Unique Desert Resort Office Now Part of First Team Estates

COSTA MESA, Calif. Feb. 20 - Rarely does a perfect business arrangement improve upon unexpected news that a vital component is pulling out. Yet that’s what happened when the luxury real estate company Dyson and Dyson Sotheby announced in early October that it would be closing shop, leaving its branch office at J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort intact with a trio of extremely talented agents - but essentially without ownership.

First Team Estates, the Newport Beach-based luxury properties division of Southern California’s largest independent real estate company, First Team, saw a great opportunity and moved quickly. Its representatives convinced former Dyson agents Allan McCormack, Laurie McLennan, and Tanya Burak that allowing First Team Estates to acquire the office would be a good move for all concerned.

Having a luxury real estate office located within the most spectacular resort in Palm Desert was the brainchild of McCormack, who persuaded founder Bob Dyson to establish a branch there almost five years ago. With the resort’s ready clientele of affluent visitors from around the world who often fell in love with the desert at first sight, business thrived.

Then in October, everyone was surprised by the announcement that for undisclosed personal reasons, Dyson and Dyson Sotheby would be dissolving. McCormack, McLennan, and Burak scrambled to adjust.

“We had already interviewed several companies, looking for one that could match our philosophy of landmark service to match our landmark location,” recalled McLennan. “It had to be a company with visionary leadership willing to connect with the Marriott and the ability to take on this unique office. Then First Team Estates approached us - and we were immediately very excited about what they had to offer.”

Before October had ended, First Team Estates’ acquisition of the office, now known as First Team Estates’ Desert Springs Group, was official. According to Burak, First Team Estates’ reputation as Orange County’s premiere luxury real estate company reinforced “the mutual credibility factor that we had already established” with the Marriott Resort and its guests.

“For example, First Team Estates’ ‘Live Beautifully’ program reflects its whole philosophy of really going first class. The operational efficiency and vision of the company was unbelievable,” said Burak. “Within two weeks of our first meeting, First Team Estates’ executive VPs had made the commitment and sent their experts out to do everything from signage to advertising, things that most companies leave for the agents to do themselves. In fact, most companies are so cumbersome that it would have had to go back to committee and decisions would take forever.”

But at First Team Estates, even though it has an international presence in the arena of Southern California real estate and is backed by a huge organization of agents and infrastructure, its independent status also guarantees the kind of nimble, timely response normally associated with smaller, more boutique companies.

“First Team Estates had everything already in place for our elite clientele. It made the transition from Dyson and Dyson to First Team Estates very easy and very fast,” said McLennan. “Plus we noticed that many of the people who are with the company have been there for decades. That kind of stability and loyalty speaks volumes about a company’s vision and ethics.”

The J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert is a flagship location for the world-famous chain, is the largest convention hotel in the desert, and its restaurants and entertainment draw almost as many locals as they do resort guests.

“Studies tell us that about 25 percent of luxury real estate in the desert is purchased by people who live in Southern California’s coastal areas,” said Burak. “First Team Estates has established itself on the coast, but thus far its footprint in the desert is still fairly small. Clearly, the company has big plans and the vision and infrastructure to carry them out. That was what got us really excited about this acquisition. We will be a flagship in the desert resort community for this fantastic company.”

For more information about Southern California real estate, call First Team Estates’ Desert Springs Group directly at (760) 898-1178 or contact First Team’s call center at (888) 236-1943. Feel free to also stop by its office in the tour lobby of the J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort.

Source: First Team Real Estate