Paulo Bacchi, CEO of international home furnishings and staging company Artefacto, convened a panel of South Florida’s leading women in real estate, alongside The Real Deal to discuss their success strategies for Miami’s ever-changing market. Held before a packed crowd at Artefacto’s sprawling Coral Gables flagship, the panel featured an all-star cast of Miami’s top agents and brokerage owners, each of whom received a warm, personal introduction from Bacchi, who has spent 20 years partnering with the real estate icons to make Artefacto the city’s most coveted lifestyle.
The panel kicked off with a discussion about how the pandemic changed the South Florida real estate landscape, with an emphasis on increased demand for branded residential experiences.
This growing desire extends to Artefacto’s staging and furnishings, says Dora Puig, Founder and Principal Broker at Luxe Living Realty. Paulo Bacchi has become “a household name,” and Artefacto’s interiors team has become an important part of her business. “The first amenity buyers are looking for is turn-key furnished living space,” said Puig.
She added that, with more people working from home, attractive and comfortable furnishings have become a must-have for her customers.
People are willing to pay 30% more for this type of furnished home, said Mayi de la Vega, Founder and CEO of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty. People want turn-key, they want the ease of walking into a space that’s curated.
From de la Vega’s perspective, working with Artefacto makes her job easier thanks to the company’s well-stocked Miami warehouse, which allows her to deliver fully furnished homes to her customers in a short period of time, despite the current supply chain crunch.
“Our market has become more sophisticated,” said Alicia Cervera, Managing Partner at Cervera Real Estate, Inc, who noted the importance of branded residences in the current market. “You pick up a phone and say I’m calling from Aston Martin residences, no one is hanging up on you.”
Interiors are becoming part of the selling process even before construction begins, with more developers building full models before ground is even broken to give customers a tactile sense of what they’re buying. “We used to just sell from floorplans,” said Michelle Judd, VP of Sales at Dezer Development. “But to walk into a full model and see exactly what it’s like, it’s very important.”
Artefacto’s Brazilian roots pay dividends at all phases of the selling process thanks in part to enduring Brazilian interest in Miami real estate. “When the client walks into the sales office and sees the furniture, it’s the first piece of conversation,” said Luciene Cofresi, Vice President of International Sales at Fortune International Group.
That’s what Artefacto does better than anybody. And if the Brazilians recognize the brand, it adds value. If you’ve never heard of it, you already like it and want to know where it comes from.
Bacchi closed the panel by introducing Artefacto’s staging team while singing their praises. Bacchi beamed with pride while giving one final pitch to the assembled crowd that if they needed to sell a space, they should call on his talented team because “Artefacto sells faster.” After hearing the panel discussion, there was no doubt that he was telling the truth.
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