Whether you’re a first-time home buyer, an investor, or a family looking for a home on the South or North Fork, Dee Bonner and her daughter Katie Doubleday, associate brokers for SERHANT. Real Estate, are ready to help.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a small cottage in Aquebogue or if it’s an oceanfront mansion. We really do treat them all the same and are grateful for every deal,” Bonner says.
“We’re very passionate about it,” adds Doubleday. “Real estate is a big part of who we are.”
Ever since she was a little kid, Doubleday was intrigued by the world of real estate and simply loved going to work with her mom.
“It’s really special to not only to be able to work a job that you’re genuinely passionate about and that you genuinely love,” says Doubleday. “But to be able to do it with someone who you also genuinely love, I don’t think that very many people are lucky enough to find that. And I’m so grateful that I did.”
A native of Westhampton Beach, Bonner moved to East Quogue when Doubleday was 9 and these days, the duo often work out of that same East Quogue home.
“That’s part of the benefit of being born and raised out here,” Bonner says. “We do know both Forks.”
Adds Doubleday, “We work where we live and anyone who knows real estate knows that real estate is very local. I won’t even go past the Moriches area just because it would be a disservice to my clients because I don’t know that area.”
Noting that looking up comps to learn about a community is not the same as really knowing the community firsthand, Doubleday says, “There’s no algorithm that can successfully define real estate. You have to know the market. You have to know the inventory.”
The duo will often work with investors from start to finish, helping them find homes in need of rehabilitation, then later representing them in the sale of the renovated homes.
“We will offer them guidance on what buyers are currently looking for so that way when they’re doing their renovations, we make sure that they’re attracting the largest buyer pool possible,” Doubleday says.
A Complementary Team
After 28 years of working in real estate, Bonner feels reinvigorated working with her daughter, who joined her 15 years ago.
“She breathes new life into it for me. She’s got very fresh ideas,” says Bonner, who admits to being more old school — preferring phone calls over texts — than her tech-savvy daughter. “We’re the best of both worlds,” says Doubleday says.
For Bonner, consistency and persistence are integral to her success.
“I’m always very polite and I try not to make any enemies in the business, because you never know where your next deal is coming from,” Bonner says. “I want everybody to always be ‘We can call Dee and Kate.’ When we have a listing, if you don’t get both of us, you’ll get at least one of us. There are no keys or codes: You’re getting one of us and we’re in that house.”
“One of the things that sets us apart is that while we’re in competition with other brokers, we don’t make it competitive,” says Doubleday. “We’re very inclusive: We’re very good at sharing information with other brokers because we’re very fortunate out here, there’s enough inventory for everybody.”
In the decade and a half they’ve worked together, the Bonner/Doubleday team has often become friends with their clients, who they’ve worked with over multiple deals and who have referred friends and family to them.
“I don’t like door knocking,” Bonner says. “I don’t cold call. I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve never had to: My business has always come from past clients.”
Honesty is also key to the team’s success.
“When I do a deal with someone, I want to know that it’s the right fit for them,” Doubleday says. “I’ve literally told people, ‘I don’t think that you should buy this house and here’s why, because it has to be the right fit.’ There’s a very emotional aspect to real estate and I think sometimes people overlook that.”
Serendipity at SERHANT.
Though they’d been approached by different agencies over the years, Bonner and Doubleday weren’t keen on leaving Corcoran, their longtime agency, until SERHANT. came around offering a different approach.
“After the first meeting, I already had my foot in the door,” says Bonner, noting that they moved to SERHANT. in July. “Though we’re rookies in the company, we bring our years of experience both living and working in the Hamptons.”
Praising their boss, SERHANT. Real Estate CEO Ryan Serhant, Doubleday says, “The difference between Ryan and any other CEO that I’ve ever worked for is he genuinely cares. He reaches out personally to you. He’s such an involved CEO. The company itself is so agent-focused.”
SERHANT. is like a hybrid company where you get the best of both worlds: the atmosphere of a small office with the technology of a much larger corporation.
“It’s such a nice balance. It’s so unlike anywhere else we’ve ever worked,” Doubleday says.
Adds Bonner, “What’s better than working for a company you love? And what’s better than doing a job with somebody that you love and enjoying it? We have a lot of fun, but we’re also really good at what we do.”
This article was the front cover of the Behind The Hedges Powered by the Long Island Press’ November edition. Click here to read the full digital edition.
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