It’s good for Jason Tsalkas that he fully understands his father’s Greek heritage, lest he be a bit blue at not receiving the kudos a son might expect from his dad after accomplishing what he has.
After all, not only did Tsalkas choose to change careers and pivot into real estate, as did his father, but he’s achieved significant success, now at New York’s SERHANT. brokerage, leading a nine-person team that handles co-ops, condos, new development and residential properties ranging from modest to the highest price points.
He and his father, now retired, still talk shop, but Tsalkas doesn’t expect much more. “I think he’s proud of me,” Jason admits. “He’ll never say that, but I think he is. A Greek father’s emotions go to their daughters. Father to son? No. You may get a pat on the back, and then be told to move along.”
Tsalkas has progressed steadily during the dozen years he’s been in real estate. A native New Yorker, his innate knowledge of the five boroughs coupled with a background in finance and an upbringing around the industry, gives him a unique perspective that he uses to help clients achieve their goals.
“Like many agents in Manhattan, we all started in rentals and you kind of learn how to take rejection,” he says. “I was able to pivot from rentals to doing sales, and of course along the way came co-ops, condos, houses and everything else.”
The intense New York City market isn’t for every agent, but Tsalkas has proven he’s well suited to its demands.
“I’ve played sports all my life, and now compete in real estate, too,” he says. “You want to get the best outcome possible for all the right reasons. You’re not trying to sneak something over on someone. You just want the best outcome for your client. It sifts out what is actually real. As funny as it sounds, we’re trying to put the ‘real’ in real estate, and when you’re competitive, that’s when it shows.”
Whether it’s a studio apartment in an outer borough or a multi-million-dollar estate, Tsalkas provides the exact same service to clients, though he does admit to getting a bit more excited over a commission for the latter.
“You could say the obvious is that the stakes are higher because there’s more money involved, but the process should be treated the same,” he says. “Everybody’s making a huge financial decision, so that responsibility should be equal throughout.”
Growing up middle class in Queens, Tsalkas’s parents encouraged him to work hard in school and sports. That ethic has served him well in real estate.
“We were never broke or wealthy,” he explains. “And my perspective is that of an even-keeled person. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about a higher-price-point deal, but my roots keep me a little bit more balanced. At the end of the day, it’s about delivering. It doesn’t matter if it’s a home for $15 million or $500,000.”
Opening up the market: The value of full-market exposure
A big believer in the masses having access to the full market, Tsalkas also knows there are certain times when private listings have their place.
“If I was in the client’s shoes, I would want to know that I’m seeing everything out there,” he says. “They have the right to say yes or no. If you’re representing the seller or the buyer, it doesn’t matter. With the seller, you want their property in front of as many people as possible. It’s going to give them the best shot at finding the right buyer for their home.
“I’m working with a student right now, but the parent works hard and does everything else. They want to see everything. They want to get their child in the best place that they can for their budget. That’s where a full market perspective is important.”
Data and market visibility when pitching a seller or advising a buyer is a must these days. AI and the internet have turned many first-time buyers into agent wannabes. Tsalkas stresses that staying ahead of them and the curve is vital.
“Every seller, every seller pitch, every seller interview, even if it’s a referral, you start it the same way, or at least I think you should, which is through a full comparable study,” he says. “It’s not just comparing bedrooms and bathrooms. You’re comparing the other nuances like price per foot and the layouts.
“Is it a quirky layout? What makes it special? Why is one floor (in a co-op building) different from the other? Maybe there’s a column in the space. Maybe one has outside space and the other one doesn’t. You have to interpret the data and understand the whys behind it.
“If two floors are exactly the same layout, why did one trade for significantly more than the other? Was there renovation inside? It’s really kind of like the comprehension point and knowing the trade-offs that happened behind the scenes.”
Tsalkas was eager to point out that Zillow Group’s StreetEasy, the leading local real estate marketplace for finding, renting, buying and selling apartments across New York City’s five boroughs, has played a major role in building his business and client relationships.
“StreetEasy is really the place to be when you’re looking at real estate in New York,” he stresses. “Everything is on there. At this point, it has become not just a listing platform but a tool. Say I’m taking someone out. They already know the last three deals that have happened due to StreetEasy. What they don’t know are the nuances, and for StreetEasy, that’s where a partnership unfolds. StreetEasy is providing this amazing platform, a tool for agents and for consumers. What’s different is how you digest and share the details and information that it can give.”
Leading from the ground up
Tsalkas is in the enviable position of working with all team members while still representing clients himself.
“Every day we all talk to figure out what’s going on,” he says. “I still love the boots on the ground aspect. I handle listings myself. My friends always tell me I would have been a great teacher. I find that here with the team. I love working with my agents, asking, ‘What’s going on in your world?’ They tell me what may not be working and I say, ‘Did you try X, Y and Z strategies?’ We work on seeing how to improve from that point on. That part I genuinely do love.”
While the market has been challenging over the last few years, and there have been many industry ups and downs, Tsalkas insists the fundamentals for success remain the same.
“Know your market, know the inventory,” he says. “Everything is already on the internet, especially with the way AI is involved. The answers are out there, so it’s really about knowing everything you possibly can. I’m not saying somebody has to be obsessive. What I’m saying is just kind of know the market and be ready to explain.
“If I’m working with a client and we go into a building and they know things that I don’t know, it’s a problem. Then you’re not doing the advising part, you’re just doing the brokering. Some clients do it themselves. They can quote-unquote broker themselves, but they can’t advise themselves on what they don’t know, and that’s what we’re here for.”
While consumed with his real estate career, Tsalkas has the perfect reason to spend hours relaxing every day with his wife—their three-year-old daughter, Atlas. She not only creates present joys, but is a cherished reminder of his past. Her name has multiple meanings, with the most heartfelt one a tribute to Jason’s mother, gone too soon.
“I’m half Greek, so that’s one meaning,” he says of the ancient Greek titan Atlas. “Number 2 is that we love to travel, so we think of the world with Atlas. Number three is about my mom, who was my best friend. She used to work at the Rockefeller Center building where the Atlas statue is the bearer of the heavens, so to me, the name just felt right. I miss my mom every day. I wish she had a chance to meet my daughter. I know that she’s with us. I know that she’s bearing the heavens on her, so my little Atlas is everything to me.”
For more information, visit https://streeteasy.com/.
