Last month, Town & Country Real Estate, a boutique agency born and bred on the North and South Forks, entered into a much-heralded joint venture with William Raveis agency. In doing so, it not only added a star to its crown and expanded its footprint, but also the services it can provide to home buyers and sellers.
Judi Desiderio founded T&C in 2005 and will continue in a CEO role. Joined by managing partner Janet Hummel, she will continue to head the T&C operations, which includes more than 150 T&C agents in eight offices, two of which are on the North Fork. The Raveis team, headed by William and his sons Chris and Ryan, who are also co-presidents, will continue overseeing that existing portfolio, while managing the merger of technologies and services. Raveis will bring a rich portfolio of buyer/seller services such as insurance, mortgages and title services that Desiderio says will also help streamline transactions and processes.
“The tools they provide are superior to all others, but the personal touch is the golden ring,” Desiderio says.
The merger was a dovetail fit of visions, experience and culture.
“T&C and William Raveis are cut from the same cloth,” Desiderio says. “Bill Raveis is the driving force to his namesake brokerage. He is completely hands on and cares about everyone in his company. That is how we have always run our company.”
Raveis comes to the fold with 50 years experience, adding to Desiderio’s 40 years.
For his part, Raveis says the venture “connects the dots for me,” saying current and potential homeowners on the North and South Forks are already in the other markets his agency serves—Palm Beach, Westchester County, New York City and Nantucket. “They enjoy a very upscale beach community with the ability to travel and have a lovely lifestyle. They are the North Fork, then they’re in Palm Beach or home in Westchester or New York City. This ties the bow around our network.”
He says he got to know Desiderio—like himself, an entrepreneur—over the past two years and says she has a “wonderful reputation and built a great company.”
Adding his own personal history, he says his ties to the area run deep. “I can see the North Fork from my house in Connecticut and been involved with the community one way or another for 40-plus years.”
Desiderio says Raveis was in the “…‘sweet spot’: a family-run business large enough to service our clients and associates, yet intimate enough to function as a boutique.”
Northforker asked the new team what clients—whether they’re buying or selling—might expect in the new year under the rebranded firm. Here’s what they had to say:
Northforker: How will this venture help elevate or promote the quality of life of lesser-known towns on the North Fork?
Judi Desiderio: I have been investing in the North Fork for over 30 years. I have always believed in the [area], and there’s no doubt in my mind the North Fork is on everyone’s radar now. The bucolic environment and the beautiful slower pace of life is something everyone is yearning for whether it’s just for a weekend or a season or year-round. The farming, the boating, the fishing, the vineyards are all connected to the areas where William Ravies has offices. We’re going to have one big party.
William Raveis: I didn’t come to the North Fork to be No. 2. We’ll eventually have market share there.
NF: What do you see as the unique contribution of each team to the venture?
JD: I believe my greatest contribution is my tenure in the industry and what I have grown with both Town & Country and Cook Pony Farm. This I bring to the table. My partner, Janet Hummel, has deep roots in the building business as well as the real estate industry, and combined we’ve been able to do great things and shall continue.
WR: I have great admiration for [Judi] and the team she built. She’s an entrepreneur who has done it on her own and done a great job. We bring a lot of resources and assets to her and can help with her agents’ goals.
