2021 Ones to Watch: Daniel Tropp, AEBOV

Name: Daniel Tropp

Title: President

Company Name: AEBOV

Real estate associations or organizations that you are currently a member of:
REBNY, AIPAC Real Estate Division

What recent project, transaction or accomplishment are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the Interactive Property Valuation portal that AEBOV created. Traditionally, brokers deliver a printed and bound valuation book to property owners, which is static, inefficient, and often becomes a sales pitch. I created a process that enables owners/investors to discuss their property’s valuation with the broker using dynamic valuation models. If the owner has questions or would like to explore different scenarios, those changes can be made in real-time to offer owners a more comprehensive idea of their property’s current and potential values. This new approach focuses on delivering a timely, accurate, and customized valuation to clients. I am really excited and proud of that.

What led you to your current profession?
I was interested in real estate ever since I was a kid. After graduating, I tried my hand in mortgage origination, residential real estate, and office leasing before I finally discovered investment sales and commercial brokerage. I fell in love with the thrill of working on deals. Today, I could not imagine having any other career.

How do you keep your team motivated despite conflicts and obstacles?
I have been really fortunate to work with very resilient people. In a post-COVID world, resiliency has become the most important personality trait I look for in people, myself included. To motivate our team, I remind them that we are focused on transforming the brokerage business to create the most value for our clients. In that respect, every conflict, obstacle, and hardship can be an opportunity to innovate and create a better approach in the future.

Who was/is your mentor and how did s/he influence/help you in your career?
Steven Guttman founder of Storage Deluxe. He is a self-made businessman, a philanthropist, and a GWU Alumni. I had the privilege of interviewing him at an event a couple years ago. When asked by a student how he started Storage Deluxe, he offered an answer that was both simple and brilliant, “make a plan.” When you take on a daunting task like launching a business, a plan forces you to focus on the next step. Take care of that next step, whether it takes a day, a week, or a month. Then move on. If you look too far ahead, you will be overwhelmed. But if you stick to your plan and focus on the next step, after a few months you will have strung together many steps that add up to real progress.

How do you contribute to your community or your profession?
I love providing information to the market. I have a podcast and the company also publishes quarterly research reports, which anyone can access. Also, I hired several interns from my alumni network since starting the business. During the pandemic, it helped them by providing an opportunity when many other internships or job offers were cancelled or put off indefinitely. It also helped me a great deal – I loved hearing the perspectives of college students, especially on anything related to tech, graphic design, and social media.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I probably had a new answer every few weeks. The one constant was that I wanted to have a loving family and today I have an amazing family! So I think the kid version of myself would be really happy.

Top three things on your bucket list:
Trip to Bhutan with my wife and kids; sitting around a table eating and drinking all night with my closest friends (this one is more a product of 2020 than it is a bucket list item); Heritage trip to Austria with my dad and brother

Favorite quote:
“Adversity breeds toughness”