The Touch of Professionalism

By: Jean Kapkanoff

Partitions divide Prudential Kafcos Realty, a real estate agency in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, into a handful of sections comprised mainly of cubicles, all of which are identical, but which also bear the personal touch of each individual agent. Some are adorned with colorful pictures of family members and celebrities, others with the agents’ own artwork. Near the end of the path that leads to the agency’s back room stands a cubicle festooned with notes, signs, folders and paperwork and crowned with a few family pictures that belong to Phyllis Basilone.

Life-long Bronx resident Basilone, 57, has been Prudential Kafcos’s top producing agent for nearly the entire eight years she’s been working there, according to the agency’s broker, Greg Kafcos. Basilone’s clients and co-workers attribute her success to her determination, professionalism, and enthusiasm for her profession. The most significant factor in her success as a real estate agent, however, is perhaps her life-long interest and involvement in the business world.

Originally from the Morris Park section of the Bronx, Basilone was raised in what she describes as a “very Italian family,” where strong emphasis was placed on tradition, morals and values. Since her father’s entire family followed careers in business, Basilone herself developed an interest in business early in life. After finishing high school, she worked several office jobs, but soon found that the office was not the place for her.

“I hated that nine-to-five thing,” declares the tall, slender woman, who is easily identifiable by her fiery red-colored hair. “I knew I always wanted to work with people. I didn’t want to be a secretary or anything; I didn’t like office work.”

So when the owner of a boutique on Westchester Square called The Barn, at which Basilone was a frequent shopper, began looking for a partner to help run the business, she was given the opportunity to fulfill her dream. When the boutique’s owner, whom she remembers only as Felicia, decided to move to Pennsylvania, Basilone took ownership of the store. In addition to learning about the business world and making money, she found that she truly enjoyed what she was doing.

“I loved it. I had a great time,” she says.

After eventually selling The Barn, Basilone worked part-time at a men’s clothing store down the street from The Barn before devoting her time to raising her children, John and Jenna. Upon her daughter’s entrance into high school, Basilone’s love for working with people led her to the real estate business.

Basilone explains that while houses and interior design had always interested her, real estate also allowed her a flexible schedule that she could work around her top priority: her children.

“I needed to be there for my daughter,” she says. “That was the most important thing, that I could still be there for her and make my own hours here.”

Basilone’s background in business has served her particularly well as a real estate agent – her professional attitude, outgoing personality and hard work have made her Prudential Kafcos Realty’s top producing agent. She has received numerous prizes for her work, including the Chairman’s Circle Award – an award given to top producing agents throughout the Prudential network – four years in a row.

“She’s one of the best real estate agents that I know,” says Dawn Kafcos, who works alongside her brother Greg at Prudential Kafcos. “Customer feedback is phenomenal.”

“She’s got what you’d call the gift of gab,” says a fellow agent at Prudential, who cites Basilone’s outgoing and talkative nature as one of the keys to her success.

According to Basilone, what makes someone a successful real estate agent comes largely from within oneself. One must be able to understand a client’s needs, avoid being “pushy,” and keep clients focused on a price range they can afford when looking to buy a house.

“Buying a house is a tremendous investment, and it’s a traumatic experience for people,” she explains, “so you want to make it a happy [experience] for them.”

Mainly, however, the real estate business requires patience, honesty, common sense, and most of all, good listening skills.
“Listen to them,” she says. “Listen to what their needs are. It’s made me do well in this business.”

Aside from her involvement in the real estate business and her commitment to her family, Basilone maintains an interest in crafts such as cooking, cross stitching, and stenciling. However, she states: “Do I have time to do it now? No. This job can command a lot of your time.”

Real estate, however, will be her final career endeavor. Basilone says that after her daughter finishes college, she plans to obtain her real estate license in Florida, where her son lives. From then on, she wants to go back and forth between the two states, selling real estate.

“No,” she says, “I wouldn’t go onto another career. That’s it, I’m done, I’m finished. This is it.”