BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR APRIL 26-MAY 2, 2019 31
Marketing guru shares
secrets to her success
It is not easy to shatter
ceilings in the New York
real estate market, but Scope
Realty has done just that,
building in two years, what
Real Deal Magazine says is
now the 15th largest real estate
firm in New York.
Just who are the leaders
who managed to accomplish
this feat?
Meet Paul Reisner, President
and Christopher Fenelus,
CEO of Scope Realty.
They met while involved
in a sales transaction, working
together as cooperating
brokers. It could have
been a difficult situation,
but instead, “Instantly, respect
and admiration was
earned,” says Reisner.
They conversed about
the direction in which they
were headed, and realized
they shared a vision — to
create a real estate company
that would offer agents all
the tools needed to succeed.
The company would invest
in agents’ educations, offer
Karen Auster in the studio
with Victoria Schneps.
leads, and have cars at
their disposals so they could
head out to show homes. In
short, they wanted to avoid
the pitfalls that they knew,
from first-hand experience,
hindered an agent’s ability
to sell.
This novel idea worked.
At last count, there were
more than 260 agents working
at Scope.
Fenelus engages with
new hires to make sure they
have the support and training
to be successful — and
that ultimately means the
company’s success.
“We invest in each person
from Day One,” adds Reisner,
a graduate of SUNY
Oneonta, whose background
includes management consulting.
Reisner says he
learned early on that motivation
drives people to succeed,
as it did in his own life.
He credits his success on his
ability to remain focused on
achieving the goals he set for
himself, and wants to assure
his agents can do the same.
Fenelus earned an M.S.
in International Human Resources,
from Southern New
Hampshire University, the
state in which he grew up.
He become interested in the
real estate industry because
it provided the opportunity
to earn a good income. He
started working in the business
of lending. Then, in
2008, the economy crashed,
so he moved into the real
estate market, and never
looked back. New York is the
place to be because of all the
opportunities it offers.
Keeping morale high at
Scope is key, they say, and
why training includes factors
such as time management,
organizational tools,
diversity, and the social dynamics
of a sale.
“I show agents how to
greet a person, and what
room they should use to
close a sale,” says Fenelus.
“We make sure new agents
learn all parts of the business.”
Both leaders agree that
the real estate business
comes with its challenges
— but they are committed
to helping clients and their
agents overcome them.
They see endless possibilities
for the industry in all
five boroughs, despite market
trends, economic slowdowns,
and any government
regulations.
“Life is about adapting,”
says Fenelus. “Real estate
allows you to face new problems
and craft solutions to
help bring people’s dreams
of homeownership — or investment
— come true.”
They encourage staff to
donate time and money to
charities, and this is something
Scope leads by example,
with generous donations
to organizations such as St.
Jude’s Children’s Hospital,
Covenant House, and the
ASPCA. To foster collaboration
and learning, it is the
agents who help decide the
charities on which Scope focuses.
Scope is comprised of a
diverse group of realtors,
assuring that the company
speaks the same language
as the very people who live
and thrive in New York, providing
all with a competitive
edge.
Scope Realty 68 W. 39th
St. in Manhattan, (212) 408–
1620, www.ScopeRealty.nyc.
Open seven days, from 9 am
to 9 pm.
S P O T L IGHT ON R E A L E S TAT E
Meet the titans behind NYC’s fastest growing real estate firm
BY SCHNEPS MEDIA
The weekly podcast Power Women
features strong ladies such as Judge
Judith Sheinlin of “Judge Judy,” Pat
DiMango of “Hot Bench,” New York
City Census Director Julie Menin, and
many others.
This week’s guest is Karen Auster,
the founder of Auster Agency, a leading
experimental marketing agency
located in the heart of Dumbo.
Auster, born in Flatbush, talks to
host Victoria Schneps
about growing
up on Long Island
with a father who instilled
a hard work
ethic in her and even
allowed her to help
selling cars in second
grade.
She got her start in
the marketing business
after a friend
told her that she had
leadership skills that
could make her a good
producer. She built her marketing career
from the idea of creating dance
parties for families.
“I often say that I’d probably do
it for free,” Auster
said. “I love creating.
What’s more exciting
than coming up with
ideas to draw people
to come places?”
Auster discusses
what has made her
successful in this
week’s edition of “Power Women.”
Tune in to the 15-minute podcast at
SchnepsBroadcasting.com and wherever
podcasts are heard.
/www.ScopeRealty.nyc
/www.ScopeRealty.nyc
/SchnepsBroadcasting.com