Happy Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day to all those dads, dads to be and dads in heaven.
I grew up in Mamaroneck, NY and was raised by my mother Dolores and my father Tony Stracuzzi. My parents, children of Italian immigrants, taught me to announce my presence when I entered a room and to always say the two magic phrases in life, “please” and “thank you”. They taught me to be affectionate and to never be afraid to say “I love you,” always do my best, never give up, respect my elders, lend a helping hand, hold the door open for the person behind you, call if I was going to be late, and walk with my shoulders and head high.
Most of all, my parents taught me the value of hard work. Every night, my dad come home filthy and exhausted after a long day working construction. Every night, he took a quick shower then sat down at the table for dinner and an evening kid routine.
Over 30 years ago, I started working for my dad in construction. Whatever I did as a job, whether it was laying tile, drywall or doing stucco, he always wanted me to have it done perfectly. It didn’t matter if it took me twice the amount of time…he wanted me to look back at it with pride knowing it was done correctly.
I could tile six bathrooms in one day-we’re talking the floors, tub, walls and all. When I would tell my dad how much I had gotten done, he’d ask if I grouted them too. Everyday around 4:30pm, he would tell his workers the day wasn’t over and it was time to get the job done.
One memory I will never forget was when I was going a pool tile job. I was in my twenties and as I was wrapping up, my dad says to me “it’s a little crooked. If it was your house, would you leave it like that?” I thought to myself “well yeah” but knew that wasn’t an acceptable answer. He said “remember, your name is ALWAYS on the work that you do.” Those words stuck with me forever.
Since that day, I have taken pride in everything I touch. After transitioning into the real estate world, I knew I had to work hard to be my best if I wanted to be the best.
Today, The Stracuzzi Team at RE/MAX Community is one of the top 40 teams in the Nation and one of the largest names in the world. I joined the RE/MAX franchise because of the international exposure we would receive. Now, the name Stracuzzi is associated as one the most successful real estate teams in the Nation. We are known for being the #1 Real Estate Team on the Treasure Coast and selling more homes than any other real estate team each year.
For that amazing success, I have my family and my team to thank. The Stracuzzi Team at RE/MAX Community was built on the foundation of family. Working hard for our clients every day is my wife, my kids, my brother, my brother-in-law and my sister-in-law as well as 12 team members who have become family. I am so grateful for all of them and that together, we can achieve more for our clients, making their homeownership dreams comes true and helping sellers sell for the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time.
It took a lot for my dad to say he was proud…but today, I know he would be proud of me.
Later in life, the doctor told my father he had 6 months to live. I couldn’t accept that so together, we continued to dive into projects. He loved a good remodel and I learned you live longer when you have a purpose. He lived another 6 years.
So the main lesson I take away from all the great memories and years of advice, is that your name will always be on it. Continue to work hard for perfection. Do your best to be the best. Hold your head up high, be polite and love everyone.
Patrick and his father, Tony Stracuzzi.
