Hariklia Koundourakis, Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT

Name : Hariklia Koundourakis Title : Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Company/firm : Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT Years with company/firm : 2 years, 4 months Years in field : 2 years Years in real estate industry : 2 years Address : 30-63 Crescent street, AStoria, NY 11102 Telephone : 347-924-7819 Email : [email protected] URL : www.harikliakoundourakis.com Real estate organizations/affiliations : ICSC, NYSAR, NAR, NYSCAR, CCIM NY Chapter, What was your greatest professional accomplishment in 2010? One of my professional accomplishments in February 2010 was being honored with the Codlwell Banker Commercial NRT "Rising Star in Commercial" Award for my success as a new commercial agent in 2009. My biggest "educational" accomplishment was in earning my MCRE designation (Masters in Commercial Real Estate) from the Lipsey School of Real Estate. My biggest "professional" accomplishment was getting hired by a big developer in the Queens market as their exclusive agent for the sale of "The Astor" ~ a 36-unit new construction (2009) multifamily in the hot market of Astoria, Queens. What was your most notable project, deal or transaction in 2010? One of my professional accomplishments in February 2010 was being honored with the Codlwell Banker Commercial NRT "Rising Star in Commercial" Award for my success as a new commercial agent in 2009. My biggest "educational" accomplishment was in earning my MCRE designation (Masters in Commercial Real Estate) from the Lipsey School of Real Estate. My biggest "professional" accomplishment was getting hired by a big developer in the Queens market as their exclusive agent for the sale of "The Astor" ~ a 36-unit new construction (2009) multifamily in the hot market of Astoria, Queens. How do you contribute to your company and / or the industry? I contribute to the industry by my code of conduct within the industry and my business approach in putting the client's best interest first, above and beyond anything else. My standards and work ethic are predicated upon my parent's principles of honesty, hard work and integrity, synonymous of the company I chose to embark my career. I am known as the market expert in the Astoria market. I constantly seek ways to provide true value to my clients by building a team of professionals that can provide a wealth of resource and service to them. What advice would you give to women just starting out in commercial real estate? My advice is to get educated! Relentlessly attend events/workshops and utilize all the resources within your company. Ask the same question to several people. Don't be patient when you need something and don't stop until you get what you want. Being a successful agent is about getting someone to trust that you are knowledgeable, committed, loyal. Exude you have the confidence to get the job done. Always look for the positive in any situation! Hold the "best of people" and reflect that back to them! Always be professional to all even though they may not return the courtesy. How do you manage the work/life balance? Honestly, this is always a struggle. I devoted an enormous amount of time, money and energy in the beginning. My approach hasn't changed, but I've learned to turn my phone off and to schedule my time better. I'm using "auto-reply" on my emails to manage my client's expectations as well as broker inquiries. People's time warrants the utmost respect. I can't say I have the magic formula how to balance the success of a career and family life, but so far I'm doing Ok. Life is a roller coaster; you can't expect it always to be a smooth ride. Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career? The regional director of CBC, Ed Smith has been an invaluable resource, encouragement and support to me. I took every training course he offered within our Coldwell Banker University. Ed recognized my strong character and skill set and "held the best" of me from the beginning. He now has a profound understanding how I think and "work" best. He is an incredible mentor and teacher. Recently, I've been referred to as the upcoming "Zenyatta" in Real Estate and quite fancy the reference! FYI, Zenyatta is the undefeated philly that raced with studs in the 2009 Breeder's cup and won. What impact has social networking had on your business? Networking is key in this industry. I prefer to meet people face to face rather than the internet social platform that is exploding all around us. Once a new acquaintance has been made, getting further connected via the social internet platform makes is easy and wonderful. However, nothing replaces human conversation and interaction in my book!