At the end of 2024, Mark Siwiec found himself confronting a problem most real estate agents would be happy to have: There was simply too much business.
That year, Siwiec was considered (by at least a few reputable sources) the top agent in the six-county Rochester region, with approximately $92 million in sales. But the volume made something clear. One person—even one with a strong team—could not continue to handle an increasing number of clients with the level of care, responsiveness and strategic attention that had built his reputation.
With Keller Williams at the time, he could have continued expanding within that brokerage. Instead, he chose to create something more ambitious.
“I loved KW, and I loved my broker, but I was paying a ridiculous amount of money every month for rent,” says Siwiec. “And I’m a landlord. I’ve got a lot of rental property that I own here in Rochester. It made no sense for me to pay rent. So I bought a building and moved my team of seven agents at that point in time.”
Elysian Homes had existed since early 2024 as the umbrella under which the Mark Siwiec Team at KW operated. In January 2025, Siwiec formally launched Elysian Homes as an independent brokerage, built around a simple question: What would happen if talented agents had the kind of support, mentorship, technology, marketing and culture that allowed them to become materially better at their work?
The answer, so far, has been rapid growth. Elysian is projected to close nearly $160 million in residential sales this year. Based on agents who have already committed to joining the brokerage in the fourth quarter, Siwiec expects that number could rise to between $200 million and $250 million in 2027.
“Within the first year I went from seven agents to 21, and it looks like I’ll have 32 agents by the end of this year,” he says.
But the sales volume is not the story he is most interested in telling. Plenty of brokerages add agents, increase headcount and hope that a few productive people emerge. Elysian is trying to build something different, which is a brokerage where agents do not feel like isolated commission earners operating under a common logo.
A novel career switch
How Siwiec, in the real estate business for 36 years, first came to it is, shall we say, unusual.
“My dad was a cop in the city of Buffalo,” he explains. “I’m the first person in my family to go to college. I got a degree in political science but the only job I could find was with the state health department.” He goes on to explain that he was given some unexpected outreach assignments, going into the community to speak with people about their healthcare issues.
“As I was doing that, driving and walking all over the place, it seemed like everybody who was dressed beautifully and with expensive cars all had real estate licenses. So I got my license and started out. I admit it’s not your typical path.”
Elysian has built a full-support team around its agents, including client intake, listing coordination, transaction management, photography, social media, finance and concierge-level client service. Siwiec explains that “the goal is to remove the administrative friction that keeps agents from doing the work that actually drives long-term success.”
This means advising clients well, negotiating effectively and, perhaps most importantly, remaining present in the lives of their clients long after closing. “The strongest agents do not simply complete transactions,” he says. “They deepen relationships with the people who have trusted them, stay connected socially and personally and become the person a former client thinks of when a friend, colleague or family member needs help.”
Elysian has two models when it comes to commission splits.
“To just hang your license is 85/15,” says Siwiec. “The other is 75/25. In exchange for that one, our administrative team does everything. They will secure signatures on the listing documents for your clients, arrange for the photos and the videos to be taken, input data and information into the MLS and schedule open houses.
“The transaction team will email documents to the attorneys for approval, make sure the buyer has applied for their mortgage, follow up to make sure the mortgage is secured and schedule the final walkthrough.”
Siwiec believes the more important support is often less visible. Throughout the day, agents call him to talk through pricing, strategy, negotiations, inspections, listing presentations and the delicate moments that arise when people are making high-stakes decisions. There are one-on-one mentoring sessions, as well as the occasional calls at night—often not about business but about something personal that is weighing on an agent or affecting their ability to do their best work.
The company has also made a point of creating moments that make the office feel less transactional and more connected. There have been Cinco de Mayo celebrations, ice cream trucks during the summer, chair massages for the administrative staff, a winter euchre tournament and a Thanksgiving dinner early in November. Those things are not the culture by themselves, but they are signals of it. With real estate demanding work, Elysian is trying to prove that high standards and gratitude can coexist.
The same philosophy extends to the firm’s relationships with former clients. A disproportionate amount of Elysian’s business is referral-based. Siwiec does not view that as a marketing statistic. He sees it as evidence that a client relationship should not end when the closing papers are signed.
This past June, several hundred former clients attended a Rochester Red Wings hockey game hosted by Elysian. A couple of weeks later, more than 100 clients gathered at Siwiec’s home for a jazz concert in the backyard.
This October, the company will continue a tradition that dates back more than a decade, hosting several hundred clients and their families at a local farm for pumpkins, corn mazes, cider and donuts. Then, during the week before Thanksgiving, Elysian will again deliver nearly 2,000 pies throughout the Rochester area—a tradition that has become one of the more visible expressions of the firm’s appreciation for the people who have supported it over the years.
“Some brokerages may view those events as client appreciation, but I see them as something more fundamental, an effort to remain present in people’s lives long after the moving truck has left the driveway,” says Siwiec.
Elysian is also making an intentional investment in artificial intelligence. The company has brought on a summer intern whose role is not simply to experiment with ChatGPT or create surface-level marketing copy. Based on the real-world needs identified by agents and staff, she is writing prompts, building workflows and creating code intended to streamline operations, improve communication, strengthen marketing and make the experience for clients and agents more efficient.
Siwiec believes that AI will not replace good agents. But he is equally convinced that it will widen the gap between agents who use technology thoughtfully and those who continue to operate as if the industry has not changed.
Siwiec also co-hosts the Rochester Living podcast with Elysian agent Corey Moran. Each week, the two interview someone with a perspective on Rochester—business leaders, cultural figures, community voices and people helping shape the region. The podcast has developed its own audience across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Beyond Elysian’s channels, Siwiec writes a monthly blog distributed to approximately 40,000 Rochesterians and published in the Rochester Business Journal. He is regularly quoted in local television and media and has increasingly appeared in national publications, including The New York Times.
So does Siwiec ever have time to just chill?
“My partner and I went to St. Bart’s for a vacation back in May,” he says. “The first day I worked six hours. The second day, four hours. By the third day I knocked it down to two hours. And then by the fourth and the fifth day, our last two days there, it was like an hour and a half. You can’t just walk away from this. I’m just grateful for the opportunity that I have to work 60 hours a week.”
