By the time he graduated from the University of South Florida at Tampa, Josh Dotoli knew he was an entrepreneur at heart. Having worked with a mentor who managed and rehabbed properties, he believed real estate was his calling, and he quickly proved the point in his first successful year with a boutique firm in Fort Lauderdale.
Recruited four years ago by Compass Real Estate after six successful years with another high-end company, he and his wife, Dayana, whom he had met in the industry, decided to combine their skills in a concerted drive to grow and scale their business.
Today, the Dotoli Group, a data-driven, Compass-affiliated team that has grown to 11, is one of the top-selling real estate teams in South Florida, with $150 million in sales and 100 closed transactions in 2021 and a team-wide passion for supporting the communities they serve.
First on the docket is a partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Broward County and a commitment to fund and build a new home for a local family in need.
Barbara Pronin: That’s a huge commitment Josh, and we’ll get to the details, but can we start with a little more about your team?
Josh Dotoli: Sure. We are a close-knit team of 11 people, seven of us directly assisting buyers, sellers, investors and leasing clients, and four involved full-time with administration, marketing and client support.
BP: With such a large team, communication is paramount. How do you handle that?
JD: I’m in contact daily with all my employees, and weekly with the whole team. Happily, we have a loyal and collaborative culture, which not only helps us to stay productive, but also ensures that our clients can be offered 24/7 support. You know, in this industry, you have to be ‘on’ all the time, and you can sometimes feel a little isolated. Working together and having each other’s backs means each of us can have a life of our own knowing that someone is always there for our clients.
BP: What is it, do you think, that differentiates Dotoli group from the competition?
JD: A couple of things, I think. First, we are all experienced upmarket professionals, each of us dedicated to consummate client care. Our clients see us not as sales people, but as trusted real estate advisors, and we’re very proud that the lion’s share of the business we do comes to us from repeat clients and by referral. Also, Compass is an elite brokerage, and a leading brokerage in Broward County, so we have many fine resources and a proud reputation behind us.
BP: As your team evolves, Josh, is your role as leader evolving too?
JD: To some extent, yes. With a fully functional team working at peak, I’m able to do some coaching and mentoring now, which is something I really enjoy. It meant a lot to me when I was starting out, and I’m glad to be able to take on that role. Also, I have a bit more time to strategize and go after new ways to build our business and to keep an eye out for investment opportunities.
BP: So, why did you decide to put your support behind Habitat for Humanity of Broward County?
JD: I love this community. It’s where we live, where we’re raising our family, where we are proud to serve a real estate clientele. We know how important homeownership is to every family’s future—and Habitat of Broward helps hard-working families to achieve that American Dream. They provide a hand-up, not a hand-out, to families who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work with volunteers to build the home from the ground up—and earn a zero percent mortgage once they take some financial and life skills training. That’s a concept we really applaud, and we can’t think of a better way to give back.
BP: What’s the extent of your team’s involvement?
JD: We are making a donation in honor of every client we serve in 2022—but we are also ready to roll up our own sleeves and get out the hammer and nails when it’s time to get the build underway. The finished product, which we hope to complete by the end of Q4 of this year, will be a single-story, three- bedroom, two bath home, about 1,300 square feet, in a community with two parks and 76 townhouses on nine acres of land. There’ll be a public ribbon-cutting ceremony honoring the chosen Broward family when the home is ready for move-in.
BP: That’s an awesome project. Congratulations.
JD: Thanks. We’re happy to be a part of it.
BP: And the team, Josh. Are you looking to expand going forward?
JD: Not immediately. We set a high bar. But you know there’s always room for the right people.
Here’s a look at one of the Dotoli Group’s recently sold luxury properties in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and how it was listed:
2523 Laguna Terrace
“2523 Laguna Terrace is located in the most exclusive neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale, Harbor Beach. This stunning gated estate has four bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms, an office, and a three-car garage. It was built in 2015 with a 120 FT concrete dock on a wide canal with no fixed bridges and just minutes to the ocean, making it a boaters paradise. Josh Dotoli, principal of the DOTOLI Group at Compass, represented the buyer on this transaction.”
Sold for $9.8 million
4 Bedroom
5.5 Bathrooms
4,913 Square feet
Barbara Pronin is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
