The burgeoning Eklund-Gomes team at Douglas Elliman, headed by reality television star Fredrik Eklund and John Gomes, is now adding a rental division, The Real Deal has learned.
Samuel Berry and Andrew Melohn, formerly of Keller Williams NYC, are leading the new effort, which Gomes expects will grow “organically” by gradually adding more salespeople.
“Rentals seems like an obvious place to grow your business,” Gomes said, explaining his team’s strategy is to build long-term relationships with prospective buyers by renting to them first.
There is another tie that led the Eklund-Gomes team to expand its focus to include rentals as well as new development: Melohn’s family owns Melohn Properties, a landlord with more than 1,500 units; some of those apartments could be converted to condominiums, Gomes said.
Gomes described Berry and Melohn as “some of the most hardworking individuals that I’ve ever met.”
At Elliman, Berry and Melohn will hold the titles of licensed sales associate and associate broker, respectively; both had been with Keller Williams NYC for about a year. Keller Williams NYC representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Often when agents play musical chairs, personalities and egos clash, leading to lawsuits. In this case, however, everyone has been civil, according to Berry. “[Keller Williams NYC] understands, with this opportunity, why I’m leaving, and they did leave the door open for me if I ever want to come back,” he said.