JOHN HALL & Associates
Thompson Peak Corporate Plaza
9366 E. Raintree Dr, Suite 101
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Office: 480-948-0550, Ext 3257
Direct: 602-525-9961 or 480-980-2500
Fax: 480-657-6936
E-mail: info@movetothevalley.com or Michael@movetothevalley.com

by Sally Walker
photography by Mike Eglin

Yvonne Chrysokos ("Think Chrysler," she said) of Re/Max Achievers has never personally seen the crystal blue water and the white sandy beaches of Hawaii. It is this little-known fact that changed her destiny and started her Arizona real estate career. Yvonne explained about the trip she and her husband were to take, "In 1992, we had plans to take an extended vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. However, because I am my mother's caretaker, our vacation time was significantly reduced. My daughter-in-law had been selling vacation packages at the time to Arizona. She suggested that we visit Scottsdale for a few days instead. We fell in love with the area, kept coming back and finally decided to relocate to the Valley." Even before moving to the Valley, Yvonne had been a successful agent. She began her real estate career in Chicago in 1979. "I always had a love of real estate, and with my outgoing personality, I had always wanted to try sales. I had a home for sale in 1979, and the agent I hired to represent me was very unprofessional. With my kids grown and off to college, I believed that I could be a better professional and knew that I could become a success. I decided then and there to get my license and go into business," Yvonne said.

Yvonne is an exceptional agent. Prior to relocating to the Valley, Yvonne had been part owner in a RE/MAX franchise in the Chicago area. Since arriving here, her success has placed her in the prestigious Platinum Club, the RE/MAX Company's highest annual award for achievement; the RE/MAX 100% CLUB; and she has been the Re/Max Achievers' top listing and sales agent on numerous occasions. In addition to those prestigious awards, Yvonne holds her Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) and Associate Broker designations and she has also been a Designated Broker for a local luxury specialist company and another local RE/MAX office.

After arriving in Scottsdale, her husband, Bill, retired from the hospitality industry and joined her team as a sales associate and her Leasing and Property Manager. As her business began to flourish, they were able to convince Yvonne's son, Michael Damico, who had many years investing in various commercial and residential real estate ventures, and his wife, Victoria, who has a marketing degree and a marketing background, to relocate from Chicago and join their team.

Working together, their business has grown tremendously and their clients are extremely happy with the service they receive. Yvonne stated, "With four of us, there is always someone available to preview and show homes, attend and assist with the inspection, walk-through and closing as well as oversee each aspect of the transaction and various marketing. I really think this is beneficial to clients. Given the amount of time and effort required to service clients, the amount of legal paperwork involved with each transaction and the tasks necessary to successfully close a transaction in today's real estate world, I can't see how someone can sell real estate all by themselves. The team is my backbone and is crucial to our overall success. Besides, I just love working with my family!"

As a team of four, they have been able to expand their expertise to all areas of the Valley and all types of property. Because of this, they are able to work with a diverse group of people from all walks of life. "We are equally adept in assisting buyers and sellers in Chandler, Gilbert or Glendale, for example, as we are in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or Phoenix. We are just as active in new construction or the luxury home market as we are in assisting buyers and sellers with resale homes and less expensive properties. We pride ourselves on keeping abreast of, and knowing, the marketplace," Yvonne said.

Yvonne prides herself on staying on top of real estate industry developments. She takes more than 80 hours of continuing education each year and finds this to be a benefit to her clients. Her knowledge also has impressed many agents and clients over the past several years. She has received thank you letters from agents with other companies from all over the Valley. Accolades such as, "You did it.", " I want to compliment you on your professionalism through this whole transaction.", "You were truly a pleasure to work with." and "It is always a pleasure to work with agents of your caliber." are only a few of the many letters found in Yvonne's files.

As her business grows, so do Yvonne's goals. "Personally, I would like to continue working with my family for many years to come and to make and cultivate many more friendships through my personal and professional life," Yvonne stated. "Professionally, I would like my team to stay near the very top of all RE/MAX groups who sell properties in the entire Southwest region. Also, I would like the team to continue to be accepted by our peers as someone they choose to work with on the other side of the transaction. Further, I would like to gain additional industry designations such as the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB), the Accredited Buyer Representative Manager (ABRM) and an e-PRO designation."

Although Yvonne's team uses traditional marketing systems, they pride themselves on taking advantage of existing industry technology. They have their own digital camera and routinely create virtual tours and take high quality pictures of each listing and rental, not only for their Web pages, but also for use in the Multiple Listing Service. Additionally, the Chrysokos-Damico Group belongs to the elite group of agents who have two customized Web sites: www.movetothevalley.com and www.realtor.com (under "Chrysokos" as agent name). These sites, which are continuously maintained with the help of a professional Web-master the team employs, are a valuable tool and provide a wealth of information. By logging on, one can view many photos and virtual home tours for all properties, access community links, school report information, open house schedules as well as learn about new home developments in various areas. The Web sites have brought them a great deal of business. In one instance, Yvonne and her team were helping a man who was relocating to the Valley find a home. His wife was in Atlanta. When her husband found a home he thought she would like, the wife logged on to their site, took the virtual tour of the home her husband liked and agreed to purchase it.

Yvonne measures her success from her list of satisfied clients and the referrals they have sent her way. But equally as special to Yvonne are the thank you notes she has received from the buyers and sellers on the other side of the transactions who have thanked her for her professionalism. "This means just as much, if not more in some cases," Yvonne stated.

Yvonne believes, "Success and rewards come to those who work hard, are dedicated and confident, patient and persistent, learned and resilient and are willing to perform tasks which are the least comfortable. Sellers want their property to be marketed effectively and continuously, and they want an agent who is honest, knowledgeable and experienced. Most importantly, they want an agent who keeps them informed about showings and general activity at the property and who is in regular contact with them." She explained that buyers want many of the same things as sellers. However, they also appreciate the little extras the team provides, such as previewing in advance of showings, being available for home and termite inspections and their continual follow-up with the escrow company, lender and listing agent to make certain things are going smoothly. Bill and Yvonne met in March of 1986 and were married by December. At their wedding, all nine of their children (Yvonne has three, and Bill has six) and their children's spouses stood up for them. Between them they have 16 grandchildren. Bill and Yvonne also have three white German shepards they adore. Yvonne loves fine dinning. "I have this interest since I no longer have time to cook!" She is also an avid reader, "I'm a regular at the Mustang Library." In addition to her home and hobbies, Yvonne and Bill are also caregivers to Yvonne's mother, Jeannette Sbarbaro, who lives with them. Yvonne explained how she balances her work and outside interests simply like this: "For me it is easy, because I spend so much of my time working with family, and so much of what I do with respect to outside activities also involves them."

"Real estate is the most rewarding thing I can think of doing. What is more personal than the purchase or sale of a home? To help someone sell their most prized possession and to assist someone in finding their dream home is exhilarating." Yvonne noted. "I love being in the people business and being around so many different people. I love getting to know them on an individual and personal level. I love it; I really do."

Yvonne's Hawaiian vacation is still on the itinerary for someday down the road. But for now, Arizona is her paradise.

Re/Max Achievers,
8901 East Mountain View Road, Suite 201,
Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
Phone (480) 922-1200 direct at (480) 889-8749