by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Dave Cedel has gone from playing the cello for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra to selling houses.
Cedel has been with Atkinson Realty Group for three months and the company’s owner, Doriana Atkinson, couldn’t be happier with Cedel’s career move. Playing a cello (a bass instrument in the violin family) and selling houses both involve teamwork and his current boss says it’s working out just fine.
“He’s one of the biggest assets at this office. You would think he’s been in the industry for years,” said Atkinson. “In his first 45 days he qualified for top lister. He was the associate of the month for July. He works non-stop and leaves no stone unturned.
“He reminds me of the way I was. He has an imagination to no end. In his next life, he should belong to Scotland Yard.”
Cedel said he’s just part of the team but, then again, he’s used to that. He said there are some similarities to performing in an orchestra and being with Atkinson. But, there are also a lot of differences.
“Working with people takes the same energy as performing,” said Cedel.
Selling houses, however, is more mentally tiring, he said.
“You’re aware you want to be at the best for the person or couple or family,” said Cedel. “I had to learn to be inquisitive without being nosy — to listen to the needs and desires of clients, and help them prioritize. It’s great when you have a chance with a fantastic property or a million-dollar home. But it’s also great helping people find something they can afford and like. It’s very gratifying.”
Cedel trained with another real estate firm locally and was recruited by Atkinson, whom he had known through mutual friends. He said working at Atkinson is different.
“Atkinson does have a reputation for selling not only high-end properties, but special properties — interesting properties,” he said. “A lot of companies sell according to a formula. Here, you’re encouraged to do what it takes, use different approaches to serve the buyer and seller and, in some cases, serve the property itself.”
Cedel said he’s always been a house fan.
“It’s interesting to see how people lived, how rooms would function,” he said, noting antiques are of interest, too. “Antiques are just shrunken architecture. I began to see and feel the ornamentation. It’s the same kind of movement whether it’s literature, music or architecture. One ripples the other like a stone in a pond.
“You can see it in excavations in Greece and Rome and how that affected art and music. If you believe there’s life in music, there’s life in architecture.”
Cedel transformed that same emotion for details within a house to his own home.
His first house was in Jacksonville’s Springfield district. He said he didn’t know anything about restoration or renovating, but “just threw myself into it.” Cedel would come home from cello practice and work on different aspects of his house. The work paid off — the house at 1524 Pearl Street won the “Restoration of the Year” award in 1986.