Real estate firm founder does what he really loves


Nick Gelfand

Feb. 15, 2010

By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor

LONGMEADOW - Nick Gelfand could be described as the consummate young professional. He started his own real estate firm when he was 28 years old and he's deeply involved with the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield - not to mention he's a snazzy dresser.

Gelfand recently met with Reminder Publications in his office on Williams Street in Longmeadow to speak about where he's come from and where he's going as a young entrepreneur.

Born in Russia, Gelfand moved to the United States with his family when he was 10 and has been living in the Greater Springfield area since he was 13. He graduated from Longmeadow High School in 1995 and went on to study at UMass Amherst.

"After graduation, I had a brief little career in medical sales," he explained. "It was fun; I got to travel. Then the company did some downsizing, and I did some soul searching to find out what I really wanted to do."

Gelfand said he had always been interested in real estate, so he "dove right into it." He got his license and started working with a local company, but two years later he decided he wanted to go out on his own. He said that as an only child, he's always been very independent. He started his own firm, NRG Real Estate, out of his basement.

"I'm interested in real estate because it's a tangible item," he said, "and whether it's a good market or a bad market, you're always making money.

"I'm also a people person," he added. "I like communicating, I like helping people. I view myself as a consultant [to potential homebuyers]. I put myself in their shoes."

By doing so, Gelfand builds strong relationships with all his clients and noted that he couldn't think of a single person he's sold a home to that's had to foreclose.

"It's important to love what you do," Gelfand stated. "I walk away from every transaction with a new friend."

He said the first year was tough because he was working with only one or two other agents. "It was fun but it was that initial step," he commented. "In real estate, you're groomed to be on your own, and it's not that hard to be on your own, but I had no safety net with a company."

His professional relationships are what helped him during the nascent stages of work on his own. He said he worked closely with lawyers and other agents he knew to help him when NRG was just beginning.

Gelfand also expanded what he could offer clients by becoming a licensed appraiser. By doing that, he said he could "see specifically what buyers were looking for in a property."

"I have my finger on the pulse of the market with my two jobs," he said.

He's also well aware of what's going on in the under 40 crowd in the region through his work with the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield. Gelfand has been working with the society for a year and currently serves as the chair of its perks committee. He is also a member of its membership committee and the social committee, which puts together the society's Third Thursday events. February's Third Thursday will be taking place at Samuel's Sports Bar & J. Quincy's Restaurant at the Basketball Hall of Fame complex in Springfield on Feb. 18 starting at 5 p.m. NRG Real Estate is serving as the corporate sponsor of the event.

"[The Young Professional Society] is a wonderful organization," Gelfand said. "I would like to volunteer more time to it but I work seven days a week."

Gelfand seems to genuinely enjoy what he does and he offered this advice to other young professionals who may still be searching for their niches: "Define what you're good at and what you love to do and just follow the course. Put a plan in motion. Don't be afraid to make mistakes."

NRG Real Estate is located at 813 Williams St., Suite 211, in Longmeadow. For more information, call 567-2100, e-mail info@nrgrealestate.com or visit www.nrgrealestate.net.

Are you a young entrepreneur who would like to spread the word about your business?

Contact Assistant Editor Courtney Llewellyn via e-mail at courtney@thereminder.com or Assistant Editor Katelyn Gendron at katelyn@thereminder.com to learn how to share your story.

Comments From Our Readers: