Other top brokers in New York have taken notice of Mr. Reuveni’s methodology, particularly in light of the Laureate’s success. “I think at the really high end people are able to see through BS pretty quickly, and he doesn’t conduct himself that way,” said Raphael De Niro, the rising star at Prudential Douglas Elliman and son of the actor Robert De Niro.
“I think he’s really smart and hardworking and, you know, a straight shooter,” said Corcoran senior vice president Robby Browne, who deemed the Laureate “one of the truly great new buildings in New York.”
While never boasting about his accomplishments, Mr. Reuveni was comfortable discussing his strengths. “At the end of the day I can be a very good salesperson,” he said. Particularly priding himself on his ability to communicate effectively with both buyers and developers, Mr. Reuveni feels that he is able to bridge the gap between production and sale.
Issac Herra of BCRE, the development company behind 15 Union Square West, gushed about Mr. Reuveni in an email. “Shlomi brings to the table a rare combination of qualities which include professionalism, dedication and integrity. … The only thing that matters to Shlomi is what is in the best interest of the project.”
Some, however, find his intensity and unwavering focus on his projects off-putting. “He may be a tad bit overly aggressive,” one luxury broker suggested. The development market tends to foster a hawkish sales strategy, the broker said. “I think that in the new development there’s this hardcore sell, sell, sell, spin, spin, spin because they’re selling one can of beans and one can of beans only. I would find it highly boring.” The broker admitted that for what it’s worth, Mr. Reuveni seems to have mastered the art of selling his chosen variety of beans.
As for his clients, at least one who recently purchased a unit in one of Mr. Reuveni’s buildings felt that he was overbearing. “I think he’s a control freak,” the buyer said. “Too much of a control freak. It just was not a pleasant experience.” He claimed Mr. Reuveni gave preferential treatment to the buyers interested in the most expensive properties.
Aside from the visible pride with which Mr. Reuveni identified the minute details of the Laureate on our spirited tour, we saw him express genuine passion on one other occasion: in our discussion of martial arts, Mr. Reuveni revealed that for years he had taught adult classes, but had recently been forced to hang up his belt due to time constraints. What he missed, he said, was watching his students develop.
“What I really liked was the stage of starting with someone who may or may not know anything,” he remembered, “and just taking them through the stages and making them understand, you know, physically, mentally, psychologically how everything works and how to put it together.” It was witnessing his students “progress throughout the process” that made him the most proud.
It seems he may no longer need the competition of the dojo, however. These days, he exercises his disciplined approach to his profession, at the upper reaches of the city’s residential market.
eknutsen@observer.com
