Editors’ Note

Named Rookie of the Year his first year in the business, Frank Percesepe has since made his mark as a frequent Broker of the Month, as recipient of the prestigious Corcoran Deal of the Year award in 1999, and as a consistent Top 10 Producer. He was previously Managing Director of the firm’s thriving Brooklyn Heights office.

What has made Corcoran so special?

Corcoran is special in many ways. It’s what separates us from other firms. We’re like a family. Many agents and members of the management team have been with the company for many years, so we are very simpatico in terms of how we work with one another.

In addition, we all share the core concept that we’re here to service the client. It’s the Corcoran way.

How has Corcoran’s business in Brooklyn evolved?

When I was asked to go to Brooklyn, it was a tiny business. It started to grow when I got there and I was made manager of the Brooklyn Heights office in 2001. In 2005, I became regional head of the Brooklyn business for Corcoran. The business had grown incredibly.

We were the first of the major firms to really plant our feet in Brooklyn and we now have more than a 35 percent share of the market.

Are you surprised by the growth?

No, it doesn’t surprise me. Brooklyn has an incredible stock of historical housing and its proximity to Manhattan makes it highly attractive to buyers.

The first benefit is that, in Brooklyn, you have the opportunity to own your own stand-alone home versus in Manhattan where the majority of the homes are apartments in high-rise buildings. Brooklyn is filled with many wonderful neighborhoods with many housing styles: the gorgeous brownstones in Fort Greene, the limestones in Lefferts Manor, the grand houses in Brooklyn Heights, and the beautiful Victorian homes in Ditmas, and as you drive along Clinton Avenue in Clinton Hill, you’ll see some exquisite mansions.

Is a large percentage of the population being priced out in Brooklyn as they are in Manhattan?

Yes. Brooklyn, like Manhattan, is challenging for many buyers as prices have been rising steadily. There are certain segments of the Brooklyn market where you can find properties that are priced lower than in Manhattan, particularly when it comes to new buildings. However, Brooklyn still doesn’t have nearly enough inventory to meet the incredible demand we have from people who want to buy a home here.

What do you look for in a potential agent?

The agent job is multifaceted so we look for a lot of different things in a potential agent. First, we look at a person’s resume for indicators of their commitment to a job, their basic experience, and what their educational background is. However, a resume only tells us about a person. It is very important to gauge someone’s personality through an interview. A client may spend four to six months in a very intimate relationship with an agent during which time they reveal their dreams and aspirations and how they want to live, and they disclose their financial information. So it is extremely important that a client likes, respects, and trusts the person who will be acting on their behalf as their agent.

Good agents are extraordinarily personable, good, kind, fair, upbeat, intelligent, flexible, and diligent. They have to be sensitive to the people they are working for and get to know them well enough to successfully guide them through the buying or selling process.

When agents know their clients and understand how their clients want to live, they will find the right home for them.•