From nearly 4,500 miles away “across the pond,” Amar Nathwani’s journey to his real estate career in Tampa Bay began. While still living in London, he and his brother, Sam Nathwani, bought a 1-bedroom condo in St. Pete from an owner/financier who wanted to provide the brothers their first step up the property ladder. This little condo would prove to be the catalyst for his interest in all things real estate.
Through this experience, Amar learned the foundations of the art of realty: negotiating, property maintenance, tenant selection, managing delinquencies, and finally marketing the property and working with potential buyers. “I made a lot of costly mistakes along the way, especially with managing the property from overseas – but the lessons learned continue to save me and my clients many times forward” said Amar. Since this condo, Amar has been involved with investing in properties ranging from single-family homes, multi-family complexes and self-storage facilities all the way through to retail stores and restaurants.
When asked about what he enjoys about being a realtor - “Cliche as it sounds, I like that every day in real estate is different,” said Amar. His former career was in management consulting at Accenture Strategy as well as Deloitte, both in London. During his career in Consulting (spanning almost ten years), Amar advised Senior Executives of S&P 500 and FTSE 100 companies on how to develop and execute their corporate strategies.
Between his former and current career, Amar finds notable similarities. “In Consulting, every project and client involves variety, complexity, and opportunities that kept me learning and on my toes. Similarly, with Real Estate, every client, property, due diligence and negotiation introduces different personalities, challenges, and dynamics to overcome,” he added. Amar values thinking outside the box and finding solutions that get the deal done.
Since Amar relocated to the U.S. in 2019, his proudest (and most challenging) achievement in real estate thus far is the sale of his 230+ unit self-storage facility in Tampa. This was also Amar’s first business venture as an entrepreneur. During the sale of this business, however, his real estate agent backed out. “Unfortunately, the agent I hired couldn’t sell the property at his guide price and stated that he had mistakenly overestimated, so our agreement was canceled. Left with the question of what to do next, I decided to market the property myself by leveraging my sales and pitchbook skills from Management Consulting.”
Amar’s toolkit of resources and his creative problem-solving skills kicked into high gear. Faced with the challenge of marketing the property himself, Amar commenced a substantial online and social media marketing campaign along with print brochures containing professional photos and detailed actual, projected, and pro-forma financials. After just five weeks, he managed to secure a brand new list of qualified and sophisticated buyers from which he achieved an additional 12% over the original guide price and a trouble-free closing. “The success of this property ultimately inspired me to become a licensed Realtor and now I deliver the same results for my clients that I hoped my agents would have achieved for me.”
If he could turn back time, there are three pieces of advice that Amar would give himself in the infancy of his career: trust your instincts, embrace failures and learn the lessons, and just keep working hard. Amar believes that very few of the good things in life come easy, and it can take constant hard work and sometimes different strategies to eventually achieve your goal.
When asked about why he chose Barkett Realty - Amar said that John Barkett is the reason he wanted to work there. “I knew from our first meeting, as a potential client, that I would want to work as a Realtor at this brokerage.” Amar admires that John is a family man like himself, and that John runs his business like a family as well. “While John is the reason I joined his team, it’s his agents, appraisers, property managers and entire management team that are the reason I stay.” Amar appreciates the truly unique combination of both talent and culture at the brokerage.
Three qualities that Amar possesses and believes to be important to real estate success are entrepreneurship, numeracy, and relationships. Amar believes it’s vital to put himself in his clients’ shoes and understand how real estate can help them to achieve their personal, business, or investment goals. With his MBA from INSEAD (one of the world’s top ten graduate business schools) and past experience working with the world’s leading banks and financial institutions such as HSBC, Barclays, and Schroders, Amar has an appreciation for the dollars behind every deal. When it comes to relationships, his ability to build rapport and navigate all the different interests and personal styles are essential factors to getting a great deal done effectively: “At the end of the day, real estate can be a simple transaction – or it can be the start of building and developing a new relationship, I always enjoy it when it’s the latter”.
In our local community, Amar is the Treasurer and Board Member of his residence’s HOA which covers over 140 homes and its shared facilities. “I joined because the community was extremely well-maintained before I moved in,” he shared. “As a show of appreciation for the HOA Board that worked tirelessly to keep our residences safe and enjoyable, I decided to join and support them.” Inspired by his background in consulting, the HOA’s President nominated Amar to take over the role of Treasurer to ensure the group was operating cost effectively and accounting for dues appropriately.
On why Amar loves being in the Tampa Bay area - “The Tampa Bay market is such a dynamic place to be,” shared Amar. “There are so many families and businesses moving here on a daily basis and there is so much investment and transformation happening in the city,” he added. As both a resident and a Realtor, Amar is excited to watch these transformations unfold. “It’s such a great City to live and work in – and I’m very excited for its future!”
A well-kept secret about Amar is that while at law school, he trained in Bollywood and Street dance (and has even performed in front of members of the Royal Family in London). Now, during his free time, Amar enjoys golf and photography – he is particularly proud of his photo of The Don CeSar which was reposted to their official Instagram page.
When Amar thinks of his greatest inspiration, his family comes to mind, particularly his mother - an immigrant from India who grew up with little in terms of formal education and wealth. “My mother’s principles of perseverance, integrity, and faith in a Higher Being all provide me with the strength and encouragement to continue to work hard and strive to be a better person,” Amar said. Beyond the inspiration of his mother, Amar also looks to his wider family still living in London who supported and encouraged him through all the major achievements in his life, from law school, to completing his MBA with INSEAD, and moving over to the U.S. on his own to pursue his real estate career.
In describing his perfect weekend, Amar said “my perfect Sunday afternoon would include quality time anywhere in St. Pete with my partner, Vanesa, and our adopted Shiba Inu, Peeti”. Together, they enjoy having brunch and coffee on Central Avenue as they are both self-described foodies and coffee aficionados. Amar and Vanesa also enjoy strolling through downtown by Vinoy Park or the Pier, both of which are Peeti’s favorite spots to stretch his legs and bark away at the sunset.
Feel free to reach out to Amar for any of your Real Estate interests - whether it’s a purchase, sale or leasing. Amar is confident that, whatever your goal, his solutions-based approach will leave you satisfied. Amar can be contacted via his websites https://aeternumcap.com/ and https://www.barkettrealty.com/team/amar-nathwani or on social media @amar.nathwani.realtor (Facebook and Instagram).
