Fredrik Eklund and his firm’s first Stockholm officePrudential Douglas Elliman managing director Fredrik Eklund wants to take on the world — literally. In addition to his work in New York City with Elliman, Swedish-born Eklund also owns a two-year-old real estate firm in Stockholm, which opened its second office in the city last month. And Eklund told The Real Deal he will soon launch a new firm in London. Called Eklund London New York, the new firm will be an offshoot of the 26-agent Swedish company. Eklund said he has two London staffers so far, and he is now looking for office space. He eventually hopes to have around 30 agents, he said, to tap into the market of some 35,000 Swedish expats in London.
“If I can get something like 10 percent — or even less — of the apartments Swedish people buy and sell in London,” he said, “it would be a great start.”
Eklund himself doesn’t market properties internationally. Instead, he flies to Europe about once a month to manage the local brokers he’s hired.
Eklund has long envisioned opening an office in London, he said; he likes the idea of linking the three otherwise distinct real estate markets, all of which have performed well in the global downturn.
Of course, Eklund said, his frequent overseas ventures make for quite a hectic schedule. To compensate, he awakens before sunrise and claims not to have watched television in two years. Most important, he tries to be in constant contact with clients.
“The trick,” he said, is “to make clients feel as though I haven’t left.”