Well-known NYC realtor cuts ribbon on new Staten Island agency

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – For James Prendamano, the official opening of PreReal, Prendamano Real Estate is a dream come true.

“The whole idea behind this firm was to take the best elements of a traditional local brokerage and meld them with all the cutting-edge tools available to us in the digital toolbox,” Prendamano said, detailing the genesis of his newly-launched business, which originally debuted in Bulls Head this past April before settling in its new permanent Tottenville headquarters this week. “The response has been better than I ever could have dreamed of.”

Situated on a busy stretch of Amboy Road in a stunning Queen Anne style Colonial home, the office features an open layout, lots of breakout space and a podcast studio where Prendamano produces his weekly “PreReal Podcast.”

“We launched the podcast during quarantine as a way to stay connected,” Prendamano said. “It addresses a number of topics – everything from investment strategies to how to survive in real estate during these inflationary times. At first it was a challenge and it placed me outside of my comfort zone, but this podcast has been transformative.”

Prendamano says the weekly broadcast has built an audience in over 60 countries, and his team is now approaching 20,000 downloads/plays.

“It has been an amazing way to learn, connect and impart my knowledge to the masses,” the broker said.

For Prendamano, who basically “grew up in the biz,” this entire new real estate endeavor has basically brought him full circle.

“I’ve been around real estate since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Literally, as far back as I can remember, I have memories of going to appointments and late nights in the office with mom,” he told the Advance/SILive in April, referring to his mother, who owns Casandra Properties in St. George, where he launched his real estate career.

But Prendamano decided to shift his focus in recent years, after identifying many changing trends in the industry.

“Things have changed quickly over the past several years,” he said. “Millennials are now the largest segment of buyers and they consume everything digitally.”

To account for that modernization, Prendamano split his team into two distinct divisions: marketing and digital.

“Today you must be a digital guru and marketer as well,” said Prendamano. “We have a full-blown marketing department that currently consists of five team members. Each of them are experts in their respective trades. Their job is to get as many eyes as possible on the property at the right time and focused toward the correct audience.”

In a rapidly changing digital world, Prendamano said it’s important to have team members dedicated to this aspect of the business.

“The digital world is changing so rapidly, it is our belief you need dedicated experts who constantly stay on top of the latest algorithms, tools available and overall data analysis,” he said. “This allows our agents to focus on generating new deals and on the negotiations. Real estate, for most people, will be the single largest sale and/or purchase in their lives. As professionals we owe it to our clients to deliver the absolute best. This model allows us to do just that.”

The commercial side of Prendamano’s agency specializes in acquisitions, sales and leasing while the residential department focuses on seller representation, buyer representation and investment sales. On the consulting side, his team handles a wide array of clients, from institutional to local businesses.

“This has been an amazing year,” Prendamano concluded, crediting his wife Lauren as his “strength,” and praising his staff for their hard work and dedication. “It’s an extremely exciting time to be in the real estate industry, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for PreReal.”