ADVANII’d rather be your broker for twenty years than for one deal.
Engineer, then attorney, then broker. Mission Hills neighbor, and the person clients call back when it’s time for the next move. Here’s how I work, told through the people I’ve worked with.
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”Milton Berle, and the rule I run the business by
Engineer. Attorney. Broker.
Twenty-nine years, three careers, one through-line: understand how the whole thing works before you put your name on it.
- 1997Engineering
Southern California Edison
Walked in as an intern. Twelve months later I was running a field engineering team. Turns out I like knowing how things actually work, which is still the job.
Intern to team lead in 12 months - 1999Education
UC Riverside, B.S. Environmental Science
Graduated while still at Edison. Land, water, soil and what’s underneath a property still shape how I read a site.
- 2000LawPlot twist
Law school in San Diego
Traded power lines for case law. Moved to San Diego for law school and made Law Review.
Law Review - 2000–02Law
Law clerk, construction defect litigation
Two years on construction defect cases: what goes wrong with buildings, who pays for it, and how to spot it before you buy.
- 2002Real EstateSide hustle
First flips and spins
Studying for exams by day, fixing up houses by night. I bought, improved and resold my first homes before I had a law degree.
Started investing - Jan 2003Law
Passed the USPTO Patent Bar
Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, months before finishing law school.
Patent Bar - May 2003Law
Law school graduation
- Late 2003Law
Passed the California Bar
On the first try.
First attempt - Dec 2003Law
Admitted by the Supreme Court of California
Licensed to practice law in California and went on to practice as an intellectual property attorney.
- 2005–17Life
Twelve years living downtown
I lived in Downtown San Diego from 2005 through 2017, bought and sold my own condos there, and watched East Village grow up around Petco Park.
Downtown local - 2006Real EstateThe big one
Founded Advani Real Estate Group
Brokerage first, then property management, development, consulting and cost segregation, all under one roof.
- 2009Life
Got married
- 2012LawTrue story
Won a U.S. patent for a client’s barrette
As a patent attorney, I took a client’s hair barrette design from sketch to issued U.S. patent. Every good idea deserves real protection, even a hair clip.
U.S. Patent D652,167U.S. Design Patent D652,167 · “Illuminated fiber optic barrette” · filed Sept. 2011, issued Jan. 10, 2012 · View the full patent (PDF)
- 2018LifeDouble trouble
Became a dad of twins
Two at once. My calendar now runs on Little League and school pickup. I negotiate for a living, and bedtime is still a fair fight.
- TodayReal Estate
Mission Hills, affiliated with Compass
Compass’s reach and tools, with the same small, consultative practice behind them.
Prem Advani
Owner & Principal Broker, Advani Real Estate Group · Affiliated with Compass · DRE #01414490
Prem Advani began his career as an engineer at Southern California Edison after earning a B.S. in Environmental Science from UC Riverside, rising from intern to leading a field engineering team within a year. He then moved to San Diego for law school, where he served on Law Review, clerked in construction defect litigation, and passed the USPTO Patent Bar before graduating. He passed the California Bar on his first attempt and was admitted to practice in December 2003, going on to practice as an intellectual property attorney, work that included real estate matters.
Prem began investing in real estate in 2002 and founded Advani Real Estate Group in 2006. Today the firm spans residential brokerage, property management, development, consulting and cost segregation, and is affiliated with Compass.
That legal and technical background shapes how the practice operates: a consultative approach without sales tactics, and a comprehensive understanding of the different components that make up the decision to purchase, sell, lease, develop or hold real property. Prem is a frequent speaker on San Diego real estate trends and has been featured on multiple television stations as a local real estate expert. He lives in Mission Hills with his wife and their twins.
Four things people don’t expect.
They buy with me. Years later, they sell with me.
A lot of my listings are homes I helped the same clients buy in the first place, sometimes a decade earlier. I already know the house, what they paid and what they’ve done to it, so we start way ahead.
Other agents trust me with their own homes.
A good part of my business is representing other real estate agents: when they buy, when they sell, and when they refer clients they can’t take on themselves. Agents know the difference between someone who closes and someone who protects you, and they choose accordingly.
Some of my best deals never hit the MLS.
When privacy matters, or the right buyer is already in my phone, I put sellers and buyers together quietly. Twenty years of relationships in San Diego means I often know who wants a house before it’s ever listed.
First owners, first in line.
I’ve sold a lot of homes nobody has lived in yet, from new downtown towers to new-construction townhomes near the coast. Today that includes representing buyers at Andia, BOSA’s newest tower, and consulting developers on how to launch a building.
See my development work →“There were dozens of offers; Prem helped me with the offer, submission, and all the way through financing and purchase.”
“They provide the professionalism an established property manager should provide, along with going the extra mile to make you feel like a friend.”
“My impression of Advani Realty is very buttoned up.”
Chris Warren
Realtor® · DRE #01227789
Chris brings more than 26 years of experience in residential real estate sales and development, with a focus on the luxury downtown San Diego condominium market and coastal communities from north to south county.
He’s especially known for his work with Bosa Development’s downtown San Diego properties, where he holds the designation of Preferred Buyer Referral Agent — work that dovetails with the firm’s own high-rise development and sales-launch consulting practice.
Outside of transactions, Chris is drawn to custom modern home development and contemporary architectural design. He spends his off hours wine collecting, playing tennis, cooking, hiking, and traveling internationally.
Coffee in Mission Hills is on me.
Buying, selling, or just want a straight answer about your house. Call 858.829.7688 or send a note, and I’ll get back to you myself.