Our Company
Created through a 2006 merger of two well-established Manhattan real estate firms, Fenwick Keats Goodstein already is one the city’s largest brokerages-and still building on its momentum. With four strategically located offices in New York city and 125 seasoned realtors, Fenwick Keats Goodstein enjoys the advantages of an extensive agent training program, a portfolio of townhouses for sale, and close relationships with management of thousands of apartment units.
Fenwick Keats Goodstein was formed as a merger of two firms with complementary strengths. Fenwick-Keats, founded in 1989 had a large brokerage business but a relatively smaller management business. Goodstein Residential was the brokerage affiliate of Goodstein Management, one of the largest management companies in New York City.
The new firm brings together a leadership team with strong experience in all aspects of residential real estate. Its principals are Jeff Wolk, Rob Anzalone, and Robert DeLeonardis. Anzalone, chairman and chief executive officer merged firm, and Wolk, president and chief operating officer, co-founded the original Fenwick-Keats, Robert DeLeonardis, managing partner, was formerly managing director of Goodstein Residential. "The blend of the two firms synergizes our strengths and enables us to tap our potential," says DeLeonardis.
The merged company also benefits from the experience and advice of Goodstein’s senior management, including Sandy Lewis and Martin Goodstein. Both serve on the Fenwick Keats Goodstein Board of Directors, while Shari Goodstein-Rossi is an Executive Director.
Several characteristics set Fenwick Keats Goodstein apart. One is its dedication to personal service. Another is its building specialist program, which pairs top agents with significant properties such as The Century and the San Remo, where the firm has management relationships. Goodstein Management alone is responsible for some 15,000 units around New York City.
Agents also benefits from high-profile storefront locations in Greenwich Village and the Upper West Side, as well as a significant portfolio of townhouses for sale - an area of specialty for which Fenwick Keats has become well known. On more than one occasion, the firm’s brokers have guided buyers all the way through the townhouse purchase and sale process, from purchasing a multi-unit property to refurbishing it for single-family occupation and then reselling. "We have a knack for advising and guiding sellers on how to reconfigure a townhouse to maximize its value and then potentially resell it," says Jeff Wolk. For example, a townhouse that sold several years ago is soon to be marketed for $15 million after an "absolutely spectacular renovation," says Wolk. "It will be one of the nicest houses in the city." The home is scheduled to be listed beginning in January.
As members of the Manhattan Association of Realtors, agents at Fenwick Keats Goodstein gain the edge of being plugged into the city’s Internet Data Exchange (IDX). The site allows them to list exclusives properties on the website of 22 other firms, a number that continues to grow. "This is a comparatively new way of doing business, which provides transparency and better serves both buyers and sellers," says Jeff Wolk.
In addition, Fenwick Keats Goodstein agents enjoy the benefits of being realtors, a specific designation that goes only to those who are members of the National Association of Realtors. For example, they are authorized to place listings and advertise on the association’s Web site, Realtor.com, by far the nation’s largest real estate website. The firm’s principals are all active members of their trade association: Robert DeLeonardis is 2007 President of the Manhattan Association of Realtors, Jeff Wolk is a past president, and Rob Anzalone is a director. The company and the agents are also members of the New York State Association of Realtors.
"Prior to the merger, we always had a common focus," says Rob Anzalone. "We were, and we are, ‘agent-centric’, helping the agents do the best job possible. We have some 125 agents, including a core of people who have been with our respective firms for 15 years or more. Among other things, we offer our agents a lead-generation program, providing buyer and seller leads to our agents. We also provide extensive training for new agents, spanning four weeks, where we bring in attorneys, mortgage experts, and other industry professionals and offer ongoing workshops and a mentor program that matches our newcomers with experienced agents."
With its four offices including an East Side location and its corporate headquarters on the Upper West Side, Fenwick Keats Goodstein covers all of Manhattan and beyond, living up to its motto, "We know the neighborhood." From Harlem to Battery Park City, Fenwick Keats Goodstein has designated agents who are experts in each 21 Manhattan neighborhoods. The firm’s easy-to-navigate website, www.fkgrealestate.com, reflects the company’s passion for the city’s neighborhoods, with historical information about each area and links to important selling points such as top schools.
The West Side offices, including a Broadway storefront location, are managed by senior vice president Don Hurwitz, a true ‘Westsider’ and widely respected industry professional who provides an extra level of support to agents. The firm also has a storefront location on West 11th St. In recent years, the company had developed significant expertise in representing many of the new apartment buildings that have arisen across the city, especially on the West Side. And the firm is looking to expand, with an application pending for a real estate brokerage license in New Jersey.
Despite its rapid growth, Fenwick Keats Goodstein has not lost sight of providing the personal touch. "I personally interview all our potential new agents,"Anzalone says. "Once they’re aboard, our director of client services and business developments, Fanny Montalvo, guides them to be sure they’re getting and using all the tools we provide."
"We also help, if needed, with their presentations and, if necessary, visiting property," he says. "For example, one of our newer agents, who had been struggling at her former company, felt she was getting lost in the shuffle. When she came to us, Robert guided her and mentored her, and she’s done six or seven transactions under his tutelage. As managers, we want to be there for our agents and we like being in touch with the transaction they’re handling. Sometimes, when they’re working with a client, having member of management along adds a useful dimension. Here, our agents get experienced support to help them in their careers." adds Wolk. "We consider ourselves a genuine broker’s broker, and agents really appreciate it."
Serving and educating the agents leads, in turn, to better servicing of the clients. "From the moment Jeff and I began our first company on a handshake," says Rob Anzalone, "and now in our new merger, integrity and honesty have been our greatest asset. Our agents never forget how important clients’ properties are to them, and all of us work to earn the trust that the clients place in us when they buy or sell. Add to that our commitment, our expertise, and our experience, through all levels of the firm, and you can see why we feel that, any way you look at it, we’ve got a winning combination."
