Shane and Tracy Croft run one of Orlando’s most unique real estate businesses. This husband and wife team is a true real estate powerhouse, and close what some of Central Florida’s largest real estate teams produce, yet Shane and Tracy are a team of two. They have cornered portions of the luxury market with a very unique approach to the way they do business.
Shane and Tracy began their careers in mortgage lending. And after a decade in lending, Shane moved into the finance industry where he began working for one of the 400 wealthiest individuals in the world. “During the recession, we bought hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate,” Shane reflects. “I sourced distressed real estate transactions. Banks were closing their doors left and right, and they had portfolios of deals that had gone bad. We went in and bought everything we could.”
During the same recession, Tracy transitioned into a broader real estate role. With her and Shane’s existing connections in the industry, they were able to land nearly 300 listings in a nine-month span from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac through their foreclosure departments. Tracy spearheaded the efforts to sell those homes, getting her broker’s license and managing a team of agents. “We had so much business and needed a lot of hands on deck. It was absolute chaos,” Shane reflects. “But Tracy is very experienced. Everyone loves Tracy. She’s likable, calming, always smiling, not threatening, and very smart. And that helped us.” But by 2015, the real estate market was well into its recovery, and Shane was looking for a new professional outlet. So instead of working at another large private equity firm, Shane decided to join Tracy in real estate sales. “Our friends and sphere of influence tend to be more affluent. We started helping some of them casually buying and selling homes, and it just took off. In 2018, it started really gaining momentum.”
Shane and Tracy focus on high-end communities and country clubs because that’s where their friends and connections live. “A huge majority of our customers are our friends. We are not trying to sell them anything – ever. We’re peers. I don’t really solicit business in a traditional sense. They know we have been successful in various aspects of the industry, and when dealing with affluent customers, they want to see you are like them, not selling them. I play golf with my clients, who are really our friends, and Tracy plays tennis with hers. We don’t run traditional real estate ads. We don’t sell. We keep people educated. It’s just a different style of business, and we love it that way.”
P: 407-367-9329 | SCroft@CroftRealEstate.com
