Q&A with Joe Pucillo, Truehold’s Head of Brokerage

In this Q&A with Joe Pucillo, Truehold's Head of Brokerage, we delved into his strategic vision to establish a robust Truehold Certified Partner program.

As a seasoned industry leader, Pucillo shared insights on how Truehold's innovative sale-leaseback solution can effectively aid realtors in expanding their businesses and revenue. Join us as we uncover his plans to build a best-in-class experience for innovative realtors.

Can you tell us about your career path and how you got to where you are today?

I’m a growth-focused executive who’s been in the real estate industry for more than 25 years. I’m currently the Head of Brokerage at Truehold, where I’m focused on building out the partnership engine and overseeing our brokerage operations. My background is in growing and building new companies and launching new products within existing companies. Most recently, I served as EVP Head of Brokerage at Amherst Residential. There, I was responsible for optimizing the brokerage department (Leasing, Transaction Management, and MLS Acquisitions) and building out an off market and DTC acquisition channel. Prior to that, I worked at Realogy and ZipRealty, growing agent production and retention. I’m excited to leverage the extensive network of partners I’ve cultivated over the last two and a half decades to take Truehold to the next level.

What values are you focusing on as you develop the Certified Partner Program?

Above all else, I’m looking to form real and long lasting relationships with our realtor partners. We strive to do this by being, first and foremost, open and transparent. Our partners know exactly what our buy box is and how they can make the most out of this partnership. At the end of the day, our realtor partners are our clients, and we want to do everything we can to make it as simple as possible for them to work with us. Our “business in a box” solution will help them maximize their opportunities to grow their business with Truehold and take as much work off their plate as possible.

You have decades of experience in real estate. In your view, what makes Truehold unique?

I think Truehold is unique for a few reasons. For one, it has a distinctive product offering that’s new to the residential real estate world. Sale-leasebacks have been used in other industries for decades, but are sometimes seen as a new concept to homeowners. Second, realtors who leverage Truehold’s sale-leaseback have the ability to meaningfully, and tangibly, help their clients in a wide range of situations. Whether you’re an older adult who wants to stay at home, a young couple who wants to buy a bigger home, a divorced couple that wants to easily divide assets, or a single person who recently lost their job and is strapped for cash, we offer a solution that can help you. To that end, Truehold is unique because of our dedication to our mission.We really want to positively impact our customers’ lives and help them achieve their goals, whatever they might be.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing realtors today, and how will you be addressing it?

I’m finding that many realtors are struggling today because of the macro environment. The housing boom, and thus the number of completed transactions, has slowed significantly. High mortgage rates mean that there are fewer buyers on the market, as well as fewer sellers, since most homeowners don’t want to, and can’t afford to, trade in a 2% mortgage rate for a 6% one. As a result, there’s minimal inventory on the market. That’s where we come in. Working with Truehold allows agents to offer their existing and prospective clients a unique and differentiable option, when the traditional option of buying or selling is no longer feasible. In doing so, we provide realtors with a new revenue stream that’s agnostic of the macro environment and recession-proof. Offering sale-leasebacks allows realtors to have a new tool in their toolbox and differentiate themselves from other realtors who are only offering the binary options of buying or selling.

What are some of the most important factors that partners should consider when telling their clients about Truehold?

Simply put, our sale-leaseback is a win-win for homeowners: they get to cash out their hard-earned home equity, debt-free, while continuing to live in the homes they love, maintenance-free. It can be a short or long term solution for homeowners, depending on if they want to sell in order to finance their next home and move when it’s ready, or whether they’re an older adult who wants to stay put for the rest of their lives.

When you’re not working, what can we find you doing?

I love to travel, coach youth sports, watch my son play college football and my daughter play volleyball, and cook for my family.

How can someone become a Truehold partner?

The best way to get started is to fill out the form at the bottom of this page or email partners@truehold.com.