Luis: Without Risk There's No Reward

I truly cannot believe we are here again premiering another season of Million Dollar Listing New York. If feel like yesterday when Season 3 just aired.

Feels like a week ago when I joined the cast and didn’t know where I would be standing today. Looking back, being a part of this show has been a wonderful experience. Not only because of what it has done to my business but because how much I have grown while I learn about myself as a result of watching my journey on TV. Furthermore, having the blessing of inspiring so many of the people that watch the show who write me letters or stop me on the street to remind me of the impact I am having on their lives has made me realize how blessed I am to have such an impact in the world.

In Season 4 you will see what I would consider to be a very important transition in my life and career. As I become more successful and busier I have found that I have to work equally as hard to make sure I don’t lose sight of the important things in life, which are family, friends, and taking care of myself. The fact that I can even recognize and see that issue now makes me proud.

Behind every successful business man stands an amazing assistant, and as I like to call her, my Chief of Staff.

This year you will get to meet who I consider to be the most important element of my business and personal life. Ronita Kalra aka Ronnie. For highly obsessed and passionate people like myself, it’s important that I have someone who understands me better than myself, who can think faster than me, and someone who has the same intentions as myself about my life and my business in order to keep me balanced, effective and focused.

Since last year my business has tripled and real estate has become almost 100% of my life so this year, you will see why I chose her to be that person.

For all the assistants out there in the world, know that you are the most important asset in the success of who you are assisting.

In this episode, 92 Laight Street is the listing I am hired to market. First I want to make sure to mention that I love working with Hispanics! (Especially Puerto Ricans.) Second, I knew who Gwyneth Paltrow is I just could not pronounce her name correctly, to me she is and will always be the assistant of Iron Man…until I ask her to marry me and then she becomes the wife of Luis D. Ortiz.

Luis Struggles with Gwyneth Paltrow

Now that that’s out of the way, coming back to business…in this episode I tell my seller Angel that he must empty the apartment and live somewhere else.

In order for me to get top dollar I need to make this listing look like it’s worth every penny which is why my approach of fully staging this unit is necessary and to me not negotiable. In this industry every situation is very different. I am fully aware of how difficult this is for Angel and his family to move to a temporary apartment while I sell their unit but as a broker it is my job to exude confidence in order for them to understand the importance of my strategy regardless of how crazy it seems. This is when you need thick skin.

Regardless of how much I know the market and how many times this has worked in the past, you can never guarantee anything. Especially in a market like New York, which is why I am not in the best position in this scenario. However I needed to stand strong. There is something about putting myself in this scenario that I enjoy, which is why everyone in this industry is crazy. Without risk there is no reward!