A Born Realtor

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RISMEDIA-NRRE October 2001

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A Born Realtor

Mark Baum, Sales Associate

Company: The Halstead Property Company

Location: New York City

Agents: 300

Annual Sales Volume: $1.3 billion

ONE OF THE TECHNIQUES at the center of Mark Baum?s success in the tough residential Manhattan market is research. You have a far better chance of understanding and anticipating clients? wants, he says, if you have a clear picture of where they?re coming from. The key to satisfying the needs of a person looking for a new home is to know as much about their current situation as possible.

“People don?t like to downgrade,” says Baum, a sales associate with The Halstead Property Company. “They?re usually moving up. So you have to know what they?re coming from. What kind of light do they have? Are they in a pre-war or post-war construction? What floor are they on? The more information you can gather, the better off you?re going to be,” he says.

It?s hard for Baum to say when he got started in the real estate business because he was born into it.

Based in Norwalk, Connecticut, the Baum family has been long active in real estate development and management. Among its projects in Connecticut are two condominium complexes in Milford and Norwalk. The family also did some large-scale projects in Philadelphia and the Virgin Islands. Some of its projects the family sold; in others it retains an interest.

He joined Halstead two years ago and works out of the company?s 3rd Avenue office on Manhattan?s East Side. It?s one of seven Halstead offices?four in the city and three on Long Island. The Manhattan offices are located in city neighborhoods?the East Side, the West Side, SoHo and Greenwich Village?a feature the company says distinguishes it from competitors who work out of centralized offices in midtown Manhattan.

Founded in 1984, Halstead has more than 300 agents and did $1.3 billion in sales volume last year. There?s obviously money to be made, but Baum says he also loves working for the company because it constantly trains and educates its employees.

In addition to the importance of research, Baum says you can?t underestimate the need to listen to clients and the need to put in the time. “And it?s not just a matter of listening to what your client is saying, but to what he?s trying to say,” Baum says.

That?s where putting in the time comes in. Knowing what a client is trying to say is a skill that?s cultivated only after dealing with many clients over time. Careful listening is also a way to make sure you?re not wasting time?yours or the clients.

“I take pride in everything I do. I don?t waste time. If you?re not listening, you?re wasting their time and your own,” he says. Baum is frank about his disciplined approach to his work. “I tell people if I wanted to have patience,” he says in his best deadpan voice, “I?d have been a doctor.”