Denise Torres and Stephanie Muzzillo, of Palm Beach Gardens-based Saltwater Home Group, have firmly established themselves as top-earning agents in Palm Beach County, Florida. With a wealth of experience, their commitment to their clients is unwavering, not only assisting in finding the perfect luxury homes but also in facilitating a seamless transition into a new lifestyle. Denise and Stephanie understand the essence of luxury when it comes to assisting their clients.

 

Denise comments, “Steph and I have been educators and administrators. It’s where our philosophies and backgrounds align.”

 

Luxury Service; Not a Price Point

 

With conviction, Denise further comments, “Our motto at Saltwater Home Group is ‘Luxury is not a price point; it’s a level of service.’ We believe in this passionately, especially as it relates to helping our clients with important life choices.”

 

Denise and Stephanie are dedicated to providing full-service transactions and draw from their personal experience as property investors, adding authenticity and expertise to the company’s promise. The partners both have a keen eye for property improvement that they share with every client in fully understanding the best return on investment.  Denise relates proudly, “Our clients trust us with their investments and appreciate that we are investors as well.”

Together, the duo’s knowledge base of the area’s schools and resources extends from Palm Beach to Miami/Dade. Stephanie remarks, “Our experience in the South Florida education world is priceless for our clients.”

 

Saltwater Home Group: A Natural Progression

 

By 2019, when both women, independently of one another, came to similar life decisions to transition from their education professions to real estate, they discovered a unique synergy while working together. Stephanie recalls the experience, saying “Denise's client was an out-of-state client. And my client was a very close family friend. It was a higher price point transaction at the beginning of our careers –  a significant milestone in first understanding the positivity we created together.”

 

Their decision to unify their energy and common values together as Saltwater Home Group felt like a natural progression. Denise says, “The company came together very quickly.”

 

In 2022, Keller Williams Palm Beaches presented the prestigious Triple Platinum Award and the Millionaire Agent Award to the Saltwater Home Group, which, in just two years, had evolved into a strong team consisting of four agents and one transaction coordinator. This achievement of reaching a yearly total sales volume of 80 million dollars stands as a testament to Denise and Stephanie’s abilities as business partners and their promise of luxury experience to their clients. Stephanie remarks confidently, “Since July 2020, when Denise and I formed Saltwater, we've done over $200 million in production.”

 

 Honoring Family and Mentors

 

Denise and Stephanie share another deep bond. Both are inspired by family mentors who instilled in them the importance of hard work and the value of real estate investing in securing their own families' futures.

 

Stephanie's background is rooted in her Cuban-American heritage, having been born in the United States to immigrant parents. With admiration, she recalls, “Growing up, I watched my grandfather, Esteban Gonzalez, build his company and livelihood through real estate investing.” Affectionately, she recalls a family story, saying, "When my mother was eight years old, just after she’d arrived in the United States, her father – my grandfather – wasted no time in purchasing a four-unit property. His mission was to assist his family in coming to the U.S. from Cuba as quickly as possible.

 

Denise describes her father, Joseph Schiavone, as her most enduring mentor, saying, “I grew up in Long Island, New York. My father worked very hard to provide for our family and I learned a lot from him. His grit and determination prepared me for who I am now professionally.” With heartfelt sentiment, she adds, “Like my dad did, I have a very strong commitment to my family and taking care of them.”

 

A Philosophy Devoted to Personal Enrichment

 

Going forward, Denise and Stephanie’s ambitious five-year vision for the company involves further enriching the already five-star luxury client experience by establishing an expansion team in several South Florida-based areas. Their company will continue fostering their agents on a path to personal success. Stephanie emphasizes, “We want to make sure that it's a happy team and that, individually, our agents feel like they are getting what they need for their personal growth. It’s a promise that’s aligned with our philosophy for our clients. If our agents are successful and aspire to be on their own one day, we would love that. We’ll help them on that journey.”

 

Busy Spouses and Mothers

 

At home, both women also love being spouses and mothers in equally vibrant, busy households.

 

As a mother of a newborn daughter named Isla Maria, Stephanie describes her household of a total of five children exuberantly, saying, “We have a blended family. Including our new baby, my other children are in ninth, seventh, sixth and third grade. We also have dogs, snakes and lizards! And all this while my partner is a CEO in charge of four hundred employees!”

 

Denise laughs knowingly, adding, “I have four children: three girls and my son! They’re twenty-one, twenty, thirteen and eleven. Two are in middle school, one is in college and one lives in Peru with her fiance. I also have a very supportive partner, my husband, who is an attorney – with a very full plate.”

 

Stephanie summarizes their family experiences, saying, “I'm sure Denise can agree with this – we had our children young. So, they’ve grown with us. They’ve seen the struggles and the greatness. They've encountered everything as it happened. My boys always tell me, ‘We can't believe how much you can do!’ And I say,’ The sky's the limit! You can do anything that you put your mind to. Often I remind them that ‘Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” You just need to prepare and the point will come when you don't accept ‘no’ for an answer. Just keep going and gather your information along the way.’ And they do! I'm so proud of them!”

 

Giving Back – The Right Thing To Do

 

Being a part of and giving back to a local community that has allowed for the successful growth of their families and businesses is very important to Denise and Stephanie. The women participate in the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Walk, an effort that includes all of their agents and clients. In 2022, they also loved working with the school principal at Crosspointe Elementary in the “Adopt A Buddy” Christmas outreach program of Palm Beach County that pairs gift-givers with underprivileged children. Denise and Stephanie shopped for, wrapped and presented gifts to forty children.

 

A Flawless Experience for Their Clients

 

In summary, Denise and Stephanie couldn’t be more in agreement about the good business they’ve created together at Saltwater Home Group. They are committed to providing every resource for their clients. Denise explains, “Luxury service is about connecting everyone. Buying a home, for most people, is the biggest transaction they'll ever experience in their lives, there can be a lot of stress. We take the time to get to know each client and find every way to navigate them to the finish line flawlessly.”