Inspiring Conversations with Amir Torkamani of Esquire Real Estate Brokerage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amir Torkamani.

Hi Amir, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. My parents are immigrants who worked hard to establish roots here – my father became an IT executive and my mother taught math at a community college. My older brother and I were raised to value hard work and education. After high school I attended UC Berkeley, where I graduated with degrees in Political Science and Business Administration. I went on to attend law school at USC. After graduating from law school in 2008, I began working as a litigator at an international law firm.

As a lawyer I eventually worked my way up to Partner at a small firm in Century City. My work as a lawyer generally involves commercial litigation in a variety of practice areas, including entertainment, intellectual property, real estate, and more. I have significant trial experience on both the plaintiff and defense side, including many real estate related disputes. This experience has given me first hand knowledge of what can go wrong in a real estate deal, how those issues are typically resolved, and what parties can do to protect themselves from liability.

Along the way, I discovered my passion for real estate. As I mentioned before, much of my legal practice involved real estate disputes. I decided to get my broker’s license in 2012, and started Esquire Real Estate Brokerage as an on-the-side project and hobby. I taught myself the ins and out of residential real estate, and every once in a while a friend or family would ask for help with their home purchase and sale. There was quite a bit of overlap with my legal background, knowledge, and training, and I love working with people, so it all came relatively naturally.

The company grew organically through word of mouth and the more I dove into the world of real estate, the more I enjoyed it, so I continued to pursue it. Now, looking back at the past 13 years, I’ve closed more transactions than I can count and have had the pleasure of training a few agents as well. I can distinctly remember each of those clients and how important each transaction was to them. Although running the company is more of a “job” now than when I first started, I still enjoy my practice very much.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think starting a business can be smooth for anybody. There is a steep learning curve and it requires significant effort to get to a point where you feel like everything is “up and running”. I’m still not quite sure I’m there…

I think the biggest struggle was having faith in myself, especially at the beginning. It is difficult to give up a steady paycheck and dive into a world where you don’t know if and when you will make any money. I have to give my wife some credit here, because she encouraged me to follow my passion and she always believed that I would succeed. Eventually I started to realize that as long as I put my head down and worked hard, the results would come. This is something that I still struggle with, and that I will probably always struggle with. At the same time, it is what drives me to continue working hard.

As you know, we’re big fans of Esquire Real Estate Brokerage. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Esquire Real Estate Brokerage is a boutique residential real estate brokerage that operates primarily in Los Angeles, as well as other parts of Southern California. We focus on bringing the standards of knowledge, ethics, and service from the legal world to the real estate world.

Our view of real estate is that your agent should act as your consultant, not a salesperson. Our job is not to sell you something. My expectation of myself and the agents I work with is that we act as your guide through what is often the most significant financial decision of your life. We’re there to provide you with all of the information you need to make informed decisions, and to present that information in a way that you can easily understand and digest it. Ultimately all of the decisions in a real estate transaction are made by you, the buyer and/or seller, and our job is to help you make those decisions in an informed fashion.

Another important distinction between our brokerage and others is the concept of putting our clients’ interests above our own. Many agents are motivated by closing a deal and making a commission. It’s an unfortunate reality of our industry. As a lawyer, one of the most important things we are taught is that we must zealously advocate on behalf of our clients, even if its against our own self-interest. People should expect nothing less from their real estate agent. We make sure our clients get that level of service.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I love this question. Luck has been both everything and nothing.

On the one hand, I’ve been lucky in many respects. In my life, I was lucky to be born to amazing parents who sacrificed everything and anything to set me and my brother up for success. I was lucky to meet my wife, have amazing children, and an awesome support system through my friends and family. I’m also lucky to live in one of my most beautiful places in the world.

On the other hand, in business luck is nothing if you’re not willing and able to take advantage of your opportunities. That means working hard and being prepared when those opportunities present themselves. Businesses don’t grow by themselves, and in the real estate world transactions don’t just fall into your lap. There is some luck involved in terms of who you know and when opportunities arise, but if you haven’t worked hard to take advantage of those opportunities, then they are meaningless.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.esquirereb.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/esqreb/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esquirereb
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/esquire-real-estate-brokerage-inc-
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/esquirereb
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/esquire-real-estate-brokerage-santa-monica