Marc Rodriguez

At the tender age of four I wanted to be a farmer, but growing up in suburban Westchester, my earliest career dream was short lived. Fourteen years later, at New York University, I majored in finance, and interned at the equities desk of one of New York's premiere investment firms. I loved the trader life style: the fast-paced, high risk days, the cutthroat competition, and the thrill of it all. But when I got home, I would sooner watch television shows about real estate than tune in to Bloomberg It was not until my senior year, when I interned at Brown Harris Stevens, that I found a career that impassioned me, both in and out of the office.

I found the same rush in striking deals at Manhattan's top condos and co-ops (and more humble buildings as well) as I did on the trading desk, but it was the people I helped that gave me the greatest satisfaction. The most successful brokers understand that if they want the deal to happen more than the buyer or the seller, they are not doing their job correctly. Simply put, I never place my interests above those of my clients.