In this weekly column, real estate agents across the nation share stories of the lessons they’ve learned during their time in the industry.
After more than two decades in Manhattan real estate, Stan Ponte, a senior global real estate adviser and associate broker with Sotheby’s International Realty – East Side Manhattan Brokerage, was named the No. 2 agent in Manhattan by sales volume for his 2020 professional accomplishments.
However, despite his experience and expertise, he still spends time listening to and learning from the clients and colleagues with whom he works.
How long have you been in the business?
I’ve been a real estate broker for 21 years. I came to New York in 1989 to become an actor and studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. I found out pretty quickly that there is another word that goes with actor, and it’s starving. I was a starving actor.
My best friend was also a starving actor, but then one day, he invited me to dinner at an amazing steak house in the Meatpacking District. I finally asked him how he could afford the fancy dinner, and he told me that he got his real estate license, and he was renting apartments.
It was an “aha” moment for me. I went home that night and laid awake thinking about it. The very next morning, I went straight to the New York Real Estate Institute and said I wanted to become a real estate agent. Two weeks later, I had my real estate license and started renting apartments.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
My goal is to stay on the cutting edge of where technology meets real estate. In five years, I’ll still be finding ways to navigate a changing market and the technologies that go along with the buying and selling of real estate.
We’ve seen massive adjustments in the way both buyers and sellers use technology to assist in the purchase and sale of properties. The real estate brokers that learn how to utilize technology to their advantage and who are not…