“It’s hard to find people you enjoy working with; and we really do work so well together.”
Miami’s evolution into a cultural capital has inspired a new wave of young buyers into Miami, looking for the hottest and hippest areas to live in. Daniel de la Vega is working to insure that One Sotheby’s is who they call when they come to town looking for a luxe new pad or development site.
Mayi de la Vega, One Sotheby’s founder, is Daniel’s mother and one of the most wellrespected and successful realtors in South Florida. This familial relation might explain why at the tender age of 30, Daniel already has 12 years of experience in Real Estate. He is the Managing Partner and Broker of One Sotheby’s, which focuses on über-luxury residential listings and project development sales in Miami-Dade and Broward County.
Until recently, Daniel and Mayi were selling real estate separately and officially became a team when Daniel and his mother purchased the Sotheby’s franchise for South Florida. “We operated under the same firm, but we only worked on a handful of deals together. While she taught me everything I know, it was important for me to establish my own name. It really wasn’t until this opportunity came up that we became partners. Since then, we have worked side-byside, learning so much from each other. “
Daniel and Mayi decided to open One Sotheby’s in 2008, amid the housing crisis.
“Everyone thought we were crazy because of the economy at the time,” said Daniel. “We made a big investment and a big push when times were really tough, but things have turned around.” Now, One Sotheby’s has eight offices and about three hundred agents, who Daniel says all work as a team. “We are lucky to have quality agents who take their jobs seriously and understand the market very well.”
Daniel also travels internationally for One Sotheby’s, having already journeyed to Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile to meet with potential buyers and broker firms. He can see the diversity of people coming to South Florida, especially from South America, and he doesn’t hesitate to travel long distances to put together deals in-person. “We deal with [our South American clients] at a very early stage so the developer can get top dollar,” says Daniel.
Recently engaged to beautiful law school grad, Veronica Bilbao, Daniel already has both his business and personal life on track. At just 30 years old, he has been managing an impressive property portfolio totaling over $1 billion in assets after earning a degree in Finance and Marketing from Florida International University and later receiving an MBA from the University of Miami.
Daniel also enjoys a number of hobbies. He plays tennis regularly and boasts a ninehandicap on the links. “When it got more difficult to play a pick-up game of football, baseball, or basketball, I started to focus more on golf and tennis,” said Daniel. But, his latest passion is art. “Art has become a passion of mine in the last five years, and I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel the world to fairs with prominent collectors who have guided me. They’ve taught me so much about art.”
Among these collectors is Miami art queen, Ella Cisneros, who has taken on the role of art mentor for Daniel. Speaking about his very first piece he bought himself, which now hangs in his Coral Gables office, de la Vega says, “It’s from an amazing photographer named Frank Thiel. I bought it at an auction. Actually, Marty Margulies outbid me for the piece. When he realized it was me he had outbid, he was nice enough to offer it back to me at the price at which I stopped bidding. He then donated the difference to the Lotus House. It was an amazing experience and a really cool way to have been able to buy my first piece of art.”
And his passion does not stop there; he and Mayi have decided to launch their own collection. “I feel like we will be partners in anything we do moving forward,” said Daniel. “It’s hard to find people you enjoy working with; and we really do work so well together. We’re now launching The de la Vega Collection, which is a combination of some of each of our own favorite pieces. We both only recently started collecting emerging, midcareer Latin American artists and will be combining forces.”
Their latest project is 1000 Museum, an exciting new tower designed by world-renowned architect, Zaha Hadid, on Biscayne Boulevard. The project with the starchitect is getting a lot of buzz. “It is going to change the way people view downtown! The building itself is a work of art. We are very excited to be the exclusive sales and marketing team.”
Daniel, who is joining his mother on Haute Living’s Haute 100 list this year is happy to step into the One Sotheby’s spotlight. After accomplishing so much, so soon, he is ready to acknowledge his success and how he achieved it: “You just have to do what you love.”
