Reppin’ Real Estate in Rockaway—Meet Robin Shapiro

By Kami-Leigh Agard

“Reppin’ Real Estate in Rockaway” is a series by The Rockaway Times highlighting the movers and shakers behind the peninsula and Broad Channel’s real estate scene. In this installation, meet the Wikipedia of Rockaway real estate, Robin Shapiro.

When Robin Shapiro and her husband bought their Neponsit home in 1985, little did the soon-to-be real estate titan know that within a few years, she would sell a dozen homes on their street—from beach to bay on Beach 145th. No easy feat as these homes come with the highest real estate price tags on the Rockaway peninsula. After 25 years in business with her namesake real estate agency, Robin Shapiro Realty, the savvy businesswoman also boasts the runaway record of selling a house on every block from Beach 149th to Beach 121st Street. So, what’s her secret sauce? According to Shapiro, it’s her determination to be brutally honest with clients, while having fun.

With roots stemming from Mill Basin, Brooklyn, Shapiro’s move to Rockaway came after she and her husband were looking for their forever home with their then two young children. As for how she got into the real estate biz, it was pure happenstance.

Shapiro said, “Over the years living here, my husband and I made a lot of friends with other families. When I heard about people looking to sell, buy, or rent a home, I referred them to a family friend, Carol Silverstein, a local broker. Then, when my daughter, Leah, turned 15, Carol asked me to come work with her as an agent. After two years, I became a broker and opened my own agency, Robin Shapiro Realty.”

Shapiro said at that time there were only five other brokers on the peninsula, and she drummed up the idea of running a full-page ad of real estate listings in The Wave. Plus, she was the first to launch a website.

“I was the first broker to run full-page ads, launch a website, and when the others saw I was getting a huge amount of business, they all soon followed suit,” she said.

Then, always forward thinking, Shapiro drummed up the idea of penning the column, “Real Estate Corner, which she first started in The Wave, then moved on to The Rockaway Times, where it’s still featured today.

“I’ve been writing the column for over 20 years. In my columns, I explain all the nuances of buying or selling a home. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot from my own mistakes. For example, I had a house in contract on Cronston Avenue. The client was a young guy who had just started a business on Wall Street. He had a lot of money, great credit, but we never closed. Why? Because two weeks before he was supposed to close, he bought a Ferrari. So, he blew the deal. You cannot do that because the mortgage broker is constantly checking your credit, making sure that your ratio of expenses is not overblown. So, now I always explain to buyers that when we’re in contract, don’t go out and, for example, start buying a lot of expensive furniture. If you do, put it on an extended plan. Again, you don’t want to suddenly blow the ratio of your expenses.

“So, I get material for my column through my own experiences. Also, people reach out with questions. For example, one time I was at a house, and the people living there had my column about real estate attorneys on their refrigerator. That was really nice to see,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro describes Robin Shapiro Reality as a family-oriented, full-service agency, where her three children and husband, Steve, also work with her as a team. She’s even been nicknamed “The Source” by her friends because she knows who and where to go to get things done. From estate planning lawyers, mortgage brokers, and accountants, movers, architects, licensed contractors, landscape and interior designers—Shapiro is the Wikipedia of all things real estate. She said her goal is make the entire real estate experience as easy and seamless as possible for her clients.

She said, “I know a lot because I’ve been around. I’m not an attorney. I’m not an accountant. I’m honest about what I know and don’t know. So, I refer clients to the experts who do know.”

When asked what sets her apart from today’s crowded field of brokers on the peninsula, Shapiro said, “I think the most important thing about me is, first of all, I’m brutally honest. Sometimes people do not like what I have to say, but it is what it is. I don’t need to take a listing at a silly price to make someone happy. That’s not my style. I don’t do that. Secondly, I’m very experienced and like to share my knowledge, which is why I like writing the column. When I’m showing a home, I can tell the buyer what year the house was built, the make, taxes, comparable house prices in the area and more. Also, I’m very creative in terms of how to make a house look more appealing, whether it’s with lighting, clearing out spaces that look overcrowded with furniture, etc. Plus, I even pay for mini-inspections for my clients.

“Real estate is about making a fit. And the bottom line is that real estate is also about taking a leap of faith because when you go into a contract as a broker, I do my best to make sure the buyers are qualified. However, sometimes deals blow up for whatever reason, like with the guy who bought a Ferrari while in contract.”

With five-star ratings on real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia, Shapiro’s reputation as being blunt, yet inspiring, precedes her, with one reviewer stating: “Robin really goes all the way to get what you want. She tries to make a deal happen while at the same time telling the truth and the reality of the market. Her knowledge and experience really shows through every time. Robin Shapiro is my first choice when it comes to real estate every time.”

Looking for your dream home, apartment rental or commercial space? Call Robin Shapi­ro Realty at (718) 490-9463 or email: robinshapirorealty@gmail.com. Also, check out the agency’s full-page ad chock-full of listings every week in The Rockaway Times! And don’t forget to read Shapiro’s weekly column, “Real Estate Corner.”