Six local Realtor teams and 17 individuals were among the top 250 salespeople in the country in 2015, according to rankings announced by Real Trends, a private communications company, in its annual “The Thousand” list, published in The Wall Street Journal.
DeLeon Realty of Palo Alto ranked No. 1 while Mary & Brent Gullixson of Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, and The Troyer Group of Intero Real Estate Services, Los Altos, ranked No. 12 and No. 16, respectively.
Last year, DeLeon Realty was rated as No. 5 as a team with $332 million in sales. This year’s team volume reached $559 million, earning them the No. 1 spot.
Top local teams included:
No. 1: The DeLeon Team, DeLeon Realty, Inc., Palo Alto, $559 million
No. 12: Mary & Brent Gullixson, Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, $308 million
No. 16: The Troyer Group, Intero Real Estate Services, Los Altos, $258 million
No. 101: Brad and Helen Miller, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Woodside, $120 million
No. 144: Carol Carnevale and Nicole Aron, Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, $104 million
No. 222: Caitlin and Gloria Darke, Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, $84 millions
Top individuals included:
No. 27: Efi Luzon, Intero Real Estate Services, Los Altos, $213 million
No. 38: Keri Nicholas of Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, $181 million
No. 40: Juliana Lee of Keller Williams Realty, Palo Alto, $179 million
No. 50: Tom LeMieux, Pacific Union Real Estate, Menlo Park, $159 million
No. 63: Kathy Bridgman, Alain Pinel Realtors, Los Altos, $139 million
No. 73: Judy Citron, Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, $129 million
No. 89: Judy Bogard-Tanigami, Alain Pinel Realtors, Los Altos, $116 million
No. 99: Hugh Cornish, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Menlo Park, $110 million
No. 108: Tim Kerns, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Menlo Park, $107 million
No. 123: Lan Bowling, Keller Williams Realty, Palo Alto, $100 million
No. 138: Ginny Kavanaugh, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Woodside, $94 million
No. 155: Zach Trailer, Alain Pinel Realtors, Menlo Park, $89 million
No. 176: Billy McNair, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Menlo Park, $84 million
No. 177: Scott Dancer, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Woodside, $84 million
No. 179: Kristin Cashin, Pacific Union Real Estate, Menlo Park, $83 million
No. 193: Ed Graziani, Sereno Group, Los Altos, $79 million
No. 204: Erika Demma, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage/NRT, Woodside, $76 million
Congratulations.
Now it is time for these to donate to improve our neighborhoods.
And not take public space for free advertising. It is called tacky even though it is legal.
I mean parking spaces for public. Not for free advertising with the real estate vehicles parked all over.
I know, we know who you are. You do not need to park five company cars in public space.
Honestly, Deleon being at the top of this list makes me sick to my stomach. They have literally sold the soul of this city by turning it into a safe deposit box for investors. There are countless families who have been living here for years, raising their kids here, working hard to buy a home or upgrade from their one-bedroom cottages to a house better fit for a family of four. These are senior execs at tech companies, professors at Stanford – people making very good money who a few years ago would have been able to. Now Palo Alto has been turned into a place for investors to park their cash – all for GREED with Ken Deleon benefitting the most. (Notice none of his individual agents made the “top of” list.) It is ridiculous. My family has two homeowners (my parents and me) and one renter in Palo Alto (brother) and we will never, ever send one dollar to Deleon.
Palo Alto used to be a place where people stayed for the long term. Many of my parents’ friends, all retired now, have been here for decades. Now my brother and I and our elementary-aged kids bid farewell to families all the time, usually for two reasons: 1) they have come to terms with the fact that they have simply been priced out, despite making what almost anywhere else would qualify as rich, and 2) they don’t want to send their kids to Palo Alto high schools. Very sad.
I never see Deleon listed as the seller, only the broker.
Like blaming Charles Schwab for stock market movements.
It’s the old homeowners who are selling out. Or passing away.
Surprised I haven’t seen any comments about Deleon’s aerial advertising this weekend.
kattiekhiba,
You may not like Deleon but to to blame them for all the ills of Palo Alto and this new wave of investor/buyers is ludicrous. Are they supposed to turn away investors so they go to another firm? Good luck solving our “problem” by singling one of the many “perpetrators”!
Could have been happy not having that stupid banner flying over head all weekend. I was noticing the the SFO traffic seemed quiet but then we had the pleasure of listening to the advertising. Hopeful this will bring property values down and make PA more affordable 🙂
I think DeLeon is highest as his realtor staff are not paid on the same commission and listing basis as other firms so that all sales are recorded under his name. I would be interested to know how many of the DeLeon sales are within the same agency to DeLeon buyers.
There use to be a cross section of people in Palo Alto. Ever since Mr. DeLeon has over priced real estate, the climate has changed in Palo Alto and not for the good. I’m for shipping him back to Boca. Adios
This would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad for the long term residents. All follies must end. Back to reality folks, sooner than you think.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2015/05/22/are-we-close-to-the-next-stock-market-correction/
Chart shows total stock market cap vs. GDP. This is a metric that Buffett also looks at closely.
a good question for all potential real estate buyers or sellers to ask when choosing an agent– and, i notice it is NOT one of the questions that deleon properties recommends asking, is do you want an agent that will get YOU the best deal or the most money or do want an agent who gets the most money for himself?? do you want an agent who is self-serving, greedy, narcissistic, could care less about paper work and getting the home prepared to sell without law suits, that you will never see again once you sign the listing form–or do you want an agent that will work for you–hands on and personally every step of the way.
It just baffles my wife and I how real estate “clients” choose their agent and how easily they are swayed by fluff. no matter how many bentleys an agent drives–doesn’t make that agent the best for you. it just means he/ she makes a lot of money for themselves. sort of like how our government works today– lots of greed, and self-serving taking place–but, not much benefit to the citizens.
Owner– and it is also a question that agents should ask– do,they want clients that are “self-serving, greedy, narcissistic,”.
People always complain about real,estate agents and so-called “ greedy” landlords? What about greedy homeowners, that want to maximize their sale,price instead of selling for a small percent over their,purchase price?
Go Ken! He turned me on to Ayn Rand.
The Palo Alto sellers should consider the neighbors when reviewing bids because they can ask for information about the buyers. If they prefer a buyer, they can ask them to meet the price of the highest bidder instead of blindly selling to the highest bidder who might tear it down, rent it out, or any other appalling un-neighborly thing.
Integrity– not sure what a homeowner owes “ the neighbors”. But I guess in Palo Alto, if a neighbor does not have final say in a property that he does not own, that makes the homeowner evil or greedy.
Property owners seem to have very few rights according to so,e posters on this form.
What happens if a homeowner does not like the neighbor? Also, one has to be careful how one goes about screening buyers– obviously the buyer cannot engage in any activity that can be seen as discriminatory.
I’m saddened by DeLeon selling off Palo Alto to investors. This has changed the fabric of our neighborhoods.
Stop blaming individuals (like DeLeon) for perceived “sell off.” The fact of the matter is if DeLeon’s group didn’t make the transaction, someone else would have. The property still would have sold.
Remember, inventory is scarce and most properties are seeing multiple offers way above the listed price.
If you want to blame anyone, blame the buyers and sellers for spending so much money on prime real estate. They should all be buying energy-inefficient, uninsulated Eichlers with leaky radiant heating systems for $50,000 and not making any visible renovations or improvements. The local real estate world should be stuck in 1965.
But that’s just a dreamworld. Get real.
Oh, and enjoy pulling over the side of the road in your 1965 Chevy that overheats every time you drive over Highway 17 and refill the radiator from a hose.
Any hey, while you’re at it, why not take some of the blame yourself? Regardless of when you moved in, you weren’t the first people here. Without a doubt, you have materially contributed to increasing property values.
When the Southern Pacific railroad tracks were laid down 150 years ago, there were a handful of estates on the Peninsula, but it was mostly farm land.
You are as much to blame as anyone else here for our expensive cost of living. Me too. None of us are from here. We have all contributed to property value increase.
Just because you were here 5 days, 5 months, 5 years, or 5 decades before others doesn’t make you more deserving. That’s just entitled arrogance.
just a thought– a lot of supposedly very intelligent people act very foolish when it comes to real estate decisions. we have witnessed some of the dumbest decisions imaginable when selling ones home. we ask again, just because someone makes a lot of money as an agent, does that make that person the best agent to use in your transaction? does that person really care about you? are you really getting the best opportunity available? what if that person double-ends the transaction–meaning that the agent represents both the seller and the buyer? while not legally unethical–it sure wreaks of stink. how does one represent both the seller and the buyer fairly in a situation like that? it happens all the time with some of these agents. how does one know that they got the best opportunity whether buying or selling. Greed? every day we get letters in the mail on the doorstep or knocks on the door from someone claiming to be just an average citizen desperately looking for a home in PA for their elderly parents, or they really love your home–often the senior citizens bite–sell to that person and the next thing you know–wham that house is gone. their elderly parents–apparently, they are gone too–much to the delight of the next happy McMansion owner. what about elderly abuse?
“every day we get letters in the mail on the doorstep or knocks on the door from someone claiming to be just an average citizen desperately looking for a home in PA for their elderly parents, or they really love your home–often the senior citizens bite–sell to that person and the next thing you know–wham that house is gone. their elderly parents–apparently, they are gone too–much to the delight of the next happy McMansion owner. what about elderly abuse?”
This is patently false. Local properties are going well above asking with multiple offers. There aren’t “selling to that person” (sic) that knocks on the door.
Elderly abuse? Really?
I would like you to present factual evidence that a large percentage of local senior citizens are getting swindled in real estate deals.
Yeah, you’re not going to post a hyperlink because there’s NO SUCH EVIDENCE.
@Agenda: I guess I’m living in LalaLand, where we know and are acquaintances with our neighbors in our general area. Perhaps other neighborhoods don’t give a hoot about their neighbors and that’s a shame.
I challenge a single PA realtor to stand up and say what, if any morals guide their or their sellers’ decisions. In my businesses, I do regularly turn away customers whose use of my software I wouldn’t approve of. Are there any real estate agents or PA real estate sellers who care about anything other than the almighty dollar? If so, please give us some details (anonymously or otherwise).
Last, as someone who was neighbors with Ken DeLeon, let me go on the record as saying that there was not a single weekend day that went by where he didn’t – without any prior conversation or prodding – offer up that he was having an awesome month and/or was the best agent in the U.S. He named his youngest boy Gatsby, which along with his divorce & leaving his wife + their 4 young kids, tells you all you need to know. That said, I for one have big appreciation for his energy, drive and success in his business, and rather lay what we’re all whining about at our own greedy feet. Ken and crew are no more responsible for the real estate nightmare that is Palo Alto than Confederate flags are for racism.
Does Ken Deleon ever sell to regular folks? or do his recruited investors gobble every thing up?
With regard to the comment at the top of the comment stream, a good number of local real estate agents, including a number of those featured on the list, do donate generously to local causes, including K-12 education, youth sports, health organizations, and basic needs. It’s in realtors’ interest to have vibrant and healthy communities, and they contribute to this goal. In addition to personal giving, the local associations of realtors also raise funds and make grants. (I am not a realtor, by the way.)
As Johnny Cash once sang “what’s done in the dark will come out in the light”. Ken should enjoy the good times while they last. Those who rise the fastest (and who step on a lot of people to get to the top), tend to fall the hardest. This crazy $$$ won’t last forever and eventually Deleon clients will expect actual data, metrics and a strategy, not just bidding wars ignited by low listing prices (a hallmark of Deleon’s selling strategy). Buyers are already realizing that Palo Alto (Ken’s bread and butter) is not an island and are looking at faraway lands like RWC and Sunnyvale – gasp!
Mr. DeLeon writes in Dec 2014 “ While Palo Alto is Silicon Valley’s most
expensive city on a dollar per square foot basis,real estate here is valued
at less than 25% of comparable properties in Hong Kong”. “Truly it is all a matter of perspective”.
Last week I had to be in Oakland twice. Both days, Ken De Leon’s banner was being pulled behind a little plane over the city and hills.
Is he now trying to cash in on the gentrification of Oakland?
Didn’t he make enough money selling out Palo Alto to foreign, anti-American investors and criminals?
The man’s greed knows no bounds!
Mr. DeLeon keeps pushing the market higher and higher here in the metrics
he uses to describe the market and the outreach to foreign buyers who might not even see the property, as he touts the globalization of our local real estate market. He will put buyers in right at the top.
Responding to comments made by mm:
Thanks for informing us on the generosity of these successful real estate firms owners.
Second part of my request is to save public parking spaces for people. Not their company vehicles on El Camino Real.
Respectfully
I agree with Need Perspective
“Mr. DeLeon keeps pushing the market higher and higher here in the metrics
he uses to describe the market and the outreach to foreign buyers who might not even see the property, as he touts the globalization of our local real estate market. He will put buyers in right at the top.”
OK, granted, I am of a quirky constitution, but for me, these “top” rankings do not provide any positive persuasion.
Of course, I would choose an agent with demonstrated success, but I think there are likely drawbacks to working with a realtor who “achieves” this kind of acknowledgement.
Fundamentally, I want my business to matter, I want a broker who cares. Beyond skills and experience, I want an agent with time, patience, and sincere interest, even if I don’t own an actual estate.
It takes a lot of transactions to make this registry, and the more clients you have, the less personal attention you can devote to each one. I do not want a realtor who is hurried, preoccupied, or delegates me to assistants.
BTW, a surprising number of parents admit to having a favorite child or paying more attention to one child than the other(s). It’s just human nature.
Additionally, I’m all about the human experience and I want to like my broker. It is perhaps cliché that people who are highly successful in sales are more likely than average to have narcissistic tendencies.
Real estate agents are certainly not immune. I mean, what other profession features their photo in ads for the thing they are selling? Who else sends you a list of the inventory they sold and calls it a holiday greeting?
The wealth that comes from blockbuster commissions and the recognition associated with being named by the Wall Street Journal seems to lead more immodest realtors to act like they are the gentry and we are mere peasants.
I am not saying that I would never choose a broker from the article. I am not saying that all the named agents are arrogant scoundrels. I am just saying I would not treat the list as any kind of recommendation.
Caution is the watchword when dealing with ANY Realtor or agent.
Why do people need real estate agents?
The title companies do all the work.
I sold my first home when I was 26.
I got a great price for it, in an otherwise lukewarm market.
I sold my second home at age 35, and also got a price over the comparable listings in the area.
I paid a company to make a professional sign and mount it on a white wooden sign holder with an acrylic box. Then I made my own flyers with photos.
The house sold in less than 2 weeks.
The total cost for sign, flyers, and ad in newspaper was under $350 (20 years ago).
Again, the title company did all the paperwork for me, and walked me through the whole transaction.
If you have a nice home in a desirable neighborhood, people will find it.
DeLeon used to have a cool “with it” image. Remember those ads where he dressed up in costumes? People used to talk about him. Now he’s dropped the edgy approach and has faded into the woodwork. Bringing Chinese buyers into town by the bus load has hurt his image. Smacks of social engineering.