I was broke in my first year. I didn’t grow up in a family of brokers. I didn’t have a Rolodex of ultra-high-net-worth contacts. I had a degree in English and Hispanic Studies from Trinity College, a background as a college linebacker, and an absolute refusal to quit. Eighteen years and $500M+ later, I can tell you exactly what separates agents who break into luxury from agents who burn out trying.
I coach agents through SERHANT.’s SELL IT program. I teach CRM at Baruch College. I’ve spoken at INMAN Connect, the NYC Real Estate Expo, ResiDay, and NAHREP. And the playbook I teach is the same playbook I used myself. Here it is.
What’s the Number One Skill a Luxury Real Estate Agent Needs?
It’s not sales ability. It’s not market knowledge. It’s emotional intelligence. The ability to read a room, understand what someone really wants versus what they say they want, and make them feel like the most important person in the world.
Luxury clients aren’t shopping for apartments. They’re making life decisions. They’re relocating families. They’re protecting generational wealth. They’re navigating divorce settlements, inheritance, immigration. If you can’t meet people where they are emotionally, it doesn’t matter how many properties you know.
Ryan Serhant talks about this all the time — great salespeople treat every person with the utmost respect, like a close friend. I’ve built my entire career on that principle. Every single person gets my full attention, whether they’re buying a $500K studio or a $30M penthouse.
How Do I Get My First Luxury Listing?
You don’t start at the top. You earn your way there through what I call the “ladder strategy.” Close 10 deals at $500K–1M. Build a reputation for excellence and reliability. Then leverage those relationships and that track record to get referrals into the $1–3M range. Repeat. Build. Keep climbing.
But here’s the shortcut nobody tells you: join a team that’s already operating at the level you want to reach. When I recruited Genesis Suero, she had under 10,000 Instagram followers and had never closed a $5M deal. I saw something in her. Today she’s closed our team’s largest residential deal — $6.45M — and she’s on Netflix. Proximity to excellence accelerates everything.
“Be patient. Work hard. And trust that something better always comes after ‘no.’ I cold-called Genesis. She didn’t pick up. I kept showing up. That persistence built a powerhouse.” — Nile Lundgren
How Important Is Social Media for a Real Estate Career?
Non-negotiable. In 2026, if you don’t exist on social media, you don’t exist. Period. The Lundgren Team has over 1.1 million combined followers across Instagram and TikTok. That’s not vanity — that’s an audience. That’s a lead pipeline. That’s a recruiting tool.
Alexander Zakharin on our team has over 770,000 TikTok followers. Genesis Suero has 240,000+ on Instagram. These aren’t just numbers — they translate into buyer inquiries, listing appointments, media opportunities, and speaking invitations. If you’re a new agent and you’re not posting content daily, you’re invisible.
My advice: pick one platform and dominate it. Post educational content. Share deal breakdowns. Show the real behind-the-scenes of the business. Be consistent for 90 days and watch what happens.
Is Real Estate Coaching Worth It?
Only if the coach has actually done what they’re teaching. There are too many people selling courses who’ve never closed a deal over $1M. Do your diligence.
I can tell you from both sides — as someone who coaches through SELL IT and teaches at Baruch — the right coaching relationship compresses years of learning into months. I had to figure everything out through trial and error. My students and mentees get the frameworks, the scripts, the negotiation tactics, and the mindset shifts handed to them. That’s an unfair advantage.
If you’re considering coaching, look for someone with verifiable transaction history, real-world experience at your target price point, and skin in the game. I’ll be launching a formal coaching program this year — stay connected via COACHING FORM or at nilelundgren.com or DM me @nilelundgren.
What Would You Do Differently If You Were Starting Over Today?
Three things. First, I’d build my personal brand on social media from day one. I didn’t have TikTok and Reels when I started. You do. Use them. Second, I’d join a high-performing team immediately instead of going solo. The learning curve alone is worth it. And third, I’d specialize earlier. Pick a niche — new development, investment properties, relocation, whatever — and own it. Generalists don’t get known. Specialists get referred.
Want to be coached by Nile Lundgren?
READY TO MAKE YOUR MOVE?
Work with the Lundgren Team at SERHANT. — $500M+ in luxury sales across NYC, Miami & Dubai.
Follow @nilelundgren | Visit nilelundgren.com | Call (917) 453-4526 | Need Coaching?
As Seen on Netflix’s Owning Manhattan | Fox Business | Vogue | NY Post | The Real Deal
