April is Teams Month here at Inman. Adding nuance on top of our weekly Teams Beat email newsletter, we’ll serve up top insights from the best team leaders across the country as we dig deeper into what it takes to build a team, scale it, and even leave one.
Name: Ashley Reidy Quinn and Nick Montalbano
Team Name: The Asset Advisory Team at Elegran | Forbes Global Properties
Title: Salesperson
Experience: 10 years (Quinn) and 11 years (Montalbano)
Market: New York City’s 5 boroughs
Awards:
- 2015 REBNY Deal of the Year
- 2023 Elegran | Forbes Global Properties Highest Closed Listing Volume
Team size: 4 people
Sales volume: $150 million
What should readers know about your team?
Ashley: Our constant determination, unparalleled level of service, integrity and work ethic set us far above our peers.
Nick: We have grown so much over the years and still continue to grow and it’s amazing to see the progress. The future is limitless.
Our team comes from different backgrounds but we all have the same values. We have some amazing stories of growth. It shows in our team chemistry; our clients can see they get the same person no matter who they are talking to on the team.
How did you get your start in real estate?
Ashley: My mom was my motivation to step into the real estate world. She was always a savvy investor, which I witnessed and experienced throughout my upbringing.
I went to college pre-med with the intention of becoming a dermatologist. During my sophomore year, I started to lose the spark, passion and interest I knew I needed to get through all my undergraduate studies and then medical school to continue that route. So, I took a job in fashion — my other passion.
It was great working in the fashion industry in NYC, but I was still missing that “can’t eat, can’t sleep” excitement and drive to wake up every morning. NYU didn’t have an undergrad real estate program at the time (only a grad program), so I decided to take classes at the New York Real Estate Institute at night.
While there, Michael Rossi, the CEO of Elegran, came to speak after one of the classes. He had many clever and intriguing points, which led me to reach out to the firm. After three interviews, I found myself starting at Elegran in March 2014, during my senior spring at NYU, and closed my first deal while sitting in graduation at Radio City Music Hall.
It’s been an incredibly challenging and rewarding 11 years since with no end in sight
Nick: It’s a simple explanation for me. I have 25 years sober, and I have a crazy path of how I got here. I just did a 3-hour podcast that was broken up into three episodes. I really feel that if you watch these, you will understand me and my team 100 percent. (If you’re interested, here are episode 1, episode 2 and episode 3.)
What do you wish more people knew about working in real estate?
Ashley: It’s not everything you see on TV. This job is grueling, endless work and sometimes a thankless job. It requires a lot of mental and physical strength (literally, it’s exhausting running around NYC showing clients). It’s not for the faint of heart!
Nick: I feel a lot of people get into real estate to make quick money. That is not the reality. It’s very tough to make it and make it to the top. A lot of sacrifice.
What’s something you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Ashley: The most powerful word you can say is “No.” There is great power (and peace of mind) in knowing when a client or a project is not the appropriate fit. And it’s in everyone’s best interest to find a more appropriate referral for the client/project. Being able to focus on projects and clients that best fit your skills and knowledge set will allow you to be the best possible agent in the long run.
Nick: When I first started out, it was easy to be lured into the big deals. I ran around like a maniac for a big deal, wanting it to close to prove to myself I belong. Then I realized what was real and what was chasing a whale. But the experience only helped me grow.
What’s one thing you wish every agent knew?
Ashley: The hustle only gets harder.
Nick: The hustle is real, and as you grow your business, the hustle grows with it. You get what you put in.
Tell us about a high point in your career
Ashley: It’s always a high point when a client refers our team to a new client or comes back to transact with us again. A referral and/or repeat business is the best compliment we can receive in this industry. It speaks to the client’s experience with us personally and professionally because they’re not going to continue to work with someone they don’t like and don’t feel comfortable with.
What’s your top prediction for 2024?
Ashley: I believe we will start to see the buyer pool increase as well as the number of listings increase. That being said, I think it will continue to be a tough market. Staying focused and really homing in on your clients’ goals will pull you through the most challenging markets.
What makes a good leader?
Nick: Knowing how to give advice when needed but also knowing that you don’t know everything and sometimes you need to sit back and listen to feedback from the team.
