Queens real estate market is booming, and now the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) is creating a special panel of brokers designed to keep a pulse on the “World’s Borough.”
The REBNY Queens Residential Committee was created in the spring of 2015 to educate brokers on the expanding and ever-changing real estate market in Queens, and to create an open line of communication between brokers and the people they serve. It is co-chaired by Miles Chapin of Warburg Realty and Christopher Austad of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
“With any change, there is inevitably going to be adjustments that need to be made. We just hope that the adjustments we are learning to make and our business practices work to the benefit of all,” Chapin said. “In an era of extreme change, it helps to know who your counterparts are. It’s that community building, not only in the communities on the ground and in the neighborhoods, but also the community of brokers, and it’s really important to know who your colleagues are.”
“That’s one thing we want to make sure with the committee, is that we have a good mix of brokers from all over Queens,” Austad added. “It’s not just a Long Island City/Astoria thing. It encompasses everyone, Forest Hills, Rego Park, Jackson Heights and all other areas of Queens.”
Before the Queens Residential Committee was created, REBNY held meetings that would focus on areas of Queens, but there was nothing specifically for its growing real estate market.
“We’re here to foster communication,” Chapin said. “We’re here to foster good business practices and help the community. One of the long-term goals is to foster a sense of wholeness of Queens.”
The Queens Residential Committee frequently holds meetings that inform their members of projects going on throughout Queens neighborhoods and are open to any REBNY members, whether they live in Queens or not.
“We encourage participation from non-REBNY members too, hoping that they will become REBNY members eventually,” Chapin said.
One of the meetings the Queens Residential Committee is holding is for brokers to learn of the development of the mayor’s $2.5 billion Brooklyn Queens Connector plan.
“Through REBNY we have the clout to pull together an informational meeting for the brokers about the specifics of this proposal,” Chapin said. “We can have brokers in the room to find out where the stops are planned today, what are the steps between shovels in the ground and what we’re talking about today.”
Austad is a resident of Long Island City and has been in real estate for seven years, with the last four being with Douglas Elliman. Chapin also has deep roots in the “World’s Borough.” He has lived in Queens for 24 years and his family spans back five generations in Queens and he is a direct descendant of the founder of Steinway Pianos.
“It’s a privilege to be working with Chris [Austad] in this community,” Chapin said. “It is a responsibility that neither he nor I take lightly. We want to do the right job by it.”
