MAMMA MIA

Michael Giuliani / Astrum Immobiliare

Having grown up in California’s diverse setting, “mamma mia” is a phrase I’d previously only heard in cartoons and other forms of entertainment. It was only when I met Michael Giuliani that I heard the exclamation in real life. Although it’s used to express surprise or agitation, it still brings a smile to my face every single time I heard Michael use it. It might be one of those things that you had to be there for, but he expresses it with such ‘lost hope,’ and passion that’s it is most likely when we mutter ‘wtf’ while waiting in line at the DMV.

I first met Michael several years ago when he worked for Alain Pinel Realtors in downtown Palo Alto. He was a well-known producer around town and we connected well and have remained friends ever since. He eventually left Alain Pinel Realtors for Keller Williams and we had discussed opening a boutique brokerage in Palo Alto around 2005/2006. Our idea was to have just a small retail store front, two offices in the rear, an espresso machine, and two conference rooms in the front with a matching pair of bespoke Pegoretti and Vanilla road bikes from VeloTech Cyclery. That was the vision, but during this period Michael was unfortunately going through a divorce and liquidating his California properties. His mind was not in the right state for a new business venture and his heart was half way around the world in Italy.

As his divorce was peacefully and mutually agreed upon and finalized, Michael mentioned that he longed for a slower pace of life. Although our business opportunity was here in Silicon Valley, he was seriously considering spending the next few years back home in Italy. I told him not to worry about our venture — that life always comes before business. I encouraged him to go to Italy, promised I’d visit, and explained that I was in no rush to open a brokerage. I knew I’d open one at some point in life, perhaps with a new business partner.

It took me a few years to do either. The photo above was taken in Orvieto, Italy (in Southern Tuscany, about 1.5 hours north of Rome) in May of 2013, a few months after Rickey and I started working on the foundation that would eventually become METIS Real Estate.

While Michael left for Italy with a comfortable bank account, the entrepreneur in him wouldn’t let go. Although Silicon Valley was moving at breakneck speeds, Italy at times was too slow. Michael was the fastest guy in Orvieto and, naturally, he brought his real estate talents over and opened Astrum Immobiliare (‘immobiliare’ is ‘real estate brokerage’ in Italian). He soon discovered a new niche working with foreigners who wanted to buy or sell vacation or retirement properties in Tuscany. In addition to Astum, Michael never forgot about his clients here in Palo Alto, nor did his clients give up on him. It took me some 7–8 years to visit Michael in Italy, as he was consistently back in Silicon Valley for 2–6 months at a time working with his clients and ensuring their transactions and experience had that Giuliani polish. Michael is a very particular and detail-oriented person, and this is most likely the reason we get along so well — we both understand and appreciate quality.

Although Michael has his own real estate venture in Italy and maintains a traditional Realtor/client relationship with his clients here in Palo Alto, he has been a huge contributor to how we built and shaped METIS. From how we split our fee model, to our marketing approach — Michael’s opinion and advice were critical at every step. There’s a reason why his clients insist on using his services — even if he is more than 6000 miles away. This is the type of service we strive for at METIS and the type of clientele we hope to attract. I couldn’t be more grateful for Michael’s contributions not only to METIS, but also to my personal life in general.

To be genuine, to be honest, to provide advice not from a point of personal gain, but in the best interest of the other party — to put oneself into the other’s shoes if possible, and to consult from that perspective.

I look forward to our dinners at Tomi Sushi in Mountain View when Michael visits every year and, as he’s told me, so does he. Apparently good sushi is impossible to find in Italy, and good friendship is something that doesn’t just take work, but is also worth traveling 6000 miles to maintain.

Mamma mia, what a life!

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Written by Wallace Chane, Co-Founder / VP of METIS Real Estate

METIS is a start-up operating in the residential real estate space. We are a data- and detail-driven brokerage which provides the most value to dollar ratio on the market. Connect today — www.metisre.com | 408–621–7607