Real Takk Podcast

Episode 21: Leonard Steinberg on Proposed Rental Broker Fee Ban & His Trip to The New York Supreme Court in Albany County

In this episode, we have our Chief Evangelist of Compass join in on my show to discuss the State Legislature's proposed new law of banning tenants from paying the broker fee for rental properties in NYC.  He is a proponent of the brokerage community and an influential voice in our field. Here are his takeaways about his day written from his daily contemplations: 
1.  You have to show up. Whining and complaining about politics is useless. Sometimes you must roll up your sleeves and get involved and make an effort. Take the time needed to get involved and have an impact. 
2.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease: without fail, every politician said they listen and hear the loudest, most consistent voices most.
3.  You have to be looking out for the greater good.  Yes, some special-interest lobbyists succeed to cater to their own hyper-localized issues, but politicians care most about pleasing the majority of voters.
4.   Rehearse your message and be CLEAR about what you want, and ASK how the politicians plan to address your concerns.
5.  Make your concerns public. A letter is easily filed or thrown away. As is an e-mail. A TWEET or social media post tagging specific politicians is PUBLIC. You cannot ignore that as easily.
6.  Numbers count. A handful of people's voices matter. Several hundred or thousand voices will get REAL attention. And action.
7.  Politicians are BRILLIANT at making you feel like you've been heard, that they REALLY CARE. Don't rely on words and promises.
8.  Don't rely on 'others' to speak on your behalf. Most times they have other interests at heart.
9.  Politicians listen closest to their constituents. They want to succeed and be re-elected.
10. We hired a lobbyist. I abhorred lobbyists until yesterday: without this lobbyist, we would never have been able to as effectively identify whom to meet with and how. This lobbyist acted like a great agent and we all know how important a good agent is!
As a result, the New York State Justice Mackey temporarily blocked the state’s week-old ruling that had effectively barred tenants from having to pay a broker fee, issuing at least a short-term reprieve to an industry scrambling to respond  The decision was expected to stay in place until at least March 13, when Justice Mackey has asked the Department of State to respond in court. However, this restraining order does not necessarily foreshadow that the broker fee ruling will be blocked for good.
 
If you're interested in real estate news & politics, this is certainly an episode for you! Thank you for subscribing & listening! 
 

Episode 20: An Interview with Lindsay Rothman of Why Westchester Compass

Pleased to have Lindsay Rothman (@lindsay_rothman) join us today on The Real Takkk Podcast.  Lindsay hails from Mt Kisko Westchester (NY).   She joins me to discuss her childhood, the early struggles in life, and how she became one of the top agents in Westchester, closing over $29 Million in transactions in 2019 & how she’s grown her business to date.  Lindsay obtained her Bachelors at Sony Onianta, and obtained her Masters Degree from Mercy College.  Lindsay is wife to Tim Rothman and her 2 kids Dillon & Cecilia.  She is a resident of Dobs Ferry Westchester.  This episode & all other episodes are available by searching “Real Takk” on Spotify, Apple Podcast, & Podbean.  Thank you for listening!

Episode 19: Emergency POD! New Rental Law Changes: Landlords, not tenants, must pay rental broker fees: state

We delve into this last minute, an unexpected addendum to the rental law regulation issued by the Department of State this week, where they reversed the tenant-pays-broker-fee system that’s been the norm in rental transactions in New York City.
The guidance is based on the DOS’ interpretation of the rent law passed last June, and notes that agents working for landlords will be penalized if tenants pay their broker fees.
One of the lawmakers who sponsored the rent law, State Sen. Julia Salazar, said in a statement that “our intent is to eliminate barriers that currently prevent low-income and vulnerable people from obtaining housing.”
My cohost Danielle Stout & I discuss the impacts of this in today's market, and we are also joined by our guest speaker Justin Rubinstein of Compass.  

Episode 18: Adam Leitman Bailey, Top NY Attorney

One of my favorite quotes from Kobe Bryant: "How can your story impact others? The definition of greatness is to inspire people next to you.  How can you inspire one person then turn to inspire another person. Our challenge is for people, to figure out how our story can impact others, to motivate them to create greatness in others. - Kobe Bryant.  Adam Leitman Bailey may have a brash facade, he's been written up in the NY Post, NY Times, & Huffington Post, perhaps not always as a hero, but to play on the team he's hired to protect.  Adam's story may inspire a few of you, as we dive into his younger years of his rough childhood, being a passenger of a terrible car accident, the growing pains he's faced as a young adult. We then go into present date, where he shares his tremendous success story of suing Donald & Ivanka Trump, & representing Linda Mackelowe in the most expensive divorce case in US history. Our listeners will a sense of how he's built a firm that has experienced systemic success over the course of the last two decades.  This is a great one and definitely worth a listen!  (read about his bio below)  
 
Bio: 
Adam is one of the most distinguished real estate attorneys in America.  Born in Bayside Queens, he moved to California at the age of five, and later moved back to NJ where he graduated with honors from Rutgers, then obtained his law degree from Syracuse University College of Law.  Adam is an author of NYT’s best seller Finding The Uncommon Deal.”, he was selected by the Chambers & Partners publication as NY’s leading RE lawyers, and was named Super Lawyer by Law & Politics magazine.   Adam has a long list of notable cases, but to mention a few he’s represented Developer Sharif El Gamal, who proposed an Islamic mosque & cultural center near the ground zero site, where his opponents were the families affected by 9/11, politicians, and conservative media pundits. (long story short it turned into 45 park place. Adam was responsible for obtaining the largest residential condo settlement in the history of NY, as well as  successfully relieved purchasers from new developments like 20 pine, The Brompton, Trump Soho & Sky View Park. 

Episode 17: Martin Newman, Condos & Cars, Town Real Estate, The Foundation, The Beginning, The Formative Years

If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. not to sound cliche, but nothing is ever handed out. In most of any business,  some things aren’t even in the open for you to grab in the first place.   You have to seek it out and put yourself out there. In an industry where every listing, buyer, client, and business opportunity is extremely coveted, a high level of hustle is always required at any stage in your career. Who knows where Marty would have been right now if he didn’t make an effort to gather courage to get in front of a camera and create “Condos & Cars with Martin Newman”. The moral of the story is, whatever you don’t do, won’t come to life. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. What other metaphors do you need?  It’s so universal because it’s so true. So be bold, spark that conversation, and show that enthusiasm that you have.
 
Martin & I met about 9 years ago in 2011 at Town residential.  We were in our mid 20’s, both hustling our exclusive rental listings, running up walk ups, and figuring out ways on growing our business.  Williamsburg wasn’t much of a neighborhood then, and the Hudson Yards was still a vacant parking lot for the MTA trains. 
 
Martin hails from CT, and moved to NYC after graduating Southern CT state university.  His love for real estate began in his late teens after operating his own property management business. He joined Compass in 2018, and recently founded his own social media channel condos and cars.  He lives in the west village with his girlfriend, but has also lived in North Williamsburg, South Williamsburg, & Union Square. You may follow him on IG at @martinnewman & his Youtube Channel “Condos & cars with Martin Newman.”

Episode 16: Levi Meyer Representing Compass of Miami

We’re kicking off 2020 in the best way possible on my platform.  Last week, I had the opportunity to get my good friend Lane Johnson from Aspen, and today, we have our South Beach / Miami extraordinaire Levi Meyer joining me on what will be an awesome episode of Real Takk.  
Like I said before, behind every business individual, there is a subconscious library of influences that shapes who we are. It’s easy to forget that our ideas are actually the manifestations of our life experiences. Our business work ethic & style is an outward expression of our past & current habits.  Whether you’re running a real estate business engrossed in the fabric & culture of Aspen Colorado & its people, hiking up the Highland Bowl, hanging out at The Nell, taking clients out to Cloud 9, and skiing / fishing the back country while navigating the thousands of acres of White River National Forest like your back yard, or you’re a surfer broker that frequents Montauk & sips cocktails with clients at Gurneys , Real estate & any business in general is a summary of exactly that.  And speaking of subconscious library of influences that shapes who you are as a business person, Levi is part of the cultural fabric of just that, but in Miami Florida.  While he is a super broker in his own way, listing trophy properties like the Porsche Design Tower #2901, & closing waterfront lots & beachside homes off south beach, he can be seen hanging out at 1-800 lucky at The Wynwood, & taking his family on his boat through the ocean channels of Miami.  
 
Levi & I met in Aspen in the summer of 2014 when we opened up our first Compass office in Colorado.  He’s not a winter guy what so ever, so I’m happy to have met him in a city where the primary activities are known for winter sports.  
 
He’s a Miami native that understands & appreciates the diverse & ever-changing landscape of South Florida.  Throughout his dynamic real estate career, Levi has received numerous accolades including annual ‘Top Producer’, and ‘‘Most Innovative Marketing’ as well as media recognition for several record breaking sales.  He’s 1 of 10 siblings, (he has 4 sisters & 5 brothers) grew up in his younger years in Virginia, and prior to real estate had stint as a Defense Contracting Manager working alongside the Department of Defense, sourcing $50M in goods to the US DOD in Iraq & Afghanistan.  Levi is father of two & wife to Lauren.  You may follow his personal IG at @levimeyerre and his business IG at: @themeyergroupRE
 

Episode 15: Lane Johnson, Representing Aspen Colorado, Where the Beer Flows like Wine

We closed out 19 right with the last interview with my guy Lane Johnson.  Every businessperson is comprised of a subconscious library of influences that shapes who you are as a business person.  Lane is part of the cultural fabric of Aspen Colorado.  While he is a super broker in his own way, listing a $24M compound that brings 8 homes on the property this year (2020), to $15M homes on red mountain, he’s also a dedicated skier, camper, raft guide, & a sponsored Lulu Lemon Athlete Ambassador.  He teaches a skinning class in the morning, where he’ll lead a group up Buttermilk mountain in 7 degree weather, taking visitors on hidden shrine tours hidden tree runs of Ajax mountain, all while showing the most prime mansions & condos in the Aspen Core market. 
Lane & I met here in Aspen in the summer of 2014 when we opened up our first Compass office in Colorado. If you're interested in the real estate market in the Aspen area, or simply want to explore what life is like in Aspen, Lane comes with a wealth of incredible knowledge & definitely someone you should speak to.  You may follow him on IG at @lanerjohnson, or simply email him at Lane@compass.com 
 

Episode 14: The Wydler Brothers of Compass, DC, MD, & VA

Welcome to the latest edition of the Real Takk Podcast.  Today we bring on The Wydler Brothers, which consist of brothers Hans and Steve Wydler, along with 18 agents & 6 support staff.  These guys have a brotherly banter that is infectious, a wealth of real estate & leadership knowledge, and an overall sense of integrity that they both bring to their business practice. Give this one a listen.  
They’ve been selling residential real estate for almost 20 years in the DMV  (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area. They’ve built the highest producing team in the DMV, & has  become the top 25 teams in the  U.S. according to The Wall St. Journal.  
Hans has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Yale University.  He lives in Bethesda with his wife and their two children. He started his career is a Director of Online Classified for the WaPo in 1994, & after a few years working in other tech related firms he joined Long & Forster in 2001.  (& for those that don’t know they’re an affiliate of Christie's based near where we are in Chantilly VA & founded in Fairfax county.) 
Steve is a reformed transactional lawyer turned real estate broker. He lives in McLean with his two daughters & an Aussie Doodle. Steve graduated from Dartmouth, was top of his class at New York City's International Bartenders School, and received a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. Upon graduation he worked as an Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop, then become assistant general counsel for AOL in 1998 for almost 10 years. He joined real estate in 2012 after founding FiveStreet, a real estate lead conversion tool that helps optimize real estate brokers consumer interactions online. 
 
 
Please follow them on IG at @wydlerbrothers 

Episode 13: Megan Probst Representing Compass South Florida

It's my pleasure to have Megan Probst on my show today!  Megan is a Broker Associate at Compass representing our South Florida office! She joined our Compass team over two years ago after working as VP of sales & marketing for Florida developer "Invesca Development Group", where she spearheaded the launch of their sales & marketing platform, as well as experienced representing their new development as part of their in house sales team, representing over $500M worth of residential & commercial mixed use projects along Pompano Beach & Plantation FL.  
Megan was born in Jamaica, but grew up in South Florida where she gained intimate knowledge of cities spanning across West Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami Dade. In this episode we cover topics from how she got into our business, where she is going next, what you should invest in if you had an investment budget of $1M-$5M, and the up & coming areas of South Florida.  You want to be in the know, so give this a listen!
You may follow her at @meganrobst_compass on instagram, as well as Megan Probst on FB & youtube channel.  

Episode 12: Nick Svensson Representing Santa Barbara & Montecito California

This is a special episode.  If you want to meet a real life Viking, Nick is your guy.  Nick Svensson has been a licensed Agent & real estate professional since 1996, when they used to show homes in carriages led by horses  :)  Upon graduation from UCSB in 95, Nick drew early success with his first agency Fred Sands Realtors, then later joining Sotheby's International Realty in Montecito as one of the top 3% brokers out of 43K brokers nation wide. 
Born in Linköping, Sweden; Nick arrived in Santa Barbara at a mere 5 months old. While he has been excited to call Santa Barbara home since 1972; he still keeps his Swedish roots intact and is fluent in the language.
Nick & I first met in Aspen Colorado during the summer of 2016 when we opened our first Colorado flagship office there.  I'm proud to call Nick a friend, mentor, colleague, and as Reffkin our CEO would say, someone I am extremely proud to be on the same team with.