May 26, 2025 • 12 mins
What happens when two passionate educators trade the classroom for real estate? Danielle and Chris Gianatassio, the duo behind CDG Realty Group, took that leap and never looked back. After years of part-time real estate experience, they launched their own full-service brokerage in 2022, leaving behind the security of teaching careers to raise their young family and pursue entrepreneurship. Their journey—marked by fear, courage, and ultimately fulfillment—is a testament to the power of following your passion, even when the path is uncertain.
CDG Realty Group stands out by offering more than just traditional buying and selling. With in-house general contracting, design, appraisal, and staging services, they provide a seamless, full-spectrum real estate experience. The Gianatassio also use their platform to educate clients, debunking myths about DIY real estate and highlighting the value of expert guidance. Whether running marathons or renovating homes, this husband-and-wife team brings grit, transparency, and a client-first approach to every project. Follow them online to see how they're transforming the real estate journey in North Reading and beyond.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, YvonneGodfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today, I have the distinctpleasure of introducing to our
listeners Danielle and ChrisJanitasio, and they are the
local realtors of CDG RealtyGroup.
Danielle, chris, how are youdoing this morning?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
We're doing well, thank you.
How are you?
I am making it.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Can you please tell our listeners about your company
?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Sure CDG Realty Group is a full service brokerage.
We are located in North Readingand we have over 50 years of
experience in-house with ouragents.
We are helping buyers andsellers.
We also have a generalcontractor in-house that can
help with any renovation needsthat you may be looking for.
(01:05):
We also have an appraiser,design and staging in-house, so
any needs that you need in termsof real estate we can handle
for you.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Beautiful, beautiful, the whole package, the whole
package, nice, nice, nice.
Okay, so what is the backstory?
How did you guys get into thisbusiness?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Yeah, so I started part-time in 2016.
I got my real estate licenseand that slowly grew over the
years.
2020, when COVID hit, thebusiness really expanded and
took off.
Along with taking clients,buying and selling.
We also started a small LLCcalled CDG Home Consulting,
which helped homeowners andbuyers and sellers and clients
(01:52):
work with their renovationprojects, such as painting, tile
, kitchens, bathrooms.
So it started really small as aconnection to other contractors
, and then that slowly took offas well.
2022, to other contractors, andthen that slowly took off as
well.
2022, we went on our own,started our own brokerage called
(02:13):
CDG Realty Group, and at thesame time we also I got my
general contractor license andwe created CDG Renovation.
So it is two separate companies, but we market as one CDG
Realty and Renovation.
That has continued to grow.
And then in 2023, we addedthree agents.
So now there are five of ustotal working.
And then we are, you know, aswe enter this year, we're, you
know, working with buyers,sellers, investors, homeowners
(02:37):
for all their needs, you know,with real estate in their
renovations.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Beautiful, very thorough and pragmatic yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
We try to be a one-stop shop, so one phone call
for everything that has to dowith your property.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
We're small but mighty.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Love.
That?
That sounds great.
No, the well-roundedness isvery needed and very important
as well.
Brings peace of mind to theindividuals that are doing
business with you.
So thank you for sharing that,Of course.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions that you've
discovered in your industry,Chris Danielle?
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Yeah.
So on the real estate end, abig misconception is that a lot
of buyers and sellers now thinkthey don't need a real estate
agent with all the toolsavailable, such as Zillow,
redfin and all the onlinesources they in with.
The NAR settlement that went onlast year has been a lot of a
lot of highlights on the realestate industry, so a lot of
people are trying to save a buckfor lack of a better term and
(03:39):
do it themselves.
That it tends to be verydifficult.
We have the professionals for areason.
So that's the biggestmisconception.
The second one is off-marketopportunities.
There definitely are some, butthey are few and far between.
We get a lot of calls about letus know what off-market
opportunities you have, and youmust have something in your
(04:00):
pocket and it's so tight rightnow with the inventory is low.
The demand is high, whereanybody who is looking to sell
their property and make somesort of profit.
They'd be really foolish to notput their property on the open
market.
So it is a misconception thatthere are a lot of off-market
opportunities.
And then the last one is thedirect to the listing agent.
(04:22):
We believe that buyers andsellers should have their own
representation.
Sometimes it goes really smooth.
A lot of times it can get messy.
In between.
There's a lot of decisions andconversations negotiating.
That happens in between theprocess.
So to have your ownrepresentation is strongly
(05:02):
encouraged.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Okay, any input, danielle.
And it's a little bit morechallenging to market that home
without any connections to areal estate agent.
That could help broaden thecommunity input and getting
people through the door.
Just having it listed as forsale by owner I think could be a
little bit tricky in some sensebecause maybe you're not
(05:24):
getting as many people in as areal estate agent could bring
for you and they also can marketit for you a little bit better
as opposed to just having it inone outlet.
So I think we've talked a lotabout that, that that's part of
our full service at CDG RealtyGroup, that we really can handle
all those needs for you andbuying, selling and renovation
(05:48):
handle all those needs for youand buying, selling and
renovation.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, very enlightening
for those who are listening.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
So, outside of work, what do you do for fun, chris
Danielle, we run marathons.
Now that might not be fun to alot of people, but it is fun for
us.
It was a goal that I hadstarted out in 2022, something
that I really wanted toaccomplish after leaving my job,
and I just felt like I needed agoal to set for myself.
(06:22):
So I started training and I ranmy first marathon in January of
2023.
And Chris has gotten themarathon bug and has joined me
on many, many marathons, so weget to travel to cities and run
26.2 miles, and that's what welike to do for fun.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Okay, that sounds great.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah, for some.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah for some.
No, that sounds great.
It's very healthy, it's verytoning for the body and it's
wonderful.
So you said Chris has got thebug now.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah.
Yeah, I like to tag along my.
Tag along, buddy.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
It's a lot of fun to do it together, to have a common
goal and enjoy the processtogether.
Yeah, it's a lot of fun to doit together, to have a common
goal and enjoy the processtogether.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
yeah, a lot of fun absolutely.
Yeah, nice to cross that finishline together absolutely plus,
it's also um safe yeah, yeahit's good to run with somebody
when you're running for thatmany hours, yeah because
anything can happen.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
You can get lightheaded, you can be
dehydrated, you know, anythingcan happen Totally.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Yeah, it's very true.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah, yes, we agree.
So, changing gears.
Can you both describe onehardship or one of life's
challenge that you rose aboveand can now say because of it,
you're better, you're stronger,what comes to your minds?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Yeah.
So one thing that stands out isthat we were both in the
education field for 14 and 15years, so working in education
and teaching and thentransitioning to real estate
part-time, but then taking thejump a couple of years ago to
leaving a stable career.
You know, we have a family, wehave two little kids, so leaving
(08:09):
a career that had the benefitsand the insurance to go on your
own to a full you know unchartedwaters of being an entrepreneur
and having your own businesswas a really scary move to make.
We put a lot of thought into itat different times of our lives
and we both have done it sinceand it was.
Although it was very scary, ithas been the best decision that
(08:31):
we've made.
Looking at, you know, threeyears for Danielle and almost
two and a half years for myself,after leaving and being on our
own, it is the best decisionwe've made and wouldn't change a
thing.
But a lot of the challengesalong the way I won't get into
details but just really, youknow, because there were some
times where it got a littlescary, but it made us stronger
(08:54):
and it made us work harder andknow what to focus on and it's
really propelled us to adifferent level that we didn't
know existed before.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Beautiful.
How about you, Danielle?
It might be something different.
Any challenges that you'veovercome?
Speaker 3 (09:10):
You know, it's the same, because I left my job in
2022, and it was terrifyingreally, for lack of a better way
to describe it because I wasn'treally sure where to go and
what to do.
I had my real estate license,but I wasn't sure if that was
going to do it for me and,talking with Chris, we decided
(09:33):
to just take a risk and go forit and create this company, and
it has been wonderful.
We really spend a lot of timemaking sure that our business is
growing and that our agents arehappy and successful, and
that's something new.
I didn't start off when Igraduated college thinking that
I would be owning a business.
I thought I was going to be ateacher forever and life threw a
(09:56):
curveball and changed our path,but it's been the best move, I
think, that I've made, and Idon't want to speak for Chris,
but I think he would agree withme as well.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
The two shall become as one.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yes, yes, it's very true.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Put that on our t-shirts.
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
So can you please tell our listeners one thing
they should remember about ChrisDanielle Realty Group.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I think that we're family.
It's a family owned business.
We have a family and we workreally hard as well so we can
relate to our clients, and thatwe truly are a one stop shop.
We really can do it all.
A lot of times we're heavy inthe real estate or heavy in the
renovation and some peopleforget that we do both, that we
do both.
So we want to keep that messagethat we can help from start to
(10:49):
finish for the entire process.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Beautiful, and how can our listeners learn more
about CDG Realty Group?
Is that website?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yes, you can follow us on social media.
On Instagram, we are CDGunderscore Realty, underscore
Renovation.
We also do have a website, cdgRealty Group dot com.
We are on Facebook and TikTokas well, so you can give us a
follow there.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Wonderful.
So, chris Danielle, we reallyappreciate you being on the show
with us today and we wish youand CDG, or Chris Danielle,
jenna Tassio Realty Group, allthe very best moving forward.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Thank you so much.
We appreciate you having us.
It was great to talk to you,beautiful yeah, thanks for
having us.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Thank you for much.
We appreciate you having us.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
It was great to talk to you.
Beautiful yeah, thanks forhaving us.
Thank you for listening to thegood neighbor podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNP Northshorecom.
That's GNP North shorecom, orcall 8, 5, 7, 7 0, 3, 9, 4 0, 6.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, YvonneGodfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today, I have the distinctpleasure of introducing to our
listeners Danielle and ChrisJanitasio, and they are the
local realtors of CDG RealtyGroup.
Danielle, chris, how are youdoing this morning?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
We're doing well, thank you.
How are you?
I am making it.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Can you please tell our listeners about your company
?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Sure CDG Realty Group is a full service brokerage.
We are located in North Readingand we have over 50 years of
experience in-house with ouragents.
We are helping buyers andsellers.
We also have a generalcontractor in-house that can
help with any renovation needsthat you may be looking for.
(01:05):
We also have an appraiser,design and staging in-house, so
any needs that you need in termsof real estate we can handle
for you.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Beautiful, beautiful, the whole package, the whole
package, nice, nice, nice.
Okay, so what is the backstory?
How did you guys get into thisbusiness?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
Yeah, so I started part-time in 2016.
I got my real estate licenseand that slowly grew over the
years.
2020, when COVID hit, thebusiness really expanded and
took off.
Along with taking clients,buying and selling.
We also started a small LLCcalled CDG Home Consulting,
which helped homeowners andbuyers and sellers and clients
(01:52):
work with their renovationprojects, such as painting, tile
, kitchens, bathrooms.
So it started really small as aconnection to other contractors
, and then that slowly took offas well.
2022, to other contractors, andthen that slowly took off as
well.
2022, we went on our own,started our own brokerage called
(02:13):
CDG Realty Group, and at thesame time we also I got my
general contractor license andwe created CDG Renovation.
So it is two separate companies, but we market as one CDG
Realty and Renovation.
That has continued to grow.
And then in 2023, we addedthree agents.
So now there are five of ustotal working.
And then we are, you know, aswe enter this year, we're, you
know, working with buyers,sellers, investors, homeowners
(02:37):
for all their needs, you know,with real estate in their
renovations.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Beautiful, very thorough and pragmatic yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
We try to be a one-stop shop, so one phone call
for everything that has to dowith your property.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
We're small but mighty.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Love.
That?
That sounds great.
No, the well-roundedness isvery needed and very important
as well.
Brings peace of mind to theindividuals that are doing
business with you.
So thank you for sharing that,Of course.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions that you've
discovered in your industry,Chris Danielle?
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Yeah.
So on the real estate end, abig misconception is that a lot
of buyers and sellers now thinkthey don't need a real estate
agent with all the toolsavailable, such as Zillow,
redfin and all the onlinesources they in with.
The NAR settlement that went onlast year has been a lot of a
lot of highlights on the realestate industry, so a lot of
people are trying to save a buckfor lack of a better term and
(03:39):
do it themselves.
That it tends to be verydifficult.
We have the professionals for areason.
So that's the biggestmisconception.
The second one is off-marketopportunities.
There definitely are some, butthey are few and far between.
We get a lot of calls about letus know what off-market
opportunities you have, and youmust have something in your
(04:00):
pocket and it's so tight rightnow with the inventory is low.
The demand is high, whereanybody who is looking to sell
their property and make somesort of profit.
They'd be really foolish to notput their property on the open
market.
So it is a misconception thatthere are a lot of off-market
opportunities.
And then the last one is thedirect to the listing agent.
(04:22):
We believe that buyers andsellers should have their own
representation.
Sometimes it goes really smooth.
A lot of times it can get messy.
In between.
There's a lot of decisions andconversations negotiating.
That happens in between theprocess.
So to have your ownrepresentation is strongly
(05:02):
encouraged.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Okay, any input, danielle.
And it's a little bit morechallenging to market that home
without any connections to areal estate agent.
That could help broaden thecommunity input and getting
people through the door.
Just having it listed as forsale by owner I think could be a
little bit tricky in some sensebecause maybe you're not
(05:24):
getting as many people in as areal estate agent could bring
for you and they also can marketit for you a little bit better
as opposed to just having it inone outlet.
So I think we've talked a lotabout that, that that's part of
our full service at CDG RealtyGroup, that we really can handle
all those needs for you andbuying, selling and renovation
(05:48):
handle all those needs for youand buying, selling and
renovation.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, very enlightening
for those who are listening.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
So, outside of work, what do you do for fun, chris
Danielle, we run marathons.
Now that might not be fun to alot of people, but it is fun for
us.
It was a goal that I hadstarted out in 2022, something
that I really wanted toaccomplish after leaving my job,
and I just felt like I needed agoal to set for myself.
(06:22):
So I started training and I ranmy first marathon in January of
2023.
And Chris has gotten themarathon bug and has joined me
on many, many marathons, so weget to travel to cities and run
26.2 miles, and that's what welike to do for fun.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Okay, that sounds great.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
Yeah, for some.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Yeah for some.
No, that sounds great.
It's very healthy, it's verytoning for the body and it's
wonderful.
So you said Chris has got thebug now.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Yeah.
Yeah, I like to tag along my.
Tag along, buddy.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
It's a lot of fun to do it together, to have a common
goal and enjoy the processtogether.
Yeah, it's a lot of fun to doit together, to have a common
goal and enjoy the processtogether.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
yeah, a lot of fun absolutely.
Yeah, nice to cross that finishline together absolutely plus,
it's also um safe yeah, yeahit's good to run with somebody
when you're running for thatmany hours, yeah because
anything can happen.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
You can get lightheaded, you can be
dehydrated, you know, anythingcan happen Totally.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Yeah, it's very true.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah, yes, we agree.
So, changing gears.
Can you both describe onehardship or one of life's
challenge that you rose aboveand can now say because of it,
you're better, you're stronger,what comes to your minds?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Yeah.
So one thing that stands out isthat we were both in the
education field for 14 and 15years, so working in education
and teaching and thentransitioning to real estate
part-time, but then taking thejump a couple of years ago to
leaving a stable career.
You know, we have a family, wehave two little kids, so leaving
(08:09):
a career that had the benefitsand the insurance to go on your
own to a full you know unchartedwaters of being an entrepreneur
and having your own businesswas a really scary move to make.
We put a lot of thought into itat different times of our lives
and we both have done it sinceand it was.
Although it was very scary, ithas been the best decision that
(08:31):
we've made.
Looking at, you know, threeyears for Danielle and almost
two and a half years for myself,after leaving and being on our
own, it is the best decisionwe've made and wouldn't change a
thing.
But a lot of the challengesalong the way I won't get into
details but just really, youknow, because there were some
times where it got a littlescary, but it made us stronger
(08:54):
and it made us work harder andknow what to focus on and it's
really propelled us to adifferent level that we didn't
know existed before.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Beautiful.
How about you, Danielle?
It might be something different.
Any challenges that you'veovercome?
Speaker 3 (09:10):
You know, it's the same, because I left my job in
2022, and it was terrifyingreally, for lack of a better way
to describe it because I wasn'treally sure where to go and
what to do.
I had my real estate license,but I wasn't sure if that was
going to do it for me and,talking with Chris, we decided
(09:33):
to just take a risk and go forit and create this company, and
it has been wonderful.
We really spend a lot of timemaking sure that our business is
growing and that our agents arehappy and successful, and
that's something new.
I didn't start off when Igraduated college thinking that
I would be owning a business.
I thought I was going to be ateacher forever and life threw a
(09:56):
curveball and changed our path,but it's been the best move, I
think, that I've made, and Idon't want to speak for Chris,
but I think he would agree withme as well.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
The two shall become as one.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yes, yes, it's very true.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Put that on our t-shirts.
Yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
So can you please tell our listeners one thing
they should remember about ChrisDanielle Realty Group.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I think that we're family.
It's a family owned business.
We have a family and we workreally hard as well so we can
relate to our clients, and thatwe truly are a one stop shop.
We really can do it all.
A lot of times we're heavy inthe real estate or heavy in the
renovation and some peopleforget that we do both, that we
do both.
So we want to keep that messagethat we can help from start to
(10:49):
finish for the entire process.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Beautiful, and how can our listeners learn more
about CDG Realty Group?
Is that website?
Speaker 3 (11:04):
Yes, you can follow us on social media.
On Instagram, we are CDGunderscore Realty, underscore
Renovation.
We also do have a website, cdgRealty Group dot com.
We are on Facebook and TikTokas well, so you can give us a
follow there.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Wonderful.
So, chris Danielle, we reallyappreciate you being on the show
with us today and we wish youand CDG, or Chris Danielle,
jenna Tassio Realty Group, allthe very best moving forward.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
Thank you so much.
We appreciate you having us.
It was great to talk to you,beautiful yeah, thanks for
having us.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Thank you for much.
We appreciate you having us.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
It was great to talk to you.
Beautiful yeah, thanks forhaving us.
Thank you for listening to thegood neighbor podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNP Northshorecom.
That's GNP North shorecom, orcall 8, 5, 7, 7 0, 3, 9, 4 0, 6.
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