Suburban Jungle Realty Roars Into Dallas With Dynamo Head Strategist Erica Tuscano

Suburban Jungle Realty Dallas Head Strategist Erica Tuscano (Courtesy Photo)

Urban living can take a toll once kids come into the mix. Apartments get more cramped, minor inconveniences suddenly turn into major ones, and personal space comes at a premium. That’s where Suburban Jungle Realty comes in.

Founded in New York almost a decade ago, Suburban Jungle’s specialty lies in relocating families from urban environments to suburbia. But they’re not a relocation service. Not exactly. When a family feels ready to leave city life for the suburbs, Suburban Jungle, through a detailed client questionnaire, learns exactly what makes them tick, and then advises them on the neighborhoods that best fit their needs.

Young families make up a significant portion of Suburban Jungle’s clientele, according to its founder Alison Bernstein. The company’s entire premise is family-driven. And it’s free. As with all real estate transactions, the buyer pays nothing. In the end, Suburban Jungle gets its cut from the sale of the home, working with a group of local real estate agents carefully handpicked and trained by the company. The arrangement guarantees a process for the client that is completely free from pressure or undue influence.

A Holistic Approach

Objectivity is key for Suburban Jungle’s Dallas head strategist Erica Tuscano. Throughout the process, her opinion of local neighborhoods remains irrelevant. Her job is simply to know every last thing about the area and impart that to her clients. Commute times, school districts, neighborhood vibe – she’s a walking fact sheet. But if it’s opinions you want, Tuscano can connect you with a cohort of local voices to share theirs. It’s a very well organized approach. Dare I say, holistic.

Tuscano is incredibly dynamic – it’s a trait Suburban Jungle hired her specifically for. I’d dare you not to share your entire life story with her after one meeting. Her candor engenders trust. And ultimately, your life story helps her do her job and locate the perfect suburb where you’ll feel most at home. That two-way openness serves the process well.

‘It doesn’t have to be so hard’

When she moved back to the Dallas area from New York City two years ago, Tuscano herself felt overwhelmed.

“Because I grew up in Richardson, I assumed I knew where we were moving. But when it came time, I looked around and said to my husband, ‘Despite having grown up here, I don’t know where I am.’” The couple took a couple of years to get their grounding, spending weekends in the car investigating neighborhoods, assessing schools and communities, and trying to find home.

“I thought, ‘this transition doesn’t have to be so hard,’” she said. “So when I came across Suburban Jungle, it essentially sounded like exactly what I had done. If there had been a service providing this type of information, I would have absolutely used it.”

While folks in Dallas aren’t exactly fleeing the city center for the suburbs when kids come along the way New Yorkers do, Dallas is seeing a record number of relocations from other major U.S. cities. Tuscano hopes to help as many of those new residents as possible find home.

“I really feel strongly about helping people find their groove in North Texas,” Tuscano said. “And I know there’s some big grooves people can fall into, so I want to help them find specifically where life is going to look the best for them.”