Vicki Barazandeh-Karpas Properties

An Outstanding Agent at the Head of Her Class
By Woodie Stephenson

Vicki Barazandeh, a Top Producer with Houston’s renowned Karpas Properties, is as humble and as graceful as they come. With 15 years of experience in the real estate industry the broker associate has prided herself in acquiring the education required to become a top producer among the likes of her experienced and prominent peers.

“Education is not a luxury, it’s a necessity right after food, shelter and love, without it one cannot really survive, one becomes stagnant and eventually fades away to nonexistence,” Vicki says.

These powerful words were inculcated into Vicki’s own personal philosophy through her family’s influence on her starting at a young age. Raised in Tehan, Iran, she learned early on the doors that education could open for her. Iran, a peaceful monarch during her childhood, offered Vicki an early model of what life in America would hold for her.

“I come from an educated family who instilled in me the value of education,” Vicki, the oldest of her siblings, says, “They instilled in me the knowledge that education is power and wealth of the mind and soul.”

Coming from a supportive and education-oriented family background, Vicki aspired to share her passion for education with others by attaining a Primary Education Certificate. Fresh out of college, Vicki first got her feet wet in the education field teaching elementary school students in the Katy school district. With a passion to educate the young minds of tomorrow, the ambitious teacher founded a Nationally Accredited North-West Houston school that would soon boast two locations and a budding student body.

As the well-established proprietor of not one, but two schools, Vicki had first been introduced to the real estate industry through her husband Ray, an architect and industry home builder. Seeing wisdom and experience in each other’s eyes, the passionate young couple had married quickly in a ceremony that took place within a month of meeting each other. Vicki’s first interactions in real estate came not after her graduation from real estate school, but by helping her friends find their dream homes.

Real estate was made for me to do,” Vicki says. “I get a natural high each time that I can bring a buyer and seller together to reach a deal that leaves them both happy.”

Making people happy seems to be an innate quality that Vicki has always been blessed with— if there is one thing that she is most passionate about, it is definitely people. She remembers fondly at a young age reading the Diary of Anne Frank and taking to heart a philosophy about people that would stick with her forever.

“Anne Frank believed that it’s up to us to find the goodness in others and that there is goodness in everyone,” the self proclaimed people-lover says. “This philosophy is great when you’re dealing with so many different people on a daily basis such as cooperating with other agents and when there are challenging issues involved.”

Upon graduating from Champion’s School of Real Estate, Vicki joined the team at John Daugherty, a Realtor boutique office. Eager to see her begin making real estate transactions, Vicki’s sales manager encouraged her to announce her Realtor status to her friends and family in hopes that she might attract some immediate business. However, feeling uncomfortable with her manager’s request, Vicki felt that she needed more education and experience before directly handling her friends’ business. While many of her peers in the real estate industry relied on mass marketing in order to attract business, Vicki knew she needed to acquire the knowledge and experience necessary to become the best for her clients.

“Knowledge is power,” Vicki says. “All the builders and buyers I work with always seek me out.”

Persistence and education would soon pay off for the rookie agent in the form of her first transaction. After an exasperating 24 offers, Vicki was able to make the right deal for her client and boast her first successful sale. “It was a learning curve for me,” Vicki remembers of her first transaction. “Despite the disappointments that came, I never got discouraged.”

Although Vicki was able to find success early in her first two years with John Doherty, most of her fellow agents were long established leaving the ambitious young agent desiring to become part of a team where she could contribute to the growth of an office. She soon found that opportunity for growth at an emerging Karpas Properties. Headed by Houston real estate guru Hedley Karpas, Vicki’s new workplace offered an exciting environment ripe for growth and collaboration.

“When I spoke to Hedley about joining the Karpas Team, I liked the idea of being part of a really important growth,” Vicki remembers.

By utilizing her strong background in education, Vicki, who has always sought out training inside and outside the office, was able to establish and implement a training and education program at Karpas to benefit her and fellow agents prior to the addition of Karpas’ Dovie Morgan). Not only was Vicki able to educate others, but she was also able to educate herself through observing her new partners at Karpas. Vicki was also able to find in them traits that she admired and wished to instill in her own business philosophy. Although she has been able to learn much from fellow agents Hedley Karpas and Dovie Morgan, for Vicki her greatest mentor and teacher has always been at home.

Vicki’s husband, Ray, the founder of Houston builder and architecture firm, Novatecture Design Group and Park Ridge Developments, has always been Vicki’s strongest business model. Being married to an industry builder has allowed Vicki to learn the most about what creates the best customer service.

“My husband is a very well liked and respected businessman, and I think this is directly related to his philosophy that the customer is always right,” Vicki says. “He taught me not to be afraid of negative criticism and to welcome it with open arms so that you can immediately put changes into motion. He also believes that there are customer service issues with any and all businesses; however, what sets one business apart from another is how they approach and resolve these issues.”

Armed with the knowledge to serve her clients and 6 years of experience at Karpas Properties, Vicki is now proud to serve such distinct areas of Houston including Memorial Park, Memorial Villages, Bellaire, West University, Museum District, Heights, Uptown, Midtown, Downtown and the Galleria. Vicki’s consistent efforts to educate her clients concerning the potential of these areas has built lasting relationships and has resulted in landing her in a unique bracket as a Karpas Top Producer. This year, the proclaimed Top Producer is on track to reach 30 transactions which have been known to range anywhere between $80 thousand and $3 million.

Vicki’s mentor and friend Hedley Karpas is always the first to recognize the qualities that set her apart from other agents and make her a Top Producer at Karpas Properties.

“In my career I have met many wonderful Realtors. You often hear of Realtors going above and beyond the call of duty, but Vicki Barazandeh lives and practice’s going above and beyond,” Hedley says. “Not only does Vicki make sure that she communicates with all of her clients on a regular basis, but Vicki also employs a decorator who will make recommendations as to what needs to be done to ensure the property is presented in the best possible manor. Vicki has been a consistent top producer and Karpas Properties and is a valued member of the Karpas Properties team.”

Dovie Morgan, Vice President of Residential Sales for Karpas Properties, believes that four major factors set Vicki apart from other agents and make her a natural leader.

“Vicki is a true leader in our office; the things that set her apart include her creative marketing ideas for her clients, her willingness to go the extra mile for them, her commitment to education, and her appreciation of the contributions of her staff to her success,” says Dovie Morgan,

In marketing herself Vick has embraced technology by setting up her own personal website and using many online resources. Although these tools have been successful, it is no secret to those around her that Vicki’s best marketing tool has always been her reputation—after all, most of her new business comes through the referrals of delighted clients who feel they were fortunate to have done business with her.

“I must thank Vicki for handling the sale of my home,” says client Roy Murphy. “I have never in my 60 years heard of or worked with a Realtor as effective as Vicki. Her competency, professionalism, integrity, and sensitivity to the necessary subtleties in real estate transactions can only be equaled, but never surpassed. I will look foreword to my next home purchase with much greater confidence knowing that she will be my Realtor.”

Clients John P and Diane Kirk were most impressed by the professionalism Vicki exhibited and by the personal touches she used in her strategy to sell their home in record time.

“From the first moment we spoke Vicki listened carefully to our goals for selling our home. She arrived with a professional, complete marketing strategy,” the couple says. “In addition, she provided the arrangement of furnishings and art in our home to ensure it showed to maximum advantage and she carefully laid out photos that appeared on the web. The strategy paid off in the form of an accepted contract on our home in one week, whereas other similar homes had been on the market as long as 6 months! Vicki's service did not stop there—every step of the inspections, title company requirements, and other paperwork were monitored closely by her, and she made our part of the job easy. She is absolutely tops in our book!”

Vicki’s consistent efforts in customer service have attracted a long list of the industry’s superlative home builder including the likes of Northgate Custom Homes, Rosewood Development, Waterford Custom Homes, Buttler Brothers, Novatecture Design Group, and Park Ridge Developments. Ohad Yannay, CEO of Northgate Custom Homes, admires Vicki’s professionalism and principles and has utilized her abilities by using her as one of the exclusive listing agents of his new homes.

“Vicki is one of the best Realtors, if not the best Realtor that I have ever had the pleasure to work with,” Yannay says. “Her true caring persona, attention to detail, unique ability to communicate with buyers and sellers, and, not to mention, her professional demeanor are only surpassed by her actions—actions that can simply be labeled honest and ethical. It has been a true honor for me to have had the opportunity to work with her and I am looking forward to many more transactions.”

In marketing a home, Vicki believes strongly in first impression. Vicki employs an interior decorator to relieve the home’s space of clutter and add the necessary touches to increase the property’s appeal, thus allowing her to exceed her client’s expectations time and time again.

Another major factor that Vicki considers in order to provide her client’s with the utmost in customer service has always been availability. She often takes time out of her family life with her husband Ray and her 17-year old daughter Atessa to take calls from her clients at virtually any hour. But Vicki appreciates her family’s patience immensely and is the first to recognize their understanding.

“That’s one thing that definitely makes me special and unique,” she says. “When I receive a call on a property I know that the time right after the call is the most critical because a potential client’s interest is the highest.”

On her off time, Vicki serves as secretary on the board for the Society of Iranian-American Women for Education, where she helps others to acquire their educational dreams so they too can be afforded the opportunities she has been blessed with. She also volunteers as a validator for the National Association for the Education of Young Children, visiting schools in Texas and other states which are seeking National Accreditation.

Vicki was extremely excited this past year to be the chair of Karpas’ annual charity golf tournament, where she helped to raise a record $70 thousand for the Baylor College of Medicine. Vicki remembers being so inundated with the tournament that she basically made it her full-time job for an entire 3 months!

“It was an overwhelming task for me,” Vicki remembers. “Most of my worries and anxiety came from the fact that I wanted it to be successful, but when I was doing my hardest and giving 200% I did not have to be afraid— I knew that everything would work out.”

The things that Vicki is most passionate about, besides work, are her family and traveling. She enjoys when the two come together so she can experience different cultures and immerse herself in them with her husband and daughter. She considers herself fortunate to have taken the time with her family to have visited Italy several times in the past. The travel enthusiast hopes in the future to take her family with her to see Japan and Australia. “Vacationing is the one pleasure in my life I really enjoy,” the diligent agent says, “Although I feel guilty going on vacation with all the work I have.” Vicki also enjoys art, and tennis which can serve as a relaxing release from her challenging schedule.

Whenever asked what her biggest career achievement to date has been, the humble agent responds that she “hasn’t reached it yet.” Although she feels that she hasn’t reached her ultimate goal, Vicki recently received her Broker’s license. In the future, she hopes to receive a specialized license to help senior citizens with the purchase of homes.

“I have always had a special place in my heart for senior citizens as far as I can remember,” she says. “Perhaps, it’s because my grandmother was so instrumental in my life, or perhaps because I come from an upbringing where elders have the utmost respect because their life-experiences equal wisdom.”

Vicki has plenty of advice for new agents and always enjoys taking the time out of her hectic schedule to help educate them through the training program she implemented at Karpas. She advises agents to be consistent, use their extra time to their advantage, and to learn the virtues of stamina and patience.

It’s no surprise that the ambitious self-proclaimed “professional student” never wants to stop learning to improve herself and her business in the future. Vicki even has the aspiration to work towards a future MBA as a real estate attorney.

“When you truly work hard and efficiently, thing will happen,” she says. “Working hard does not equate to showing up at the office. There must be a plan of action, goals, and follow through. Work ethics also mean being honest with yourself and your clients, and most importantly obtaining the required education and training to be an educated professional. It’s important to remember that the mandatory continuing education required by TREC is only the minimum education and training required. If you want to deliver above minimum service to your clients, you must exceed the minimum education and training.”

Education and diligence are Vicki Barazandeh’s calling card and the reason for her outstanding success. By utilizing these strong attributes one can easily recognize why she’s at the “Head of Her Class.”