Sam Baydoun displaying the award with his family.

DETROIT — Real estate associate broker, Sam Baydoun received the Grand Centurion Award, which is the highest recognition within the Century 21 system.  During his career of 25 years with Century 21, Baydoun has sold over 300 million in residential and commercial sales. 

Baydoun graduated college with a degree in business administration in 1986 and worked with his older brother, Gary Beydoun in a family real estate business for four years before joining Century 21 in 1990. 

During his time with Century 21 Curran & Christie, Baydoun has won several awards and consistently ranked among the top five agents in the state of Michigan.  

“There are three qualities that best define a successful realtor; honesty, commitment to your profession and community involvement,” Baydoun told The Arab American News. 

Baydoun said he supports his clients, even after the transaction is completed, by helping them to appeal their property taxes.  Baydoun is part of the leadership of the Dearborn Board of Realtors and has served as its president in 2003, and was honored with the award of Realtor of the Year. He is currently the President-elect of the Board of Realtors.  

After the collapse of the real estate market in 2008, Baydoun and members of the Dearborn Board of Realtors worked with the city of Dearborn to make changes which made it easier for residents to buy homes.

In 2009, when Baydoun was the chairman of the legislative committee of the Dearborn Board of Realtors, the city required buyers of foreclosed homes to place tens of thousands of dollars in an escrow account until the needed repairs were made before closing on the home.  The board worked closely with the O’Reilly administration to eliminate the escrow deposit and replace it with a one-time processing fee of $495.  Last year, the fee was reduced to $295.  

“You had to place a large sum of money in escrow, sometimes up to $30,000, before you could buy the property,” Baydoun said. “Not only did you have to come up with the money to buy the house, you also had to come up with the money to deposit with the city so they can allow you to close on the home. That was creating a big problem. It was a major impediment for our business.”   

Baydoun also credited Mayor Jack O’Reilly, Dearborn City Council and the Dearborn Board of Realtors for their collective effort to eliminate the escrow requirement.  

“The market has come a long way,” Baydoun said of the recovery. “In some areas in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, homes will not sit on the market for more than a few days.  The market is back.”

Baydoun advised aspiring real estate agents to have full commitment before pursuing a career in the profession because of the competitiveness of the field.  “This is a very tough business,” he said. “If you don’t have the patience and the commitment, you’re not going to reap the benefits immediately.”

Sam Baydoun is the Vice President of the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) and a member of the Islamic Center of America Board of Trustees.