Tom Dunphy Realtor | My Approach to Florida Real Estate

THE APPRAISER’S EDGE. THE RELOCATOR’S INSIGHT.

I’m Tom Dunphy Realtor with Fulton Grace Realty, and I bring more than 25 years of residential real estate experience to buyers and sellers throughout South Florida and the Treasure Coast.

My path into Florida real estate sales is different from that of many real estate professionals because real estate has been part of my life for generations.

My grandfather was a real estate broker. My father was also a real estate broker before transitioning into residential appraisal. I grew up around real estate, property discussions, transactions, market conditions, and the people who make the business work.

When I began my own career, I chose residential real estate appraisal as my profession.

I spent more than 25 years inspecting properties, analyzing residential transactions, studying markets, and working with Realtors, brokers, lenders, attorneys, builders, buyers, sellers, and homeowners.

After relocating to Florida in 2023, I decided to continue my family’s real estate tradition by expanding my residential real estate career into sales with Fulton Grace Realty.

A Lifetime Around Residential Real Estate

Residential real estate is not something I recently discovered.

It was part of my life growing up, and it has been the focus of my entire professional career.

As a residential real estate appraiser, I have personally inspected and analyzed thousands of properties. Every assignment required me to research the property, examine the surrounding market, analyze comparable sales and listings, communicate with people involved in the transaction, and explain the conclusions supported by the available evidence.

That experience has provided an extensive education in residential property and the many factors that can influence value and affect a real estate transaction.

Today, as Tom Dunphy Realtor with Fulton Grace Realty, I apply that experience while representing buyers and sellers throughout Martin, St. Lucie, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and surrounding South Florida communities.

I am personally involved in understanding my clients’ objectives, identifying and evaluating properties, communicating with buyers and sellers, developing pricing and marketing strategies, presenting properties, following up on opportunities, negotiating transactions, and helping clients move through the buying or selling process.

When a client’s needs extend beyond the communities I serve most frequently, I can also help connect that client with an experienced real estate professional through Fulton Grace Realty and my professional network.

The Appraiser’s Edge

Thomas J. Dunphy III, State-Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser RD8755

My professional background is in residential real estate valuation.

For more than 25 years, I have personally inspected and analyzed thousands of residential properties while working through changing markets and a wide range of property types, locations, physical conditions, and transaction circumstances.

Every property is different.

Automated estimates and broad price-per-square-foot calculations may provide a starting point, but they do not tell the complete story of an individual home.

When representing a seller, I examine the property itself and the market in which it competes. That includes its gross living area, site, location, view, condition, quality, renovations, amenities, competing listings, recent sales, and the characteristics buyers may consider when comparing it with other available properties.

My objective is to develop a pricing and marketing strategy based on the individual property, the seller’s objectives, and current market evidence.

When representing a buyer, I apply the same analytical approach to the properties under consideration. I help clients examine comparable sales, competing listings, market conditions, property characteristics, and other available information so they can make informed decisions.

A home is more than a collection of numbers, but understanding those numbers matters.

My appraisal background does not replace the responsibilities involved in representing buyers and sellers or properly marketing a property.

It provides an additional perspective that I bring to those responsibilities.

Working With Gail and Kim

I work with Gail Anderson and Kimberly Zaffrullah, two fellow Realtors with Fulton Grace Realty.

Our working relationship developed naturally through the office and our shared interest in helping buyers and sellers.

Gail was one of the top performers in the office when she invited me to work with her. I call her “Gail The Force Anderson” because she is a force to be reckoned with. She brings experience, personality, energy, ideas, and her own approach to working with clients.

Kim is always moving, always following up, and willing to go the extra mile. She brings enthusiasm, persistence, creativity, and her own perspective to the buying and selling process.

Each of us is fully involved in serving buyers and sellers. We also bring different professional backgrounds, personalities, experiences, and ideas to our collaboration.

My experience includes residential valuation, market analysis, client communication, property marketing, negotiation, and real estate sales. Gail and Kim bring their own sales experience, market knowledge, communication styles, professional relationships, marketing ideas, and client-service approaches.

When we collaborate, we work together throughout the process while each contributing additional perspective and support.

Our collaboration is not a substitute for individual responsibility. It gives our clients access to multiple real estate professionals who can exchange ideas, share information, provide coverage when needed, and remain focused on the client’s objectives.

Backed by Fulton Grace Realty

As Realtors with Fulton Grace Realty, we also have the resources, technology, professional network, and infrastructure of the brokerage behind us.

When I represent a seller, I am personally involved in developing and carrying out the marketing strategy for that property.

Depending on the individual property and the seller’s objectives, that strategy may include:

  • Professional real estate photography

  • Property video when appropriate

  • Traditional or virtual staging when warranted

  • Multiple Listing Service exposure

  • Syndication to leading real estate websites

  • Fulton Grace Realty brokerage exposure

  • TomDunphySellsRealEstate.com

  • Social-media marketing

  • Open houses when appropriate

  • Direct communication with buyers and real estate professionals

  • Continued review of competing listings and market activity

  • Follow-up with interested parties and cooperating Realtors

The exact marketing plan should fit the property.

I bring valuation experience, market analysis, client communication, property marketing, and direct representation to the process. Gail and Kim contribute their own experience and perspectives when we collaborate. Fulton Grace Realty provides the brokerage platform and resources supporting the transaction.

The client receives direct representation from me, access to a collaborative professional network, and the resources of Fulton Grace Realty.

South Florida Market Knowledge

I regularly research and publish residential real estate market updates covering communities and property types throughout South Florida and the Treasure Coast.

These reports examine information such as:

  • Settled sales

  • Active listings

  • Absorption rates

  • Months of housing supply

  • Comparable sale prices

  • Marketing times

  • Current market direction

My objective is to help buyers and sellers understand what is happening within the specific market segment that affects them.

Real estate conditions can differ considerably by county, city, neighborhood, property type, community, and price range. A broad headline about the Florida housing market may not accurately describe what is occurring in a particular local market.

That is why I focus on relevant market data, current competition, and the individual property rather than relying solely on generalized real estate commentary.

The Relocator’s Insight

After spending most of my life and career in the Philadelphia area, I relocated to Florida in 2023.

I had to learn new communities, understand regional differences, develop new professional relationships, and determine where I wanted to build the next chapter of my life and career.

That experience gives me a personal understanding of the questions and concerns that can accompany a move to Florida.

A relocating buyer may need more than a list of available homes. The buyer may also need help understanding communities, travel times, property types, insurance considerations, homeowners’ associations, construction differences, local market conditions, and how one area compares with another.

I combine my personal relocation experience with my residential property background to help clients evaluate both the home and the community around it.

Straightforward Communication

Whether I am representing you as a buyer or a seller, I want to understand what you are trying to accomplish.

If you are buying, tell me what matters to you. Tell me what you do not want, which communities you are considering, your budget, your timing, and how you intend to use the property.

If I show you a property and it does not work for you, tell me why. Every piece of information helps me better understand what we should be looking for.

If you are selling, tell me your objectives, timeline, concerns, and expectations. I will explain the available market evidence, how the property appears positioned within its market, and how I believe we should approach pricing and marketing.

The relationship should work both ways.

You do not have to tell me what you think I want to hear, and I am not going to tell you what I think you want to hear.

My responsibility is to listen, research, market, communicate, negotiate, and help you make informed real estate decisions.

Let’s Talk About Your Real Estate Goals

If you are considering buying or selling a home in Martin, St. Lucie, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, or another South Florida community, let’s talk.

Tell us what you want to accomplish. Ask us questions. Learn how we work. Then decide whether we are the right real estate professionals to represent you.

Tom Dunphy Realtor (Fulton Grace Realty)
Licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate

Thomas J. Dunphy III
State-Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser RD8755
APPRAIS

TomDunphySellsRealEstate.com

THE APPRAISER’S EDGE. THE RELOCATOR’S INSIGHT.

Real estate brokerage services are offered through Fulton Grace Realty. Appraisal services, when separately engaged, are provided independently through APPRAIS.