Erik Serras

Ideal Properties Group

Aleksandra Scepanovic and Erik Serras co-founded Ideal Properties Group in 2007. Scepanovic serves as managing director, and Serras serves as principal broker. They have built the firm to a team of over 250 real estate brokers and salespeople serving the five boroughs of New York City.

Scepanovic grew up in Serbia and covered the Bosnian War as a reporter, editor and media analyst. Although she found the work rewarding, she eventually immigrated to the U.S. in search of peace and stability.

“After spending time in New York City and falling head-over-heels in love with its architectural beauty, I decided to take a jump into the world of real estate, a near-perfect theater for me to often use my design and individualized leadership skills,” Scepanovic wrote in CEO Journal.

Serras, a Brooklyn native, had worked in the real estate industry since 2000. While working at a boutique real estate brokerage in Manhattan in 2007, the pair realized that their home borough of Brooklyn was underserved. They noted a need for a technologically innovative infrastructure for sales and rentals in Brooklyn neighborhoods. Recognizing the borough’s potential, Scepanovic and Serras founded Ideal Properties Group, a privately owned, independent real estate firm specializing in premier Brooklyn and Manhattan communities.

Over the past 12 years, the company has helped revitalize struggling neighborhoods. Scepanovic attributes the firm’s success to several factors, including diversity among the brokers and staff, intensive training at all levels, transparency, ability to adapt and embracing of technology.