Introducing Douglas Elliman’s Boston Rookie of the Year: Roy Bahnam

A native Bostonian who started his career in residential real estate after graduating from the prestigious Eisenberg school of management at UMass Amherst, Roy Bahnam has become a strong member of The Sarkis Team, earning the Rookie of the Year for Boston at Douglas Elliman’s annual awards . Roy Bahnam With his passion for the city and deep knowledge of its distinct neighborhoods and surrounding towns, Roy provides a personalized, concierge level of service that has earned him warm accolades from clients and a steady referral business— something truly notable given Boston’s competitive real estate landscape. Elliman Insider caught up with Roy to find out what motivates him, his goals for 2021 and the advice he’d give any new agent looking to make their mark. You were named Elliman’s Rookie of the Year for Boston. How does that feel? Roy Bahnam: Being named Rookie of the Year for Boston was not only extremely humbling and honoring, but also very rewarding knowing all of my hard work paid off. To be voted this award amongst my great peers in the Boston office is something I’ll always be appreciative of. EI: Tell us a little about your background. Did you always love real estate?​ RB: Growing up, you couldn’t catch me inside the house. I have always been a competitor at heart and displayed my competitiveness through sports by playing basketball, baseball and focusing mainly on football as I grew older. “Selling real estate in Boston has been such an easy transition in my life because I genuinely love this city.” Since I can remember, I wanted to become Rookie of the Year because the initials spell out my name (R.O.Y.) but I always envisioned winning that award through sports. As my sports dreams grew smaller, I quickly found Real Estate to fill that competitive void in my life realizing I’m best suited working for others and doing what I can to make my clients happy. Growing up in Boston, I’ve always been fascinated by the architecture and how every neighborhood in Boston is so different, yet so close to one another. Selling real estate in Boston has been such an easy transition in my life because I genuinely love this city and am so passionate about what makes it the best city in the world. EI: 2020 was an interesting year for everyone, but especially for a rookie. How did you manage to rise to the top? ​ RB: 2020 was most certainly a challenging year for all of us in every way imaginable, but I looked at it as a perfect time for expanding my business. Being trapped at home, I knew many agents wouldn’t be taking the bulls by the horn during quarantine, so I felt as though It was a great opportunity to get ahead and connect with people who I haven’t talked to in a while, reminding everyone under the sun that I do real estate full-time. It showed great success, connecting with many people via Instagram and Facebook, I was able to network with many potential clients and tell them about The Sarkis Team at Douglas Elliman and how I can be of value to them down the line. It also helped me focus on my newsletter “The Roy Report” as I sent out a monthly blog to my database . EI: What motivates you? ​ RB: What motivates me is the fear to fail. Since I was little, I wanted to be great at everything I do, doing it at 110%. Mediocrity has never been a choice, and now that I’m my own boss, the work I put in directly results in the successes I will have to live with. I have no choice but to try my hardest and make the most out of this amazing situation. EI: How did Elliman help guide you through the year?   RB: Elliman was instrumental in guiding me through this challenging year, giving me the right resources to not only market my brand the best way for myself but also to be able to have the prestigious name of Douglas Elliman behind everything I do helped build credibility among my circles. I wouldn’t be here today without some of the amazing mentors that Elliman has to offer. “If you work for Douglas Elliman, you know you’re a part of a family, the bigger picture.” First, I’d like to thank Lisa Rainis and Kevin Ahern for always being such a big support, having my back, teaching me the ropes and continuing to spread confidence in me by letting me know to put my head down and to continue to do what I’ve been doing since I joined. The biggest mentors through it all have been my team leaders, George and Manny Sarkis. They instilled trust in me since day 1 and always were able to see my potential, but knew it was up to me to get to where I wanted to go. They were not only patient with me, but taught me the tools of the trade and they genuinely wanted to see me grow. They are like brothers to me, and I owe a lot of my current and future successes to them. EI: Why did you choose Elliman? ​ RB: I chose Elliman because of their nation-wide recognition and prestigious brand name. I understood Douglas Elliman isn’t as well-known in Boston as it is in LA, NY and Miami, so it was always part of our team goal to get the Sarkis Team on the map. If you work for Douglas Elliman, you know you’re a part of a family, the bigger picture, and knowing you get the opportunity to meet so many amazing agents across the country a few times a year while strengthening your relationships, you’re also setting up a successful future in the Elliman referral business. I truly feel at home with Douglas Elliman. EI: Any advice for new agents? ​ RB: My advice for new agents would be to simply focus on yourself. I know it sounds easy, but we are in a day and age of social media this, social media that, everything is visible to the public and it’s so easy to get caught up in someone else’s success that you forget about your own goals. Don’t compare yourself with other agents as everyone is on a different path and no two people’s stories are the same. It’s really not about the glitz and glamor that you see on Instagram, it’s about the failures, it’s about the “No’s,” it’s about getting knocked down and getting back up when no one is looking. No one posts or highlights their failures for the public to see, so it’s important to understand that struggling is just a part of the business, you have got to find a way to keep pushing. EI: What are your goals for 2021? ​ RB: My personal goals for next year are to grow as an individual, not only as an agent, but more importantly as a man, son and brother. My relationships I have with so many vital people in my life are what helped me get to this point and will continue to propel me further forward. Expressing my love for those people is always something I will continue to make a priority. As for the business side of things, I hope to continually transact and improve every single day as a real estate agent, building my credibility and tweaking parts of my game that need adjusting. To get where I want to go, I have to understand I don’t have all the answers and that I’m humbly willing to learn from some of the best as there is a long road ahead. But I’ve never been more ready for the challenge. ​Contact Roy for all of your real estate needs today.