Welcome And What We Cover

Andrew Doud 0:12

All right, it is Thursday, everyone. I'm Andrew Doud. Time for a Happening in the Hamptons podcast, our weekly breakdown of the Hamptons market new listings and events on the East End. We are sponsored as always by New York Title Abstract, the Hampton's leading title insurance firm. Visit NewYorktitle.com. We are joined by Steve Glick, Dave Rattiner, and today Maria Markovich. How are you?

Maria Markovic 0:33

Hi, good. Welcome in. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Andrew Doud 0:36

Have you have we had you on before? No. We're like 200 and something episodes, and this cannot be your first one, is it? Yes, all right. Welcome. We got it. That's like not many agents left that we're their first time on the podcast. So have you on. So welcome in. So here's how this works. we ask you a bunch of questions. You have a million great real estate answers, and then we put it out there for tens of thousands, probably, of viewers to listen and enjoy. So there's absolutely no pressure on this.

Dave Rattiner 1:09

Actually, I think we're up for an award. We were right. We were some there was some podcast award that all we have to do is pay like a thousand dollars and we win the award.

Steve Glick 1:18

We were recognized as one of the top in the top 100 real estate podcasts to follow. I think we are ranked 53, I'm gonna say. company. There's a lot of podcasts out there. So that's the thing. There's a lot of real estate podcasts, it's great to be recognized.

Andrew Doud 1:32

so we're the real deal now, you know. So what started as like an idea during COVID has now blossomed into this legitimate podcast.

Dave Rattiner 1:41

Um

Maria’s Path Into Real Estate

Dave Rattiner 1:42

Maria, so Maria, you started out as an admin here at Saunders.

Maria Markovic 1:46

Yes, that is correct.

Dave Rattiner 1:47

And fast fast forward, what, 10, 12 years later? You you how how many years later?

Maria Markovic 1:53

Twelve years later, I believe.

Steve Glick 1:54

So how did you get into real estate? So tell us a story. So 12 years ago, you came into Saunders as an administrator, right?

Maria Markovic 2:01

Yes. so I wanted to be an agent from the beginning, actually.

Steve Glick 2:05

Okay.

Maria Markovic 2:05

however, when I came to interview Saunders team, I thought it was a good idea to start as an admin. And that's how I gained my experience, uh, got to know the paperwork, kind of like behind the scenes of the office, which comes in handy to this day. Sure. to know what's going on, um, you know, everything about the paperwork, how the office works. And then I transitioned. Well, actually, I was kind of recruited by my now mentor, Susan Penzner. Susan Pensner, who legends.

Dave Rattiner 2:41

She's kind of famous, she's a legend. She's a big deal in New York City, she's a big fan of the city.

Steve Glick 2:45

You have a great mentor in Susan Pensner, and so she saw value in you, I guess.

Maria Markovic 2:51

Yeah, yeah, so she she is amazing. she, like I said, basically recruited me and said, Would you like to do real estate with me? And that's just the opportunity I was waiting for. I grabbed it. Um, you know, we have Susan and I are completely different. Yep. so it was a little bit of an adjustment. Uh, but now I can't imagine even at this point working with anybody else. We get along so well. Um, and I learned a lot in the past 10 years. now I am doing real estate full time.

Dave Rattiner 3:24

You've done a lot of business, huh? Yes. You put into contract multi almost $10 million property. Yes, yes, exactly. Unbelievable.

Maria Markovic 3:33

You know, I'm the best, no joke. You know, like still, even though we have had a great success to this moment, I'm always trying to stay humble and not think I'm the best because you know, even it's it's hard in the sales.

Dave Rattiner 3:51

You're only as good as your last yeah, you're only as good as your last deal.

Maria Markovic 3:54

Yeah, exactly. And there is a lot of pressure to keep producing. Like everything I do, everything I sell, uh, it's always that pressure like to keep it going, but that's what makes it interesting, you know, so you don't get lazy at your job, you just keep doing it. And yeah, it's just I'm very happy to be here at Saunders and to be doing sales, uh, big deals, smaller deals as well. You know, they're all valuable in their own way.

Steve Glick 4:23

So, what are you doing now? So you're in the Southampton Village office, you're now full time, you're you're an agent, right? You're here every day. So if anyone wants to come visit, see Maria, you just come into the Southampton Village office and you'll find Maria.

Maria Markovic 4:36

Yeah, so usually I'm there in the morning, and then as the decade goes by, the showings roll in. So then you can catch me on my cell phone. but yeah, I'm pretty much at the office every day. That's maybe one of the habits as being an admin. You know, I do come to the office, get um, you know, my schedule in order, and then the showings begin. That's great.

Why Agents Need Social Media

Steve Glick 5:02

Now, someone also, if they were on social media, they could follow you on social media. You've been making a lot of videos. Um, and you you see the value in promoting yourself and using social media, right?

Maria Markovic 5:13

Yes. I mean, first I have to say it's not it's not as easy as it seems. it does require a lot of work, a lot of prep, thinking about it, making the video interesting. Um, so you know people want to see it. but when it's all said and done, yes, uh, I absolutely believe that every agent should have a strong social media page. because you know, when I go to buy something or go somewhere to a store or some kind of an event, I always search them on social media, Google to make sure, you know, they're yeah, yeah, exactly. So basically, if you're not on Instagram these days, you better go on there.

Dave Rattiner 5:57

It's really true for any business, I think.

Andrew Doud 5:58

Yeah, yeah, it is. But it's hard. You're like you said, I mean, you gotta be on the ball, you gotta be constantly doing it. It's part of the job.

Dave Rattiner 6:04

We follow this guy ice or Hampton's Ice or something, and it's he's a I sell ice and he's got a social media following. You know what I mean? Oh, I'm just like who would have thought around and that would be like a valuable thing to the ice business. You gotta be dedicated, right?

Steve Glick 6:20

Um, you're doing it, you're dedicated, and it's worth a good it's you're a good person to follow. Like you have a good, a lot of good insight on real estate, you get into some really unique properties out there. Um, but it's it's great to see the progression and the growth from you know starting off as a business of an administrator, learning the business, then getting a great mentor to teach you even more side of the business, and then eventually transitioning full-time into a real estate agent. It's a great progression. Um, a lot of agents just try to start out going full-time all by themselves with no mentor, no education. Um, but you followed the right path, and now it leads to great success in your 12th year of doing real estate. So that's really true. And it's an American dream

Immigrant Perspective And Work Ethic

Steve Glick 7:02

story.

Dave Rattiner 7:02

You're originally from Serbia. When did you immigrate over?

Maria Markovic 7:05

I moved actually, I think 13, 14 years ago. So I started doing real estate pretty quickly. Right.

Dave Rattiner 7:11

And then and then you got married, you have a beautiful family. I mean, it's like it's a great it's a great thing. You just can't beat it. You do it in America. Not so easy. Not so easy, you know.

Maria Markovic 7:21

No, it's not easy, but uh, you know, if there was ever a country to offer opportunity, I know you know these days America doesn't get that many good reviews around the world, but I have to see as an immigrant, it's a country that's definitely offering the most opportunity. that's great perspective.

Andrew Doud 7:42

Yeah, you know, yeah. You know, it's it's still the the place.

Dave Rattiner 7:46

And it's cool to see. Yeah, it's cool to see when it happens.

Maria Markovic 7:48

And I just want to mention for you know, like somebody thinking about real estate, uh, you really have to just keep at it, never give up. That would be my advice, and always give hundred percent in anything you do. So that has been the key to my success is whatever you do, whatever kind of job, whatever deal you're on, it doesn't matter if it's a million or ten million dollars, always give your hundred percent because you never know who's watching, you never know how it's gonna end up. So uh, you know, that's that's the key, I think.

Dave Rattiner 8:23

And you were I would say you've always been a really emotionally stable. Like I've always noticed you're like, okay, yep. Like you're you're questioning. You know, you don't you don't well, you don't come into the office for you know freaking out. You're like, okay, this is what this is what's happening, this is what we're dealing with.

Maria Markovic 8:38

Because, you know, I know what matters in life. Yes, work matters, and uh, you know, it's important to do your work well, but at the end of the day, you know, it is work. So it is important to stay employed.

Dave Rattiner 8:50

I think also, though, I think it's from the admin experience. You had you had that outside looking in perspective, and so you've seen probably maybe thousands of deals, like just from the outside, you know. So you kind of know how it goes.

Steve Glick 9:03

We've seen that a couple times with the administrators here, um, that they start off learning the business that way, and it's a great way to get in, learn the business, and then progression on to becoming an agent. So it has happened, and still few that have done it have been very successful. So, like if anyone's looking to get into real estate, I think this is a good path to get there, right? Rather than just jump into it, you know, learn the business, get a mentor, and just you know, get work your way in.

Andrew Doud 9:32

Work hard. Yeah, and work hard and not give up. That's that's solid advice.

Weekly Hamptons Market Numbers

Andrew Doud 9:36

Um, all right, let's talk numbers. How is the big picture, Steve?

Steve Glick 9:39

All right, so this week was a good one. 31 listings went into contract in one week from West Hampton to Montauk. Last year there were 24 listings, so we're looking at an increase of 29%. Two years ago, 26 listings went into contract, so an increase there of 19%. The breakdown of the 31 transactions, one between 15 and 20 million, eight between five and ten, seven between three and five, two between two and three, seven between one and two, and six under one million dollars. The dollar volume was one nineteen million versus last year 104 million, increase of 14%, two years ago was sixty-three million, increase of eighty-nine percent, so increases all across the board. And new listings, thirty-four new ones came onto the market that increased the market by three listings, and the breakdown of the thirty-four new listings that came on this week. There was one between 15 and 20 million, 10 between five and ten, eight between three and five, seven between two and three, four between one and two, and four under a million. Inventories at 1725 total listings, 1373 active, and 352 in contracts. So a great week as we round out May, and there was all increases. So, you know, we're looking, we're in the summer now, we're in the thick of it. So there is a lot going on. There's a lot of activity in the real estate market, and um, the sun is shining, the Knicks are winning, so what could be worse?

Dave Rattiner 11:03

That's right.

Steve Glick 11:04

And the Knicks are winning.

Dave Rattiner 11:06

The Knicks are winning. The Knicks are gonna win.

Andrew Doud 11:08

Well, easy, easy. Finally. Jinx and people like that.

Dave Rattiner 11:13

Bet the house.

Andrew Doud 11:14

Bet the House. Um, all right, what do

Weekend Events Across The East End

Andrew Doud 11:18

you got going on this weekend? Because it's fine. I mean, look, it's gorgeous, man. The last couple of weeks.

Dave Rattiner 11:21

It's party weekend. It's party weekend. So it's Stephen Talk House. We have Penelope Road is playing at the Stephen Talk House June 6th from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is a live band with a major following. and they got started kind of like promoting themselves in social media. So you could check them out at the Stephen Talk House. Then this is a nice event at May Navy Beach June 6th from 3 to 5 p.m. in Montauk. Uh, they're hosting a kickoff event for Shred the Love in Montauk, which is a charitable charitable organization focused on supporting local community members facing hardship. So local community members. So I thought that was kind of cool. Um, so you could if you want to do something like that, you can do that. then out in Southampton, you have the Sticks and Stones Comedy Club. It's Abby Russell's Sticks and Stones Comedy Club. So on Saturday, June 6th at 8 p.m., there's a showtime. that's at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton, and Janelle Draper will be doing stand-up there. And you know, this is a hidden gem in Southampton. This has been going for a while. A lot of people show up to this, and it's a lot of fun. Um, and a lot of comics come out from the city that you know love performing in Southampton. And then finally the Pearlman Music Program, which is an unbelievable, really an unbelievable experience on Shelter Island. I talk about it every summer whenever they do it. But this Friday from 7 to 8:30, if you go out down to Shelter Island to 73 Shore Road, you can watch an unbelievable outdoor concert of violins and classical music performed by the students that participate in the Pearlman Music Program on Shelter Island. It's very beautiful, all under a tent, and tickets are free. So it's a great date night date day.

Steve Glick 13:06

Wow. These are great, these are great, great events.

Dave Rattiner 13:10

Summer's here. It's party time. Much better than last week. You know, where are we going? So where are we going for the to watch

Knicks Watch Parties And Wrap-Up

Dave Rattiner 13:18

the Knicks? Where are we going to watch the Knicks?

Steve Glick 13:20

Well, there's there's a million watch parties. I mean, I think like every restaurant is is going, everyone's taking full advantage of the Knicks being in the finals and everyone's doing these watch parties. I think last night, you know, East Hampton Village had a watch party right there on Newtown Lane in the village. They shut down the street, had the big screen and tables out there. Look, these games start at about 8 45, and they got last night I think it went to like 11 o'clock. So it is somewhat on the later side if you're out there, but you can't go wrong. Everyone that has a TV will 100% have the Knicks game on.

Andrew Doud 13:53

Yeah, yeah, I had no idea so many Knicks fans were in the game. All of a sudden, there's a lot of Knicks now. Steve is a legit Knicks fan. Steve is a legit Knicks. I will say that, dude.

Dave Rattiner 14:02

I've been friends with Steve for a long time, and he's got so much Knicks gear in his office, it's unbelievable. I'm sure there's gonna be a lot more if this week goes according to the game.

Steve Glick 14:13

This is the one we're looking pretty good. The next game is Friday night, um, and then the next one will be Monday night. So Friday night, which is tomorrow night. You can't go wrong. Get out there, support the Knicks, support New York.

Andrew Doud 14:24

There you go. Maria, anything else before we let you go?

Maria Markovic 14:27

No, I just want to thank you guys for having me. Of course. I hope I did okay for my first time on air.

Steve Glick 14:33

Yeah.

Maria Markovic 14:34

And then 10 out of 10. I just want to wish everybody a good summer. Uh, you know, stay busy, but take a break and enjoy as well. So um, you know, finally getting some nice weather. So it's gonna be great.

Andrew Doud 14:48

I love it. That's a great note to end on. All right, everybody, thank you so much, Maria. Thank you. Have a great weekend. Enjoy the summer. Until next week, I'm Andrew Dow. That's what's happening in the Hamptons.