January 2016 - Ellis Sotheby's International Realty

Nancy Bashian Bunin Named Business Development Director

Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty today announced the appointment of Nancy Bashian Bunin as director, business development, responsible for leading the firm’s recruiting and retention efforts and growing market share.

“Nancy is a seasoned professional experienced in direct sales and sales management,” said Richard Ellis, owner of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. “She will tap into her vast experience- notably her eight years with the Sotheby’s International Realty brand- and understanding of an agent’s needs to recruit, retain and train top sales associates. Her diverse background affords her valuable insight into how to help agents build their businesses. Her efforts will help us maintain and grow our number one market share position in Rockland’s luxury real estate sales over $1 million.”

A 20-year industry veteran, Bunin began her association with the Sotheby’s International Realty^® brand in 2006 when she joined Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty in Tenafly, New Jersey, as broker associate and office manager, driving the growth of the start-up office to number one on the New Jersey Multiple Listing Service in 2011. She served the company until 2014.

Bunin previously served Keller Williams Valley Realty in its Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, office as team leader and chief executive officer. In that role, she oversaw the office’s development and growth. She also recruited, retained, coached and supervised all associates and staff and opened the brand’s Tenafly office.

Bunin began her real estate career in 1996, obtaining her real estate license followed by her broker’s license. A lifelong resident of Bergen County, New Jersey, she holds a master’s of public administration degree in health policy, planning and administration at New York University’s Graduate School of Public Administration. She is recognized as a top producer and award-winning professional, earning recognition for her sales and customer service while an agent with several top-tier real estate companies throughout her career.

A View of Rockland County’s Luxury Real Estate Market

With 30 years’ experience in residential and commercial real estate, Hamid Moghadam has witnessed first-hand how the Rockland and Orange county markets have changed. He earned his masters’ degree in mechanical engineering from the City College of New York and worked for the Metropolitan Transit Authority as a project manager for 12 years before becoming a full-time associate broker with Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. Hamid is ranked fifth among Rockland county’s top 25 agents in 2015 with sales over $25 million. In today’s blog, we sit down with Hamid to get his unique perspective on the market.

What major changes have you seen in the market over your 30 years in real estate?

Buyers from New York City looking in the $1 million- and-up range are attracted to the river towns like Nyack and Piermont. They are looking for privacy and a more secluded area like those found in the western part of Rockland County.

6 Tompkins Court, Upper Nyack

Our school system also has improved a lot over the years, and today Rockland has some of the top schools in the United States. Public transportation has grown and developed, and you can be sure the new Tappan Zee Bridge will serve to further solidify Rockland as one of best places to live near New York City.

What sale have you been most proud of over the course of your career?

Pretty Penny Estate

I am proud to have sold the former estate of legendary actress Helen Hayes, known as Pretty Penny, twice. It last sold in 2006 for $5.8 million. The six-bedroom home is one of the best-known properties in the lower Hudson valley, hosting the likes of President Ronald Reagan, actresses Marilyn Monroe and Rosalind Russell, Hollywood power couple Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier and composer Cole Porter. Edward Hopper even painted it in 1939.

Lord’s Castle

I also sold the most expensive home in Piermont, known as Lord’s Castle, this September for $5.025 million. At 18 acres and 15,000 square feet, the home was built in 1845 for Eleazar Lord, the first president of the Erie Railroad. It has 30 rooms and 15 fireplaces as well as massive stone archways and Beaux-Arts columns.

Your wife, Flora, also is a real estate agent. How do you balance two industry professionals in one house?

Flora joined me in the business 15 years ago and is a certified Eco Broker. She is very successful at what she does. I find that we help each other in different ways in the course of day-to-day business. She truly is my right-hand lady and provides tremendous support for my everyday business in addition to handling her own work.

Rumor has it you are an outstanding cook. What are some of the top kitchen amenities out there today?

4 Chipman Road, Palisades

For starters, any cook needs to have a kitchen stocked with the proper accessories: Good pots and pans, spices and quality products. You also need space and storage, and top-of-the-line appliances certainly don’t hurt! One of my favorite listings, 4 Chipman Road in Palisades, features the perfect gourmet kitchen for both the professional and at-home chef. The kitchen’s state-of-art design features a farm sink and soapstone counters, which offer a smooth matte feel, are resistant to acid etching and are great for baking.

As any chef will tell you, a proper dining place is essential to presenting the final product. For me, no meal is complete without a nice glass of wine to enjoy with my lovely wife and close friends.

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