Our guests this week, Sergio Mercado and Jennifer Cohler Mason, just did gorgeous vignettes for one of the industry’s most talked about event “Design on a Dime.” It was put on hold for two years during Covid. This year the crowd and designers were top tier with the CEO of Gucci being honored and it was covered on Channel 4 and Channel 2. (Here is video.)

Roberto and I periodically ask expert Lisa Ben-Isvy when we want to talk to the very best in design business. Why? We look to design when we want to make sense of a turbulent real estate market., New York’s best designers are the tastemakers for the world. Designers must be good listeners and the best of them have an instinctive feel for where the market is going. Theirs is a more collaborative process with their clients than is found in other industries and consequently designers the first to know if clients are feeling optimistic, or anxious, whether people are spending or holding back. Their clients are our clients, and we want to know are their clients focused on Florida or heading back to Connecticut. Are they hiding in the Hamptons or starting projects in New York? Are clients reacting to a turbulent stock market and rising interest rates, or are they feeling good about strong employment and continued strong housing prices? This week we have Sergio Mercado and Jennifer Cohler Mason on the show, both recently featured on the TV show “Design on a Dime”  I was intrigued that Sergio’s clients say of him, “Everything he turns his attention to is done artfully.”  I am equally intrigued by Jennifer’s background as a fashion designer and her emphasis on craftsmanship. This should be a great conversation.

John Engel – John Engel can be found at http://www.JohnEngel.com. He is a consistently top-producing agent in Fairfield County, Connecticut. John recently won the Realtor of the Year Award in New Canaan where he is has been Chairman of the Town Council and is currently a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission. John also brings an insight into internet-based marketing that is unsurpassed. Before going into real estate he was the founder of two successful internet businesses, Paper.com and e-Media for which he won the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. John spent his earliest years in Stuyvesant Town in lower Manhattan and went to New Canaan High School before attending Davidson College in North Carolina. After graduating, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army and spent some time leading a military intelligence platoon on the front lines of the first Gulf War. He currently lives in New Canaan with his wife Melissa and four children. In addition to hosting this podcast on the market each week, John Engel produces an easy-to-understand and in-depth monthly market analysis called the Market Report for the 16 towns of lower Fairfield County.

Roberto Cabrera – Roberto can be found at http://www.RobertoCabrera.com. With 20 years of experience, I have been recognized throughout the industry for achieving outstanding results: Ranked nationally by REAL Trends as one of “America’s Best Real Estate Agents” for avg. sales price of $4.350M. Sold a single family Townhouse faster than any other on the Upper West Side over $10M. I live with my wife and daughter on the Upper West Side, the neighborhood I have called home for the past 23 years. I was originally born in Richmond, Virginia and grew up in Maryland, just one mile south of the Mason Dixon line. After graduating with a degree in Mathematical Economics from Hampden-Sydney College, the 10th oldest school in the country, I spent 5 years in Washington, DC working as a financial consultant. I also studied at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and I’m a former actor who once moonlighted as a stand-up comedian. Many years ago, I authored APPLE PIE – The Real Ingredients for Buying and Selling Your Slice.