‘24 Hours With’ takes a look at a day in the life of CORE’s agents. Natalie Rakowski talks about her new international life and the beauty of the Bund.
Over the past year my work schedule has been divided between the two countries of the U.S. and China. Today, I woke up in Shanghai with two of my team members, Kerry Lynn and Tucky Ridder. Having taken the 18+ hour flight from New York yesterday, we are still acclimating to the time change and so we arise bright and early. First things first: I FaceTime with my family who are just about to sit down to dinner. I speak to my husband Mike first and then Jake and Matty, my two sons, pop on the screen. I show them the incredible view from my hotel room. I let them know I just read an article about the new Disney World which will be opening in Shanghai and promise to bring them there soon. Kisses are exchanged and then it’s time to begin my work day.
Over breakfast my team and I review our schedule which is packed with back-to-back meetings and two seminars.
We head to the Kerry Center for our first seminar which is for the “EB-5” fund for Related. We then head to the office for our own VIP overseas investment seminar. We present properties to clients and brokers, then have our financial advisor, Brian Wheelehan, discuss various structures for investments and finally our education specialist, Alex Mustonen, talks about schools. Afterwards we divide into smaller groups for individual meetings to answer questions about particular properties. During this time Brian and Alex hold one-on-one sessions with clients to assist with financial and school planning.
After lunch I sit down with one of the buyers and their attorney to review the purchase agreement, offering plan and to address their questions. Because the majority of our buyers have never purchased in the U.S. and particularly in New York, they require a lot of handholding. While such a hands-on approach creates a lot of additional work we really get to know our clients well and forge long-lasting relationships with them. One of our very first clients has become a good friend, so much so that their daughter is coming to stay with us next summer to improve her English and teach my children Mandarin.
To end our day, we sit down to dinner at about 9:30 with a broker friend at a restaurant overlooking the Bund. We discuss the next day’s business while surrounded by the spectacular architecture – a motivating backdrop for real estate professionals if ever there was one!