Whether it be sweet seniors or the bomb squad and sex toys, Dennis Gaggini has pretty much seen it all. After having worked in the industry for 17 years, an eviction that came complete with a SWAT team, bomb squad, and gynecological bedroom tool pretty much took the cake. Tune in to learn how Dennis connects with the greatest generation, and how he learned first-hand what can happen when you knock on the wrong door.
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Time Stamped Show Notes:
- 01:13 – Dennis has been in the business for 17 years, started right out of high school, is 35, and is in New Jersey
- 02:15 – Did a real estate pre-licensing course the summer after high school
- 02:27 – Surviving in a commission-based position at that time
- 02:39 – Grateful to his parents for support and was also a pharmacy technician on the side
- 03:00 – Has been doing real estate full time since he was 20, average real estate broker is 56
- 03:30 – Experience as a young person in real estate
- 04:00 – The people he gravitated towards were seniors, the “greatest generation”
- 04:15 – Millennials and seniors work beautifully together, they were his bread and butter
- 04:38 – His sister is 7 years older, and her friends were at home buying age
- 04:59 – Confidence took him a long way
- 05:28 – Old school relationship-building approach – how millennials can fit in with seniors
- 05:47 – Just do it, and don’t overthink
- 06:00 – Go to your senior real estate specialist designation
- 06:07 – Visit, talk to your grandparents and go to places where seniors spend time
- 06:35 – Dennis went to water aerobics classes at a local Swim Club to chat with seniors
- 07:45 – Importance of connecting – humanity
- 07:54 – They need to be nurtured, he sees them and protects like his own grandparents
- 09:29 – Crazy story - He does a lot of foreclosures and REO properties
- 09:40 – He got a new listing about 45-50 minutes from his office so he went to visit at night
- 10:10 – The lights were on, he went back during the day, knocked, saw a sign that said, “Stupid people will be shot,” and left
- 11:00 – Was going to offer cash for keys: Went back, knocked, lady answered the door
- 11:36 – He introduces himself kindly, she introduces herself, says she isn’t the owner, gave him the owner’s number
- 12:30 – He wanted to take photos but she declined, he tried the number and left a message
- 13:05 – The most irate person calls back, saying it’s the wrong number
- 13:33 – He goes back, sends letters, offers cash for keys, gives deadline, informs bank that someone lives there
- 14:38 – Someone is there the third visit; he can see them on the side of the house
- 16:08 – He knocks on side door, asks for “Michael,” tried to get rapport with Michael’s nephew, continues sending letters
- 17:39 – He goes back out, sees original lady, takes photos, she takes photo of his license plate
- 18:41 – They filed for eviction, but even 2 days before he still wanted to work with them
- 19:30 – He goes to house with officer on eviction day and knew it wasn’t going to be good when canine officer was there
- 20:03 – No one answers the door, then someone threatens to blow the place up: 6 sheriffs come, local police officers come, canine officers are present, then SWAT team arrives
- 21:30 – The guy’s girlfriend is held up in the bedroom, he’s threatening to blow up the place, and the bomb squad arrive and the block was closed
- 22:26 – They bust through the door, the guy shoots once, no one was hurt, but they saw he was manufacturing bombs in the house
- 23:23 – He sees woman coming to the police, and it’s the man’s ex-wife, they have to come back to get things out of the house
- 25:04 – He goes to house that evening to lock everything up, finds out that the guy had 50 guns, took pictures of the inside and saw things he had never seen before
- 26:08 – Saw sexual toys, adult magazines, heard officers talking about tools that a gynecologist would use found in the house
- 27:50 – 11 more guns were found, one was missing then found, nephew tried breaking in during inspection and threatened to shoot him
- 28:09 – Ever since, police escorted him
- 28:23 – Always use your head, be safe and aware of your surroundings as a realtor, take advantage of cash for keys offer if offered
- 29:22 – Contact information: 856-455-7653, dennis@njrealtorservices.com http://www.njrealtorservices.com/
3 Key Points
- Build relationships with seniors by spending time and chatting with them – they need to be nurtured and taken care of.
- Always use your head and be safe and aware of your surroundings.
- When dealing with foreclosures and evictions, treat the people with kindness and care...you never know who you are dealing with.
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