Power Broker: Judi Desiderio, Town & Country Real Estate CEO

Inspired by the timelessness of the East End, she fell in love with it on a trip to Montauk and decided to plant her roots. She hoped that other people would find the same joy of calling the Hamptons “home,” so she started her East End-focused real estate brokerage, Town and Country Real Estate, in December of 2005. But, little did she know the trouble just beyond the bend.

With the agency in its infancy, the financial crisis of 2008 shook Long Island real estate to its core. Then began some of the most troubling times in history for Long Island’s North Fork, and nearly every other region, for that matter. Real estate agencies were buckling beneath the difficulty of the “Great Recession,” and Desiderio was faced with difficult choices to make.

Her decision: perseverance.

With, at that point, just over two decades of experience selling homes on the East End, she knew that this market was one-of-a-kind, and, with time, would recover. And it did.

Now, nearly a decade-and-a-half later, Town and Country Real Estate is thriving, due in large-part to the leadership of Desiderio. Her business has expanded to eight locations, with over 150 brokers and agents. Selecting the right people who share her vision and passion for the business was key.

Her goals, as a company, revolve around the success of her agents. Her offices, she says, embrace every inch of beauty of the Hamptons, leaving no part unappreciated. Now, they are prominently located in Bridgehampton, Southampton, Westhampton, Montauk, Greenport, Mattituck and two in East Hampton.

Why the continued success, we asked? In such a difficult year, she has seen a COVID-19 sales “kick-up,” as she calls it: New York residents, liberated by the freedom of remote work, can now embrace the natural treasure that is Long Island’s East End.

And that brings new neighbors, more rich culture, and a better tomorrow for the East End.

In a form of literary “footprints” in the Hamptons sand, she offers the words of Will Rogers as inspiration to those seeking to emulate her success, in real estate or another industry, Desiderio says: “Know what you’re doing, love what you are doing, and believe in what you are doing.”

Desiderio resides in East Hampton with her husband and has two grown sons.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and Associate Publisher at Dan’s Papers.

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