Will I ever get to the top of the New York City real estate industry?
Renting seventy apartments per year is nothing to scoff at — but what about selling condos (which I’ve done twice in six years) or commercial property (one investment sale so far) or just being the go-to-agent that people call when they need real estate help?
Will I ever get there?
I’m waiting for the L train on the underground platform at Graham avenue in Williamsburg, caffeinated just enough, 8:30am this morning, the first working day (for me) of 2023, January 2nd. I’m heading to the office I work out of, in my favorite neighborhood — Bushwick. It’s a slow day in terms of showing apartments, so I’ll go there to do what else: cold call landlords, and, I guess, work on my new internet presence, the latter an endeavor which seems overly ambitious but also so critical.
I’m now six years into my real estate career, 32 years old, and I’ve come far in this career — but almost every deal I have done has been a rental, the result of relationships with landlords I found through thousands of cold calls over the years. But I want more — and if I want to get there, it’s not going to be through calling strangers. It’s going to be through marketing and networking and innovating, and I keep asking myself: if I put in the work to innovate — will I get the results I’m looking for? It’s a scary thought, and one filled with doubt.
Will my Squarespace website and “Chronicles of a Real Estate Warrior” blog, be sufficient? Or do I need to put my face front and center on Tik Tok like real estate heavyweight Ryan Serhant? Do I want to be some viral Tik Toker? Honestly, not really.
This isn’t just a story about the New York City real estate market — it’s a story about entrepreneurship.
The L train is now arriving, screeching to a halt as it pulls into the Graham avenue stop. The doors swing open, and I board a pretty empty car.
After four stops, I arrive at Jefferson street. I exit the subway, and ascend onto the street. The streets of Bushwick are quiet, a typically winter grey sky hangs above head.
Aside from real estate, things are okay. My family, friends are good. I have a new girlfriend — we met on Hinge three months ago, and are going to Mexico City for four days on Thursday. I’m at the age where people are getting serious and many married. App dating is so big. All I can say is that this new relationship is going well so far.
Hopefully there will be no urgent real estate related matters to attend to while I’m gone. On the other hand, the market was so bad in December, I wonder if jetting out on a (brief) vacation is an inauspicious beginning to the year. But the flight’s booked, so I will be going.
I enter the office and edit my blog post. Time to make twenty cold calls, and hope I find a new client.
This is a story of the ride to the top. Or bottom.
More to come
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