NEW YORK—Phyllis Pezenik brings a well-rounded mind to the world of real estate. Pezenik, the Vice President and Managing Director of Brokerage Services at DJK Residential, started in developing properties before she switched to brokerage.
Pezenik’s background is in architectural engineering. She and her late husband designed, built, and marketed developments. When she decided to explore the other side of real estate she knew she had to start from the beginning.
“To be an excellent manager, I need to know what it’s like out there for an agent,” she said. “Now I tell my agents, ‘If I could do it, you could do it.’”
“DJK is a better model than other [brokerage firms] in a market like this.” Specifically, one that is rocked by fear and uncertainty that makes it difficult for a lone buyer to navigate.
As the head of DJK’s team of brokers, Pezenik stresses training and knowledge. “I push agents to do a great deal of keeping clients informed on a monthly basis, keep abreast of the market,“ Pezenik said. ”Buyers these days are savvy. The Internet changes everything. I tell my agents, ‘Your clients know as much as you do, so you have to keep up and know more.’”
“You can never have too much training,” she said.
Currently 50 agents work out of the DJK New York office and at a time when record numbers of brokers are “dropping out” of the game, as Pezenik puts it, the company is planning to expand operations. Some new offices will be in Westchester and New Jersey.
Pezenik’s all-around knowledge fits right in with DJK’s history and character. When relocation expert David J. Knight founded the company in 1987, it specialized in moving.
The company now works as a kind of a one-stop shop for all real estate needs. From rentals to home purchases and relocation for company employees and individuals, DJK seems to do it all. They’ll even help clients hook up their new cable and register the kids for school. It also has certified specialists in 150 countries, making it a referral network in and of itself.
Now, in the days of doom and gloom over the housing market, Pezenik seems thoroughly optimistic for DJK. “The market is cyclical,” she said, echoing the grounded assurances of real-estate old-timers.
“Right now it’s a buyer’s market; there’s been an open house activity boom,” she said, adding that with mortgage rates and asking prices lowering, “there’s a surge of savvy and first-time buyers. They see that in some cases that it will cost as much to buy as to rent.”
According to the Mortgage Bankers’ Association, an average 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at 5.24 percent.
Being centered in New York City, where the bubble is last to burst, gives DJK and those looking to buy in the city an advantage. “Manhattan is historically the better place to invest dollars. It recovers faster than other areas,” Pezenik said.
Please see http://djkresidential.com/ for more about DJK.
Pezenik’s background is in architectural engineering. She and her late husband designed, built, and marketed developments. When she decided to explore the other side of real estate she knew she had to start from the beginning.
“To be an excellent manager, I need to know what it’s like out there for an agent,” she said. “Now I tell my agents, ‘If I could do it, you could do it.’”
“DJK is a better model than other [brokerage firms] in a market like this.” Specifically, one that is rocked by fear and uncertainty that makes it difficult for a lone buyer to navigate.
As the head of DJK’s team of brokers, Pezenik stresses training and knowledge. “I push agents to do a great deal of keeping clients informed on a monthly basis, keep abreast of the market,“ Pezenik said. ”Buyers these days are savvy. The Internet changes everything. I tell my agents, ‘Your clients know as much as you do, so you have to keep up and know more.’”
“You can never have too much training,” she said.
Currently 50 agents work out of the DJK New York office and at a time when record numbers of brokers are “dropping out” of the game, as Pezenik puts it, the company is planning to expand operations. Some new offices will be in Westchester and New Jersey.
Pezenik’s all-around knowledge fits right in with DJK’s history and character. When relocation expert David J. Knight founded the company in 1987, it specialized in moving.
The company now works as a kind of a one-stop shop for all real estate needs. From rentals to home purchases and relocation for company employees and individuals, DJK seems to do it all. They’ll even help clients hook up their new cable and register the kids for school. It also has certified specialists in 150 countries, making it a referral network in and of itself.
Now, in the days of doom and gloom over the housing market, Pezenik seems thoroughly optimistic for DJK. “The market is cyclical,” she said, echoing the grounded assurances of real-estate old-timers.
“Right now it’s a buyer’s market; there’s been an open house activity boom,” she said, adding that with mortgage rates and asking prices lowering, “there’s a surge of savvy and first-time buyers. They see that in some cases that it will cost as much to buy as to rent.”
According to the Mortgage Bankers’ Association, an average 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at 5.24 percent.
Being centered in New York City, where the bubble is last to burst, gives DJK and those looking to buy in the city an advantage. “Manhattan is historically the better place to invest dollars. It recovers faster than other areas,” Pezenik said.
Please see http://djkresidential.com/ for more about DJK.
