Above, Marie Espinal, left and Jeff Adler
Manhattan team leaders Marie Espinal and Jeff Adler, who associated with the Corcoran Group’s Park Avenue South office last year, bring with them 15 years of successful partnership, a lifetime sales volume of almost $3 billion, and a playbook of finely honed real estate strategies designed to forge long-term client relationships.
Espinal, a Fordham University graduate with more than eight years in the financial sector before transitioning to real estate, and Adler, a born and bred New Yorker with a background in print media sales, use their combined skills to lead a top-producing team of six serving upscale clients in New York, Westchester, and Miami, all committed to using industry insight as key to developing long-term client connections.
“Wealthy individuals develop long-term relationships with a team of trusted financial advisors to help manage their portfolios,” said Espinal. “Our aim is to be the trusted advisor when it comes to all things real estate.”
Barbara Pronin: The two of you have a long history leading highly successful teams. What’s the secret sauce that distinguishes you in your markets?
Jeff Adler: There’s no secret. Marie is a financial genius, thoughtful, analytical, and forward-looking. She’s able to find clarity in complex situations and identify solutions that resonate with our clients.. I’m out there searching through industry information, cutting through the clutter in a way that creates opportunity and gives our people an edge over the competition. And I like sales. I like to negotiate – and those are teachable skills. So, our agents are prepared to handle the qualitative and the quantitative – every aspect of every transaction. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Marie Espinal: That’s what helps us create meaningful connections. We share the same culture of professionalism and business acumen that our clients do, and that fosters confidence.
BP: Can you give us an example?
ME: During and after the pandemic, for example, we were among the first to recognize that people would have more freedom to live away from where they work – and to pivot our efforts to accommodate a migration to Florida and elsewhere as a permanent base or as a secondary home for our clients.
BP: What kind of properties do you handle, and how are you organized as a team so that, as Jeff indicated, nothing falls through the cracks?
ME: We sell properties ranging from under a million to $55 million or more, and with three diverse markets, our agents are always out there quarterbacking. We schedule weekly calls as well as individual meetings and training sessions. There is a high level of accountability among our agents, but also a high level of support. We want to ensure they have the most current information with which to guide their clients, whether for their next home purchase or their next investment.
JA: Having more than one home is not unusual for our clients. We have huge secondary home markets in Westchester, parts of Brooklyn, and Florida.
BP: Who handles the administrative side?
ME: We have a dynamic operations manager/transaction manager who speaks three languages, and a high-energy marketing director who manages our branding, social media, and digital assets. They are highly valued members of the team.
BP: Are you interested in expanding the team?
JA: Yes, with the right people. We’d like to top out at somewhere between 10 and 15, but we are selective. We want agents who are a good fit with our unique culture and value proposition – highly skilled agents who keep up with industry change, technical advances – agents who can look introspectively, adapt to new environments, and grow their business.
ME: By that, we mean people who have the will and the talent to connect meaningfully with their clients, to learn their financial needs and wants intimately enough to earn their loyalty and confidence in the same way as do their other trusted advisors. There are good reasons for real estate to be part of any well-rounded portfolio.
BP: In terms of your own business planning, what are you most looking forward to as team leaders?
ME: Thus far, we’ve been able to persevere in an ever-evolving market and outperform ourselves every year. We have the strategies in place to continue doing that and, we think, the kind of value proposition that will help us remain a top-performing team. We’ve learned to pivot – see it, grab it, use it – and that is a unique and important skill.
JA: There is a lot of uncertainty in the industry right now, what with the recent lawsuits, and some people are a little timid about protocols going forward. It’s incumbent to all brokers to come together and stay focused. We fully expect business to stay strong. We are here for the duration.
For more information visit https://espinaladler.com/.
Espinal-Adler Team Listing
551 West 21st Street, 4A
Chelsea/Hudson Yards, Manhattan, NY
Condo built in 2015
2 Beds, 2.5 Baths
2113 Square Feet
Listing price: $4,595,000
Maintenance/common charges: $4,719
Monthly taxes: $4,110
To see the full listing, click here.
