Meet the Member: Philip Hordijk, CEO, New York Casas Real Estate

In our latest Meet the Member feature, we had the opportunity to speak with Philip Hordijk, CEO & Licensed Real Estate Broker at New York Casas.

New York Casas is the premier online real estate agency for foreign nationals to buy, manage and sell their New York investments. Growing at 100% year over year, New York Casas is set to become one of the top players in real estate in the city.

Keep reading to learn more about New York Casas’ great expansion, and Philip’s rich multicultural experience in real estate.

FACC: New York Casas Ltd, founded in 2012, is a real estate brokerage specialized in condominiums and multi-family properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Originally from Amsterdam, and after working in Argentina for a few years, you moved to New York City in 2010. According to your rich multicultural experience, how is New York City different from any other real estate market?

PH: New York City is the fastest and most unforgiving real estate market that I have experienced. And it's not just in real estate. Just the other day we represented a client relocating from Europe that ousted another person that had already signed the contract, but we made the better offer and signed within 24 hours of seeing the apartment. You snooze you lose! Another big difference I have noticed and have learned to deal with is that until it is in writing, you got nothing. In Europe and other markets, a verbal offer can be made binding. In New York, making an offer means essentially nothing until there is a fully signed contract and the deposit has been made. Show me the money!

FACC: What made you decide to found New York Casas? How do you differentiate yourself in this highly competitive market?

PH: At the time I was at a crossroads and needed to determine where I had the best chances of succeeding. I wrote down for myself what I had knowledge of (I studied real estate finance at Amsterdam University), what I loved doing (dealing with different cultures and languages) and where I wanted to live (New York City). Why don't I sell New York City real estate to internationals?, I thought to myself. Let's make a website so they can find me, I said. Twenty four hours later I had my first clients from Latin America and Europe looking for real estate in New York!

FACC: Trends are moving faster than ever. Which neighborhood can you see becoming more attractive in the next few years?

PH: Trends sure do move faster than ever. Just one hotspot in a neighborhood formerly known as "why would you go there?" can turn it into "the place to be". On the island, Chinatown is rapidly changing and could soon turn to Little Chinatown, just like most of Little Italy has turned into NoLiTa. Brooklyn's Gowanus is expecting an important residential rezoning, opening the door for developers to replace warehouses with new luxury residential buildings which will connect the charming neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and Park Slope. Third, the South Bronx has been on the rise with many new developments including a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, and is sure to become a great alternative only one express stop further than Harlem.

FACC: What are your own, personal career goals?

PH: On a personal level I have always enjoyed building loyal relationships. So, whether it is a new client that contacts us for advice, an associate that has a question or fellow entrepreneurs sharing their experiences, I am always looking to learn from others to build something better. Within the company we don't measure our success in closed transaction or dollars earned, but we focus on the relationships built. Over time these relationships do pay off and as a bonus we end up having friends all over the globe. My goal is to build as many of those relationships as possible.

FACC: How did you hear about the French-American Chamber of Commerce and what do you hope to bring to the FACC network, in terms of knowledge and expertise?

PH: The French-American Chamber has given us a way to connect with the French-American community in an informal setting and build those valuable relationships that I mentioned before. We bring to the Chamber and its members the expertise and connections that help them navigate the New York City real estate market with confidence and poise.

Interested in connecting with Philip? Log into the FACC Member Directory to send him a message.