LOCAL PROFILES
Real Estate Exec: Brandi Cancellieri—Realty One Group

“In Real Estate, and life in general, it’s all about teamwork,” says Brandi Cancellieri of Realty One Group in Las Vegas. “I get to know my clients’ needs and wishes for a house, learn something about their family and lifestyle, and I become part of their team to find exactly what they’re looking for.” And that’s what she does for clients in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and Pahrump.

Raised in Southern California, Brandi moved to Las Vegas in the late 1960s when her parents came to open an Italian restaurant. But working at the family business had its disadvantages. “Because I was the owner’s daughter, customers thought I must be making part of the profit,” explains Brandi. “So they didn’t tip me very well and I wasn’t making as much money as I would have somewhere else.” Eventually, she got a job at a restaurant across the street where the tips were better.

In the early 1970s Brandi married a successful Real Estate broker and settled down to raise a family in Las Vegas. “I thought of myself as ‘just a mom,’” she says. “I never planned on going into the Real Estate business.” But her husband convinced her they would make as good a team at work as they did at home, so in 1978 she passed the salesman’s license test on her first try. “Real Estate was much tougher back then,” Brandi remembers. “I often felt like a glorified tour guide. People didn’t realize that Las Vegas actually had neighborhoods; they thought we all lived in casinos.”

Brandi’s years as ‘just a mom’ had paid off, however, in enabling her to learn about her city and the surrounding area—not only its tourist attractions, but its neighborhoods, weather, schools, communities and customs. After her husband passed away in 1999, she decided to remain in the Real Estate arena. And she still likes being at home. “I do a lot of my work from home,” says Brandi. “And I give my home phone number to all my clients. I like to be available to them 24/7.”

Because she goes out of her way to be accessible and to make the home buying and selling process uncomplicated for her clients, Brandi’s Real Estate business comes entirely from referrals these days. Her focus is primarily residential, but she also has plenty of experience with land sales and is quite comfortable in that part of the business. “I don’t have strict boundaries about the price ranges my clients can work in,” she says. “I like to be diversified and show properties in lots of different areas.”

Many years of experience as a REALTOR® have enabled Brandi to develop an extensive marketing plan that allows her sellers to get maximum value for their properties, and that includes advising them about showcasing their homes. “I see a lot of homes, and I know how to help them prepare their house so buyers can visualize themselves living there,” she explains. When working for the buyer, she likes to give them plenty of options. “I love it when we find just what they want and I can negotiate the best possible price and terms for them,” she says. “Happy clients are the best.”

Brandi’s optimistic nature is evident in how she views the current Real Estate market. “If you believe it’s a bad market, then it is,” she explains. “But FHA has raised our limits, which allows us to work with people who hadn’t been able to qualify before. And if you like your job, you just put in more effort.”

Brandi’s efforts include going to school to learn more about her business. She already holds her Risk Management (RRG) designation, and has taken the classes for her Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designations as well. She’s also the historian for the Las Vegas Chapter of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®.

This busy lady remarried two years ago and started another teamwork venture: parenting and grandparenting a blended family of 10 children, 23 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She loves having everyone at her house for holidays, and especially enjoys decorating for Christmas. “They call our house The Santa Claus House,” she laughs. “I decorate every room.”

Brandi also loves growing flowers, vegetables, fruits and herbs. “I lived in Alabama for a year when I was young,” she explains. “My uncle grew everything there, and that’s where my love of gardening developed.” She’s an accomplished oil painter, too. “Often when I’m looking at houses I’ll take a picture of the yard or a particular view or feature that I like,” she says. “Then I go home and paint it.” Since 1999, she’s also been part of a women’s team that meets weekly to shoot pool. “We’re quite an assorted group,” she comments, “and we enjoy each other’s diversity.”

Enjoying life and what you do is the ultimate formula for happiness, and Brandi seems to have it all. “I love Nevada and I love my job,” she says. “Life is good.”

To contact Brandi, go to her Web site at www.teamworks-realestate.com, call her cell phone at (702) 349-6916, or e-mail her at teamworks@cox.net.

Photography: Elisabeth Libby