about us: michael calcagno & nancy hamilton

Michael Calcagno

While Michael’s education, experience and background play a vital role in his success as a realtor serving a roster of sophisticated international clients, it’s also his singular approach to his profession that contributes to his standing in the top one percent of Sotheby’s International Realty agents. "The biggest compliment I receive from my clients," Michael states proudly, "is that I’m extremely effective without seeming like a sales person. An advisor and facilitator, yes, but definitely not a sales person."

Adding strength to Michael’s roster of qualifications is his 15-year Santa Barbara residency and portfolio of personal real estate investments. He emphasizes, "Establishing myself here both personally and professionally has given me a firm belief that Santa Barbara represents a vibrant, world-class lifestyle rather than just a place to live."

A Los Angeles native, Michael was honored with the opportunity to attend Gordonstoun, a world-renown boarding school in Scotland. He also lived in Hamburg, Germany, and humbly witnessed the demolishing of the Berlin wall. He earned degrees in fine arts, photography and motion picture production from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the renowned Brooks Institute; training allowing him to recognize and appreciate the importance of architecture and design as it relates to his role as a realtor.

Managing two companies and developing strong negotiating, marketing and contractual skills in the entertainment management field, Michael acquired valuable qualifications in the business aspects of his profession. Those credentials, combined with his many years of residence and investing in Santa Barbara, allow him to offer his clients a wealth of knowledge about the area’s property values, neighborhoods and services, as well as its cultural and recreational opportunities.

For Michael, those recreational activities include just about every ocean-based water sport, as well as fly fishing on his family’s Montana Ranch. His passions for water and the ranch are shared by his wife, Cammie, a nurse who met Michael through the matchmaking magic of the couple’s older sisters.

When he’s not in, or on, the water or enjoying time with Cammie, Michael is most likely with clients or networking with colleagues. His professional affiliations include the National, California and Santa Barbara Associations of Realtors as well as Santa Barbara Real Estate Professionals.

"Professional interaction is a wonderful way to sharpen my communication, marketing and negotiating tools," Michael says. "It’s energizing and helps me serve my clients well. For me, that’s what this job’s all about - serving my clients."

Nancy Hamilton

Combining experience, passion, and first-hand knowledge of real estate and the Santa Barbara real estate market, Nancy has consistently been in the top one percent of Sotheby’s International Realty agents worldwide. According to her clients and colleagues alike, her intuition, self-confidence and positive and caring attitude are also key factors in her formula for success.

From her roots on a Mississippi Delta farm where her first job was flagging for crop dusters, to college where she played basketball and earned a BA in Biology with a minor in Business Administration, to being crowned Miss Mississippi, attending law school and traveling throughout the world, Nancy has excelled again and again.

After working in legal compliance for a securities firm, in the early 1990’s Nancy decided to parlay her love of homes into a full-time job at the real estate firm Fridrich and Clark in Nashville, Tennessee. Three years later, she and her husband, Michael, returned to Santa Barbara, his hometown, and she joined the respected real estate firm Pitts & Bachman. When that company was subsequently purchased by the prestigious Sotheby’s International Realty, Nancy made the transition with ease; becoming one of Sotheby’s most successful and respected agents.

In addition to representing clients, Nancy has personally purchased and remodeled more than twenty Santa Barbara residential properties. She says, "If I believe in the community and the market that much, then I should be willing to invest in it myself."

Having traveled to many of the world’s most beautiful locations, Nancy is convinced there is no place quite like Santa Barbara. "I’ve been to dozens of places that are supposed to be like Santa Barbara, but none of them quite compare. Its combination of topography, climate, size, natural beauty and convenience to metropolitan areas makes it very special."

Impressively, Nancy manages to balance her real estate career with her first priorities - family and community. She and Michael have three daughters - Austin and Jordan, studying at Columbia University in New York and Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and Madison, a Santa Barbara High School student.

An athlete herself and mother of three athletes, Nancy has coached basketball and soccer, and is active with non-profit organizations such as Dream Foundation and CASA.