-tourist.html
THE DELIBERATE TOURIST
Georgette Gouveia
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Apr-30-10, 10:55 AM
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Topics: Business Relocation
Not every real estate agent teaches executives how to parallel park, shops for bridal gowns for their fiancées or buys car seats for their kids.
But then, not every real estate agent is Carmela Sirico.
An associate Realtor for Keller Williams New York Realty in White Plains, Sirico relocates executives of international companies to Westchester and Fairfield counties. Among her clients are AllianceBernstein, Avon, Dannon, Nokia, and IBM, where she worked for 32 years, beginning as an administrative assistant before winding up in management and ultimately, sales and marketing.
Sirico not only shows rental properties to the executives, she also often helps them settle in, ensuring they have everything from Social Security cards to the proper medical documents for their children to go to school. Hence the driving lessons (for a New York state license), the bridal-shop visits and the car-seat purchases.
“The settling-in is what’s gotten me into this business,” she says. “I worked with so many expats at IBM. I’m really comfortable with it.”
So she took five weeks of vacation time to see if she could make a go of it as a career.
“It gave me the courage to leave (IBM).”
Though she’s done musical theater in her spare time for years, Sirico is no canary singing in the coal mine. Yet in a sense, her new career – which she calls a joy not a job – is a bellwether of the economy. And she likes what she sees.
“I’m a good-news person,” she says. “I hear a lot of negative talk and I’m not interested in that conversation. I concentrate on what I can do. I’d rather be cheerful and productive.”
Sirico has reason to be optimistic. The real estate market is up about 6 percent nationwide, she says. And spring is traditionally the busy season in the relocation business. This year, she says, “it’s gotten crazy. Right now I’ve gotten six clients in the past two weeks.”
These executives will be looking at properties that rent on average for $4,000-$8,000 a month. She’s also working with a top executive for a financial house in the United Kingdom, who’ll be coming to run the U.S. division in Manhattan and renting a place in the Rye/Greenwich area for $15,000 a month.
“Many times the (executive’s) company will supplement the rental,” adding that most corporations pay for moving their executives and families to the United States.
Sirico – who’s hired by relocation companies rather than the executives’ corporations themselves – takes all her clients on preview trips of sites chosen from the Multiple Listing Service, the digital bible of the real estate industry.
The clients already have a good idea of what they want and where to go for it.
“They’re looking to replicate what they have, and that’s the challenge,” Sirico says. “The northern Europeans want quality of construction – new, new, new. Others want charm, but also new kitchens and baths. To many, (the individuality) of American homes is refreshing. But to some, it’s hard to comprehend.”
Most of the relocating executives with families are interested in good school districts, and to them that means four communities – Greenwich, Larchmont, Rye and Scarsdale, with Chappaqua thrown into the mix. White Plains – with its tony City Place and The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester – is catching on with single executives.
While many executives bring their own belongings, others won’t be packing up the permanent house in Spain. So Sirico takes them to furniture rental stores such as Churchill or CORT.
“They have beautiful stuff, down to mattresses and utensils,” she said.
Her clients also want to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley.
The executives may be renting a house for $8,000 a month, Sirico says:
“But they love a bargain.”
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When relocating, Sirico says you should follow these five guidelines:
Make sure you bring all your documents with you, not limited to but especially birth and marriage certificates and records of children’s immunizations.
Rent, don’t buy. “Even if it’s a long-term assignment be sure everyone’s happy in the situation before making that purchase.”
Document the condition of the house so you’ll have a record of it and won’t be liable for any prior damage. Sirico walks through the house with the prospective renter and the agent for the landlord.
Get a driver’s license. “An international license is good here. But in New York, you really need a New York state driver’s license.”
Take advantage of everything here. “Get involved with the schools and volunteer.”
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