Irene Dazzan

Sandro Dazzan Made in Malibu

There are about 30 listings on Sandro Dazzan’s docket. All are in Malibu and range from an $85 million mansion on Malibu Crest Drive—known as the “New Castle”—to a $5.8 million Modernist stunner by architect Ed Niles.

Dazzan has an equal number of leases too, for the person who wants to lounge at the Malibu Colony for $100,000 per month, or stretch poolside at a villa overlooking La Costa Beach for about $30,000 per month. Ask him how he does it, and the answer is as easygoing as the man himself. “It just kind of falls into place,” he says with a laugh before turning serious. “It’s about having a good team, and being responsive and always being available.”

“When you sell a $50 million dollar piece of dirt, once you look back at it, you realize, ‘yeah, it was a pretty huge accomplishment.”

RECORD

Sandro set a Malibu sales record in in 2011 for the highest residential sale, and again in 2017 for the highest land sale in Malibu history

SALES TAB

Has closed more than $750 million in home sales

LISTED

Included among Forbes’ “30 Under 30” Real Estate list in 2011

The last two are natural to the Malibu native, who was raised in real estate (his mother is super agent Irene Dazzan-Palmer) and chose the profession after leaving UCLA, economics degree in hand, and understanding that the world of finance might not be his cup of tea. “I realized if I went down the banking path, being in a cubicle 10 or 12 hours a day wasn’t really a good fit for me, ” says Dazzan, an outdoorsman who counts surfing and hiking among his favorite pastimes.

Real estate turned out to be a sage career move. Dazzan’s track record includes last year’s record-breaking sale of 24 ocean-bluff Malibu acres to developer Scott Gillen—a sale that felt like business as usual while it was happening. “When you sell a $50 million dollar piece of dirt,” he says, “Once you look back at it, you realize, ‘Yeah, it was a pretty huge accomplishment.’”

Despite having plenty of options, Dazzan chooses to live and work in Malibu, a place he refers to as “a passion of mine.” It’s also a place that has changed mightily in the past five years or so. Among the changes are increased amenities catering to and beckoning newcomers from all over the world, like the forthcoming Whole Foods and recently opened Soho House. “I travel all over the world,” says Dazzan. “You mention Malibu and it’s a global brand. Everybody knows it. That’s pretty exciting coming from the little sleepy beach town that I grew up in.”

“The Lake House” at 3350 Serra Road in Malibu

It’s a town where Dazzan grew up playing Little League at Malibu Bluffs Park overlooking the ocean, and where he’s now raising his own family. It’s also an area he knows like the back of his hand. “Malibu is a very technical market,” he points out. “About 27 miles of coastline, and every half mile is completely different than the next.” There’s coastline, canyons and bluffs, and a slew of different neighborhoods. “You need somebody who understands every single nook and cranny,” says Dazzan, who knows how wind and sand will move on a specific property, or the position of the sunlight throughout the year.

“I’m very grateful for what I have, and where I live,” says Dazzan, whose appreciation for the place has been reinforced by his global travels, particularly to locations much less Malibu-like. Working with younger agents at The Agency—a collaborative firm that Dazzan describes as “a refreshing environment”—who are hungry and have a similar yen for Malibu is one of the ways he looks to shape its future. “I want to help them grow so they can continue this legacy of our special little beach town.”

Sandro Dazzan  |  The Agency

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