Above, Vicki Negron
A Brooklyn, New York resident for more than 50 years, Vicki Negron was doing very well selling television advertising for major broadcast companies when she began comparing notes with a neighbor who was selling real estate.
“I was working around the clock,” Negron said. “My neighbor was putting in fewer hours and seemed to be far less stressed. I decided to take the chance that my love of people and my hard-earned negotiation skills would be as valuable or more in the real estate industry.”
Licensed in 1993, she went to work for Brooklyn Landmark Real Estate Company not long before it became part of the Corcoran group, where she focused primarily on rentals. Successful from the outset, she soon took on an assistant and the Vicki Negron team was born.
Today, the self-dubbed “Queen of Rentals’ and her team of three are leasing and selling real estate for a third generation of customers, closing more than 300 transactions annually and consistently ranking high in Corcoran’s Million Dollar Club.
Barbara Pronin: Vicky, why did you decide to focus on rentals?
Vicki Negron: Renting is a lifestyle in Brooklyn, especially in areas where young people can walk or bicycle across the bridge into Manhattan for their jobs. And I soon learned that in a perfect world, renters become buyers. Buyers become sellers. Sellers become landlords. Landlords become investors–and investors become developers. We lavish great care on every customer, and every customer remains a client and a friend. Today, I am working with the children and grandchildren of customers I have had from the beginning.
BP: What is the average rental price in Brooklyn real estate these days?
VN: Around $3,000 a month for a studio, $3,700 for a one bedroom, $4,500 to $5,000 for a two bedroom. If you want three bedrooms, the price can start at $10,000 and soar upwards.
BP: What is the average sale price?
VN: About $670,000 for a co-op, $1.2 million for a condo.
BP: And how much of your production is in sales or rentals?
VN: I would say it’s about 50-50.
BP: You said your customers stay with you because you lavish great care on them. Can you illustrate?
VN: We listen. We learn to know our clients well. We know their lifestyle, their objectives, what features it will take to make them happy. We hire excellent photographers and professional stagers, so that our clients can envision themselves living in a space. We ensure that our clients feel cared for at every stage of the transaction, and when they move in, we send elaborate closing gifts–gifts that reflect their tastes and their interests. And after they are settled in, we stay in touch in the same way we stay in touch with friends.
BP: How long have your current team members been with you?
VN: Nicco and Sara have been with me between two and three years.
BP: What attributes do you look for when you hire a team member?
VN: I’m open to new people or experienced people with whom I feel a certain synergy. I want people who are smarter than me. I enjoy mentoring people who have a quick learning curve.
BP And how are you organized as a team? How do you ensure you are all on the same page?
VN: We have team meetings every week. We discuss updates, new listings, new photography, and such, but the truth is, we are in constant contact because this is a fast-moving market.
BP: Who does your social media?
VN: We mostly each do our own. We are on TikTok and Facebook, as you would expect, but the vast majority of our business is repeat and referral.
BP: What keeps you motivated and energetic after 32 years in the business?
VN: I love people, and meeting new people. I like knowing that I play a part in making them happy, because everyone should love the space they live in. And I love my team. They are like my dear family. I love to see them grow and thrive.
BP: What do you do when you are not working?
VN: I volunteer at a soup kitchen. It gives me an opportunity to help those on the other end of the financial spectrum. And I love spending time with my husband and our dog.
We have a beach house and a home in Washington D.C., and we like to enjoy them when we can.
BP: And finally, Vicki, what advice would you give to newer team leaders?
VN: You have to love the business and be results-oriented. You must also demonstrate a tireless work ethic and care deeply about your clients and your team. And if there is one key word, that would be, ‘listen.’
Negron Team Rental Listing
124 Columbia Heights, 609
Torre House, Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York
3 Bedrooms
3 Baths
1,607 Square Feet
Listing Price: $14,100/mo.
To view the full listing, click here.
To contact Negron, email vvn@corcoran.com.
To visit the team’s’ website, click here.
