After transitioning from commercial real estate development work to a full-time focus on brokerage and transactional services, Tony Stancato has become a valuable asset for Pillar Real Estate Advisors, bolstering the West Chester-based team of commercial real estate agents in its quest to provide unparalleled service to clients.  

A lifelong resident of West Chester, Stancato joined his father’s real estate business in the 1970s. He later bought a Prudential franchise and began developing 500-plus lots of affordable housing in the area. Among his notable West Chester projects were the purchase and restoration of the Woolworth building, now Iron Hill Brewery, and the nearby Greentree building, which is now an upscale apartment complex.

“Our specialty was taking property that was underutilized and convincing the municipality to change zoning to suit the demand,” said Stancato. “We wanted to work with the townships and not against them; that’s the attitude we adopted, and it worked. There is a huge demand for residential communities, and it’s not always easy to talk to townships and convince them to change zoning, but with a sound argument, they often come around.”

With his concentration on development, however, he had to turn down many commercial real estate brokerage opportunities that came his way, an issue that became the impetus for starting Pillar Real Estate Advisors.

“We knew that if we had a commercial real estate company, we would have an outlet for those opportunities and be able to market them,” said Stancato.

Now retired from the development business, Stancato has transitioned to supporting Pillar’s agents, who have more than 80 years of combined real estate experience, as the firm continues to garner awards of the highest caliber.

“We nowtake the expertise and the relationships we have with the townships, builders, and investors and work as advocates for the Pillar team,” said Stancato. “What we’re doing is equipping our agents with our knowledge and understanding. We can see from the client’s vantage point what the challenges are, so from that perspective, we can better serve them as buyers and sellers.”

Stancato notes that many of the deals they do are “off market” deals, the type that never hit the open market. Through his contacts and the relationships he’s cultivated, he has a good read on who the sellers are and who would be the best buyers are for a particular property.

“We have a very robust list of buyers and tenants who are interested in certain project types, so we can expose them to the properties before they even hit the market, making a quick deal for the sellers,” said Stancato. “It has been a big part of our success.”

The biggest part of Pillar’s success, however, is the investment the company has placed in its agents. Pillar has compiled a team of professional agents with a vested interest in the company.

“We have a philosophy here that we want every one of our agents to be successful,” said Stancato. “And when we say we are a team, it’s not just lip service.”

Whether clients want to purchase a property, subdivide a property, or get approvals to commercially develop a property, it’s worth knowing that the Pillar Real Estate Advisors team has an experienced asset to assist them through the process.

“Over the 45 years I’ve been involved in development, in building, and in getting projects approved with municipalities, I’ve come to know the various players and learned the ‘ins and outs’ of how to be successful,” said Stancato. “But my main role now is to act as an advocate for Pillar and, of course, our clients.”

Learn more about Pillar Real Estate Advisors.