Small Business Spotlight: Reinventing Realty In NYC With Blair Brandt

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Blair Brandt managed to find a new niche in an already crowded industry when he founded Next Step Realty.

The company provides one-day or even half-day apartment hunting in New York City.

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"Like a lot of good ideas, it really came from personal experience," he tells Joe Connolly. "What me and my partners decided to do was try to innovate within a somewhat stale or traditional industry that didn't have a lot of new companies."

Next Step Realty is able to provide some premium services at lower costs, because they have a high conversion rate.

"Our agents are using their time so wisely that they're happy to give 30 percent off the broker fee, in addition to providing a car service and giving you the full day, because odds are you're going to actually sign a lease," Brandt says.

Meanwhile, he says, the rest of the industry has taken the reverse approach.

"I think our secret is hiring really great people who have spent enough time in the marketplace to be experts but also are still up and comers, so they're relatable to this audience of millennials moving to New York City," he says.

They use Instagram and Instagram stories to double down on that reliability and show off the New York City lifestyle.